What happens at Open Auditions?

So I thought I'd do this post as I've been to a few open auditions and thought I'd share my thoughts and insights with you on what happens and what to expect.
( I apologise for the poor state in which this blog is written by the way, since I'm extremely tired but thought this is probably a necessary topic for you all to read!)

I have attended 4 open casting auditions in my life time, 2 in London and 2 in Ireland. In London I attended the open casting for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. And also for Lavender Brown for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. So lets discuss these two first.

So, Harry Potter certainly attracts attention, and both auditions went very similarly. Firstly, there is a lot of waiting involved. Approximately I waited for about 4-5 hours to be seen in each audition. And they were both the same, you end up in a room, where you are asked to fill in a form, they take a polaroid photo and attach it. Once that is completed they call you into a different room in groups. In this room, you stand in a semi-circle and essentially get crossed of their list by appearance. They say to certain people 'please step forward' and then those who have not been asked to do so, can leave and thank you for your time.

So that was a waste really... but not entirely. In the Lavender Brown audition I was sent straight home. In the Luna Lovegood audition, I was asked to step forward... so this is what happens should this happen to you!

I was taken to a room with a few other girls inside, and was given a page of the script to read over, and then once I was ready I could go and read it to a person with a camera. If you've seen the film, the scene you were asked to read is the one in which Luna is petting and feeding the Thestral and talking about how her mother died. So that was an interesting experience!

After all that I learned from the newspapers that I was one in 500 that were asked to read from the script so I guess that was a little achievement in itself.. but really these auditions are all based on looks.

Ok so lets move on to the next two auditions I attended here in Ireland...

Star Wars.. if you lived in Ireland and you are in any way interested in acting, you most likely attended these auditions or sent in a tape! So this was a great experience! Again, a lot of waiting, about 6 hours maybe.. in total.. I think I was there at 6am and got seen at around 12 or 1...

This audition was very different from the Harry Potter ones I had attended before. They asked you to bring a headshot, on which I wrote my agent's contact and my own contact on the back. I also included my height, hair and eye colour. And this is essentially how they judged you. Yet again people, these auditions are primarily Superficial auditions!!

I was asked had I any acting experience, and she recognised that I had a good quality, professional photo and she recognised my agent... and this is how I got through to the next round. If you didn't have either the looks, the experience or the correct kind of photo, they were more likely to dismiss you straight away, and your photo was put into a large storage container on your way out.

In the next round I was introduced to a casting director and had a small discussion about myself, my experience, and what I had attended for... And I must have impressed them, as I got a 'side' (that is a small section of script to read) and an arm band, and was told to come back at 5pm... WOOHOO! I got through! I was over the moon!

Anyway, round 3, you attended an audition, in a room where another audition was already going ahead at the same time. The room was quite large though and so their audition didn't affect yours at all.. except mentally... Anyway, you were asked to introduce yourself on camera and then read opposite the casting assistant. Also, you were standing, not sitting...
Anyway, what can you do but wait, and sadly, nothing came of it! But at least I had auditioned. I had met a new casting director and had the opportunity to perform, so all in all, I thought my day was pretty successful!

The most recent open audition I have attended was for 'Red Rock', a new soap opera currently under pre-production here in Ireland. So, the waiting was much less for this, as I arrived at 7am and expected a group of over 100 people to be there already, since the auditions started at 10am... there were 50 people ahead of me. Over all between the time I arrived, and the time I left (11am), I think there were about 200 people who were there, most of which had already been seen. But I believe more people came out after 11am.

In this audition, you were asked to prepare a monologue of no longer than 1 minute long, of which the character needed to be the same age and 'type' as yourself. And this, is incredibly difficult if you're in your twenties and a female... It also needed to be from a film or tv series. I chose a scene by Lexi Grey in Grey's Anatomy in which she discusses how her father is an alcoholic.
At the top of the queue, you were asked to fill in a form, and they filled a piece of paper for you to hold up for the camera. The information on this form was your name, mobile number, age and contact email.

There were 5 rooms in which were one casting director each and a camera. You entered, Said your name to camera and answered a small question about your monologue, and held your information sheet up in front of camera.

Once it was over, that was it. Done and dusted. So overall, my experience with these open auditions is that the wait is incredibly long, for little less than 5 minutes in a room to prove yourself...

These auditions are mostly superficial and everything about you can factor or alter your fate.. you're too small, you're too blonde, etc..

But these auditions are fun! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people, and the people in the queue are amazing! And we're all there for the same reason, there isn't much of a 'competition' atmosphere because it is mostly superficial.

So if you go, have fun! You could bring a book or headphones but you'll find that talking to people in the queue is a way more effective way to pass time! Bring food, and also always bring your headshot just in case, some productions take them, some do not. But better safe than sorry.

Don't be put off by the amount of people there, if you're going... Have fun! Just go with it and enjoy the experience!

Again, I'm so sorry about the poorly written state of this blog, I'm pretty exhausted! But I thought I might just take the time to express my thoughts on open auditions, so I hope this helps! And now there is nothing you can do, except to play the waiting game...

So in reference to 'Red Rock', it was so recent that I'm still currently playing that waiting game.... so... I'll let you know :P

Thanks for reading...

Peach Out!!!

Jealousy

So this business is tough...
Ha.. NEWS FLASH!

I know, you already knew that. I'm wondering if anyone reads this blog any more? Hmm. Oh well, It's probably more for myself that I write it now, but you never know!

Anyway, So this business, as previously stated, is tough. You get nowhere, and you get there very feckin quickly. The thing is, when you're in this business you're bound to know someone who is more successful than you, no matter how little the success, you still feel as though a sharp little knife is driven into your heart.

Actually, more accurately, you feel as though you've been marked across the face. Because the ever tormented voice in your head won't let the idea that there is something wrong with you go.

For example, recently there have been actors who have come into my work place and their production has paid for their gym membership. And my little heart breaks each time I get a phone call from production to sign a new member because honestly, I feel I should be the one having my membership paid for.. not the one writing the receipt.

So I've decided again on LA or London. I think there are definitely highs and lows of being an actor, and in the low times I always think 'I need to get out of here'. But many have 'made it' and are successful here too! Such as Domnhall Gleeson, Brendan Gleeson, Cilian Murphy, Liam Neeson and so on...

The pond is smaller here, and there is a lot less competition, and maybe one day when I knock on the same doors too many times maybe they will eventually cast me in something!!

But that's not a guarantee is it? I mean I know the pond is massive (more like an ocean) in LA and in London or New York, but at least there are enough people that could potentially hire you, rather than say, the top 3 casting directors here in ireland would. There are more auditions in these places, more acting classes, more of an acting community (i'm assuming)...

So now I wait..  Come the end of this month, I will have decided if the move to California is realistic and doable.

Sorry, I got a bit side-tracked there... anyway, jealousy.. the title of this blog. I can't help but feel bogged down by other people's success, no matter how little, it's still more successful than anything I got going right now...

Bottom line is, I have to grow up.. and if anyone else is in the same boat then GROW UP! We cannot measure ourselves against someone else because everyone is different. And bottom line is, someone will always be more talented or skinner than you and you will always be forever envious of what they have, instead of trying to move on and enjoy your own life.

So get a grip people! Hakuna Matata and all that!

Peach out.

I got Cast!!... as Another One liner!!

Woohoo!! Lets hear it for ME! ok no seriously though, since my one line ("Message for you sir") on Titanic Blood and Steel, I have not had a day to top that experience on a professional set. There is something so amazing about being on set and being a minor cast member! (sooo looking forward to the day where I'll become a primary cast member but hey-ho! one step at a time!)

So today I got news from my agent that an offer of a one-line part has been made to me for a tv series that will air on the history channel!! So friggin excited! and I'll take some pics (if i can) and then put them up here once the series has aired and everything is no longer a big copy-right issue.

So excited! How did I get this you ask? Through my agent! A while ago, I was asked to submit an online audition for two minor roles in the series and I hadn't heard back from them in a while! Ah! So naturally I was sad and doubted myself, but overall got over it and realised it wasn't for me!

This is exactly the same as what happened for Titanic Blood and Steel, I auditioned for a role, didn't get it and then some time later got called on for a one-line part!

So now I know that I can at least be trusted to deliver a line! woohoo!! so excited!

Believe in yourself, and always do your best! Because the casting directors will remember you! xxx

Peach out! x

The Hubbard workshop and another day as an extra!

Hey everyone!


So I said that I would get back to you on how the Hubbard workshop went, and here I am, writing to tell you! Basically it is a full day, 10-5 and it costs 30euro, and is part of the Cinemagic 'festival' (if thats what you call a week of workshops and Q&A's....). Cinemagic.co.uk are a Northern Irish company I believe and set up a week full of workshops, Q&A's with directors, writers and actors, for the benefit of those who are looking to gain a little more insight into the industry.

The workshop for the Hubbards, was basically a group of probably 30 people, who would perform a monologue for Ros and John Hubbard, who would then give critical feedback! It was extremely insightful to listen to everything they had to say about some pieces and their feedback was extremely helpful. At the end of the day, there was a question and answer session and then we all packed up and went home!

I know it doesn't sound like much, but just to hear what they had to say about auditions and how they audition young actors and what their take on their industry is, was really so helpful, and I would really recommend that anyone interested should definitely take part next year! The do this workshop in Dublin, in the Burlington Hotel every year in collaboration with cinemagic, so please google Cinemagic and keep up to date with their workshops! Of course, with the Hubbards workshop, you can only do this workshop once, as they don't need to see you perform twice. They are hugely influential and just to get them to see you perform a piece, that ideally shows the best of your capabilities is a huge opportunity not to be missed!

And yes, some people will get auditions from the workshop, specifically the young females of 15-17, just purely because they are casting for someone of that age  right now, I believe. And who knows, next year they might be casting a character that may suit you! So go!! And also their memory is incredible! I met Ros Hubbard in London for a quick hello, literally two minutes and she remembered me! That was two years ago! So this is definitely an opportunity not to miss out on!

The following day, Fair City called again and asked if I'd be an extra for the day. So I did!! Up at 6.30 to be at the studios for 8am!! I was there until 3 and was used in one scene for approximately 5 minutes! Now I know thats an awful long time to sit around, but I can do whatever work or watch whatever movies or read whatever book I want, in the green room until I'm called! And as far as I'm concerned, that is way better than doing a minimum wage job for 6 or 7 hours to get the same amount of money! So it's all good for me!!

I don't think I'll be writing again about the Fair City extra work, as it is usually always the same. You sit with someone on set and you mime a conversation, or you drink/eat the food given, or you sit and read or search on your phone. Basically, you will be in the background, keeping occupied! And thats the life of an extra! Ha!

Any experiences you have had? Anyone else been to a great workshop recently? any feedback on this blog what-so-ever? Don't be afraid to contact me or tweet me @appeleyes2 with any comments or questions!!

Thanks so much for reading!

Peach Out!! xx

Oh Canada!! and tidbits...

Hi there!

So I know I haven't posted in a while, and the reason is, well, a lot of things. Basically I had to write an essay, then go to Canada!

I went to Canada for 3 days to represent my university in a Student forum for Universitas 21! It was amazing fun and I had such a great time! Canada is sooo beautiful, specifically Vancouver which was were the Student Summit was held.

I, along with 42 other delegates from 13 different countries, sat together in workshops and discussed how we could better the education and college experience. It was an extremely productive three days, but unfortunately on my lsat day, as I was flying back to London I felt extremely ill. And am now sick in bed over the weekend!! Boohoo!!

But on the up-side, I'm participating in a Hubbard Casting Workshop tomorrow so I hope to let you all know about that soon!!! So Keep checking back!! :)

For those of you who aren't aware, The Hubbards are possibly the largest Casting Company in the UK and have cast some of the most amazing films I have ever seen! Such as The Lord of The Rings, Tomb Raider, The Hobbit, The Bourne Ultimatum.. basically, A LOT! And if you google them I'm sure they'd have info about them and what they have cast! They're a family business, Ros and John are the Parents and creators, then followed by Dan and Amy their children. All are still casting today and I'm so excited to meet them again!

(I met them all once before very briefly in London, and I've also auditioned for John twice.) I'm so excited to participate but I'm also very nervous! I hope that I can really pull off my monologue and just sincerely act with confidence because I feel that is possibly my weakest point!!

Oh well! Perhaps I'll get some feedback tomorrow so I'll let you all know!

Stay Tuned!

Peach Out!


(oh and while you wait, here are some lovely shots of the Stunning Vancouver and UBC campus!)

Can you be an actor with no experience?

In short yes! Of Course you can! If you're in the right place at the right time and a casting director wants you, then that could be you set for life! There are so many success stories out there such as Charlize Theron (fellow South Africa), who raged and roared at a bank teller in LA and a talent agent spotted her! And look where she is today!

Now I'm not saying you should go shouting at every bank teller in the hopes of being spotted by a talent agent, but strange things happen, if you're in the right place at the right time, that could be your break if you are just what they are looking for! (Hopefully that 'right place' is a casting)

But also ask yourself this, what are you doing?! Honestly, why don't you have experience when there are so many opportunities to learn? Get in contact with your local drama group or society and see if they or any near-by theaters hold any workshops? There are plenty of freelance trainers and casting directors who host workshops and some for a very reasonable price. It's not paid experience but it's definitely a start!

Also try find some small theatre courses or acting courses that might interest you and that are available at a decent fee. There are also plenty of student films in production that need actors who will work for free!! There are plenty of websites out there for you to make contact with these people and where they can advertise: such as here in Ireland we have the filmmakersnetwork.ie and crooked house theatre have a forum for advertisements. Also it might bode well for you guys out there with no experience to go and join things like Fishpond here in Ireland, run by a casting director and is viewed by many production companies that need irish actors (so why not see if there is an equivalent in your country?). Also Movieextras.ie is a great company, that charge about 60 euro for 6 months, and like 99 for the full year, and they will make your profile available to casting directors who need extras for filming in Ireland. The pay is rubbish but you learn all about what it is like to be on a film set and how everything works!

There are tonnes of ways for you to get experience, so go out and get some!! You can get paid acting work off the back of non-paid acting jobs!! Go and audition for the student films and learn the process of auditioning, get some work and make a showreel!

you can alternatively find some good scenes from films, tv shows or plays and film yourself and make a vimeo page, and upload all of those clips and send that link on to every casting director and director that you can get in contact with!! The work is out there, but if they don't know who you are they can't hire you can they?! (feel free to also write your own material! You never know, it could be your hidden talent and you could end up like Lena Dunham who wrote "Tiny Furniture", and "Girls"!)

So yes you can be an actor with no experience, and in my opinion it's not absolutely necessary to have training either, in schools and what not. It is a massive help of course, and you get to explore and learn so many different things, but it is not absolutely ESSENTIAL in landing you a job!!!

Best of luck! Get Experiencing!!

Peach Out!

xxxx

ISDA and auditions!

So I believe I wanted to keep you up to date with ISDA and how all that went down..

Well!... we arrived and set up on the monday evening and then performed our show "Breathing Corpses" on the Tuesday morning at 11am. The judges liked our performance and complemented the acting, the set design and the stage management, but overall kinda hated the text!! Oh well! Not much you can do about that then eh?

I was supposed to stay on in Cork and go to the ISDA award ceremony on Wednesday night when I was notified by my agent that I had an audition on Wednesday morning, and then another audition on Tuesday morning!

Well, I nearly fell over! WTF? I haven't had an audition in absolute ages and now all of a sudden TWO? in the space of TWO DAYS? WTF? ... well hey! I'm not complaining! Just a bit of a shock to the ole system! So I printed the sides and read and learned them, as usual.

But this time I went into the audition room with confidence, wanting to 'play', excited to show them what i can do! And I had fun!! It was the best fun! The first audition was for a comedy series on RTE and I had many lines, and got to play 'a character' which is always craic! So I thoroughly enjoyed my audition, and came out happy that at least I enjoyed myself.

I didn't get the part or a call back for that audition but thats understandable. I'm not gonna get everything, because sometimes its your look that is just unsuitable. No bother! At least I has fun trying!

The next audition was waaaaay harder.... because it was one line! Only one! jeepers how the hell do you audition for a one line part? Well, I soon found out! The casting director had the whole day to audition tonnes of girls for this part. Wow! and I thought my work was cut out for me! I really felt for them because they were gonna have to hear this line over and over! Gees! Anyways, I went in and said the line and found that they added in another line for me to say, i think that was a good call because at least then I could display my accent. (there was a required accent for this particular part, but with one line, that had very little inflection and no words longer than two syllables it was hard to show it!)... but that was it! 5 mins in and out! i performed the scene once and then again with direction....

AND..... I got a callback! Woohoo! I've never had a call back before so I will definitley write a post about that when i get the chance!!

so there you go! thats what has been going on with me lately! Oh yes, and I've just completed filming a short film for Dublin Institute of Technology students! That was soooo much fun! and I will post about that soon with many pictures!!! xxx

Thanks for reading! I will post soon!

Peach Out! x

Can YOU be a successful actor?

The answer is very simple. But only you can answer it. How badly do you want it?

The industry in Ireland is VERY small, so if you really want to be successful here, or in fact anywhere, you just have to work hard! Thats it really!!

Do you have a headshot? Is it a good headshot? Don't tell me you have no money for a headshot when I'm sure you or someone you know has an Iphone! Go out and take a picture on a good day with good light and it will suffice until you can earn enough to get a headshot photographer or even just a portrait photographer (probably cheaper)! If you have at least an iphone 4S then you've got an 8 megapixel camera right there! which will take very decent photographs! So go out, and ask around if you or someone you knows has a good camera phone. Ask what the megapixels are and then just go out and take a few shots. Here is some solid advice for your headshot:

Be natural: that means very little make up please! If they need to make you up they will!
                  Also your hair, keep it simple, up or down it's not very relevant as they are looking at your
                  face!!

Light:   Good lighting!! Women are normally light from slightly above, which is more flattering and
             creates a nice glow in the eyes. Men are more often light from the side.

Background:   It doesn't really matter as long as your are in focus. So if it's plain white then thats fine,
                     but it can be a brick wall or greenary or anything, just as long as it's not in focus

Editing:  Do not over edit your photos! No crazy photoshopped perfect skin, they don't want you to
              look like a model! They want to see the real you, so no glam shots!

Smile or no smile? Well I prefer not to smile but I suggest you take a few pictures with it each way and see what works best for you. But if it's a smile, try think of something genuinely funny, you don't want a picture with a fake cheesy grin.

Now, moving on! Once you've got your headshot, do you have an up to date Resume?? It should have the list of past work you've done or are currently working on. And it should probably follow this type of pattern:

Date      Production       Role     Director     Company

And use these under the categories of Theatre and Film and Television.



Showreel.

TIP NO.1:
NO MONTAGE!!!!! PLEASE GOD NO FRIGGIN MONTAGE!! Directors and Castign Directors have announced countless times that they do not want to see a 30second montage of footage of you set to music at the beginning of your showreel! They'll skip it anyway! So don't put a montage in there!

TIP NO.2:
If you are making a showreel, just keep the editing simple, and start with one of your best scenes (although probably not the one where you're screaming your head off), maybe it's a good idea to ease them in.

TIP NO.3:
I know you love that monologue scene you're in, but don't forget to include dialogue scenes where you actually have less dialogue than the other actor, but obviously a lot of reaction footage time. Casting Directors want to see that you can listen to the actor you're playing opposite and see you react. You don't always have to be talking!!

TIP NO.4:
Don't send it to casting directors through email or something where they have to DOWNLOAD it. NO NO! Rather upload it to a private youtube site or Vimeo (this is my preferred choice) and send them a LINK. This is much less hassle to a director or casting director, as they just need to click and follow the link. So much easier for them!

TIP NO.5:
It's not essential to have a showreel. But it is a huge benefit to have some sort of material you can show them. If you're unrepresented and applying for a role to the casting director directly, then it actually might be a better idea for you to just upload a selection of different clips from the projects you have done. This means that if you're going for a soft character, and you have a specific scene in which you played a character which was very similar, you can just send the casting agent/director a direct link to that scene. This is more beneficial to you as they see it immediately, rather that if that scene is in the middle of your showreel and they never get to it because they only watched the first 20 seconds. So a selection of clips might be a very good idea. (this is why I like vimeo!)

And finally, once you have your headshot and resume and possibly a showreel, go out and get it! If you have an agent, send this info to your agent and make sure they are putting it to good use! If you are unrepresented, then send it to every agent, casting agent or director you can! Make sure everything is clear! Who you are, where you come from and what you are hoping to achieve ("I'd like to apply for... role", etc)

Be strong and confident in your own skin. Like you as a person and they will like you as a person. Be yourself, be natural and most importantly work hard! Fight for it! Go out and get involved in everything on camera that you can!

Good luck!

Peach out!

Self taping an audition

Oh gee... I seriously hate self-taping for an audition because you have time to analyze and stress. The worst thing about self taping an audition is having one day to do it...

I had one day to self tape an audition for a short film because the actual audition was a good while away and I had somewhere to be that night which was extremely important for me. So I got my sides and realized straight away, this is something I can't do on my own. So ensue another dilemma... My boyfriend who is doing media studies is in Wexford, I'm in Dublin... so he's out. My brother had just returned to Wexford the day before.. so he's a nope too.. I couldn't exactly get my grandmother to do it so my last and only option was Dramsoc...


Oh let me tell you there are not a lot of people willing to give up their day to help you. That's a fact!! Luckily I had a good friend in Dramsoc who would read with me and hold the camera... but only after 6pm... My audition needed to be done and uploaded by the next morning at the latest.

So fine, it was the best I could hope for. But doing a scene is so hard when you self tape because you can't just relax. You're gonna do the scene, then watch the play back then do it again and again.. it's really time consuming! and Then you feel bad for taking up other's time.  But I got it done after about 4 hours... (4 scenes in total) and I uploaded and sent it off.

I would totally prefer to go to the audition but sometimes that's just not possible.

My only advice so far is so find a very well lit room and use a good camera. If you need to hire a studio for an hour or two then you should do it, if you get the part it could be worth it. I'm not sure about filming it in the context that the script states, e.g., if it's a kitchen scene, film it in the kitchen. I will ask a few casting directors about this and see what they come back to me with.

Have you ever self-taped? any advice?

Peach out.

can you be an actor with tattoos?

Ok so I thought I'd share my thoughts on actors with tattoos as my brother is trying to be an actor (much like myself! What can I say, twin see twin do) and he's got a large tattoo that covers some of his upper left chest and his shoulder down to his elbow. So it's kind of half a sleeve. Now don't get me wrong the tattoo is pretty cool and I actually really like it. But does this affect his chances as an actor?

In short yes. But if the movie is modern enough then no not really. I think the acting business seems more lenient to tattoos nowadays and it doesn't seem to be a problem. The only time it would be a real problem would be in period films.

Now in ireland unfortunately the only things (well mostly) that are filming at the minute are period pieces such as Vikings and Game of Thrones. But tattoos are easily covered with clothing, and if it comes down to it, there's always make up. I've heard it could take hours to cover it up but I think that if you're the right actor for the part then of course they won't hesitate to hire you and sort the tattoos out later.

Are any of you actors with tattoos? have you come across many problems?


*update

if you're looking for a good make up product to cover tattoos check this out. you can always say this to the director who is casting you, that you would have your own products to cover it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIBKifOOQQ


Peach out! x

well..

ok so nothing new! I had my first audition of 2012! yay! thank God! I didn't get the part but at least I had an audition! And I'm so excited to get back into it! Now, I know I've said that I'd make a youtube video blog, however.. I'm a little weary about putting myself on youtube just yet so I thought I'd just post more here and see can I get more followers or visits here first and help you guys out!

Um, anyways, the audition went well and I think the casting director liked me which is great! and honestly sometimes it's not all about getting the job and it's more about making and impression on the people who audition you, because you may not be what they're looking for in terms of the character but you may be great for a part in the future or in another project that they're working on!


So here's my tip for today: Don't go in thinking you're going to be amazing and get the part because you deserve it. Go in with a smile and a positive attitude and think, I should get this part because this is my interpretation of the character and hopefully you like it. In the end though I think meeting the people and the casting directors is such a valuable experience.

Other than that I don't have any comments. I can't wait for the oscars this year though!!!! I hope Rooney Mara gets Best Actress, I know Meryl Streep will probably get it but I think that's just because she impersonates Margaret Thatcher very well, but honestly I think the emotional and physical challenge Rooney went through deserves the Oscar more! But we will see!

Anywho...

Bye for now!!