04 Feb Commercial Acting Basics for a Believable Performance
Today, I’m reviewing some commercial acting basics for a believable performance! As the owner and founder of 3-2-1 Acting Studios in Los Angeles – and as a lifelong actor – it is my joy to share knowledge with my students…and with you! This video is actually one that I created for my students here at the studio, and I thought I would share it with the public, too, since it’s full of great tips.
Here are some commercial acting basics for a believable performance
Create a backstory
Before you start learning your lines or your monologue, use that wonderful imagination of yours to create a backstory so that you can really cultivate your character.
Who are you? How old are you? Where are you from?
If this information is not given to you by the writer of the script, you can invent the backstory yourself! Also, in the case of commercial auditions, you will want to answer some important questions about the product.
Lastly, get very clear on who, exactly, you are taking to and what your relationship is to this person. Speaking of your scene partner…
Talk to someone specific
This is one of the most important of the commercial acting basics that I share with my students! If you are performing a monologue or a piece of commercial copy (or even singing a song), your scene partner may not have been clearly identified in the script. You always want to talk to one specific person. Imagine that specific person in front of you and talk directly to them!
If you are filming a video at home, you can even tape an image of the person next to the camera for practice.
You’ll want to make sure the person matches the tone and scope of the piece. For example, if you are auditioning for a toy commercial, you might want to talk to a child who would love to play with said toy! If your scene is more dramatic in nature, you might want to imagine someone who inspires you to fight for a particular goal. Speaking of goals…
Set a goal for the scene
What does your character care about, and what do they want to accomplish in this scene? You’ll want to make sure that your goal (otherwise known as an intention or an objective) makes sense, based on the words in the script and the actions your character is taking.
If you are auditioning for a commercial, your goal might be “to deliver the good news!”
If you are working on a dramatic scene, your goal will involve fighting for something specific and serious.
Be specific – and set a goal that you can actually achieve within the scene.
Emphasize your adjectives
This really applies to commercial auditions. For example, as I say in the video, if you are auditioning for a Breyers® ice cream commercial, and your line is “Breyers® ice cream is the best,” you will want to emphasize the word “best.”
“Breyers® ice cream is the best.”
You want to draw attention to positive, descriptive words so that the audience knows how wonderful the product is!
Lean into your positive emotions
Since we are on the topic of commercials, know that almost all commercials require you to display positive emotions. There are exceptions! For example, if you are working on a commercial for a medical product that helps with an illness (for example, a cold medication), you might have to display the frustrated emotions associated with having a cold…before displaying your emotion of relief when the medication works!
For the most part, though – especially when you are marketing food – you will lean into positive emotions, such as satisfaction, joy, contentment, and excitement.
Rehearse with pauses
This especially applies to commercial audition preparation. Don’t forget to pause at the end of sentences! You can turn on a camera at home and practice your commercial copy, line by line. Make sure to pause whenever there is a punctuation mark. Get used to the rhythm of the script! And oh, yes, while you are at it: go ahead and get memorized. It’s so much easier to play in rehearsal or at an audition when you know all of the words!
Have fun!
I hope you enjoyed my review of these commercial acting basics! As always, have a blast while diving into your characters and scene prep work. I am wishing you the best and hope to see you at 3-2-1 acting studios in Los Angeles – either online or in person – sometime soon!
