13136: Be The Casting Director’s Personal Consultant

Raw transcript:

quick question when you’re doing your
voice over auditions or you’re on camera
auditions your stage auditions
when you approach
whoever’s casting this when you think
about them and what they want what
they’re looking for uh if you think
about those things at all are you
looking to them as a consultant or are
you looking to them as a coach and
what’s the difference we’ll find out and
what I think you should be doing in this
episode of the vo Heroes podcast
[Music]
I want to share something with you that
works for me and I’ve seen work for
other people and that is this notion of
being
a consultant rather than a coach
and let’s start with what the classic
uh sort of structure of coaching is all
about coaching
and one of the reasons I don’t identify
as a coach I identify as a consultant
coaching is all about leading your
client with appropriately constructed
questions and a path that leads them to
an answer that helps them feel as though
they found it on their own with your
assistance so what do you think about
what microphone you should use how do
you think the lights should be in your
studio what do you think the character
might be interested in as a goal for the
scene
um yeah so sometimes it’s good to ask
those questions because it encourages uh
when I’m coaching a a a student or when
I’m coaching a client an actor in some
scene work or or some approach to copy
um I want to hear what they have to say
I want to hear where their thoughts are
and then help them adjust that if I
think there’s a better choice they might
be able to make but
when you’re actually doing the audition
you want to make sure that you are not
stuck
on trying to help the casting director
find in you what they might be looking
for and we always we always tend to just
go with what we think is best and in
some cases actors think they need to be
the most
of a particular type of character to the
most
casting directors want to be as
versatile as possible as wide-ranging as
possible so that we can somehow gather
what they want within that umbrella
so it helps us make less specific
choices when we do that oh I don’t want
to be too angry or I don’t want to be
too uh unnerving or too too sweet or too
kind
and remember back to the the first parts
of your of your acting training if you
got any formal training when they talked
about uh making very clear choices and
raising the heat raising the stakes
really honing in on something and making
a choice that’s where I say be a
consultant
don’t try to cover the waterfront
find a place to dock the boat and go for
it make a strong Choice make a statement
be a consultant I think you should do
this I think my character would do this
and go for it have the confidence that
even if the choice you made doesn’t get
you the role
because it’s not usually the choice you
make that gets you the role it’s so many
other things your height your weight
your look your your your tone of voice
you know whether or not you look like
other people in the cast so many things
beyond your acting choices that matter
have faith in yourself if you’re
watching this podcast it’s likely that
you’re already engaged in the pursuit of
a performance career and that means
you’ve already decided to be a
professional you’ve already decided to
make some choices I want you to have
confidence in those choices
and yeah over time your choices may
change you might find better ways of
deciding what choice to make you might
acquire better tools
but the point is be bold in that way
don’t be bold and be wacky be bold and
confident in the choice that you make
for the character that you’re playing
if you’re doing it on camera audition
for a drama
and your character has some really hard
times that they’re dealing with make
that choice to not make it yeah not so
hard they’re okay they’re fine just in
case the casting director doesn’t want
them to be too at risk or if you’re
doing a a commercial for laundry
detergent and you’re playing a mom who
or a dad who’s doing the laundry and you
can’t believe that how dirty your kids
make things or how dirty the dog makes
things or whatever really immerse
yourself in that choice and I know
you’re sitting there going really a
choice about laundry
yeah I
has jobs get those jobs
they’re not at all trying to be General
in what they’re doing they’re being a
consultant this is what I think the
character wants in this particular case
this is the job that I think they’re
trying to get done that’s my considered
consultancy opinion
so in general be a consultant not a
coach what do you think what do you want
the the laundry person to think I mean
whatever you think is best that’s what
I’ll go you know make the decision be
the consultant you’re the expert
how about that how about the power you
get with that huh if you like what
you’re seeing hit the like button we’d
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maybe even share this with an actor that
you think might benefit from the message
of this particular podcast episode I’d
be happy if you did I’m David H Lawrence
the 17th I thank you so much for
watching and for listening and I will
see you in the next episode of the vo
Heroes podcast
[Music]

(from YouTube)