Audition Tip | How To Ask A Question In Your Audition Without Getting Your Head Bit Off
In today's video audition tip I'm going to answer a question I get from a lot of my audition coaching clients…
Is it okay to ask a question in the audition room?
The answer seems obvious but it's not.
It sounds easy. Of course you can ask a question….
But the reason most actors are afraid to ask a question is because either they don't want to appear “stupid” OR more than likely, you don't want to annoy the Casting Director or Producers…or worse, make them angry. And often times, you don't ask a question you really need the answer to, in order to give a kick-ass audition.
Based on my years of experience as a Casting Director, here's what you should do if you're wondering whether to ask a question at your next audition …
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH VIDEO AUDITION TIP:
Did this audition tip on asking questions in the audition room give you some relief? Good! You now have a strategy to do this without worry…as it should be.
Your turn! What happened the last time you asked a question in your audition? What happened last time you DIDN'T ask? Please share it in the comments below :-)
You DESERVE The Red Carpet!
~Amy
P.S. If you want more awesome audition tips, make sure you're on my email list… My subscribers will be getting access to a great new audition training being released shortly. Make sure you're one of them! If you're not already on my list SUBSCRIBE HERE now.
Did this audition tip video on How To Ask A Question In Your Audition 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!”
I had an audition today and the CD asked me if I had any questions about the character. I replied, “Oh, so many, but I prepared my own backstory. But I would hate to let the opportunity go to ask a question…”. I didn’t ask a question, and the head CD said, “How about we do a read and go from there”. So we did, but they then told me not to slate. Did I screw up?
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The last question I asked was “What’s my frame?” The answer was “tight.” To which I responded, “Thank you. I will do my best, but at my current size, It may be a little difficult to become “tight.” They got a good little chuckle from that.
Thank you so much for this helpful video… <3
This was a great reminder.it’s always better to walk in, with as much information as is necessary, without being confused. To put your best foot forward. At the end of the day everybody understands that if you want to do your best work, you need to use all of your resources. Up until you walk in the door. And then when it’s time to play, you play.
Does your answer change if it’s a self-taped audition? Can we email the CD with questions?
Hi Amy. My son is just starting out (he is 10). He has auditioned for a casting director in the Orlando area that does not like people to ask questions. His auditions are less than 5 minutes! I talked to the acting school that my son is enrolled at right now and they told me that this director is fast and likes for people in his audition to “know what they are doing.” How can a child really be auditioned properly when they cant feel comfy asking questions? I am just mind boggled by this and I would think (like you) that it would be ok to ask questions.
The last time I asked a question it was in regards to nudity. I found nudity in the script when I hadn’t been told about it previously so I wanted to clarify if it was required or not. The director told me I was being unprofessional and retracted his offer of the role. Seems pretty sketchy to me.
That’s great! Reaffirmed what I thought. Also, I think that by asking questions (appropriate questions) you are telling the people on the other side of the table that you actually CARE!! I would imagine that they would like that!
Great video blog. Check out my about.me page and let me know what you think Amy… about.me/cedricwesley. Great webinar at the beginning of last month. Learned a lot from it and was able to use that on my acting resume…..
Hi Amy! Thanks for your advice. I was really nervous to simply ask the
CD the other day if he wanted me to wear my glasses or not. I had read
the whole script, totally prepared, etc… It seems silly to worry
about that sort of question. I made sure I had them in hand when I
asked and he simply asked to see me in them, said he liked them, and had
me first slate with, then had the camera operator ask during the slate
to have me quickly remove them, and continue the read with them on.
Silly thing to stress over but I guess it’s the little things. And it
was no big thing in the end and I felt like I was giving them an option.
And that’s why I felt compelled to make this video. Because you shouldn’t have to waste energy being nervous about that. Keep rockin’ Brooke!
Thanks Amy! Imma book it!!!
;)
I am so glad you posted this! So many actors are afraid to ask this!
I know. I’ve seen this in the audition room A LOT…The unasked question or the audition nerves kicking in about asking. And it definitely can effect performance.
I totally agree with this! I had an audition in late December. I went in to submit for a BG role, but they decided to have me do a cold read for “The Wife” anyway. Since this was for a ‘trophy wife’ type, I asked if she was like “Bree” (Desperate Housewives) and “Evelyn Powell” (Devious Maids) or “Chrissy Snow” (Three’s Company). The answer altered my read and I was cast in my first scripted Lead Female role for a short film (and IMHO, I look NOTHING like a “trophy wife”).
Ha! Love it !
Here is the link to prove I was not physically what they had in mind, but I was the only person to read it the way the writer intended the pauses, etc. to be said (my friends didn’t even recognize my voice . . . it’s called acting):
“Crack it Open” at 3:00 – http://youtu.be/Odu3sgYTwtc
This post is completely relevant to my last audition! The sides specifically called for the scene to be read a certain way, but the adjective used by the writer had two vastly different meanings, both completely plausible for the scene though. So, because of this, it was necessary for me to clarify with the casting director, and as a result we not only connected with one another, laughed quite a bit, but I was able to show him that I actually shared the same traits with the character.
An awesome video, Amy–thanks!
Boom! Great job Britni!