Let's get physical in auditions!

Apr 03, 2023

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...

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How to find that 2nd Take in your Self-Tapes

Jan 31, 2023

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...

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To Sit or to Stand, that is the Question...

Jan 17, 2023

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...

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How do we Stand Out in a sea of Self-Tapes?

Jan 03, 2023

 

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:...
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$27 Script Analysis Zoom Workshop

Oct 27, 2022
 

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

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$1 Self-Tape Masterclass for Unicef Ukraine

Sep 19, 2022
 

Join us as we raise money for Unicef Ukraine & #uplevel our Self-Taping skills!

Wednesday, Sept 28th 11 am/EST & 6 pm/EST

Sign-up here:

https://www.eebstudios.com/sept-2022-masterclass

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Your Life can Change at Any Moment!

Sep 04, 2022
 

If you do the work, stay focused, & believe.. your life can change at any moment in this industry!

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How to Stay Happy Whether you're Booking or Not!

Aug 08, 2022
 

How do we take control of our own Happiness when we're not getting Auditions? One way is by creating our own content. 

When we're consisently focusing on a creative project that we're excited about, we're really filling our own Creative Cup instead of waiting for the industry to fill it. 

Then when we do get the audition opportunities, we're extra jazzed because it's just icing on the cake we've already made!

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Stop Putting Acting Classes on a Credit Card

Aug 12, 2019

I'm pretty convinced that Actors don't understand Money.

Ok, that sounds harsh. It's not that most Actors don't understand Money, it's more that we've been filled with hopes & dreams of landing that National Commercial or Series Regular role that will secure our financial futures, but I'm here to tell you...

I'm not the Progessive girl ;-(  As much as I want to be.

Ok what's your point, Erin? 

The thing is, I'm seeing Actors put their classes on credit cards a lot lately.  This hurts my heart to its core because a career that has a 2.5% return on investment is NOT a career worth going into debt over.                      

Wow, thanks for the ultra-depressing post, Erin!  

Okay, okay...hang with me.

Here's where my heart is with this...

I want you to Succeed in Acting. I want you to be part of that 2.5% that doesn't need a side hussle.

But for today, if you're not, I want to strongly urge you to...

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