7 Best Ways to Train Your Kids for Camera Auditions

Role ke liye, audition mai kuch bhi Karega!
(Will do anything for auditions!)

Dear moms and dads,
This is my affectionate and advisory letter to you.
Once you have decided to make your child an actor, I know how hard you work on the kid. You work hard going over the scenes or lines your child has to play, read the scripts for them, take them out of school, rearrange their schedules, and race around from audition to audition, not to mention taking them to their acting coach, dance lessons, school play rehearsal, sports, and everything else they have going on.

You are really a super parent, and you would do anything to make your kid happy.

There isn’t enough time in the day to do everything. You are just running around. But at what point is it too much? What is the best way to organize you and prepare your kid when they have so much going on? How do you juggle everything and still make sure they are doing a good job for those two minutes they are in the audition room? And most importantly, are they still having fun?
At the end of the day, everyone just wants your kid to get the role. You, your kid’s coordinator  and the casting director are working hard. They are giving your kid a time slot and want the actor to come in and do the job. Nothing else matters—the excuses, the amount of homework they have, the apologies, the drama.

Important Point

The number one thing that all casting directors want in on-camera auditions is for kids to act natural, to bring their their personality to the audition, to be fully prepared, and to have fun. Kids can be wonderful actors, and display extreme emotions at the drop of a hat. They may have learned some bad habits, which can get in the way of giving an excellent audition.

Here are the best ways to prepare your kids for their next on-camera audition:

1. Memorizing lines

I know you get the script the night before, and sometimes you get more than one audition for the next day with lots and lots of lines. It’s a crazy business, and everything happens very last minute. Most kids aren’t prepared enough when they walk into an audition room, and end up looking down at the script the whole time. Or even worse, instead of listening to the other co actor in the scene, they are just thinking of their next line. It shows in their eyes.
A. The single best thing you can do as a parent is help them memorize their lines. Make it fun.
B. Talk about what the lines mean, and why they would be saying it.
C. Have them try it tons of different ways.

2. Read the whole script

It’s that important. It should be part of their homework. Many of the parents don’t do this. But it will give you a huge advantage in auditions. Find the time to at least go through the script  so you understand what is happening in the story..

3. Playing the “Character”;  Don’t bother much about copying

Sometimes a script may narrate a character’s description a “naughty, wondering, happy go lucky 9-year-old”; don’t worry about forcing your kid to act that way in the scene. It will be there or it won’t. A character’s description is just a guideline, and often times they change. With everyone reading the same lines, it’s your kid’s personality that should stand out. The wonderful, original, authentic spirit and soul of your child as an actor. That is why they are cast. Of course you want to suggest the character, but the second you try too hard it becomes a red flag and looks forced in the audition.

4. Don’t worry about the clothing

This isn’t a fancy dress competition. Of course, it’s important to dress like the character, but don’t bother much about to be precise in a particular costume. If you worry too much about the color of the shirt, and whether or not the hair should be parted in the middle or off to the side, you are going in the wrong direction. Nobody ever lost a part because their shirt was blue instead of red. It’s about the personality of the person, and how they come across on camera. Too much costume can make it seem like they are overcompensating for their acting skills.

5. Leave the coaching to the professionals

 Let us be honest here. I know you want them to do well, but sometimes your coaching may get in the way. Avoid line readings, planned gestures and facial expressions, and trying to “give them what they are looking for.”
A. Remember, many times this makes a casting director’s job so much harder as they try to find the real person underneath all the unnatural “acting” stuff.
B. A good coach will help them free up the lines and make it spontaneous, while also finding the right emotion and tone of the script and how to give the character a strong inner life. Forced preparations of their lines may create a very stiff and overly rehearsed performance and a casting director can spot that a mile away.

6. Be firm in saying “no.”  

If your child has started getting too many auditions or if there is too much  running around, I’m sure you don’t want your child to burn out which may affect a kid’s health or his/ her other important activities related to school or sports, just say “No” to  the kid’s coordinator

7.  What is on-camera auditions good manners?

Just be natural and listen. That’s all any casting director wants. Most kids who come from their school stage end up projecting too much, exaggerating their facial expressions, and not paying attention to the closeness and stillness of an on-camera environment. They should walk into the room with confidence (naturally), learn to speak (slate) their name into the camera (naturally), take a breath, and then just go into the scene (naturally). The more rested they are and the more focus they have, the less restless they are. The last thing you want is for your kid to show up to an audition yawning, moving around in the chair, and completely distracted.
On-camera auditions are about concentration, stillness, and listening. They should sit up in the chair (or stand), look at the eyes on that person who is speaking the lines of your co actor as a cue to you. Never look into the camera (unless it’s your introduction, a slate), and avoid the eyes wandering around too much.

Once the audition is done, move on. Don't worry or tell anything negative post-audition.
There are always more auditions around the corner.

Good luck!
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