The Glamorous Life of Auditions - Day 23

As you see the days dredge onward with no booking, now is the time to savor each one that you get. It's difficult being this close and not getting the prize dangling in front of you - you've spent time to baby this character into fruition - you've read as much material as possible and made your choices, you've driven a quarter of tank of gas or so to round trip yourself, pay for meters if needed, gave up head shots and waited in a room to be seen for a few minutes. Enjoy this...someone didn't get the call. Someone wanted the audition you're at right now so appreciate the fact that your work, your resume, your look, your self got you in the room at this moment. We spend so much time feeding into the negative, we forget how many people wish they could go do art, wish they were rushing in to see a casting director for a show they love and wish to be bold enough to keep following their dreams to perform...and here you are, doing the very thing most people wish for so don't walk away now. Going to auditions is part of the process, yes it sucks to have to say "I've been on this many auditions and not a booking yet" - THAT HAPPENS, it's what you do in the interim that makes you not give up in the process. Restore that artful youth by doing courageous things and celebrating, stick to your choice and hold fast, you too will be rewarded because hard work and dedication to your craft is undeniable regardless of how long you've been pushing against the wall. If you're training, if your art keeps evolving, if you're constantly fighting the fight, your time is coming...just hold on. Understand it takes years to build relationships, years to change perceptions, years to get in front of the right person at the right time sometimes and then it's on. They call it overnight success but we know what overnight success takes so you hang in being you.

I get an audition for a detective in a short film. The sides are 2 pages of quite a bit of dialogue all while prepping for another callback so I've got half a day to get this into my being. It is what it is sometimes and although I would've loved another day to focus, what I can do now is all I've got and I'm proud of that. Although they want a detective with "edge" ( for some reason, I don't appear to have edge in Hollywood's eyes for now and to this I state, "I'm a black belt, female artist - that's edge!" - insert your own affirmation here ), the casting director knows my work and calls me in. There is an eclectic gathering of artists which is wonderful because that means the director/producer is open whether they have an idea of what they want or not. The sides I noticed had physical activity but because I felt I only had so much time, I decided to forgo the miming. TO MIME OR NOT TO MIME...THAT IS THE QUESTION. Whatever your decision, hold fast to your choice, do not go in and out. I prefer mostly to avoid it at all costs unless I have something similar to work with or there is someone to work off of. Since it's a detective part, I'm suppose to be frisking him and handling him rough etc. which for me, miming that wasn't going to be real so I just chucked that idea, I didn't want to get lost in the dialogue but keep focus and that was my choice and I knew it may hinder me because of my look. Oh well, if the people behind the desk can't see past it, they can't see past it - let that go, you did your job, do not falter - let it be. I go in working with the idea I'm holding a gun but I stay still and in the scene, the only action I do is at the end when I holster the gun but I do not mime anything else, for me it didn't make sense. I almost left before hearing a note because with so many bodies in the space I thought I heard thank-you but the casting director asked me to stay a minute and the director spoke to me saying he really liked my choices and had no problems with them but would like to see a second take where "I was more aggressive because the guy may be bigger and that there was a lot of action involved." Did I become more physical during my second take...NO! I knew that may be what he wanted to see but I wasn't going to assume since he had not worded it that way clearly. I became more aggressive in my voice and stature but I stayed still with the gun pointed and more aggravated in tone when I holstered. I could see the Casting Director and her assistant nodding and smiling behind the camera...I did my job, my way with the notes given and I felt great walking out of that room. I didn't give him what I thought he may want to see...I gave him exactly what I could play naturally in that moment so always do what your instincts in your art says to do, even with the notes, stay within your work and trust that, I promise you it's more than enough. Booking no booking, way too many variables...feeling good about your work because you stayed true to what you had to play and with whom...PRICELESS! See, I'm open to the notes and playing it the way needed on set for the director's vision but at auditions, I must be firm in my choice and shape the notes to suit what I'm already playing unless I'm so far off that I have to do a 160, which is rarely the case because I've done my homework.

So like that, I'm out of the room and downstairs celebrating at https://plus.google.com/104701749990390299324/about?gl=us&hl=en "Doomies" vegetarian with deep fried avacado, slaw and whoopie pie!

When you're at the point where you know that you know and you can walk into and out of a room knowing...you better celebrate each and every time because you're evolving into your artistry and there is no where to go but up from there! Have faith in your work, your talent, who you are...you are unique and no one can take that unless you allow it to be so. As artists we're fragile to the whilings of everyone in the room but as you grow in this business, you'll understand how to make yourself happy as well as the room during this audition process and leave walking on cloud 9 as you deserve! It's taken me a long time to get here, I don't plan on ever going back...I'm in a happy place and I only wish that for you as well, the booking is just the booking, you're going to have way more auditions so I hope you enjoy them or learn to enjoy them as much as I do. Strong artists make for happy work! Happy Work to you all....