Commercial Acting Tips
Appling the Rule of Threes...
(by: Mark Brandon,
author of:
WINNING AUDITIONS - 101 Strategies for Actors)
Figuring out exactly what to do
in order to give a strong commercial audition can be
challenging. It’s not just a simple matter of
smiling while saying the product name and hoping for
the best.
There are critical elements of style, for
instance, that must color your delivery, dependent
upon the type of commercial you’re trying out for.
If you’re familiar with the commercial type and
demonstrate its distinctive style, you’ll obviously
do well. But if those elements are missing, you
needn’t bother writing down the shooting date in
your calendar. |
Here’s a useful shorthand
tool for clarifying your needs and keeping you a step
ahead of the competition. It breaks commercials down in
three stages, enabling you to classify the commercial,
develop the requisite performance, and ultimately refine
the delivery. Each commercial classification has three
specific criteria of style-hence the “Rule of Threes.”
Let’s look at this tool in detail and cite some
examples:
Step 1: Classify
the Type of Commercial
Commercials can be broken down into just
three basic types. There’s the product-spokesperson
spot, the slice-of-life spot, and the classic spot.
(“Spot” is industry jargon for commercial.) Any other
commercial is nothing more than a variation or
combination of these three.
In the
prestigious product-spokesperson spot, you’re the only
one (besides the product) in the commercial. It’s your
job and yours alone to sell the product.
In the
slice-of-life spot, you perform ordinary routines such
as shopping at a store, eating at a restaurant, working
at your job, or engaging in recreation with family or
friends. In most cases, this kind of spot has a separate
narrator, meaning of course, you’ll have no dialogue.
The
classic spot truly deserves its name, having been around
since TV began. In this type of commercial, a problem is
presented, such as, for example, a large stain in your
beautiful carpet. Then the product is introduced, after
which comes the resolution: the product makes short work
of the nasty stain, and presto—life is now worth
living.
Step 2: Develop Your Delivery
According to Type
If
you’re auditioning for a product-spokesperson spot,
you’ll want to affect a delivery that exudes a polished
sense of authority.
If
you’re going out for the slice-of-life spot, all you
need to concentrate on is going through familiar,
real-life activities in an unaffected, good-natured way.
(How could you shop with authority?)
Your
delivery in the classic spot is a little more complex
because it involves carefully orchestrating your moods.
For example, you’ll need to display frustration during
the beginning, problem portion. Then you should indicate
grateful amazement during the clean-up or resolution
stage. Finally, you should end the spot with an
expression that clearly demonstrates that a bottle
Stain-Be-Gone is the best friend you ever had.
Step 3: Refine Your Performance
According To Environment
In the
product-spokesperson spot, you need to fine-tune your
authority by adding some personal warmth. However, your
surroundings will dictate just how much. In a clinical
setting, for instance, you might be wearing a white lab
coat and pitching aspirin. You would want, on balance,
lots of authority and a little warmth.
In a
corporate environment, where you’d wear a suit and sell
something such as financial services or long-distance
phone service, you’d do better with more warmth than
authority.
A third,
less common style for the product spokesperson is the
comedic one. Producers often look for a comedian to fill
such a role. But if, during your audition, your timing
is good and you genuinely entertain the room, your
chances are just as good as any comic’s.
Remember to always look for and consult
the storyboard at every commercial audition. Next to
your commercial sides, it’s the best thing for
confirming the choices you’ve derived from applying the
Rule of Threes.
