The truth is, mistakes are OK! We are all human so we really don’t mind if their is a hiccup in your audition!

However, it is the way you recover from a mistake which is crucial for your reputation as a professional actor.

As Casting Directors, we actually love seeing you recover from a mistake, if done gracefully.

Because…..when you are on set, time is money. Camera’s are rolling, film is expensive. Everyone on set is being paid by the hour. If you keep making mistakes and freaking out during an audition we know you won’t be able to cope being on set in front of over 30-odd crew members.

But If we know you can recover quickly from a mistake that is a huge advantage you have on anyone else.

Huge.

In an audition, it is really common that you’ll forget a line in a long piece of dialogue...

So many actors ask me, “why didn’t I get an audition? and why didn’t I get the part?” and I answered a version this post. But there’s still another side – both are very true!

Think for a second, take a step backward and ask this very general question: “who do people employ first?” I’m going to A that Q right now! People hire people they know.

Of course, Casting Directors want to hire the most talented actors, correct. But in reality, if we have worked with someone previously who has done a fine job and / or seen someone perform in well known productions, it is very likely we are going to short list them because we trust them.

Have you ever got a job/audition by a sending a general submission? Maybe a handful!? But you’d be exception to the rule!

You need to see this from a Casting Di...

Thank you for joining in on another week!

You’re going to hear me talk about reels over and over again because it is so important for you to get an audition! And you need an audition to get a part. I want you to get it right. So I’m not giving up on you!

Sizzle Reels. What is that? It’s a 1-2 minute demo of mini-scenes showing your work. Impossible? Nope. I’m going to tell you something really important; Casting Directors never really go past the 25 second point of your reel. Sad but true. We only go past the 25 second mark when we believe you are suitable for the role. This is why you need a Sizzle Reel – get everything in out on the table –fast. But don’t go deleting your main reel. You need to send both.

Look at it from our point of view. We’ve got over 500 reels, head shots and CVs to ...

The not so “sexy” part to acting: Improving your reel! Yup, I’m a big believer in improving everything! So you will see me talking about reels a lot! If you don’t want to hear it, don’t be an actor because you’ll have a long road ahead of you.. getting nowhere!

So…great job to everyone who submitted their reel a week ago!!

If you aren’t aware, I asked everyone on Facebook to post their reel in the comments section so I could pick one that a Casting Director would pay attention to and potentially short list you for an audition!!!

When you can see how a reel is done properly, it will help you improve yours.

I wrote some guidelines a few week ago to help you improve your reel.

So thank you everyone for sending your reel! I am all about a supportive community so it is very welcome when you all...

Extra Extra!

Looking for 4 x featured extras to play “forensics”!

Film: The Reckoning (starring Luke Hemsworth & Johnathon LaPaglia)

Dates and times:

8-May: 1630-2215

10-May :0700- 1200

14-May: 1330-1745

Requirements:

Ages 20 +

email jacqueline@jacquelinealliss.com.au

Looking to fill places ASAP.

Welcome back to another week!

Firstly, I would just like to say thank you to anyone who has applied for a role, auditioned, screen tested or spread the word for the casting of The Reckoning! It has been an extremely busy time so I appreciate all help that has been put forward!

Throughout my casting career, I have had many actors ask several questions regarding the casting and audition process. Which brings me to this weeks topic, I am now introducing a Casting Director Workshop! This is an opportunity for actors to get in front of a Casting Director, understand the casting process and learn to feel comfortable in the most cost creative choices. No more guessing games and or feeling uneasy as soon as you walk into an audition room!

What do workshops include (well if you’ve been to LA, you a...

It always feels like you’ve hit rock bottom when you don’t get called in for an audition or you don’t receive a call back. Everyone knows the feeling when their dream job is given to someone else. My really does heart go out to you!

But there are some things that you should know are completely outside of your control. And I hope you bookmark this post to remind you that MOST things are outside of your control. So PLEASE continue to audition and apply for relevant roles.

If you LOVE acting, you will spend as long as it takes until you make your break. Be it one year or ten years. 100 auditions or 10,000 auditions.

Over to me now! As a Casting Director, we have a list of characters we need to fill. We use a “character brief” which has a list of requirements for each role....

As a Casting Director I go through hundreds of reels. I have seen some amazing ones and I have seen some not-so amazing ones!

A reel is your way to really impress a Casting Director with your acting ability. That’s it!

Here are some VERY important tips that I’d love to share with you:

1) Duration: the reel should only run for 3-5 minutes -NO longer. It is very rare that Casting Directors will go past the 3 minute mark! Within this 3-5 minute reel we can see if you fit the role that we are trying to fill. If you don’t get it, it doesn’t mean you are bad! It just means we don’t think you are right for the role of the character. Don’t sweat it! Well done for putting yourself out there in the first place.

2) Quality: Ok, so maybe you’ve done a load of work that you want to put in your reel...

I would love to give everyone a chance to audition but sometimes it’s impossible.

One of the obvious reasons, you don’t meet the criteria of the character.  That’s ok – it happens!

But another reason is that you have not submitted all the material I require to shortlist you. Unfortunately, I can’t follow up for missing documents due to the amount of emails I need to sift through in a short period of time. And you may miss out on the opportunity to audition!

So I am going to give you a FREE email template on how to email a Casting Director effectively.

Please feel free to copy, paste and edit:

[Subject line – FILM NAME: YOUR NAME] 

Dear [Casting Director’s name],

My name is [full name], based in [city]. I am represented by [talent agency]/freelance. I am [age].

I wou...

There is a simple way of dealing with stage fright and overcoming it. The great part about it, it can be used in any situation other than auditions.

Now, believe it or not, I am the first to get nervous when speaking to crowds. Nerves are always present. Not the best feeling. Until, recently Matt Hussey shared some great advice that I would love to share with you today!

He says to: “just give an average job.”

…not “go and blow them away”…or “do your best” but “just give an average job”

Telling yourself to do the best job creates stage fright.

So, do yourself and your Casting Director a favour and just give an average job.

As soon as you allow yourself to be average, that is when it all changes. That is when you can be you and very often you go and exceed that expectation anyway.

Please don...