Like a good Boy Scout, the key to impressing a casting director is to be prepared.
Ann Forry of Vancouver's Callback Casting will offer instruction on preparedness and advice on what do to during auditions for commercials, television shows and film at acting workshops for adults, teens and children Dec. 2 to 4 in Prince George.
Forry started her career casting some characters for 21 Jump Street, starring Johnny Depp.
She now seeks and finds new talent like Erin Karpluk, star of Being Erica, and spends her time looking for the right person for Nike, A&E, Disney, Kitchen Aid, Barq's Rootbeer and Mattel commercials, Nickelback videos and feature films - she's cast 30 films to date.
"Acting is the highest rate of rejection kind of job you can ever get into," said Forry.
So any words of wisdom are helpful.
"The most important thing is to be prepared," she said. "The second most important is when directors or casting people give actors instruction, people get so taken by the director talking they don't actually understand what the director is saying. So they end up doing the exact same thing again. If we're giving you direction, that means we like you and we want to work with you."
The audition room is a very intimidating place. That's why training and working with casting directors is so important, Forry said.
"As an actor develops a rapport with the casting director, it allows them to bring their questions and concerns to us during a workshop. It's really a great learning tool."
Forry provides mock television commercials and film scenes in the workshop so actors can gain confidence in their ability to perform on the spot.
"When the actors come together at the workshop, they seem to be very supportive of each other," said Forry. "The scenes that we do are really fun and interesting."
Forry will provide an over view of the industry, advice on what actors need, how to behave in the audition room (for children) and then do two scenes, one commercial scene and a film and television scene.
"I have them do what's called a cold reading," said Forry. "I prefer cold readings because if they can do a scene and do it well without a lot of prep time it prepares them for what's going to happen on set. They change the dialogue, they change the scripts all the time so actors have to be very versatile. So if they can not freak out when they get material handed to them, they're going to do really well in auditions."
Parents can sit in on the first half hour of the acting workshop for seven to 14-year-olds and participate in the Q&A about the film and television industry.
The children's workshop is Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The adult acting workshops are offered Dec. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Jana Phillips Agency, 5100 North Nechako Road.
Children's workshop is $80+HST and adult workshops are $120+HST.
For more information or to register e-mail aforry@canadafilm.com.
