Smart Girls Productions - Marketing, coaching and consulting for screenwriters and actors

5 No-Fail Tips For Killer Commercial Auditions

Seeing yourself on TV in a National Commercial can be very exciting, especially when your friends and family in your hometown start calling you and telling you how excited they are that they saw you. Meanwhile, your residual checks are rolling in and you’re loving life.

Although the days of making $30,000 or more in residuals off of one commercial for a two-day shoot may be pretty much gone, you can still make a good living when you get on a roll and book a few. To get your chance, you need three things: A good headshot, a good agent, and to be prepared. Bradford Rogne can help you with the headshot. Smart Girls Productions can help you get an agent. But you have to prepare yourself.

Here are 5 tips to help you prepare to give it your best shot.

1. Prepare a strong “slate.”

For commercials, many times your audition will consist only of a “slate.” A slate is when you stand in front of a video camera, say your name and agency, turn to the left, turn to the right, turn back to the front, say your name and agency again, and you’re done. More experienced commercial actors also include a fun little tag line or look at the end to leave a lasting impression on the screen.

2. Know the product you are auditioning for and say the name correctly.

Obviously, every commercial you audition for is for a product. It may be one you are familiar with already or it could be introducing a new product to the market. Either way, you should be able to articulate the name cleanly and clearly. Obviously, there are easy ones like Coke, Pepsi, Bud, Target, and Walmart, but then there’s Wachovia, WaMu, Lehman Brother’s, and Guthy-Renker. The second group are all major national companies – or at least they all were until recently – and you may recognize the names, but how comfortable are you pronouncing those names in front of the camera?

The last thing you want to do is say the product name incorrectly. Considering that the company is about to spend a few cool millions on their national campaign to advertise their product, you would look unprofessional if you said the product name incorrectly. So make sure you know how to say it and are comfortable with the pronunciation.

3. Know the tone of the commercial.

Just as you need to pronounce the name of the product correctly, you should also know the tone of the product so you can have the right energy for it. If it’s for clothes or something you can wear, you might wear the brand and have fun with that. Make sure you are not wearing the competition. Also, have the right tone or vibe for the product. A commercial for the Forest Lawn Cemetery will have a little different mood than a commercial for a Whopper.

4. Go for a natural look and approachable personality.

One of the greatest contrasts between commercials and other film and television acting is that commercials lean more toward a natural and approachable look for the actor. Ladies, you should go in with lighter make-up and a less glamorous hairstyle. Use very little eyeliner and eye shadow – just enough to give basic definition and soft highlights of your features. Guys, no slicked back rough-and-tumble James Dean look. Go light on the hair gel.

Of course, the commercial may call for a specific style and then you should do that, but the natural look and approachable personality will be the right thing 90% of the time.

5. If the commercial calls for a special skill, be prepared and be honest about how well you do it.

One thing that casting directors find really annoying is when an actor wastes their time, so be professional and deliver what they need. If the commercial calls for a special skill, then make sure you can do it and if they ask you how well you do it, be honest.

You might be someone who puts every sport you’ve ever played on your resume because you are athletic and can readily pick it up. That’s not a problem as long as you can deliver. But if the commercial wants you to golf and it takes you 8 or 10 swings to connect with the ball and then to hit it ten feet, then you can’t play golf, so don’t pretend you can.

You may have heard stories of actors who put a skill they had never done before on their resume and when they got a call for it, they went out, learned it, and booked the job. And that’s fine because they delivered. If you can deliver, you can do whatever you want. But if you don’t know if you can do it, then be honest. Don’t waste anyone’s time or you’ll make everyone mad.

So there are your five no-fail tips. Other than that, don’t rely on your scene study class to teach you how to do commercial auditions—commercials require a different technique. Also, while the best acting teachers are usually dedicated only to teaching and not acting, some of the best teachers for commercial auditions are working commercial actors who book all the time.

If you are ready to give it your best shot and get a commercial agent or if you want a new one, Smart Girls can help. We’ll work with you to put together a cover letter mailing to agents selected just for you and you can have your mailing at the Post Office in a matter of hours. Check us out. And meanwhile, remember you’re a walking commercial for yourself.

Click here to find out more about Getting A Commercial Agent!

* Full Name
* Primary Email
Home Phone
Address1
Address2
City
State
Zip
* Required Fields
Check the Ezines you want to receive:
	Actor's Edition
	Screenwriter's Edition