As Parents What Are You Doing For Your Child Actor?

Parents! Are you a good guide to your child actors?

How to Be the Best Guide for Your Child Actor

9 Great Ways

1. Are you the very best parent for a child who wants to perform? Whether your child stars in a movie or a local community theater production, there are things you can help and support their dreams of performing.
2. If your child doesn’t have an artist coordinator/ agent or manager, you can help them find opportunities to act on their own (Read this blog carefully). Encourage them to act in parties, school functions, community theater or at religious ceremonies. Find out online sites to register and promote a child's career and give you information on ongoing auditions.
3. Since acting opportunities though good, the competition is staggering!  You must get them professionally trained either from a good school where they will learn about the craft, forge relationships with other young actors, and begin to network or from a private 'One On One' coach.
4. If your child is lucky enough to land a role, there will come a time when it has to end. There will also be dry spells between jobs. Learn how to help your child (and yourself) cope.
5. There’s always a letdown when there is a lull and for a long time, it would seem to be over. In this case, the child must return to a “regular” lifestyle. It is important to arm yourself with tools to help them through this process.
6. Acting becomes a family business when young performers are involved. From your other children to your marriage to your personal relationships, everyone is affected. A happy and healthy home environment will help your child actor reach their personal best. Of the hundreds of children, teens, and parents I’ve worked with over the years, the kids who thrive are the ones with parents who are great role models.
7. When your child is blessed with talent and a desire to act, sing, dance, and entertain, it’s a gift. By taking care of yourself and educating yourself about the entertainment industry while learning from seasoned industry pros, you’ll be a wise and supportive guide for your child.
8. Being the parent of a child actor is challenging. But you don’t have to do it alone. Talk to a life coach, therapist, or gather together with other parents who can offer support.
9. There will be many teachable moments in your child’s acting career that will help them grow into a remarkable adult. 

Remember, It starts with you!
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What Is Not Prepared By A Child For Auditions? Interview Queries

Blunders By a child actor in auditions and how to help them

Do You Know what are the 2 most important events in a child audition?

• Interview
• The actual 'Audition' with slating, scene play or just portraying a character with lines or monolog in front of a camera

Though a child may prepare well for an actual audition, mostly they overlook 'Interview' part

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You know kids say the weirdest things? This is where the spontaneous and a genuine personality of the child can win them the job in an audition. Interview questions are almost always asked when a child auditions for a commercial, TV show or film. There is no copy for them to learn, no scene to play. The casting directors may just ask random questions. The goal of this is to observe the child’s personality.

In an audition, the director and clients may often watch these auditions with the volume turned completely off. Now I realized, the purpose may be to look for how far on camera,  a child is suitable for the character and the role. But the potential of the random question is all about our personality

Since it’s a child personality that they are looking for, the following trends in asking questions on subjects, if properly answered,  may turn them on, that they passionate about, something they can discuss fluently without worrying or running out of specific details.

Interview

Here are the subjects

• Your favorite game or at home activity
• An anecdote about a family member
• A story about your pet (dog, bird)
• Foods you love or hate

• When asked a question, find a quick way to answer
• Keep your answers brief, but specific. The more specifics the child can add, the more the personality comes out! The truth is, they are just trying to see your personality on camera.

Beware of 2 taboo subjects—avoid this at all cost.

1. Acting
Don't try to act. They want you to be an actor and a skilled one but do not want to see and hear about it. They secretly think they are discovering you and putting you in their commercial campaign, TV or in a film.

2. Religion
Anything having to do with religion is generally taboo.

Kids who can relax and just get chatting about one of their subjects or a funny short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person always are remembered, as being memorable is the key helping you get selected for jobs
The beauty of this technique is that you never have to think about the answer because you already know it.

Practice some of these commonly asked questions and see how your audition goes for you:

1. What was your favorite vacation?
2. Do you have any hobbies?
3. Any plans for the summer?
4. What’s your favorite subject in school?
5. What is your favorite ice cream and flavor?
6. What do you do when you get home?
7. What kind of foods you love?
8. What kind of foods you hate?
9. Who is the most important friend, teacher, sports coach or person?
10. What is your most thing you possess?
11. Which is your favorite TV show?
12. If you had a super power what would it be?

The answers should never look or sound prepared or rehearsed, but spontaneous and honest. Why? Because kids always saying surprising, unexpected, funny, and clever things!
Based on

Good Luck for your nest audition

Join us to learn more

How Learning Acting Helps Kids Life Skills To Be A Great Adult

Becoming a successful adult- Teaching child acting

Why Should I Teach Acting To My Child?

Will Learning Acting Can Make My Kid A Successful Adult? 

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Becoming A Great Adult

Developing into successful and happy adult through learning acting as a kid

10 Life Skills Your Child Can Learn From Learning Acting 

1. Building Confidence

The film and theater acting teaches children to take command in any situation and to overcome a fear of public speaking. It teaches them to have confidence and to learn from their mistakes through practice.

2. Creativity

Children learn how to think creatively through role-playing. Some people call it out-of-the-box thinking, and it’s a skill that comes in handy as a working adult.

3. Concentration And Focus

Having to listen and contribute during preparing and an actor in a film scene or theater play helps to develop key focus skills. These arts teach kids to build greater concentration and keep their minds on the current task.

4. Working In Group | Accountability

Kids learn how important their role is to a group activity. If they are late with their lines or don’t prepare at all, it affects the overall outcome.

5. Dedication

Kids learn dedication through practice and delivering a final result. They learn how to show up on time, develop good work habits and put forth a great effort to deliver a successful show.

6. Body language

The film and theater teach nonverbal communication. Learning and becoming a Kid Actor helps them to learn how to show their emotions through body language and how different movements are interpreted by others.

7. Teamwork

Children learn about the importance of working together. Developing this trait helps kids to be collaborative and contribute significantly in greater success of the entire group and eventually in life.

8. Determination

With consistent practice and determination, children get a feeling of accomplishment after a performance. Developing determination at a young age helps them reach their goals in the future.

9. Receiving Constructive Feedback and Criticism

Receiving criticism something that many adults have trouble with and may look at it as a negative part of their job. Through the theater or during scene rehearsals for film or TV, children learn that feedback is just another part of the learning process, not something that should be taken personally.

10. Problem-Solving Ability

Kids learn critical problem-solving skills while learning this art. They must learn how to transform into anything a tree, animal, clay ball, a cup or how their characters transform and will act in a certain situation. These practices will help children develop an important skill that is necessary as adults.
https://www.campyatc.com/life-skills-child-can-learn-studying-acting/

7 Tips On How To Give Best Audition Interview To Book Jobs

How a child actor to win auditions

Why Am I Not selected In Auditions?

Auditions

This applies to both-

• Physically on camera in front of auditions
• Prepared Video introduction submitted to casting directors or production dept.

A Kid actor's introduction (slate, as it 's called) tells those viewing your audition if you can be selected and are “castable."

Video Introduction

Due to the pressure of time and the rents of hiring a place for auditions is expensive hence, much of that decision to watch your video or even physically in an audition is based on whether your physicality fits their requirements and whether the viewing public will convincingly identify you with the character.

In Audition

While in a live audition, how you introduce self (slate), your presence, and how you connect to the camera is really important. Though a  child's physical appearance to the character is considered, your overall introduction is totally up to the child and can be a strong asset for selection if done well.
Speaking out just your name seems so simple, which is why many children or their parents give it no real thought. This can be a mistake because the intro (slate) provides important information about who you are. It depicts either confidence or lack of showing a child's personality and so much more.


From years of my own experience as an actor and teaching, I have seen most of the ways that actors make bad first impressions with their introduction.

7 reasons 

How child actors create a bad impression

1. When child actors are coached desperately mostly by parents on how to give auditions resulting into faking an impression, overdramatize, and appear that they are working too hard to be likable, it may create an impression of insincerity, insecurity, or poor training. 
2. If the child appears moody, sullen, uptight, or arrogant, it gives an impression that actor could have emotional issues. 
3. If they are slick or monotone, they appear unbelievable or unlikeable. 
4. If they don't hold eye contact with the camera, they seem shifty, afraid, or inexperienced. 
5. If the child speaks too fast or too soft, it makes them appear nervous, shy or inhibited. 
6. If they speak too slow, it often is taken as patronizing like a saint or a priest. 
7. if they speak too loud, it suggests they have done more theater than film work or that they are trying to reach the camera with their voice.

The above may happen as a child's unconscious act, habit, or a consequence of undue pressure which make them look 'one of those hundreds of kids' and poorly trained

How To Give Best Introduction (Video as well)

1. I suggest that a child actor to introduce (slate) as if it were an introduction to someone, in a birthday party, to an audience on a stage show in the school function not as a presentation, announcement, or to impress someone. When auditioning, I suggest that you honestly introduce yourself to someone in the room (usually the person running the session) while looking into the camera lens. 
2. You should be positive and enjoy introducing yourself. 
3. Smile, if it feels right, but if you smile just to smile, it will look fake and insincere. Smile because you are confident and having fun, then it will be relaxed or engaging.
4. Be spontaneous! Each time you say your name it should be just a little different. If there isn’t some difference each time, then it may convey you have probably memorized  and it's just a “line reading.” 
5. Add a “Hi, I’m" or a “Hello, my name is” and then your name. This will make it friendly and less like you are reporting for military duty.
6. When nervous, laugh a little bit (to relax) before you start. It helps to release the nervousness and quickly shifts you into a positive energy. If you have been told by auditioners that you are "not really you" in your slate, then you should give it some attention. 
7. There is no second chance to make a first impression. This is especially true for commercial ad auditions.  

Note: Sometimes actors want to know if they should slate in character.  I suggest if you are unsure then ask the AD or audition session in-charge