By: Brian Gilleece
What do great pitchers and actors have in common?
GREAT COMMAND:
I was watching college baseball yesterday and something struck me about what one of the commentators said.
"A lot of kids can throw hard, but it's the special ones who can command it, and that is who the coach has confidence giving the ball to when the time comes."
Hell yah. Obviously he is talking about pitchers and the command they have over the ball with respect to the strike zone, working the count, working with the catcher, knowing when to hold em and when to fold em, BUT, this defiantly seems like something actors could use a touch more of also. Command is the thing movie stars have, they make you feel safe, they make you feel they are in control of the story and will bring you to the promise land and give you those warm and fuzzies.
PUT ME IN COACH:
The casting director is like the coach, it is YOUR job to create the confidence in them by have a strong command of the room, the material etc so that they feel confident putting you on that mound, especially if they don't know you, they need to from the second you walk in the room, the second you put your bag down, the second you slate, feel like you are confident, able and there to save the day.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD & GREAT IS 5%:
If you have never heard this phrase you have probably heard this one "its a game of inches", meaning the difference between getting a job or making a huge impression and not is all in the little things, in the effort, in the preparation, in the presentation, in the 5%.
If you are sitting in a reputable office for a good project and the role is good, chances are, all the actors around you are "pretty good" the junk ones have been weeded out or their agents or mgrs would not have submitted them on anything strong because they need to keep their reputation in tact. So if you are all "pretty good" how do you make a difference how to you break through HOW do you find that 5%, That is the difference, the person who books it finds that 5%. That is the job as much as learning the lines, delivering with intention and creating back story, the real job is finding 5% that most people don't find and showing it to the casting director.
FIND YOUR 5%
Jess watches a lot of actors and it is incredibly clear who has something and who does not within seconds of seeing someone on tape or in person, like 2 seconds....seriously. CD's have an even keener eye for this, that is why it is IMPERATIVE from the moment you hit the door to be digging to find that 5%, be that 5% better, walk in 5% more confident then the person before you.
There are 1 million ways to do it, make a bold choice in the scene, compliment the CD on something, ask a strong question about the material, show knowledge on the project, read an article about the project before you go in, wear an awesome pocket square, press your shirt, shine your shoes! Anything!!!!!!! Think about your best auditions, I bet you found the 5%, I bet you did something interesting, I bet you did more.......Your job is to entertain, help these dam CD's out they watch the same scene over and over and it becomes painful, go find that extra...
Comments