Rising Stars Talent (310) 394-6360 Representing Kids, Teens, Adults and Amateur Athletes Owner, David Matis We are currently accepting submissions. Please mail photo and resume to: 1322 2nd St, Ste 25, Santa Monica, CA 90401 You may also email photos to davidmatis@risingstars.net
Home		16 Chapters of Help and Advice Help for parents of kids in the biz AUDITIONS - HOW DO THEY COME ABOUT? KEEPING FOCUSED AT AN AUDITION TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN YOUR CHILD’S CAREER AUDITIONS - HOW DO THEY COME ABOUT? The audition. The opportunity that all actors seek. That chance to stand in front of a casting director and demonstrate talent. To present why he should be the one to land that part. In a business filled with thousands of hopeful actors all wanting a shot at those auditions, how is it that a casting director makes their choices as to who will be seen? The answer is through the actor’s agent and/or manager. That is one of their jobs: to pitch or sell their clients to casting directors. To convince casting that the talent they want to send over is someone who will do a good job. But how do talent agents and managers find out about these jobs in the first place? Is it a ‘who you know’ sort of thing? Are the auditions posted on the internet? Is it by word of mouth? Well, there is some truth in all the above. In some cases, casting directors may want to work with only a select few agents of managers and will simply pick up the phone and tell them what they are looking for. This may result in immediate auditions or it may only be an invitation for the agent or manager to submit appropriate photos for casting to consider. But for the majority of movie, television and commercial projects going on, there are casting services which provide this information to the show business community. Breakdowns: This is a listing that comes out once a day (sometimes with updates throughout the day). It can be faxed directly to an office or downloaded off the internet. It usually consists of 30 to 60 pages of feature films, television series, new pilots, MOW’s (movies of the week), student films, plays, music videos and commercials which are currently being cast. The Breakdowns are delivered to legitimate talent agents and managers only. They cannot be purchased legally by anyone else. The following is an example of what a typical Breakdown would look like. This however is not a real Breakdown, so don’t bother sending in your head shot. Matter of fact, all of the information in this Breakdown is completely made up. FEBRUARY PICTURES BOB BOB PRODUCTIONS “THE COMPUTER BUG” FEATURE FILM DRAFT: NOVEMBER, 2000 Director: Boff Bob Producer: Bobo Borro Writer: Boris Bugo Casting Directors: Betty Borro Casting Associate: Billy Boffo Start Date: Mid August Location: Canada, Australia & LA WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS ONLY TO: Betty Borro Casting 1000 Star Struck St., Suite 222, Hollywood, Ca. [Jill Beach] 12 to 14 years old, Caucasian, the oldest daughter of Jim and Sue. A likable, very precocious girl who greatest joy in life is creating her own computer games, and having her friends try and beat them. Jill is not easily angered, but is one tough cookie when necessary. She loves wearing clothes from the sixties and hanging out with like minded computer nuts…LEAD (Roxanne) 12 to 14 years old, African American. Jill’s best friend. Athletic and strong minded. A great sense of humor. Always ready to pull a prank......LEAD STORY LINE: Jill’s enthusiasm to create the world’s greatest computer game leads her on a search for some top secret and illegal software. While hacking into the Whiz Bang Global systems, she inadvertently downloads a real ‘bug’ which takes on a life of it’s own inside her computer. As you can see, a typical Breakdown will list the name of the project, who is casting, when it will start, the location, writers and director and a brief story line. Also included is a breakdown or description of the characters they are looking for, including age, size, ethnicity and type. Very often casting is very specific about only submitting those with strong credits, or those who have carried lead roles, or have performed numerous times in front of live audiences, or will state, “submit only your very, very best”. These are the guide lines your talent representatives use in deciding who to submit. They do of course, ‘stretch’ these guide lines at times, submitting people who may not fit the Breakdown exactly, but with other factors considered could be a good candidate for the job. Commercial auditions also arrive through the Breakdowns but not as frequently. Most of those come through another similar service called the “Commercial Express”. Similar rules and guide lines apply. There is generally more leeway allowed in the submissions and who the casting people may see. (see sample) The next step in the audition process is the submission. Your agent or manager will submit a photo and resume (and a video cassette of previous work if applicable) to the casting director. The submission is usually sent via a delivery service which drops off the photo package within a few hours. The internet is another tool for submissions. Photos and resumes can be sent instantly to the casting director’s office. All casting directors do not utilize the net however. Those who do will state so in the Breakdown. After receiving the hundreds and hundreds of submission that pour into the office, the casting director and their assistants will go through them, deciding who they want to bring in for a reading. Very often a follow up call from the agent or manager is necessary to get casting to see their clients. If the actor is represented by a good, well respected agent and/or manager, the odds are much better that he or she will be given more opportunities for auditions. Casting directors do not like to waste a lot of time. They prefer to work with people who have consistently sent them good talent over the years. This should help clarify why it is important for the young actor and parent to take an active part in this business. In other words, the more ammunition your manager or agent has to work with, the more possibilities generated for auditions. Build those resumes, get that experience, get some training, do student films.....do those things suggested. If the actor wants to audition for national commercials and good roles in movies and television, he has to give his agent or manager something to help convince casting directors that he is talented enough to be seen. People often forget that a talent representatives hands are often tied as to who is going to be sent on an audition. They receive many calls from casting directors who ask if they think a particular actor is ‘strong’ enough to carry a particular role. Agents and managers are usually very truthful about how talented their clients are. They should know their client’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else. Trying to squeeze someone in who is not ready for an audition can be harmful. The young actor especially may have a terrible experience and the casting director may not trust that agent or manager’s judgment in the future, or they may be very reluctant to see that actor for future roles. In most cases your agent will call you the day before a commercial audition. This will give you time to prepare your schedule and decide on wardrobe. But this is not always the case, especially when things are very busy. It is quite normal to receive a call around 11 A.M. for an audition later that same day. Always be prepared. Don't leave things to chance or guesswork. Auditioning is what all the preparation has been leading up to. 'When the agent calls, the conversation will go something like this: "Hi, this is Kathryn from the ACME Talent Agency. We have an audition for Thomas tomorrow afternoon. The product is ABC Cat Food and your call time is 4: 15. You'll be going to Pacific Casting at ill 1 Star Drive in Hollywood. The casting director is Mary Smith. They're looking for rough-and-tumble boys in play clothes. Age range is six to seven." There may be more, there may be less. The agent may have been told there is a lot of dialogue to learn on this one and that your child will have plenty of time to study it. Repeat the information to the agent to be sure it is correct. BACK TO TOP KEEPING FOCUSED AT AN AUDITION A problem that many actors of all ages make during an audition is blindly following the lead or tone set by the casting director. Here’s an example: Let’s say the audition scene calls for strong verbal emotion and a lot of physical animation. The character part the casting director is reading calls for the same. But once the reading begins, the casting director reads his or her lines in a flat monotone manner, does not challenge the actor and does not offer any sense of urgency or timeliness to the reading. A smart actor will pick up on this right away and will carry on with full emotions and action blazing away. In other words, the smart actor is not influenced by the lack of involvement on the casting directors part. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially for the younger actor and especially if not experienced. But a trap that has to be avoided. Although some casting people will intentionally do a reading this way as a test, most of the time it happens simply through boredom and repetition. Imagine reading the same scene over and over and over, sometimes for several days. Another reason could be that the role you are reading for might have been cast earlier in the day and the casting director is seeing you as a courtesy. That’s all right. That is out of your hands. Even if that role has been cast, the actor’s job is to leave the best impression he or she can. Dazzle them. Make them think twice about giving that role to someone else or at least keep you in mind for other roles or other projects. The point is, if an actor runs into the ‘uninvolved’ casting director, then it falls completely on the shoulders of the actor to STAY IN CHARACTER, CONTINUE THE SCENE AS IF YOU ARE STANDING ON A SOUND STAGE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS AND READING WITH JACK NICHOLSON OR MERYLL STREEP....or Bugs Bunny or Godzilla, somebody really important. There are some acting classes where this is practiced. The acting coach will often use a monotone voice when working individually with a young actor. It is good practice and something you might want to try at home. The term, ‘Keeping focused’ has several meanings. But the message here is simple: do not be thrown off by other activities going on in the audition room......telephones ringing, people talking in the back of the room, radios playing, someone stepping into the room unannounced or the uninvolved casting director. The actor’s time with that casting director belongs to the actor. Make the best of it. Take the time and use it wisely BACK TO TOP TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN YOUR CHILD’S CAREER You have an agent and a manager, so what is the parent’s role in all of this? Simple things like watching and studying commercials with the young actor, talking about being in the business, setting up short practice sessions at home, having an occasional meeting with your agent and manager, acting as an enthusiastic cheerleader and getting them involved in student films, plays and/or classes. Every related activity your child participates in adds up to a more confident and knowledgeable young actor. And that’s what this is all about. Experience is the great teacher. The more time spent in front of a camera, or in front of an audience, or actually doing auditions, the greater the confidence in the young actor. But how do you get this experience? If you are fortunate enough to live in or near a major media center such as New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, your child will also have the opportunity to participate in student films, music videos, nonunion films and commercials and industrial short films. There are numerous industry related publications that carry notices for these types of auditions. Because these are projects that agents and managers do not normally not submit their actors for, it becomes the job of the parent to do so. The casting notices will list the type and age of the actor they are looking for, where to submit a photo and resume and other pertinent information. Keep a file of who you submit to, auditions, names, phone numbers, etc. Keep your agent or manager informed as to what projects you are auditioning for and/or working on. These type of projects are usually done for little or no money. But that is not the point. This is a great way to build resumes, get on camera experience, gain auditioning and working confidence and over all understanding of what is expected of an actor. BACK TO TOP

Rising Stars Talent
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