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!
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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

Simple 5 Rules On How Child Actors Should Appear In Auditions

Preparing a child actor

Parents! Don't Take Your Child For Audition Unless.....

You Have Followed These Rules And Prepared Your Child

Rule 1. 

With kids, I see many of them saying words they don’t know how to pronounce or even know the meaning of, thereby making the words and intent meaningless. I know parents have good intentions when they coach them, but if a kid is meant to say the name of ex-president of India, it would be so much better if she actually knew who president was, what was he known for, and how to pronounce his name. It’s the little things!

Rule 2. 

These kids must be enormously confident in introducing themselves. They must take a class that taught them how to look straight into the camera lens and say, “Hello, I’m Ronnie and I’m 12 years old, 4-foot-2, and performing for the role of Mohan, the naughty!”

Rule 3. 

Another thing I’ve noticed with kids is that they grow every second of the day. When I’m looking at their profile online and it doesn’t resemble the kid, we have problems. Word to the wise: You’ve got to update your show-reel, pictures, size, and weight regularly. Sorry, you may get rejected in audition because you look like you’re 8 years old in your profile when you’re really 12. It probably gets very expensive to get new photos taken every year, but it’s an investment you’ve got to make if you want to be taken seriously in this business.

Rule 4. 

Don't throw trash in the audition waiting room. A word of advice for kid actors: That waste paper basket in the room is for you, buddy!

Rule 5. 

Lastly, remember when in an audition room, pay full attention and listen to your casting director, follow quickly what he/she says and then play the role.

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!
Based on source

12 Audition Steps for Kid Actors to Grab a Role

Audition of a child actor

What are the Steps of the Audition Process?

The different steps of the audition process are: 

1. You get a call from your coordinator/ Casting director or directly from a production house/ Assistant director if you had applied through a casting website  with an appointment time and a location to go to the interview.
2. You'll get yourself ready. You'll dress the way they've asked you to dress. And then you'll go to the audition. That will be the first audition.
3. You'll sign in on a sheet of paper.
4. You may be given your lines (called "sides") to read and if possible to memorize. The child has to dream and create the character in his/her mind to play in front of a camera.
5. You'll maybe get your Polaroid picture taken.
6. You'll give them your headshot or select pictures from your portfolio.
7. You'll go on to face the camera. You'll do your initial interview based on what is told to you.
8. And then you'll go away.
9. There may or may not a second step.
10. Call Back: If material that you've already recorded in your first audition is liked enough by the director and the advertisers to have you come to a call-back. Then what you do, is you go back to the same place typically. You wear the same thing typically. It's important to wear the same thing to a call-back that you wore to a first call. And then you'll meet the director or the advertisers, and they'll make sure you can do what you did the first time, or see if you have other ways to play your lines and character.
11. If you are not selected, your coordinator may inform you in a few days and if not, then you have to contact the person to know the status. If you are selected to do the role, you will be informed by the coordinator or directly by the concerned person from the project
12. If you are selected then later, you'll be told what day you're going to shoot, and then you'll be contacted by production. And production will give you your location and your call time and probably schedule a wardrobe fitting with you prior to the actual shoot.

How Should a Child Actor Behave During an Audition?

A child actor should act professionally during an audition. It is the job of the parent to tell the child, the child that wants to do this, that this is a business. This is not going to the park. This is not an Ice Cream Parlor or burger and chips at McDonald's. You're going to a serious interview. Yes, it's supposed to be fun. Yes, you want to have a good time, but don't climb around on that furniture. You don't run around through in their professional office space. You don't bring loud toys. You don't distract the other kids. It's common sense, like going to the library or going to the doctor's office. It's a place of business.