THE REAL JOB OF AN ACTOR
By Christian Stokes
Actor and Acting Coach
Hi. My name is Christian Stokes. I am a professional actor! I act for a living. Actually, that’s not entirely true. The fact is I actually audition for a living! THAT is really what I do!
If you really think about it, acting and auditioning are not really the same thing. The two are still related of course, but they are more like kissing cousins than anything else. How? You can be a good actor but never have the chance to showcase your talent if you aren’t very good at auditioning. On the other hand, being a good actor is almost always an important part of being a great “Auditoner.” It is the old-fashioned, which came first the chicken or the egg; but, in this case, which came first, the actor or the “Auditioner?”
“Whoa. Whoa. Wait! What are you saying exactly, Christian?”
Hold on. Here it comes! I contend our primary job as actors is not acting, but rather auditioning - a process chocked full of separate quirks, challenges, and techniques. As actors we must answer numerous questions in order to reach our goal.
· What should I wear?
· What is my eye line if there are multiple characters?
· Should I sit or stand?
· Should I have the script in my hand or not?
· How do I create the boldest most unique audition at every read?
· What do I do about nerves?
· To memorize lines or not to memorize them as scripted?
These questions demand our individual attention as well as demand answers.
We spend so much time as actors perfecting our craft we sometimes neglect to acquire the skills which help us to be able to use our craft in the first place - the audition technique!
Before performing around the world for years, before performing opposite an Academy Award winning actress, before eight years in Hollywood, and way before coming to Louisiana, I began my acting training at a university in Texas. One day, I came to the conclusion that I was being trained to be an acting teacher.
I didn’t want to be an acting teacher. I was an actor and that was that!
I felt I was not being prepared for a career in the film and television markets. Oh sure, I had learned some very valuable tools in acting techniques (and I still very much contend that the best actors are forged on the stage), but nobody had taught me a single thing about how to audition! Not one teacher nor my texts mentioned anything about a head shot or a resume. I was completely ignorant. I had become a pretty good little stage actor, but I had no clue what I was supposed to do in the real acting world as a professional actor. I was completely naive on the subject of “Show Business!” The end result was harsh - I fell flat on my face. My first “Real World” audition slammed me in my face and woke me up to the harsh reality I needed training and not education, especially in the auditioning process. And, almost two decades later, I find myself sharing my learning curve with others so they may avoid a similar fate.
In the 19 years since that first little embarrassment, I have gobbled up every little nugget I could find when it came to show business and mastering the audition process. I have discovered along the way that many actors actually know very little about the “Business of Show Business.” It amazes me that few actors even realize the vast differences between an audition and a scene. And I’m even more amazed by how few actors actually spend time learning the skills required to ace that audition room experience in the first place and avoid the pitfalls of disaster.
Knowledge is power! Likewise, knowledge breeds a certain kind of confidence. And, like it or not, - confidence of an actor is king in this business! Your business. If you don’t believe me, ask Dr. Mel Caudle, producer and creator of The Keystroke Killer. “I can immediately tell which actors who submitted online auditions have the power of knowledge and who doesn’t,” she said. “Those who have nailed our auditions, prove to have training and not just the experience to back them up. They bring to me, sight unseen, a natural confidence that makes the difference in their audition. I call it the believability factor.”
Creating a believable character in a room with a camera, a casting director, and a monotone reader for an audition is totally different from an actor being on set and being completely immersed in the scene.
The audition is the gateway to the job and the ultimate goal of acting. The actor must master the audition room to compete in today’s market. Now producers, directors, and casting directors can reach across the globe to discover the talent they want for their film and television projects. They are not limited by proximity. They have the entire world of the acting community to tap into as a resource with the Internet and online auditioning process. It took me years to reach this conclusion, but after witnessing the online process first-hand for The Keystroke Killer, as an actor, I concluded my competition doesn’t only reside in my market, but every market. Therefore, not only do I have to be the best of the best in my city, but in yours too to nail the audition and be booked for the job. With online auditions, the need to acquire skills and adapt to the process will be your survival as an actor. I guess Darwin’s theory of adaptation holds well in our industry.
Do you want to hear something funny? Because of my crazy revelations, something strange happened on the way to my acting career. I wound up becoming an actor who also teaches audition techniques! So, I guess you can say I became a teacher. Surprised? Yeah, so was I! But as Alanis Morisette says, “Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out!,” I have become a better actor because of my time spent educating other actors on how to be a hit in the audition room. “There is definitely a need for actors to take classes on nailing the audition process,” Caudle says. “I watched numerous online auditions from actors, that if they would have only taken a specific class on auditioning techniques, I believe I would have seen a difference. In this business, you have to stay on top of your best “A” game. That means classes.”
I believe it is a known fact that the best gigs go to those who understand how to audition properly and audition with confidence. If you really want to nail your next audition, invest in yourself and find time to take an audition techniques class. If you can’t afford a class like mine or others like it, at the very least meet with other actors and film yourselves while working with audition sides. Listed below are some additional tips for you to hone your craft.
- Review your performance by taping them and be your own “Judge.
- Make bold choices during your sessions and discuss how they translate to film.
- Get together with your peers and perform sides.
- Tape them, and critique each other.
- In the privacy of your own acting team and living rooms is the time to experiment, not in the audition.
- Don't ever let casting directors and producers catch you acting. Learn how to transcend from acting like a character and becoming that character.
- Dig deep into character and find the roots of the being. Know who that character is long before you utter your first dialogue word.
- Strengthen your audition muscle (you) and take that audition room by storm.
You deserve to become the best actor there is. You’ve worked hard for the opportunity and you have a dream. Don’t let the moment pass you by. Leave a lasting first impression with your audition and create relationships with casting associates that will last a career. It’s your Show. Now show them you mean Business.
Go out there and break some legs. I’ll see you on the sign-in sheet!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CHRISTIAN STOKES AND THE L.A. STANDARD
Christian Stokes
The L.A. Standard Acting Workshops and Classes
Note: Christian Stokes is taking his workshop L.A. Standard Acting Workshops and Classes on the road to various cities in America. He has personally offered a 10% discount to the cost of the workshop for anyone saying that Dr. Mel referred you or that you read about his workshop in Dr. Mel’s Message. How cool is that? That is like putting money in your pocket or at least not taking it out of your pocket.
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