Audition Tips from a Commercial Director

CF Blog | June 21

Commercial directors are film directors who specialize in the creation of commercials. And they are among the professionals who are seated in the callback room ready to assess who's best fit for a particular role. The commercial director's opinion carries a lot of weight in determining who eventually books the job. In this Master Talent Teachers video, Los Angeles Commercial Director Scott Young shares his work process as well as valuable insights for auditioning actors. Young is an industry veteran who has worked with several of the world's top ad agencies directing over 150 commercials.

As far as who else is present in the commercial callback room, Young says it can include the casting director, representatives from the production company, as well as members of the ad agency. Art directors, creative directors, writers, and producers are examples of agency workers. With so many individuals invested in which actor to cast, who are the ultimate decision makers? "Of all those people, it's the director and...any of the creatives from the agency that really kind of hunker down and make the [casting] decision. But as I like to say, anyone can be recruited for an opinion from that group that I just mentioned," Young says.

When actors enter the callback room, everyone is rooting for them to give a solid audition. As Young puts it: "Everyone wants you to do well. Not because they're all nice people necessarily. But the reality is if you look good, the more choices that we have, the more choices that there are. Everybody looks good. The casting director looks good; the director looks good for picking the casting director...the agency looks good for picking the director."

Among the qualities that Young looks for are actors who are easy to work with, exhibit distinctive talent, have good energy, and are able to collaborate. "You're really looking for someone who brings [the role] to life and when they leave the room it ignites a conversation."

The mistake Young encounters most frequently during callbacks is the inability to take direction. From his point of view, it seems that some actors simply don't hear his input. "A lot of actors have problems listening. I used to think they were just bad actors; actually over time, I realize it's just nerves usually."

Social Awkwardness as an Asset

CF Blog | June 19

Not knowing what to say or fidgeting during conversations, experiencing goofy mishaps when all eyes are on you, perhaps having an odd fashion sense, laughing nervously when answering questions...sound familiar? If so, you might be socially awkward. As remarkably skilled as an actor might be in the craft of acting and how brightly he or she shines while performing, once the stage lights or cameras shut off, the reality of social awkwardness takes center stage. But there's good news for such individuals.

Ty Tashiro is a psychologist and author of Awkward: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome. According to research, socially awkward people tend to be associated with "striking talent." Tashiro states, "[Striking talent] means that they have tremendous ability in a specific area...If someone's really smart in a certain area, they're less likely to be socially skilled or be a good communicator." Tashiro insists that socially awkward individuals have a tendency to "focus really intensely and really narrowly sometimes on a specific topic" and are "more likely to persist when tasks could get boring to other people" and this degree of focus results in practice till mastery.

Many successful actors' interactions have been described as cringeworthy, uncomfortable, clumsy, or self-conscious during interviews or other public venues. Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch; Miley Cyrus' awkwardly timed tongue expressions; Jesse Eisenberg's nervous fast talking; Zach Galifianakis' dedication to making audiences squirm between ferns; and Kristen Stewart's stiffness during interviews have all been spotlighted in the press. Here are two more actors who have made the most of their awkward ways--and indeed created a fan base because of them.

Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover Glover has been said to be inspired by "the aesthetic of discomfort." The New York native exhibits unusual and exceedingly eccentric characters known to make audiences cringe. In River's Edge he portrayed the bizarre, on-edge murder witness Layne; in the classic Back to the Future Glover played the underdog George McFly, father of Michael J. Fox's character which received international box-office success. His other oddball characters include the mentally unstable Cousin Dell in Wild at Heart, Andy Warhol in The Doors, and the Queen's personal assassin The Knave of Hearts in the 2010 Alice in Wonderland. Some have referred to Glover as a genius. His prolific creativity doesn't stop at acting; he's also a director, screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Here is a very awkward Crispin Glover on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1987.