Conflict is a state which most people find unpleasant and wish to avoid. It can lead to fear, anxiety, as well as chaos. Conflict during an acting audition, however, is completely essential if you wish to impress your auditors and obtain the role. In order to have a good audition, it is necessary for an actor to find the conflict within a story and within a character.
Internal conflicts are rife in personalities, where the psyche struggles between certain desires. Persons and characters can also experience conflict externally with fate, the environment, the world, and God. Relational conflicts are yet another form of personal conflict that are in present in almost every person and, therefore, character's life. When an actor reads for an audition, he or she is only given the bare framework such as a story overview and the lines. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. It is your responsibility to locate the conflict and express it in your reading.
There is no doubt that conflict is interesting. Instability in a character or story adds depth and movement. Once the desires and needs of a character have been discovered by the actor, obstacles are inevitable. That is the way life is. Our life's hurdles must be overcome and manipulated until they become collaborators in our lives. Think about the movie, "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. He experiences many conflicts in his quest including other bounty hunters, FBI agents, his insecurities, as well as Mardukas himself.
All of the answers may not be provided to you in the material provided to you at the audition. Improve your acting audition by using the dialogue and the clues therein to create a character full of depth and truth. Doing so will add more dimension and life to the character, thereby grabbing and holding onto the attention of the auditor and improving your chances of making a good impression. Far worse than creating the "wrong" conflict is delivering a performance without any emotion and depth. If you are able to flesh out a character in this way, your auditions are sure to be more successful.
Real conflict is rarely one-dimensional. The typical person has numerous inner demons that are in constant turmoil. If you are looking to make a good impression on the auditor, ensure that you portray this in your reading. Despite what many actors believe, the most important thing is creating a character not merely the lines in the script.
Even though a scene may only contain your character, there is no doubt that other circumstances and persons have and continue to impact his or her life. To have a successful reading, you as an actor must know how to draw these emotions and circumstances out of the text and take the character to the next level. There is another thing to remember about conflict. Comedy should always play a role in any conflict. Levity is a part of even the deepest conflict. If you want the auditors to enjoy watching your reading, adding some comedy is essential. With the proper combination of conflict and comedy, the character is sure to come to life.
Internal conflicts are rife in personalities, where the psyche struggles between certain desires. Persons and characters can also experience conflict externally with fate, the environment, the world, and God. Relational conflicts are yet another form of personal conflict that are in present in almost every person and, therefore, character's life. When an actor reads for an audition, he or she is only given the bare framework such as a story overview and the lines. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. It is your responsibility to locate the conflict and express it in your reading.
There is no doubt that conflict is interesting. Instability in a character or story adds depth and movement. Once the desires and needs of a character have been discovered by the actor, obstacles are inevitable. That is the way life is. Our life's hurdles must be overcome and manipulated until they become collaborators in our lives. Think about the movie, "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. He experiences many conflicts in his quest including other bounty hunters, FBI agents, his insecurities, as well as Mardukas himself.
All of the answers may not be provided to you in the material provided to you at the audition. Improve your acting audition by using the dialogue and the clues therein to create a character full of depth and truth. Doing so will add more dimension and life to the character, thereby grabbing and holding onto the attention of the auditor and improving your chances of making a good impression. Far worse than creating the "wrong" conflict is delivering a performance without any emotion and depth. If you are able to flesh out a character in this way, your auditions are sure to be more successful.
Real conflict is rarely one-dimensional. The typical person has numerous inner demons that are in constant turmoil. If you are looking to make a good impression on the auditor, ensure that you portray this in your reading. Despite what many actors believe, the most important thing is creating a character not merely the lines in the script.
Even though a scene may only contain your character, there is no doubt that other circumstances and persons have and continue to impact his or her life. To have a successful reading, you as an actor must know how to draw these emotions and circumstances out of the text and take the character to the next level. There is another thing to remember about conflict. Comedy should always play a role in any conflict. Levity is a part of even the deepest conflict. If you want the auditors to enjoy watching your reading, adding some comedy is essential. With the proper combination of conflict and comedy, the character is sure to come to life.
About the Author:
Kirk Baltz has been a acting coach in los angeles for more than 15 years. Kirk helps actors of all levels get the roles that they desire. You can read more about acting auditions at the actor's intensive website.