What to Expect at a Full Sail Audition

At my acting class this week, two of my classmates mentioned that they were planning to attend this weekend's auditions for the first time. They had questions about what to wear, where to go, and what to expect in general. And, because I've been going every Saturday for the past two months (and just attended a callback there this afternoon!), I figured I would write a post to break down exactly what to expect.

First of all, it's worth auditioning!

I've met a lot of actors (or people who want to act but have no idea how to get started) who think that doing student films is beneath them. Maybe they work full-time and don't see the point in taking time off for a role that doesn't pay, or they think they're better off getting in front of "real" casting directors for "real" movies and TV shows... Well I'm telling you now, you're not going to get in front of those casting directors unless you have some decent experience to show them that you're worth their time.

You get to practice your auditioning skills. Chances are, your agent isn't going to have you going on as many auditions as you'd like. Florida is slow for film and TV and most of your auditions may end up being self-tapes that you send to projects being filmed in Atlanta. Filming your own audition is very different from the real thing so it's good to attend any real-life auditions you can so you get used to the process.

It's a low-pressure environment. Whereas auditioning for real clients and professional directors can be very stressful, that's not the case at Full Sail. Almost every person I've auditioned for has been in their early 20s, with the exception of only a few students in the Masters program. It's not intimidating and can actually be fun!

You can build your demo reel. Every film is very different -- I've auditioned for murder mysteries, horror films, romances, action flicks, you name it. If you book a lot of films, you're going to have a wide variety of material to show what you can do. And you'll have LINES, not just some cheesy commercial shots of you smiling at Disney or something.

Networking. This year's student film casting director could be next year's casting assistant for a SAG project. Or, more realistically, the reader in this week's audition could be directing his own film in a few weeks and decide to book you directly (this actually happened to me and I ended up landing roles in BOTH films!). If they like you and know you're reliable, they'll want you again in the future.

Before you go... a checklist:

Check the casting notices. Search "Full Sail: Casting" on Facebook and request to join the group. They post audition breakdowns every week in preparation for that Saturday's castings. You'll find that most roles just have a gender and age preference. Sometimes there's a description for the character's personality, but I've found that most of them aren't really all that descriptive.

Print your headshot and resume. It's okay if you don't have the best headshots yet, just try to print a decent picture of yourself (Photoscan in Orlando is a great place to print them!) and staple your resume to the back. IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T HAVE THESE THINGS! They're helpful, but not required. When I first started, I had my headshot and resume saved to my iPad in their own folder and brought it with me to auditions, then emailed them to the casting director if they wanted me to.

Make sure your resume has your contact info, not your agent's. This is also true when filling out the release form at the auditions. Your agent probably only wants to deal with paid jobs and you want to make sure you hear from the director as soon as possible.

Choose your outfit. Avoid any busy or tiny patterns (especially thin stripes, which don't film well). Also, don't wear white or tan or a light shade of yellow or gray if you can avoid it. The auditions take place in classrooms, which have neutral walls and you'll blend in. If the character breakdown gives you an idea of what to wear, cool. If not, a nice V-neck for women and collared shirt for men is safe. (I usually wear a colored shirt and keep a leather jacket with me in case the character is kind of a bad ass. That way I have two options.)

Bring a jacket. This isn't part of the audition.... it's just absolutely freezing in the waiting room and you'll wish you had one. Every week I see people walking around trying to find somewhere away from the air vent. It sounds stupid but just trust me on this.

Getting there:

Go in the first entrance, not the main entrance. They are separated for some reason. If you use the Semoran entrance, it's the only one you see. If you enter from University, it's right next to McDonald's. If you go in the wrong one, just go back onto University, make a U-turn, and try again.

Go to building 3F. There are signs to lead you in the right direction and the building number is marked with huge white letters on the windows.

When you enter the building, pass the front desk, take a left and go all the way down. There are signs but they aren't very big. As soon as you see a waiting room full of humans, you're there.

If you have questions about the auditions, don't ask the person at the front desk. They never have any clue what's going on and they're just there to give directions and answer phones. Wait until you get to the casting lobby.

When you arrive/signing in:

The first thing you'll do when you get there is approach the sign-in table. There are multiple sign-in sheets (one for each movie or sometimes one for two of the movies) and you only need to check in for the movies you're auditioning for. If there are no parts you're eligible for, don't go to that sign-in sheet! They'll have you fill out a clipboard with your name, the time, and role you're auditoning for. Sometimes they'll have you sign a release form (or two), as well.

Consider how much time you have and ask how long the wait is. I usually sign in for the first role, do that audition, and then come back to sign in for the next. But if you don't have much time and there's an hour wait, you're going to want to sign in for all of them at once. This gives you less time to work on your lines, but you don't want to miss an audition because you had to leave.

Tip: Try to check the time before approaching the desk. Occasionally there's a line (it's rare but it happens) and you don't want to have an awkward moment with the person at the desk if they also don't know what time it is. Just have a rough idea so you can fill out the clipboard quickly.

While you wait:

After they give you the sides (small portions of the film script you'll be reading in your audition), you'll have anywhere from 10 minutes to 90 minutes to make your choices about how you'll do your audition. When they're ready for you, a runner will call your name and take you to the audition room. Don't worry about knowing your way around, they'll stay with you and show you where to go.

I suggest sitting outside of the main waiting area. It's up to you but I like to move around when I'm practicing and that feels awkward when you're getting in everyone's way. There are benches in the hallway and as long as you're close enough to hear them call your name, you're fine.

Avoid wasting time by talking to other actors. They'll try to size up their competition by asking about your agent. Some will try to ask you on a date. A lot of them want to tell you alllllll about how they're going to be a star one day. DON'T GO THERE. Don't be mean, but if you only have ten minutes, you want to spend it with your script, not your competition (another reason to sit outside of the lobby).

You're allowed to highlight your lines. Don't worry about writing on the sides (scripts)...other people will be auditioning for the same parts and will probably appreciate it.

Spend your time building a character, not memorizing. Unless the wait is long (which does happen) you're better off just going over the script in terms of what the character is like, how they react, etc. because you're going to be holding the sides and they expect you to read them.

Practice standing up. Do at least a few run throughs standing up, with full arm movements and everything. You never know where you'll be in the room, but they'll have you stand 75% of the time and you don't want to suddenly feel awkward because you practiced it sitting.

Think about how thankful you are that Emalie warned you to bring a jacket. And then laugh to yourself about how you underestimated just how cold that room would be, but I was totally right. (This one is optional.)

In the room:

When you walk in, introduce yourself and give your headshot to whoever is closest to you or asks for it. If it's the wrong person, they'll pass it down. Just be polite and friendly, then take your mark (sometimes they'll actually mark your spot with an X or you'll just stand wherever the camera is pointing).

Put your things down right away. Don't ask where you can put your stuff or be awkward with it. Unless you're going to use your purse in the audition, just put it on the ground or anywhere it won't be on camera.

They're going to have you slate with your name, contact info, character name, and "Full Sail has permission to film me". Don't worry if you forget the character's name. Just look down at the script beforehand. They'll have a piece of paper attached to the camera most of the time that lists everything you have to say.

Don't worry if they ask you to try something different. In my experience, they only ask you to try different things if they like you. If they've decided you aren't worth their time they'll just send you on your way.

Expect the unexpected. Seriously, you never know what's going to happen. One thing the directors do a LOT is to act you to do your audition in a way that doesn't even make sense (like reading the role of a waitress as a misogynist who's trying to seduce a woman, or performing the part of a serial killer as if you were actually the victim). They just want to see that you're willing to try new things and can be directed, as opposed to being stuck in one way of doing things.

BE NICE TO THE RUNNER! Sometimes they guy or girl bringing you to the room is actually part of the crew. This is the person you'll spend the most time with, so be very friendly, ask about their day, or whatever will make them like you. The last thing you want is for them to walk back in the room and say, "Wow, they were so nice to you guys but really mean to me in the lobby." (Also, the runners are usually directing their own projects, too. I recently got cast in a film that a runner for another film was directing. We hit it off and I didn't even have to audition.)

After you leave:

Check your email and junk mail daily. I've had so many callback notifications go to my junk mail, so it's important to check that, too.

Don't be discouraged if you don't hear back. They see dozens of auditions and you may be typed out entirely for reasons you can't control. I'm not too proud to admit that I know I only got one role because their first choice was under 18!

Be prepared to hear back a few weeks later. You may have completely forgotten about a film by the time you hear that you got a callback or even the role.

Please let me know if you still have any questions about how the process works or if you have any fun stories of what's happened to you in an audition. I'd love to hear about them!

- Emalie

#auditions #networking