VideoCharles Green's Audition Process

Video Transcript

Hi I'm Charles Green. I am an actor in the southeast market, and this is how I prepare for an audition. Everyone has a process. This is the process that works for me. It's not something that I developed overnight. It's something that I've been working on for many years, through training, through classes, and through experience on stage and onset. Hopefully you'll find some tidbits and insight that works for you.

So the first thing I do I print out my sides. I work from sides also print out an extra copy for my reader in the future. I build the movie in my mind, and this is how I do it, so when I get my sides, I check the due date - when is it due. How much time do I have to prepare this, I'm going to quickly scan it, just to see how much time is going to take me to prepare for this, I always like to get the audition in earlier than later because on several occasions casting directors have asked me to do a retake and still want me to get it in by the due date.

I will check to see if my scene is with somebody that perhaps I know. Like, for example, I looked up the NCIS on IMDb (Internet Movie Database), sure enough, my scene is with Mark Harmon and with Emily Wickersham. I like to watch video of them, get a feel for what they're like what their voice sounds like. One of the best places is YouTube, when I'm actually auditioning the scene, I can see that person in front of me.

Let's just say you're auditioning for something, and you can't find any information on it. A lot of times that happens with independent films or very very secret projects. Imagine again, when you're reading the sides that you're reading a novel, start thinking about each one of those characters, while they're saying stuff, how would you see that particular woman or that particular man and just create those characters in your mind as you would in a novel.

So now that I've done my research, I have a feel for the piece, know the actors that are involved know the sound of their voices, how they move, it's time to work on the actual sides. I read the sides, top to bottom, everything, even if it's marked out, I read it. I also look at where it is in the show, if there's a number on it, for example, I mean the beginning, the middle or the end. You read a novel, you start getting visuals in your head about certain things, and I just read it as that, I don't concentrate on the part I'm auditioning for at all. I then read it a second time, and that's when I start seeing okay what is my relationship in here what is going on, do I actually understand this piece, and my relationship to it. And finally I read it one more time, and this is just to get it in my mind and this is when I really start working on the character itself.

Sometimes my agent also attaches sides for my fellow actors, and I also read those as well because a lot of times that will give me insight into my own character, so I don't write on my script, unless it's perhaps a difficult word and I need to write out the pronunciation. However I do highlight my lines. If you run across a word you don't understand or can't pronounce, look it up.

What I like to do is I like to set a timer for 15 minutes per page. I put away the phone I put any distractions away for those 15 minutes. I will work on one page. I will go over and over. I don't care how little dialogue is on it - 15 minutes. After that 15 minutes, we go to the next page, again, 15 minutes, I just go all back and forth on it 15 minutes after I've done that with every page. I will set the timer for a little longer 30 minutes, and then I will just go through it over and over for 30 minutes. That's it, I stop during the day. I probably will think about it because it's going around in my mind,

I make sure that the sides are handy so I could just go over there and look at it and go, oh yeah, so it's it's going on in the back of my mind before I go to bed at night. I read it one more time just once, I really feel like the memorization process can happen overnight. If you have a monologue. I find one of the best ways to work on a monologue is to write it out by hand over and over and over as I'm writing out by hand. I also say that words as I write on occasion and use a voice recorder. I'll record the other lines and leave silence, where my lines come in - but only on occasion.

It's the day you're going to tape the audition. I do yoga every morning and meditate and I can tell you, it really grounds you and I really feel like that grounds your performance as well. It's interesting throughout this process of working on the script in my head.

I've kind of thought how is the character is going to dress? In fact sometimes the night before I actually lay out the clothes and looked at it before I go to bed. So in my head as I'm reading the script one final time before I go to bed, I can look at those clothes.

So I either go to a professional taping surface or a very trusted friend. And when I do that sometimes their feedback is going to perhaps change my performance and then again maybe it won't. I think at this point, I know this sides well enough that instinctually. I can feel if what they're telling me is going to work for this character or not.

Right before I'm about to tape an audition, I kind of go to the side. I just calm myself some beat deep breaths. I also have a trick, and this is even in a callback situation. I like to look at something green outdoor trees for some reason, that centers me and grabs me and then I'm ready to audition.

Now I have another thing I do when it's let's say, a live audition with a cast director and even let's say, a live callback. I have a playlist of music that motivates me and I will listen to that music before I walk into a callback or a live audition.

Whenever I send an audition, I know I'm leaving an impression. I'm looking to make an impression for that next job. I don't necessarily think about the job I just sent in. Everything you do on tape is an investment.

So my audition is done, it's been sent in. I let it go. It's out of my control. There's nothing else that I can do. I've gone through my process, I feel like I've done the best job I can. And that's enough.

So I hope this has been informative for you, and we'll get you that next booking. I'm Charles Green. Thanks for checking out our process.