Are You Being A “Bobblehead” In Your Auditions?…Here’s the “Cheat”
It was disturbing to watch…
And it happened over and over in audition after audition…
And you might be doing it too.
It’s what I call the “bobblehead” audition.
It happens when you come into the audition and you seem to be acting from the neck up…as if you didn’t even have a body.
Whaaat? No body!
Yup.
That's what it feels like to the Casting Director who's watching you.
Picture it…
Imagine you as a bobblehead… (Come on, it’s fun!)…
Okay…see it? There’s your body. Solid, unmoving. And yet your head is having a party. All the activity, motion and energy resides in your head only.
Literally, your head is the only thing that moves.
Now imagine that bobblehead of you, performing the sides from your last audition…
Disturbing, right?
That’s a bobblehead audition.
Is this a really a common issue in auditions?
YES!
And it happens way more often that you’d think…even to really experienced professional actors.
It’s probably even happened to you and you didn’t realize it. (This is where coaching or a great audition class comes in really handy…but I digress).
In this video, you’ll get a quick “audition cheat” that you can use if you become aware it’s happening to you right in the middle of your audition.
This “cheat” works great and you absolutely need it in your audition tips arsenal to whip out and use in a moment of “bobblehead” audition awareness.
In this video, you'll get the answer to:
Am I Being A Bobblehead In My Audition? (And A Quick “Cheat” To Fix It Instantly)
Now that you have an understanding of “bobblehead” auditioning, you’ll have it on your radar when you’re preparing your next audition.
And remember, that “cheat” is the quick fix. You must address the cause of “bobblehead” auditioning; don't rely on the “cheat”.
Once you conquer this, you’ll find your auditions are way more fluid, and rich and…”castable.”
You want that.
And I’ll be here blogging and videoing away with more tips to make you “castable” every chance I get…
We make such a good team, don’t we? :-)
Your turn! Was that audition tip “cheat” helpful? Have you ever noticed yourself giving a “bobblehead” audition? Did you try the cheat? Tell me about it in the comments below… :-)
You DESERVE The Red Carpet!
~Amy
Did this audition tip on bobblehead auditioning help you? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented below and shared on Facebook
Amy Jo Berman's Tips On Acting & Auditioning Blog
Email: Asst@AmyJoBerman.com
“I show actors how to be better, book more jobs and live The Red Carpet life!”
Admittedly, I have never noticed if I do the “bobblehead” during my auditions. If it’s a theater audition, usually I am moving my entire body. For a film, I am still moving, but I try to remember to be subtle. I agree with the disconnect from the body-just because I am moving doesn’t mean I am checking in with my body during the scene. This is now a new question: “Am I connected with my body when I am performing/auditioning?” Questions lead to possibilities after all ;)
Thank you Amy for giving me a new insight into how I can keep learning and perfecting my craft <3
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I’ve actually noticed myself doing this in REHEARSALS sometimes for stage. It’s an awkward moment of “what do I do with my hands/body right now?”
Well, I’m glad I have a way to sort of pinch myself back into the moment. I will definitely be working on this skill!
Acting from the head up is a belief that acting is an intellectual process. Language is naturally a whole body experience. I think in auditions, we try to control the process mentally out of fear. We all talk about being in the moment, prepare with your mind but on the day, let it go and be in more a state of reacting rather than a preplanned performance. .I don’t remember doing things I see in my best performances. When I go it with a plan, I almost never give a good audition.
Thank you so much for all your advice :)
An awesome tip, as usual. I’m a big “touchy feely” person so usually am not that stiff (hopefully). Will have to search my ‘little gray cells’ to see if I’ve done this in my past auditions.
Will be watching on my next ones to make sure I don’t do this!!!
Thank you very much Amy! :)
As always a great tip and reminder advice. Anthony Meindl wrote a blog about being physical just recently. This ties in really well with his advice. No matter what emotion you had to give in a character there would be some reaction in your body like in real life. (oh read further below in Warren’s comment your reply and exactly the same thing) We are not born stones. I sense another video training from this topic.
Very helpful Amy Jo. I have suffered fom bobblehead . Only when I am not fully connected. Thanks for the tip.
I hope this quick “cheat” helps!
Great cheat tip!
Actually Amy it’s because we’re told by casting directors and acting coaches NOT to move our body. I was at an audition a couple of months ago and the casting director told me not only to keep my body still but to keep my head still too.
As Actors, especially those who come with theatre experience we’re told all the time to “bring it down” not only in our voice but in our head and body movements. There is a quote that has been attributed to Clint Eastwood where he says his acting coach used to tell him “Don’t just do something, stand there!”, the reverse of the old saying “Don’t just stand there, do something”.
Robert De Niro goes even further. On an episode of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” he says you don’t have to do anything. I used Googles Transcription for this YouTube clip
“…it’s very hard for actors and I get caught up in them myself were you have to do more to something. You don’t have to do anything, nothing and you’re better off than, you know, and little it’ll work the way people are in life they don’t do anything. And they could, you know I’m talking [to you] and I’m looking your expression and you could have been told that someone in your family was this so [or] that some terrible thing, you[‘re] still have the same look on your face and that says more, allows the audience to read into it as opposed to you telling them what they should feel. And actor’s tend at times to try and so they have to give it something you want to give it anything so with David for just working, doing all these things, you know have time to think about well this so that our how do I spend it or interpret you just have to do it and I’ll take care of itself.”
I see what you’re saying Warren but not having physical action and being disconnected from your body are NOT the same thing. I can tell from watching a self-tape that frames you from the chest up whether your body is engaged or not. It’s not about DOING more. It’s about being connected to your body. Just the same way you are in real life. When you’re just “standing there” in real life, you are still connected to your body and anyone who’s looking at you can tell that…even if you’re not moving. Does that make sense?
I think I see what you’re saying, it’s about body language and showing the same emotions through your body that you do with your face and voice.
I absolutely agree with Amy. Warren I do not think it is about body language ,from my experience acting on the head and been disconnected from the rest of the body means we as actors are acting out. We are faking and mimicking the way we think we should say and react to the particular comment or moment ( that’s a trick body language can do to us, we always try to mimic a body language we have seen and we become a caricature). When on the other hand, the times we are fully aware of our environment and listening to the other person our hole body wants to comment and react on what is going on around us. We are animals who are reacting and changing every millisecond. My advise is listen, smell, look, observe the other actor or object in front of you and your body will follow, alive body doesn’t mean body in movement.
I have been taught this same technique, and I believe it has hurt me as well. Not being able to trust my own instinct and attach fully to the character. I’ve spent years being trained that film acting is “from the face ” aside from action scenes, that are filmed separately. That the “camera looks into your eyes and reveals if you are lying”…which can be confining for movement when its in your subsinscience.
So, thank you Amy for revealing that Truth! And Freeing me up!