Happy Belated Fourth of July! I hope everyone had a fun, safe, and filling weekend. Mine was blissfully quiet. I haven’t had a weekend like that in a while so I am all kinds of geeked up for the week!
Let’s talk about auditioning today. Ingrid French Management got me an audition for a lead role in a feature film! I’m not sure I can say what it is, but the character I read for is a certain Great Dane of comic strip fame. I was asked to record the audition from home and email it to them so they can pass it along to the casting director. I read the whole script (which was fun!), the sides they wanted me to record, and a character description. The funny part is that they want a deep voice which is young, energetic, and eager at the same time. At first I thought it was a contradiction, then I read who they wanted it to sound like: Seth Rogan. Aha! He would be perfect for this role and I think that’s a great call on the part of the casting agency.
However, I do NOT sound like Seth Rogan. My voice is young-sounding and energetic, but not deep at all, at least the voice I use to do the bulk of my gigs isn’t. When I try to deepen my voice I sound like a ten-year-old kid making a crank call. So what do I do? I did two things. First, I made sure my vocal placement was in my stomach, not in my chest, neck, face, or head. It gave me a bit more resonance without trying to deepen my voice. Second, I made sure my pitch didn’t go too high like it does when I record these high school/college roles I so often do. It took the top off my register so it made my voice sound deep-ish.
Will it get me the part? I have no idea, but doing those two things allowed me to focus on my acting and not on trying to sound like Seth Rogan.
TIP OF THE WEEK: Unless you’re a gifted impressionist, don’t try to sound like someone else. Sound like you!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson
DISCUSS!: What kinds of adjustments do you make based on the roles you audition for?
Have a great week!