Advanced On-Camera Commercial Audition class 2

Class #2 (Batt Johnson)

General notes:

Avoid white and very dark clothes at the audition as these are not very camera friendly (something to do with something technical called color balancing).
The eyes tell the story -- connect with the camera. Breathe to the camera
New daily habit: find some Comerica copy and sight and cold read each day, out loud, e.g., marketing brochures, independent freelancers, google it: free broadcasting copy to practice, great ad copy
listen to and emulate the pros. e.g., The Commercial Client, Voice 1 2 3, Voices.com,

What to do when I get the copy:

Reading Comprehension: understand the story. It's just like Shakespeare -- the text is all. Adjectives are discovery/insight. Nouns help to build the physical environment. Take every noun and make it real, concrete, specific -- create pictures in my head.

Read the copy out loud while I'm waiting where ever I happen to be waiting. Don't have to scream, but don't worry about the other people auditioning. If fact -- worry if they're reading out loud too: that means your up against serious competitive, experienced professional, so don't be shy. Apply what I've learned (keep it round, full, operatic) . . .

When my audition starts, if there's a cue card, hit my mark and rehearsal, i.e., read the copy out loud. Get the text off the cue card and into my mouth. Up and over, and everything . . .

When preparing, remember: beginning, middle and end. Start with a physical action. What action? The first couple of copy lines will tell/suggest what to do. The middle: the words. The end: end where I started, with the physical action. Always start and end by doing something.

Personal class notes for me:

Practice going back and forth between the camera and the cue card (i.e., the eyes tell the story)
Every word is important, every word is full.
Physical actions -- really, Really, REALLY do them (acting is pretending, but you gotta really, Really, REALLY pretend. ~ paraphrasing Morgan Freeman).
Too much starting and stopping because I'm trying to strictly adhere to the punctuation -- practice reading copy out loud everyday.
Make the beginning, middle and end more clear.