As you walk on the set in Portland, you should already be aware of what is expected on set and how you should conduct yourself during your audition. Of course this should also go hand in hand with your own confidence in your skills that you are bringing to the table. Both of these factors come in with having some understanding of set direction and also going over any directions that the casting director or manager have sent over to your agent before having you come into the audition. Knowing where to stand and when you are to step onto the set can give you natural confidence. Lacking confidence on set will not make a good impression with the casting director or manager. You will typically see an x that is marked out on the floor in one way or the other. The x is called the mark in the industry, this is where you are expected to stand on camera or even for on camera auditions in Portland.
The first step here is understanding what the mark is, now you will need to make sure that you stay aware of where that mark is on the set, even when you walk onto a set to audition in Portland. For auditions, once you get to the mark you will make your introduction and be sure to make it a strong opening by clearly stating your information to the auditor or casting director. The casting director will ask for your SLATE first thing and this is usually your name, age, the character you are portraying and the agency you are working with. Your introduction should be kept simple however should also carry some charisma as well, this will help you leave an impression with the casting director in Portland.
This introduction is the casting directors first impression of you and a flat introduction really will not spark the casting directors interest in you. Just really avoid just saying something like “Hello, my name is Josh.” Try being more personable as you audition in Portland by saying something more like “Good morning, I am Josh. I am 18 years old and this morning I will be giving you an excerpt from the Shakespearan play Hamlet, my part being that of Hamlet.” Brief eye contact is good during an introduction but as you end up moving on to the script or cold reading that you are doing try to focus somewhere above the casting director or auditors head. Constant eye contact can be a little unnerving for most people.
As you start working on set in Portland it is important to remember that the tasks on the set are clearly distributed and everyone is responsible for their own workload. It is not part of your job to interfere with other departments, especially the work of the director. This understanding amongst everyone working on the production sets the tone on the set and gives the director the space they need to focus on their creative work.
Everyone on set is expected to adapt to the rules of the game. This means accepting announcements as binding in Portland. Even if you do not immediately understand a director’s announcement, you can be sure it will certainly be backed by experience and common sense. If every employee questioned every announcement, the progress on set would be virtually zero.
One thing to remember too is to respect the equipment of other departments. It doesn’t matter if something is in the way or you need a piece of equipment right now, the equipment of other departments is taboo. Pieces of equipment are not common property, they are managed on set by various departments. Equipment can be expensive and fragile and sometimes requires extra care when being used.
Therefore, before you use or touch anything, you should always ask for permission, even if you just want to clear it out of the way. It is disrespectful to move equipment without prior approval of the department. Of course, that does not mean that you should not touch equipment if someone needs a helping hand, on the contrary. As a general rule: Always ask, even before you use foreign equipment as a seating opportunity in Portland.
