How To Give A Cold Reading

Read the sides. (of course)Ask what the play or screenplay is about and where the sides take place within the play.

Make note of an uncommonly used words and ask how to pronounce them if need be.

Drill them into your head and DO NOT forget the correct pronunciation during the reading.

Try to incorporate as much of you and life into the character as possible.

The producers/casting directors already assume you can act, otherwise you wouldn’t be there. At the point of a cold reading they are looking for the golden someone who livens the character and embodies it best. The purpose of the cold reading is to show competence in speedy character development, talent, and ingenuity. They don’t expect it to be perfect; they just want to know if you are worth testing or working with. Remember, the writer has been working on this script for months or even years. The producer has let his lights go off I his apartment for this project. The director has lost hair over it and turned down other jobs for it. They want you to be the right person for the part so they can cast you and move on to filming. Show up and just be the part!

Smile and Say, “Thank You”

A lesson I learned several times last week was to simply smile and say, “Thank you.” My voice instructor was assigning new pieces for us to learn and I got Edgar Allen Poe’s The Valley of Unrest. I thought nothing of the length of the poem until I looked at the piece my classmate sitting next to me had. She had only a paragraph. So, instead of smiling and saying thank you, I complained. Only because in this class we are graded not only on memorization (dead letter perfect) but also, pronunciation. And if you have ever worked with Standard American Pronunciation (SAP), you know that there a lot of words you regularly mispronounce. My instructor ever so politely snatched the poem and reminded me that it was a privilege and honor to have a lot of material to learn and work on. Why? Because lead roles always have the most lines!That smile and “Thank You” came back to haunt me in another form a few days later. I went for an audition for a role in a feature film that I found on Model Mayhem. I was the first girl to show up. I had my headshot and resume crisp and ready to go. After reading for the part, the producer and photographer looked at my headshot and begin to heavily criticize it. Yes, my headshot! The same free ones I just got done telling you about. They mentioned that there were a lot of technical things wrong with it and it was not retouched at all. They said agencies would LAUGH when they saw it. They told me that a smiling picture was not good to send to theatrical agents. Smiles are more commercial. Well, of course this embarrassed me and made me feel horrible, but what did I do? I smiled, and said “Thank You” for the advice and the time they took to help me. While they were waiting for the other girls to show up and audition, the photographer decided to shoot me. He happened to be AMAZING. After 2 costume changes, provided by his studio, he showed me the difference retouching really makes in a picture. We worked from 9:30am until 5:00pm. Only 2 other girls showed up to the audition ad I read with them both, giving me more opportunities to show my talent. Those 2 girls were the only interruption. I walked out of that audition with a brand new headshot and he even offered me another shoot for a comp card the next day. Now this is quite amazing, and is a sheer example of God’s favor, but he even got a makeup artist to come in and do my make-up. Within the 2 days, I had 5 looks, a theatrical headshot, a commercial headshot, a comp card/zed card with 4 looks, plus retouching. I asked him how much it would’ve cost me if I were paying he said anywhere from $750-$1,000. I got it for the grand total of $0! And I am sure it had a lot to do with my positive attitude and ability to smile and say “Thank You.” As for the part, I couldn’t shoot the lead role because of time scheduling conflicts, but they worked it out so I can shoot on the weekends in a smaller part. The moral of the story is, things you don’t like are going to come your way, but when someone is trying to help you, even if you don’t see it at first, just smile and say, “Thank You.” Thank you Rick Reynolds and Digital One Stop Photography. Love Tiffany!

See my fabulous new photos click here!

Even You Can Get Free Headshots!

$600. For some people, that’s enough money to pay car insurance for 6 months. For other it’s a modest mortgage payment. For Kimora  Lee it’s a manicure, but for you, the new actor, it’s the cost of headshots. And you thought your Byrn Allyn senior pictures  were expensive. Oh? You want to know why they cost so much? Let’s examine..

                        $300 = 3 looks with a photographer

                        $100 = retouching

                        $200 = printing (depending on the quantity)

                        $600 total

You might be able to cut back on some of the $300 for a session with a photographer, but you need at least 3 looks. One for theatrical acting. One ¾ body shot, and one smiley picture for commercial acting.

            Lucky for you, I’ve got just the solution, just don’t pay! I got by with paying a whole $70 for my headshots. A buddy of mine was willing to shoot me for free. In case you don’t have such resourceful friends, theirs is modelmayhem.com. It’s a site that links models to photographers. Now, not all of them are good, but some of them are amazing! They don’t charge you for helping them get better and you don’t pay them for helping you get free headshots! It’s a win/win situation. N the end, you only spend money on printing, which could run you anywhere from $50-$200 depending on how many you order. I paid $50 for 25, with no retouching. So go get your hair and makeup done and say cheese. With the money you save, spend it on your reel. I’ll tell you how to a deal on that soon! Love Tiffany!

Studio Review 3: Expressions Unlimited

Studio Review:  Expressions Unlimited

Address: 13317 Ventura Blvd. Studio G
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

            Website: http://www.bobbiechance.com/index.html

            Teacher: Bobbie Chance and Richie Chance

            Price: $25 per class

            Class Schedule: Monday-Wednesday, Friday 7:30pm

                                      Thursday Showcase 7:30pm

                                      Saturday, Sunday 11:30pm-4:00pm

            Before attending a session at Expressions Unlimited, I heard rants and raves from a friend of mine. The title serves the studio correctly, your expressions are unlimited. However, I am not so sure this is the best thing for a new actor. The class, taught by critically acclaimed Bobbie Chance and her working actor/very handsome son Richie Chance, is quite unstructured compared to the work I am used to. Once you have paid for the class you are cast with a scene partner and given time to develop your character and scene for approximately an hour, after which, you re brought back within the entire group to do what they called “improv.” Then everyone performs their scenes and receives notes on how to block a scene and fully develop a character.

            There is absolutely no technique. It’s emotion-based, meaning…you are taught and expected to feel everything. No substitution, no imagination. This may be a great method for some, and those who were regular students seemed to like this method of non-method. However, I tend to like to protect myself from the material, if you will. Actually feeling and indulging in everything just seems like an excellent way to need therapy after a while to me. After all, it is called ACTING. I’m just not sure if a beginning actor should approach acting from a feel-all point, but everybody’s different. Nonetheless, Chance’s direction was definitely from that of a credible standpoint and I appreciated their non-BS high standard. I guess you’ll just have to try them for yourself, but good luck. They are recommendation only.

  

Pros

• You get to showcase every week and Bobbie invites people to come see you!
•  You pay as you go…no pressure!
• Bobbie Chance and Richie Chance have been in the industry for a substantial amount of time and have enough connections to put you in line with some well-to-do individuals.
• You create your own schedule.