marcusharwell.net » hollywood http://marcusharwell.net Where rough drafts are a way of life. Tue, 04 May 2010 17:33:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Another Hollywood Audition http://marcusharwell.net/2009/04/another-hollywood-audition/ http://marcusharwell.net/2009/04/another-hollywood-audition/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:52:46 +0000 Marcus http://marcusharwell.net/?p=922 I’ve been to this building before, auditioning for a voice part on a film about Columbine. Fortunately, it was Sunday, so parking was no problem. I walked in, signed my name, and grabbed the sides, as this was a cold reading. I hate those. I don’t understand what the director and/or producer think they gain [...]]]> I’ve been to this building before, auditioning for a voice part on a film about Columbine. Fortunately, it was Sunday, so parking was no problem. I walked in, signed my name, and grabbed the sides, as this was a cold reading. I hate those. I don’t understand what the director and/or producer think they gain by not letting their actors prepare the scene ahead of time. It’s a bit self-defeating. If we have a chance to study the part, we can give a better performance. If they want the audition to be more like an improv, why not just do that? Why set the actor up to fall on his face because he didn’t have a chance to figure out who he was in the scene. Ugh.

I played a creative writing teacher, overworked and frazzled, teaching an inner city group of kids to write. A bit ironic, it was, since I majored in creative writing when I attended the U of A in Tucson. It was a quick read, but I got to do it with another actor, which is almost always better than reading with the director or an assistant. They had me do a small adjustment, I read a second time, and they said, “cool. Thank you.” And I was out.

Directors, please give us at least a few hours to study your scene. I promise you will get better auditions and be better able to pick your cast.

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