Intro:
For your next self-tape. Just get it and put it on actors access and see if it doesn't increase the amount of times that you're getting called in. We're talking today about slate shots. I get a lot of questions about slate shots. It's one of the most simple parts of your audition, and yet they're very confounding to some actors. So I'm going to clear up what they are, what they aren't, when they're very important and when they're not important at all. And hopefully by the end of this, you'll have a better idea of how you want to handle your slate shots. Slate shots are functional. They are meant to mainly give the directors, casting directors, producers an idea of what you look like. That's it. They want to see what you look like. They know that there's a chance they're going to be filming you in whatever project. So they want to see what does this person look like when they're not like acting. You know, what is their what is their resting visual state? And as a result, they can ask for a couple of different things. They can ask for three quarter slate shot, which is just you're talking head. They can ask for a full body shot. They can ask you to do the profile. That's a standard body shot. Is forward profile forward. In fact, I'll do it for you right now. So if I were auditioning and it asked for a full body slate. You would be able to see my full body. And the thing that you want to do is be as relaxed as possible. Also in a good mood. So part of that is smiling. And you would say something like, hi, my name is Mischa Calvert and based in New York. Then you do the profile holding my mic pack and then the other profile, and then back to the front and follow the instructions. Right. So if they say tell us where you're based and a funny story that happened to you in 30s or less, that's what you do. Although they probably wouldn't have a 32nd thing in a slate shot. So it's meant to be very fast. They want to see what you actually look like. So just bear that in mind. And, we're going to play a little clip here of to show you how you can combine your head shot and your body shot in one thing. So that is actually side by side as you're saying your name. You're also getting the full body shot. It's really handy. I did it back when I was pursuing acting for film and TV. And yeah, I found it really useful. So one of the main things with slate shots is that you really want to follow instructions. You want to do what they say. So read the instructions in the audition, notice in the breakdown, or, you know, whatever, wherever you get it. Eagle cast and whatever it says, do follow the instructions. I was just talking with my friend who's a director earlier today, and she was saying so many people in auditions do not follow the instructions. And that's a problem because you basically count yourself out. Like if you can't even follow the simple instructions of how to film the audition, how are you going to be on set? So if it says for Body Shot and show your hands, that is what you do. The hand thing is not weird. They probably just want to see your hands because again, they just want to know what they look like. Me as a director, if I know that I'm shooting a commercial and I'm going to see the actor's hands a lot in the commercial, I want to see the actor's hands in this shot, because I need to know what their hands look like just because they're going to be on film. It's not about like necessarily how good or bad or like, are they a hand model? No. Like if we were looking for hand models, we would say we're casting for hand models, right? So it's more just like, what are this person's hands look like? And I'm casting for the entire package. You know, like, maybe if they're missing a finger, that's not going to work for the client. Or maybe we're specifically looking for people who have, like, kind of, you know, arthritic hands. Like, maybe it's a pharmaceutical company that I'm working for for that spot. So don't be wigged out. If they ask for specific things in the directions for the shot. But do do them if you can. Because they're asking for a reason and they're probably not asking for a lot. So whatever it says to the letter, try and do it. Another thing that seems kind of basic about slate shots is that you don't want to be in a bad mood. You're kind of showing them how it's going to be to work with you. So you're not reading any lines of dialog. You're just yourself. But don't take just be yourself as permission to be like creepy or surly. Look, I have RBF, okay? Resting bitch face. But I have learned over the years to smile because it puts people at ease. And in fact, I have to smile way more than I think I am smiling in order for it to be a normal smile. So, and I've heard this from other actors too, where they think that they're doing the whole take super smiling. And really, the take is coming out like this for other people watching. So just be aware, like, when are you smiling and when are you actually smiling? Good to know the difference. But I'm not saying you have to be like, super sunny perky in these sweet shots. You just got to be relaxed and in a good mood. And sometimes that's enough. Don't be in a bad mood. And don't be surly, please, for your sake. Because I have seen decisions get made off of shots where someone comes in, like, really kind of wack. Like, not not in a good place. Usually the auditions also like that, but, Yeah, it's it's not nothing. Let me put it that way. And speaking of which, here's something that not a lot of actors know. So if you're self submitting and you're on actors access, if you don't have all four boxes checked, photo, resume, reel or media and slate shot, your thumbnail is not listed as highly in the submissions. It's not top listed. So for people who have all four checked, they're at the top of the submission pile. And if you're missing your slate shot, you get knocked down to second place. And if you're missing your slate shot and your resume, you get knocked down to the third place. And I can speak from experience. You know, sometimes I've put out castings for very small budget projects, and I'm still getting 5000 submissions on those projects. So at 5000 submissions, if I look at the first 2000 and I have like more qualified people than I could possibly ever see, I'm not going to go to the other 3000. There's just no need. So yeah, something to bear in mind. And yeah, sometimes those submissions are not sorted by those four categories. In actor's access, you can sort them by date. You can sort them by all sorts of different metrics, but I just think, like, a sweet shot takes you 30s to film on the tail end of an audition, like for your next self-tape just get it. Just get it and put it on actor's access and see if it doesn't increase the amount of times that you're getting called in. If this is helpful to you. This is exactly the kind of information that I go over in my classes, and I don't usually talk about the classes because honestly, they sell out most of the time. And, I don't need to advertise them here. But if you are interested in learning more about on camera technique or you want to get inspired, meet some really cool guests. I work with casting directors a lot in class. I work with agents and managers a lot. So some of the casting directors that I have coming up in the spring are Stacy Rice, who was the associate on euphoria. I have Lane Kunin, who is casting associate on almost every Marvel show that shoots in New York. Jose Rodriguez, who Jose Rodriguez, who casts FBI and a lot of the other procedurals that film here in New York, and Marybeth Fox, who does like so many indie films, she did A Quiet Place, she did bottoms. She did so many, like female forward comedies that have shot here in New York. I'm teaching with all of them, and I make sure that they are looking for new talent and that they want to meet you. They want to work with you on the some of the nicest people that I've met in the business. And you can check out Club vermilion.com if you want to learn more about those classes. Stacy Rice we might be sold out, but definitely check out the class roster. There's some really exciting guests coming over the summer as well. I've just got an email from a major, major agency that is going to be working with me on a class in June. So it should be a great time. And we would go over craft, technique, slate shots and more. I really, really hope this was helpful to you, and I hope that this makes your auditions even better. Even book year, and that you have a really, really fruitful rest of your year. Thanks so much and I'll see you next week.
Outro:
The Vermillion Podcast is sponsored by Vermillion, a home for artists. We offer classes, coaching, and community for creatives and innovators in the arts. If you're ready to find your voice and build the life of your dreams, we are here to support you every step of the way. Check out Club vermillion.com and schedule a free call today.
