The No-Budget Production Survival Kit

 When a production has very little money you can expect that it won't have some of those creature comforts that would otherwise be expected on a set.

One of the most-overlooked essentials on an micro-budget production is a first aid kit. With all kinds of equipment scattered around and the general craziness around a set, it's not terribly difficult for someone to get hurt.

It's always a good idea to keep a first aid kit in your car. You can purchase basic first aid kit at drug stores or even create your own using an old bag and whatever medical supplies you can anticipate ever needing.

Make sure you always know where the nearest hospital is located in case of emergency, especially when shooting at locations where cell phone reception is not reliable.

Pssst... Film-makers! If you are working on a project that involves a lot of action, stunts, or takes place in exterior locations such as in the woods where risk of injury is higher, consider hiring a paramedic or nurse to stay on the set. You may also be able to find one to volunteer their time in exchange for film credit.

If you are going to be working outdoors, especially in wooded areas or in water, your survival pack should include insect repellent,  hydrocortisone cream, a snakebite kit, and a planned escape route to get to a car or enclosure.

Remember, there are many things in the woods that will try to murder you.

It also pays to learn how to identify spiders, snakes, and other nasty critters that are indigenous to the area. Investing in a snake hook and learning how to use it is also a good idea to handle uninvited visitors.

Always bring a change of clothes, paper towels or baby wipes, and a bath towel if you are on the crew of an action-adventure or horror movie set.  Or pretty much any type of project where blood, goo, mud, and who knows what else is going to be slung around. There's a good chance that you can get very messy, even if you are behind the camera.

This also comes in handy in the event of rain on an exterior location.  Having a dry pair of clothes to change into can keep a miserable day from becoming an unbearable one.

Productions on a really tight budget may skimp a lot on craft services (if they have it at all.) Remember, no-budget films are notorious for going long past the scheduled wrap time.

It's a good idea to pack a few snacks and drinks in your car just in case. You can also pick up a small ice cooler at a thrift store if you want cold drinks ready for you.

When we go on sets where we suspect there was no budget for meals, we  always pack enough snacks and water for a small army. It never goes to waste on a set full of hungry people who haven't eaten in ten hours.

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Recording for the Role - Part Two

Welcome back to our series on self-taped auditions!  In this day and age of social distancing, the taped audition is even more important than ever. Casting is slowly starting to emerge again as productions think ahead to their needs once we are free to move about the cabin once more.  But inside information from casting directors at all levels from indies to larger SAG features and television series indicate that once restrictions are lifted, the days of in-person casting (which have already begun a slow decline) may be even fewer and further between.

As such, you my find that not only are your first auditions held digitally, your callbacks may be as well. In fact, services such as Zoom are making one-on-one callbacks in a virtual environment much more commonplace.  Later we will discuss video chat platforms, but today we'll focus on what you can do to make your taped audition stand out.

We have already covered plain backgrounds and minimal distractions, and having good lighting is a must, but these are all technical aspects. Once the scene is set, what can you do as an actor to make your audition the best it can be?

First, know your sides. There is really never a time in a self-taped audition that you should not be "off book" and if you make a mistake, you have the luxury of re-taping it. As you learn your scenes, remember that it is not just about saying the lines. The foundation of these concepts are based on Uta Hagen's "Nine Questions" and they are the foundation for bringing any character to life in a believable manner on film.

WHO are you and what do you WANT in this scene? What is your objective? And how are you going to achieve it? Knowing this about your character is a good way to help connect in the role. Also, don't just focus on your lines. Who are the other players in the scene? Are they stopping you from achieving your objective (becoming obstacles)? How will you overcome this?

Next, when it is time to tape your scenes, think about the "moment before" - audition sides are a slice of life. They start in the middle of a reality that has been ongoing, so it is your job as an actor to bring the audience into that reality. If you jump right in, shifting from you to the character when you say your first line, you have likely already lost the casting director's attention. If you need to, you can improvise a few lines with your reader leading into the scene (just be sure to cut those from the actual tape before you submit it!)

Finally, really SEE where you are in the scene. What are the "given circumstances" in this scene? Visualize the space. Are you inside? Outside? In a crowed restaurant? A hospital room? How would you behave in these locations? What's around you? When you can see it, then casting can see it in your eyes. It's up to you to bring this character to life in a very confined space, and that life must be contained in your eyes.

If you do all of this, it does not guarantee that you will get the role but it WILL help you make a good impression which may not get you there this time but will help get you back "in the room" for the future.

Enjoy these tips, make use of them, and HAPPY AUDITIONING!




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Recording for the Role - Part One

Looking for an edge when it comes to getting acting work? This month we're diving into the subject of taped auditions.

The digital landscape has changed the landscape of film in a variety of ways. The use of digital cameras has made it possible for movie-makers to create an entire universe and even allow tornadoes full of sharks to attack all over the gobe. But it is not just the post-production phase that technology has reinvented in the industry.

During the casting process, more and more filmmakers are using taped auditions and Eco casts to allow them to look at talent outside their own backyard. In fact, in recent years the in-person audition is much more common for a callback situation than it is for a first-round audition. As a result, it is important for actors to not only keep up with technology but also to avoid some common mistakes that can cost them the role.

Casting directors are incredibly busy people. When an audition goes out it is not uncommon for there to be hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of submissions for a single role. Digital auditions have made these numbers even larger.  So, when you submit to an audition to a casting director one of the first things you want to make sure of is that it is actually looked at and taken seriously.  That can be as simple as making sure that you follow the directions given in the submissions on the breakdown. Sounds obvious, right? Yet far too many people seem to overlook this.

One thing all actors want to do is try to sell themselves to casting and to do that they will often go to extreme lengths to become the character. This can be something that works in your favor, but it can also work against you.

You may have noticed that most taped auditions ask you to record your sides in front of a plain, solid background. The reasoning behind this is that you don't want things to distract from your performance. However, having worked in casting on several indie films, we can tell you the horror stories of tapes that we've received that did not follow this one simple instruction.

One actor decided to create the entire scene. He went so far as to bring in his own production company, find his own location for the scene, and create his own mini-film. He bragged about this in the submission notes! The problem with that is that what he created was nothing like what the production had in mind and a large part of the tape was spent with the camera focused on the back of his head.

Another actress chose her location because the sides mentioned that the scene was outside and the character was sitting under a tree. Kudos to this young lady for reading the sides carefully, but the shot was so wide that we could not see her face. And unfortunately, there was also a bird playing in that tree and our attention was drawn more to that than this poor actress's audition.

It is not just the backdrop that matters. In another audition, the actor had not learned his lines and so he was holding his sides. Rather than keeping the pages low and out of frame as much as possible, he used them as a "prop". Paper flying around draws the attention away from the actor. When he started using the paper as a weapon and looked to be attacking the camera with it he became less interesting and more than a little bit frightening.

Other actors have been upstaged by heir children or pets frolicking in the background, audible television sets, and a host of other "real life" distractions that are not part of the scene. Basically, anything that is not the actor auditioning and steals the focus away from the actor on the recording is a fairly good way to guarantee that the casting director is going to pass on you.

 This also includes the use of costumes. It is perfectly acceptable to suggest the part. For instance, if you are auditioning for a detective, a business suit will work. For a doctor role, a simple polo shirt will do the trick.

But if you are auditioning for the villain in a slasher movie, dressing up like Freddy Krueger for your audition might get some laughs but it probably won't get you the part.

And if you're actually wearing the Freddy Krueger fingers (suffice to say that we did see this!) you really come off as being just a little bit creepy and even horror filmmakers want to make sure that their actors are at least mentally stable. Creep them out with your take on a character, not with your ability to cosplay.

So the takeaway from this first in a series on taped auditions is to follow directions and keep it simple. Tape your auditions inside and up against a plain wall, sheet, curtain, or neutral photography backdrop with good lighting. Minimize all other noises and distractions in the room and let YOUR take on the character be what casting remembers. And happy auditioning!

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