What do you do to audtion for, say......?

Question

A movie. Ranging from High School Musical, to A lifetime movie. I am in the industry, but haven't gotton that far yet. I'm 14 years old, but I know alot more than 25 year olds when it comes to acting. I'd just like to know, what it is like, what do you have to do?

and I feel the need to send another :) Wow you are so immature. Can you say 12 year old?

Answer 1

Well, seeing as how you are already in the industry your agent should have it all covered.

HSM and Lifetime films are network films I.E. Disney ect. and they hire children of which they are affiliated with network agencies.
If you are looking for a Company produced feature film, such as a morgan creek or spyglass entertainment production, your agent can help you out.

Also, speaking as a produced screenwriter/supervising producer for feature films, I should inform you 'cockyness' truly does go nowhere.
Confidence gives you a boost, but there is such thing as too much.

FOR EXAMPLE:
We were sitting at the casting table in Hollywood for auditions probably about a week ago, it was the casting director, director, another associate producer and I all supervising the auditions. There were two instances:

A) We were looking for a troubled blonde twenty year old man. We try to imagine as many people with shaggy blond hair as we can as they walk into the audition, but we have a photo of who we are looking for and we've got to find him.
A kid walks into the audition and we are ASTONISHED, he looks like the photo and his acting is immaculate.
So he walks out of the audition and we begin discussing him before the next actor;
I say: callback for sure,
Director: That's amazing! [we look at the casting director; and]
Casting director: Absolutely NOT!
It turns out a few months before the casting director had been casting actors for another project when that same actor came in, he did his audition they thanked him and the young man asked;
"Hey do you think I'll get the part? Or am I just wasting my time here?"
They shook their heads and said
"No, sorry."
And needless to say, the man had a fully blown tantrum.
So to make sure it were him the casting director went back to his office and pulled out his BLACK FILE (which EVERY casting director has, no matter what anyone tells you)
And he pulls out a phonebook sized file of resume's and sure enough, here's the young man's resume and headshots. We also found many inconsistencies contrasting the two resumes, which means he's LYING on his resumes.
Anyways, needless to say, he did NOT recieve a call back.

B) We were also actively looking for the role of his best friend, and as a young man walked into the audition, he didn't quite have the looks for the blonde man, but we thought if we'd dyed his hair he would fit the part of his best friend, and his acting ability (as all of hollywood's acting ability) was immaculate, we decided to talk about him playing the role of his best friend.
So we thanked the young man for his time and he asked;
"do you think I'll get the part?"
(probably about 50 percent of actors ask us this, directors don't always respond as they haven't yet made up their minds or discussed it with eachother)
So we did: No, not this one.
He said: okay, [thanked us for his time and left]
we discussed calling him in for the part of said friend and all agreed it was a great idea.
Called in the next actor and he came in laughing and said
"Wow, what was that guy's problem?"
I guess as soon as the man left he told the actors not to waste their time and that we were all unprofessional assholes.
We don't answer the question
"Do you think I got the part" anymore... He did not recieve a callback after we confirmed it with the secretary.

25 year-olds, I can assure you know alot more about the industry wether it be on account of failure or account of success.

I'll give you some information on "what you can do" to try to achieve your goal.

A) Lose the 'cockyness', this type of attitude will only set you up for failure. We look for a character in an audition, not an actor. If we are seeking a shy, quiet 14 year-old, we're not going to find her in a 'cocky' exhuberant 14 year-old that may or may not know more than a 25 year-old.

B) Make sure you live in a populous city, Disney and Lifetime both run out of Los Angeles, so if you live in even San Francisco, you stand no chance to the first-round-pick from the locals, who may (in the eyes of the producers) be more committed to acting seeing as how their parents have located closer to the industry hub, than someone that lives far away and/or won't put in the extra effort to move, showing you are not so serious about the talent industry.
(Any Los Angeles agent will tell you so.)

C) Learn as many aspects of the industry as you can, gain as many crutches as you possibly can, from the technical aspects of the cold read to understanding proper screenplay format, from the sluglines to fade-out. (if you don't know what that means, you should pick up a book)

D) Experience, we can not and WILL not hire a first-year actor to star in a major feature film. We are producing a 45 million dollar feature at the present and the executive producers will not stand to let us hire a non-professional.
(Also, we are forbidden from casting non-union actors for even extra parts, at the request of the producers, as most producers will request)
It's not like there are a limited number of Screen Actors Guild members your age, they are spilling at the seams.
(25 year-olds also know how to audition for a part and keep a part)

E) Know as much as the filmmaking 'lingo' as you possibly can, try by defining some of these words, look them up later, see if you were correct, if not? You have some work to do;

Craft service
Slugline
Treatment
Focus Puller
Gaffer
Foley artist
Daylies
Wranglers
(O.S.) (will appear in your lines)
(V.O.) (will appear in your lines)
Parenthical
M.O.S.
The Skins...
(These are all off of the top of my head)

F) Know all the jobs of everyone on the filmset, know who the best boy is, who the gaffers are, who the focus puller is.

G) A bad agent will get you nowhere, the agents here in Hollywood come and go like the tides of Santa Monica.

H) A good demo reel is a must, if you have as much experience that is needed you will have enough footage to form atleast a 3-5 minute demo reel, and should be assembled by your agent referring you to an industry professional. (some agencies will request you do this on your own)

I) Make industry connections, you do this by again, gaining more on-camera experience and attending industry events such as the local film festival. We attend Sundance, Cannes and the VFF each year to keep with connections ect.
I've heard of programs for younger actors ect. to attend that will take you around the world to Cannes to see a real film festival operate, also there are Los Angeles programs that take industry hopefulls and put them into intense two-day to two week internships with production companies and networks.

J) Study with a prestigious acting group, such as Pace in new york (Screen actors studio) or the prestigious Vancouver Film School. Stella Adler's classes, plenty of world famous actors teach workshops and classes with very competative admissions processes.

K) I could go on and on forever, but I provide my help at my own expense to film industry hopefuls, it's also good karma, and you didn't seem very interested in answers that don't really have the tone or result you want to hear.
The answer is, there is no formula or "right thing to do" to make it in this business, it's all about being in the right place at the right time.

We are looking for someone, and if you don't look like her, or talk like her, if you can't sword fight like her or throw a baseball like her, then it's pretty much tough darts.

This is a tough love industry, and good for you for trying to address it with "cockyness".
Confidence will take you alot further than cockyness, nobody likes a know-it-all.

If you have any further questions about the industry such as where you can get some on-camera experience or any information about the industry at all, I've been deep in for a while and can answer not all, but most of the questions you have to ask. (or even feedback on my answer)
It's [e-mail]

Show business is really a tough-love industry, and you have to address it with anything but ego. Just ask the Weinsteins!

THAT BEING SAID,
The answer to your question in part as referring to "how do I audition for High school musical" You can apply for an audition for HSM3 via airmail, by sending your resume and headshots to:

Jason LaPadura
LaPadura/Hart Casting
100 Universal City Plaza
MT 6149
Universal City CA 91608

Don't forget to add the dancing and singing experience you have. (and DO NOT LIE) Casting directors check up on these things ALWAYS when it boils down to casting time.
You will be blackballed from those casting agents, and since you were wanting movies such as HSM, I would refrain from becoming blackballed by Disney Casting agents.

Good luck with your submission, as the deadline is coming up quick so it must be sent out in the next few days.

Answer 2

Boy are you cocky... What makes you think you know more than anyone? If you're in the industry as you say then you don't know as much as you think you do if you don't have a clue as to how an audition is done. Consider being more humble the next time you want information.

Take a class.
Marianne

PS - This is what Ms. Haeli thinks of my answer:
From: Haeli in the sky with diamonds.

Subject: Oh really.

Message: Cockyness goes a long way in that industry honey. I'm not though. When you answer my questions, give me an answer that I can use. Aparently you are slow, because I said I was new, I've never done a big movie. The whole point of stating that I knew more than a 25 yr old when it comes to acting, is so that i wouldn't get pointless answers...like yours.
You think by answering my question like you own me, I will learn something.
But the truth is you need to learn someting yourself.

Get some help.

She felt the need to send me 2 more:

Message: Hahha! You make me laugh at your immaturity. I swear you are 10 years old. That is something you do in junior high, hon. Oh and feel free to put this on my page too, I delete the question and ask it again. Simple. hahha.
:)
Like I stated previously...

Get some help.

Message: I don't need your 'information'. You couldn't give me anything I need. I have all the connections in the world. My uncle films box office movies, and my family is of great actors/actresses. I am laughing in your face! hahaHA!

Answer 3

********* doesnt get you everywhere, love.