“When we connect to people with our emotions we generally want two things: To be understood and/or to have the other person feel the same way that we feel. In order to have these things happen, first we must deeply feel the emotion and second, the emotion needs to be expressed in a strong and compelling way.
This is exactly what has to happen in an audition. You need to walk into the room with a feeling of joy for being there and excitement that you get to share your work and yourself. If this is what is naturally being expressed, that is what the people in the room will connect to and they’ll have an immediate, positive response to you. This works both ways, as I’m sure you know. If you don’t feel connected to the material and don’t feel confident that your audition will be a strong and interesting representation of what you have to offer the role, you’ll connect with doubt and anxiety. When it’s time to work, and this goes for taped auditions as well, you need to reach out to the people watching and connect to them with the honestly felt emotions you’ve brought to the piece, expressed with power and heart.
“Expressed” is a keyword here. Remember, film and TV auditioning and acting is not so much about creating something outside of you as it is about expressing what is already inside you. The people in the room want pure emotion, honestly expressed and in a taped audition the camera demands no less. Any showing, selling, or creating outside of the self puts a wall of effort in front of you and makes it impossible for you to make the true connections that make the auditioners feel what you want them to feel. But when your connection is eye to eye, face to face, and emotion to emotion, they know they’ve met the actor who can make the audience take notice and really feel.
To connect through the eyes, body energy, facial expressions, and emotions is to so thoroughly wrap yourself around a role that you cannot be separated from it.”
- Craig Wallace is the creator and award-winning teacher of the Wallace Audition Technique
#actor #expression #technique #emotion #audition
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Thanks for sharing this, Tammy Hunt!
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"You need to walk into the room with a feeling of joy for being there and excitement that you get to share your work and yourself. If this is what is naturally being expressed, that is what the people in the room will connect to and they’ll have an immediate, positive response to you."- This is something that I honestly try to practice in ALL areas of my life. Leading with positivity. If you go into a situation with a positive outlook, people automatically respond in kind. If someone around you is having a hard time or in a bad mood and you stay calm and positive, oftentimes their own emotions will adjust to meet yours. When you answer the phone with a smile, you actually SOUND happy to the person you're speaking with, even if they can't see you and they respond with more compassion and joy regardless of their current energy level. I could be having the WORST day, but I always try to go into every meeting or interaction with a smile on my face and the intent to lead with positivity.
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Yes, same here, so true. Thank you for sharing this