Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Audition: Pitching Hacks for Actors

Audition: Pitching Hacks for Actors

When you pitch your company or idea to potential investors, in large part, you are pitching yourself. You are auditioning. Fortunately, there's a book for that: Audition, everything an actor needs to know to get the part, by the guy who cast The Graduate, full of great dialog from actual auditions.

Actors can pitch; Matt Damon could raise VC any day

Some gems from Audition:

"What are you fighting for? The actor must find a positive motivation, since it will serve him in a more forceful, stronger, more emotional way than a negative choice will."

"Do you know what I saw? An actress looking down at the floor, standing pigeon-toed, whom I couldn't hear. An actress who seemed full and half-dead, spiritless, with no humor, no charm, no appeal. Do you expect me to hire such an actress for my play?"

"You are going to have big trouble being an actor, with all the limitations you set for yourself. Can't you expand your concepts about yourself?"

"The more discoveries you make in a scene, the more interesting your scene will be."

"Communication's not easy.We all tend to be lazy, thinking "Well I said it and it's his fault if he doesn't get it.""

"Particular attention should be paid to a fact: virtually no actor is too loud."

"What do auditors expect from a reading? An opening night performance, that's all."

Buy the book, already!