We get auditions that ask us to drive, fight, fall down, kiss, & so many more physical challenges.  

I often see actors get confused & half commit to it because they're scared of looking silly or just simply don't know how to approach these things simply & clearly.

The short answer is: 

Commit 100%

If you get punched in the face, how would you react/feel in your body in real life? You can't moan or half grunt to "pretend" it's happening, that's when we feel silly & inauthentic. You have to commit fully to the physical reaction.

Watch a fight scene & see how truthfully the actors put their whole body into it.

Now a way to simplify our physical work in auditions is to:

Adjust the physicality by 50%

So if you're supposed to fall to the ground (you'll fall out of frame if you do that) then just fall halfway back against the wall or backdrop. 

We'll dive deep into all of this at the Self-Tape Workshop: Physicality on Saturday, April 15th on Zoom. No...

First off, let me tell you this is a skill that can be developed. To read this blog & expect to do it in tomorrow's audition is highly unlikely.

I learned how to do this by studying the Meisner Technique. Sanford Meisner teaches you to create an Imaginary Circumstance & place the most important person in your life (or even yourself) in the middle of that Circumstance. 

Step 1: Create or "craft" the Circumstance

Step 2: Fill in every single detail 

Step 3: Close your eyes & Visualize it

Step 4: Believe it

That last step is really the key. Your Imagination is the most powerful tool you have as an actor, but if you don't believe your own circumstances, it won't evoke your nervous system to allow the emotional life to come to the surface.

I love Meisner because we never drum up trauma from the past (which is another way of crying on cue), we don't bring in today's life challenges into our work.. it's totally separate, using our...

Do you ever find yourself lost in the desert of 2nd takes? I liked this picture because it feels like we have to search so hard when Casting asks for a 2nd take in our Self-Tapes.

1 way is by making an opposite emotional choice from what is obvious on the page.

For instance, if there are multiple capital letters & exclamation points, you might instinctually start yelling & feeling physically alive. That can absoutely work. 

But not everyone who becomes upset in life raises their voice & gets aggresive. Some people get very quiet & calculated. So you could do another take where it's the same circumstance, but you're iginiting your inner life instead of your outer life, delivering the dialogue in a very quiet & grounded way.

There are multiple ways of finding 2nd takes & it's not something we should stress over as actors. I'll teach you a few more ways at our $22 2 Takes in 2 Seconds Workshop Saturday, Feb 11th on Zoom.

And if 1-day Workshops are your...

I often hear actors debate the question of whether to sit or to stand in an Audition. As a coach, my answer is to them is often "What will you do when you get to set? Do that." 

When we get away from the mindset of auditioning, & get into the mindset of creating a scene, we'll no longer ask that question of ourselves.

I recently attended an Agency Showcase in a hotel conference room where actors from various markets presented a scene to the agencies. Imagine a hotel conference room.. the lighting isn't great, the walls are sorta bland, the room is big. 

I noticed that the actors who chose to stand & create a scene that had a real beginning, middle, & end were exceedingly more captivating than the actors who chose to sit. In this case, the space played a major part in the end result. 

So keep the idea of "playing the space" in mind if you're still wrestling with whether to sit or to stand in your audition work. You may also err on the side of "which...

We all know Self-Taping has taken over our industry in the past few years. So how do we actually stand out from the 100s of actors submitting for the same role?

I'm teaching a Free Self-Tape Class where I'll share 5 ways that I use to help my students tapes stand out and book. Today, I'll share 1 of those ways with you: Physicality.

I see actors nearly every day with scripts where there is some type of a physicality that they need to adopt in order to truthfully pull off the scene, but their fears take over with what is too much. "I don't want to be over the top," they'll say.

To that I say, please stop listening to your teacher. Many actors are getting coached in ways that make them feel limited in their ability to thruthfully live out the scene, and that is precisely what Casting wants to see.

• Step 1: Try on the full physicality of the scene. Are you a victim being hit or shot in the scene and you fall to the ground in pain? Play it full out.
• Step 2:...

Learn how Bill booked 53 National Commercials & experience his full Level 1 Course in 1 day!

Saturday, Dec 10th

12 pm/EST, 9 am/PST

6 hours

$150 to participate, $50 to observe

https://www.eebstudios.com/adults

We all dread the "So what have you been in lately?" question from friends & family.  Let's arm ourselves with a few positive responses this holiday season.

Script Analysis Workshop

Saturday, Dec 3rd, 1 pm/EST, 10 am/PST, 90 min, Zoom, $27

1-Day Commercial Workshop with Bill Coelius

Saturday, Dec 10th, 12 pm/EST, 9 am/PST, 6 hours, Zoom, $150

How can we FALL in love with our work whether we're booking or not?

Let's learn how not to analyze a script & instead how to visualize & trust our instincts & impulses with short 2-3 page Film/TV sides.

Sat, December 3rd

1 pm/EST, 10 am/PST

90 min

Zoom

www.eebstudios.com/adults

Let's learn how not to analyze a script & instead how to visualize & trust our instincts & impulses with short 2-3 page Film/TV sides.

Sat, November 5th

1 pm/EST, 10 am/PST

90 min

Zoom

www.eebstudios.com/adults

Join Kris Carr for her Intro to Voice Over Bootcamp Sat, November 12th 1 pm/EST, 10 am/PST where she'll take you through her full Intro Course in 4 hours.

Upon completion of the Bootcamp, you'll be eligible for her Advanced Course in January.