TALKINGLENS PRODUCTIONS PRESENTATION
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Leeds Auditions ] 1---Audition Tips QSMAB Audition Sides Please note that the scripts you receive over the internet or on the website may be different from the characters in the original script. Once you have been screen-tested with the "audition script" you may be screen-tested further with an excerpt from the original screenplay of "QSMAB" THESE SCRIPTS ARE NOT FROM THE ACTUAL QSMAB SCRIPT BUT SIMILAR IN STYLE
i)Jack vs Nina/Karen/Phillipa ii)Gurdeep/Trevor vs Jack
iii)Jack vs Donald
iv) Karen/Philipa Vs Mary Audition Tips General Tips Ø Don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress – arrive early Ø Be prepared to wait Ø Don’t have expectations about whether it will be a long or short audition - it could be either Ø Be prepared to chat or just get on with it Ø Be prepared to deal with some personal questions Ø Understand the story Ø Be open to any suggestions Ø Relax Audition Tips (for Film & Television) q Always learn the lines q If possible and appropriate read the whole script q Try to just learn the lines and not the performance q Be ready to adapt to different readings of the story and/or any new information which may emerge q Relax q Listen – then find the impulse to respond q Unless asked to play “to the camera” always play to the person who is reading/performing the other character or characters q Ask questions to eliminate any uncertainty. No-one minds answering clear and simple questions q Don’t have too high expectations q Take bottled water into the audition room to relieve any drying of the mouth from nerves. (If you don't have your own water it is OK to ask for some if you feel you need it.) Audition Tips (General Auditions for Screen) Casting Agents and Directors hold General Auditions to expand their contact files. They are looking to identify the actor's type, skill levels, experience and versatility. They want to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible - the more good actors they have on their computer files, the better equipped they will be to find the right actor for the next job they have to cast. So remember, the casting agent wants you to - be comfortable and enjoy the experience (so you give a good performance) be good (they want good actors on their books) to be well organized (so the process doesn't take too long) Your preparation and the skill level you have developed to this point will generate the quality of your performance. Neither of these factors will change in the time that you perform the audition - SO RELAX and allow those factors to work for you. Selecting a Script for Screen General Auditions Choose a contemporary two handed scene about one minute in duration (definitely not longer than a minute and a half). You may have to edit an existing scene to do this. A two handed scene is preferable for the casting director will be better able to observe your capacity to listen and interact than with a monologue. These qualities are more important than your ability to learn lines or display emotion. Understand, what the casting agent/director is looking for so you can deliver those requirements. (Check the list above.) Type: Often casting directors cast 'to type'. The only thing that is likely to change this is the versatility of your acting skills. Many factors will determine how you are typed, most of which are beyond your control. The script you select and the way you play the character you have chosen will either re-enforce your obvious 'character type' or broaden those perspectives. If you are dark and intense and play an aggressively dominant character you are likely to be 'typed as a baddy'. If you are dark and intense and you choose to play a character who is charming and witty then you may succeed in creating a character that is different to obvious expectations. Whichever choice you make CHOOSE A SCENE IN WHICH YOU ARE A LIKELY CANDIDATE TO BE CAST. DON'T MAKE OUTLANDISH CHOICES OF CHARACTER TYPE as the opportunity to play those sorts of characters is very rare. Skill Levels: A scene in which your character deals with some unexpected elements is useful as this demonstrates your ability to listen and think. If the listening and thinking you do in the scene produce different performance 'colours' then this will reveal one level of skill. Don't select a scene that is highly dramatic. This is a general audition. It provides a guide for the casting director as to your capabilities. If they want to assess you for a specific, dramatic purpose/role they will call you back to do a specific audition with a specific scene. Experience: Your experience is mostly displayed by your CV. The rest will be revealed by the comfortable, practical level of your performance skills. Being inexperienced is not a major issue - everyone has to start somewhere. Choosing a scene that does the job satisfactorily will demonstrate a functional level of practical skills. Versatility: If the scene you select has a turning point in it then this will enable your character to experience a new set of circumstances and show your versatility in playing these circumstances. If your scene is short you may be asked to try it again with some different ingredients. This will demonstrate your ability to process direction and cope with change. So be prepared to change. Good luck. From Talking lens Pictures Ltd. Audition Tips (for Stage) · Learn - lines and not thoughts; - words and not inflections · Understand the impulses that drive your character · Respond to the impulses and then… · Do the thinking · Understand the impulses of the character to whom you are playing (even in a monologue) · If the characters to whom you are playing are imaginary you must still allow them to confirm or surprise your expectations · Understand the nature of the space your character is in · Be aware that your audience is always listening and watching from the auditorium · Relax – it’s only an audition · Remember that (because of the adrenalin in your system) what seems a long time to you will be a short time for your audience · Slow down · Allow time to think · Experience and enjoy Remember, even if you are brilliant and perfect for the part there are many many factors determining the final choice. Don’t despair. Auditioning is part of the actor’s world. Work at enjoying the experience. Terms To Know Audition. A formally arranged session (usually by appointment through an agent) for an actor to display his or her talents when seeking a role in an upcoming production of a play, film or television project. Callback. A second audition where an actor is either presented to the producer and director or, in the case of commercials, is filmed on tape again for final consideration. Cold Reading. Delivering a speech or acting a scene at an audition without having read it beforehand. Cue Cards. The large flash cards that have an actor’s script printed on them and that are read when auditioning for a role in a TV commercial. Monologue. A speech used by an actor to demonstrate his or her ability at an audition. Open Casting Calls. Auditions open to anyone. Scene Study and Analysis. A pre-audition practice of studying a few pages of a script ahead of time. Screen Test. A recorded audition to determine a person’s suitability as an actor for film or television. Sides. Designated scenes pulled out of an entire script to be used for auditions. Sign-in Sheet. (Exhibit E SAG/AFTRA) Audition Report which an actor fills out and initials upon arrival at a casting office. Signing Out. The act of entering the time you exit an audition on the Exhibit E Sign-in Sheet. Slate/Ident. The act of stating your name and agency on a commercial audition while being videotaped. Typed-out. The elimination of an actor during auditions because of such obvious features as height, weight or age. Talking Lens Pictures Ltd Newsam Lodge, 53-55 Selby Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 0EW Tel- 0113 248 4444. Fax- 01132958013, Email- filmmakers@ntlworld.com Website: www.filmmakers.co.uk/quick Audition Scripts i)Jack vs Nina/Karen/Phillipa Scene 1 JACK I want to start afresh in a new ,place, quit the architect game, slow things down, read more books, see more movies... NINA/Karen/Phillipa You're a movie buff? JACK Try to be. It's tough going with the crap they make today. If The Da Vinci Code is the best they've got to offer I say thanks but no thanks. NINA/Karen/Phillipa Have you seen it? JACK No. But the Evening Post critic Mr Henson hated it. NINA/Karen/Phillipa A Bloody oaf. JACK Huh. I guess I just wish they made them like they used to. You know, something like Bonnie and Clyde or Harold and Maude. Nina can't believe her ears. NINA/Karen/Phillipa Harold and Maude is my all-time favorite movie. JACK Ouch. Come on, you're having me on. I know it's corny, but I do love it. NINA/Karen/Phillipa Jack, I'm not kidding. I really think it's the greatest-- JACK --Love story of our time. Nina smiles. Is this guy for real? NINA/Karen/Phillipa Yeah. JACK Wow. I thought I was the only one. They come to her apartment building and stop. It gets a little awkward. NINA/Karen/Phillipa So... JACK Yeah...I guess this is it, huh? NINA/Karen/Phillipa I guess. JACK Well, I'll see ya. Jack turns to go but stops. JACK (cont'd) Nina ah, forget it. NINA/Karen/Phillipa What? JACK No, forget it, it was stupid. NINA/Karen/Phillipa Come on, what were you going to say? JACK/Karen Nah, really, it was moronic. NINA/Karen/Phillipa Just say it.
Jack takes a deep breath. JACK Could I see your earlobes before I go? Nina just stares at him. NINA/Karen/Phillipa (beat) Knock yourself out. Jack looks at both earlobes and then hesitates… JACK Okey-dokey,so tomorrow night? She smiles and as Jack walks away JACK & Nina/Karen/ Phillipa SCENE 2 Nina talking about past love.
NINA I don't know. It got to the point where I couldn't remember any of the reasons I loved him. And you... and love? JACK Well, there's a question -- without an interesting answer. NINA I have thought about you… Just anytime I've tried to keep things normal with anyone normal -- it's been a disaster. Nina smiles her biggest smile of the day. He is helping. It is a poster of a Chagall painting of a floating wedding couple, with a goat as company. JACK You like Chagall? NINA I do. It feels like how being in love should be. Floating through a dark blue sky. JACK With a goat playing a violin. NINA Yes -- happiness wouldn't be happiness… Jack ….without a violin-playing goat. NINA The thing is... I have to go away today but I wondered, if I didn't, whether you might let me see you a bit... or, a lot maybe... see if you could... like me again. Pause as Jack takes this in. JACK But yesterday... that actor asked you who I was... and you just dismissed me out of hand... I heard -- you had a microphone... I had headphones. NINA The fame thing isn't really real, you know. Don't forget -- I'm also just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her. ii)Gurdeep/(Trevor)vs Jack Audition Scene
EXT. Leeds Shooting Club DAY
Gurdeep is sitting alone having a beer when a smiling Trevor
approaches in full body scuba diving gear.
Gurdeep
Just incidentally -- why are you
wearing that?
Trevor
Ahm -- combination of factors really.
No clean clothes...
Gurdeep
There never will be, you know, unless
you actually clean your clothes.
Trevor
Right. Vicious circle. And then I was
like rooting around in your things,
and found this, and I thought -- cool.
Kind of spacey.
Gurdeep Really Trevor There's something wrong with the goggles though... Gurdeep No, they were prescription, so I could see all the fishes properly. Trevor Groovy. You should do more of this stuff. Gurdeep So -- any messages? Trevor Yeh, I wrote a couple down. Gurdeep Two? That's it? Trevor You want me to write down all your messages? Gurdeep closes his eyes in exasperation. Gurdeep Who were the ones you didn't write down from? Trevor Ahm let's see -- ahm. No. Gone completely. Oh no, wait. There was -- one from your mum: she said don't forget lunch and her leg's hurting again. Gurdeep Right. No one else? Trevor Absolutely not. Trevor leans back and relaxes. Trevor Though if we're going for this obsessive writing-down-all-messages thing -- some American girl called Anna called a few days ago. Gurdeep freezes -- then looks at Trevor. Gurdeep What did she say? Trevor Well, it was genuinely bizarre... she said, hi -- it's Anna -- and then she said, call me at the Ritz -- and then gave herself a completely different name. Gurdeep Which was? Trevor Absolutely no idea. Remembering one name's bad enough... iii)Jack vs Donald Audition Scene
Donald
So, Mercury tells me you're looking for some
lady-friend you knew in high school.
JACK
Uh-huh.
DONALD
Any idea where I might start looking?
JACK
She moved to Miami Beach twelve years ago.
I checked directory enquiries down there
and she's not lised. She might've moved
ten times since then.
DONALD
(skeptical)
All you want is a phone number?
JACK
Well, I know you're busy
DONALD
Don't play games with me, Jack.
JACK
I don't know, maybe you could poke around
for a half day and see if she has five kids
and a Labrador.
DONALD
I don't buy it.
JACK
You don't buy what?
Suddenly Donald is in his face.
DONALD
Jack, I'm the kind of guy who shoots from
the hip. Now I want you to level with me:
Did you knock this skirt up?
JACK
(indignant)
No.
DONALD
She's blackmailing you, right?
JACK
(more indignant)
No.
DONALD
You want her dead, don't you?
JACK
You can't be serious.
DONALD
Do you really expect me to believe this is
a straight stalker case?
JACK
I'm not a stalker ! She's a friend of mine.
DONALD
Sure she is. That's why she got an unlisted
number and you haven't heard squat from her
in a dozen years. Oh you're good, Jack.
You're a real piece of work.
JACK
(stands)
Look, let's forget it. Let's forget the
whole thing.
DONALD
I get one hundred a day plus expenses.
JACK
(LAUGHS at Donald's nerve)
You get fifty a day, period. It's a
business trip, they'll pay for your
expenses.
Donald thinks about it.
DONALD
Okay, Jack, I'll do it. But if this chick
turns up with a toe tag, I'm rolling over
on you.
iv) Karen/Philipa vs Mary Audition Script Mary places a ball on the tee Mary (to Karen/Philipa) Haven't swung the wrenches in a while. Karen/Philipa nods. Mary takes another swing and duck-hooks one about fifty yards. Karen/Philipa addresses her ball, takes a smooth backswing, and Mary (cont'd) Hey, can you give me some tips here? She cracks her shot long and straight. Karen/Phillipa Yeah, don't talk in someone's backswing. Mary Thanks. Karen/Philipa tees up another ball and Mary puts down her club. Mary(cont'd) I'm gonna get a soda, you want one? KAREN/PHILIPA (annoyed) No thanks. Gurdeep/Trevor pulls out a huge wad of change from his pocket. Mary Oh cripes. Do you have change for a dollar? All I have is these stupid Nepalese coins. KAREN/PHILIPA (interested) Nepal? Have you been? Mary Not in months. I don't even know why I bought the damn place. KAREN/PHILIPA You own a home there? Mary Well...it's just a condo really. Right outside Katmandu. KAREN/PHILIPA Wow. That's a place I've always wanted to go. Is it true the mountains are so tall you can't see the tops? Mary Not 'til you get about three hundred yards from the summit. That's been my experience anyway.
She looks impressed. Mary looks at her watch. Mary (cont'd) You know, I should just get going. I'll work on my game next week. He flips her a coin. Mary (cont'd) Here. Spend it on your trip to Katmandu. KAREN/PHILIPA (smiles) Thanks. Mary starts to walk off. Karen/Philipa doesn't know what to do. KAREN/PHILIPA (cont'd) (CALLS after her) It was nice meeting you! Mary doesn't answer or turn around. She just raises her hand and gives a little wave. Karen/Philipa shrugs her shoulders. Oh well...
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