There is no question that the majority of people wish to avoid a state of conflict and drama. It can inevitably lead to anxious feelings, fear, and chaos. However, when it comes to acting auditions, conflict is necessary to a successful reading. In order to have a good audition, it is necessary for an actor to find the conflict within a story and within a character.
Internal conflicts are rife in personalities, where the psyche struggles between certain desires. External conflicts can also permeate a person's life in the form of struggles between man and God, fate, the world, and Mother Nature. Relational conflicts can also plague a person's life. When an actor reads for an audition, he or she is only given the bare framework such as a story overview and the lines. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. The actor has the responsibility of finding the conflict and demonstrating it's effects in their audition reading.
Instability is always exciting regardless of how uncomfortable or stressful it may be. Conflict provides an element of depth and movement to a story and character. After you have gotten a handle on the personality of the character, there are naturally going to be difficulties and obstacles that that character must face. That is the way life is. All lives have hurdles which must be shaped and worked with until they cease to be difficult obstacles and become helpful participants. For example, consider "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. Jack is met with a number of conflicts including his personal insecurities, rival bounty hunters, and the infamous Mardukas.
All of the answers may not be provided to you in the material provided to you at the audition. Improve your acting audition by using the dialogue and the clues therein to create a character full of depth and truth. Doing so will hold the attention of the auditor and make you more likely to obtain the role. There is nothing worse than performing a one-dimensional reading of a character with no emotion and conflict. If you work on improving your ability to add depth to your characters while reading, there is no doubt that your auditions will become more fruitful.
Make sure that the conflict you create is multi-dimensional. The typical person has numerous inner demons that are in constant turmoil. Using this to your advantage during an audition will make for an exciting reading. The lines being recited are not nearly as important as the character that is created by the actor.
Although your character may be the only live person in the scene, there are doubtless other hidden forces affecting his or her life. Being able to bring these hidden elements to life is what will separate you from the other actors and make your audition a success. Another thing to remember about conflict. A small amount of comedy should also be present within any conflict. Comedy is present even when the conflict is dark and deep-rooted. Neglecting to add comedy will make the reading unwatchable. With both conflict and comedy combined, your reading is sure to be a success.
Internal conflicts are rife in personalities, where the psyche struggles between certain desires. External conflicts can also permeate a person's life in the form of struggles between man and God, fate, the world, and Mother Nature. Relational conflicts can also plague a person's life. When an actor reads for an audition, he or she is only given the bare framework such as a story overview and the lines. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. The actor has the responsibility of finding the conflict and demonstrating it's effects in their audition reading.
Instability is always exciting regardless of how uncomfortable or stressful it may be. Conflict provides an element of depth and movement to a story and character. After you have gotten a handle on the personality of the character, there are naturally going to be difficulties and obstacles that that character must face. That is the way life is. All lives have hurdles which must be shaped and worked with until they cease to be difficult obstacles and become helpful participants. For example, consider "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. Jack is met with a number of conflicts including his personal insecurities, rival bounty hunters, and the infamous Mardukas.
All of the answers may not be provided to you in the material provided to you at the audition. Improve your acting audition by using the dialogue and the clues therein to create a character full of depth and truth. Doing so will hold the attention of the auditor and make you more likely to obtain the role. There is nothing worse than performing a one-dimensional reading of a character with no emotion and conflict. If you work on improving your ability to add depth to your characters while reading, there is no doubt that your auditions will become more fruitful.
Make sure that the conflict you create is multi-dimensional. The typical person has numerous inner demons that are in constant turmoil. Using this to your advantage during an audition will make for an exciting reading. The lines being recited are not nearly as important as the character that is created by the actor.
Although your character may be the only live person in the scene, there are doubtless other hidden forces affecting his or her life. Being able to bring these hidden elements to life is what will separate you from the other actors and make your audition a success. Another thing to remember about conflict. A small amount of comedy should also be present within any conflict. Comedy is present even when the conflict is dark and deep-rooted. Neglecting to add comedy will make the reading unwatchable. With both conflict and comedy combined, your reading is sure to be a success.
About the Author:
Kirk Baltz has been a acting coach for more than 15 years. Kirk helps actors of all levels get the roles that they desire. You can read more about acting auditions at the actor's intensive website.
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