When they hear that they need to do “homework,” most people get worried and stressed because homework has such a negative connotation for us from school.So instead of thinking it as homework, I’d like you to think of doing research as investigating to learn more about a production. Whenever you’re about to go out for an audition, you should focus on the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How for each project.

But you need to focus on those questions for both the character you’re playing AND the production team.

For the character you’re playing, making a clear choice beforehand is ultra important because it will let you play the character much more authentically. Your acting will come off as multi-dimensional and even if you make incorrect choices (different than what the director was thinking), you’ll at least impress the crew enough for them to give you notes to try it again, but differently.

Do go deep, answer the following questions for each audition:

• Who am I (the character) as a person?
• When and Where is this scene taking place? Has something just happened that might influence my behavior?
• What am I trying to achieve in this scene overall and also moment to moment?
• Why am I trying to achieve this goal?
• How am I going to achieve it, and how will I change my tactics throughout the scene?

Find out All you Can

Next, you’ll want to find out more about the director or casting director of the project. They are going to be the ultimate decision makers. Knowing more about them ahead of time will give you some idea of how you’re going to want to act in the scene. Note – when/where don’t apply here, since I’ll assume you already know when and where the audition is actually taking place.

• Who is the director and/or casting director as a person? What kind of projects do they typically like to work on? If you can watch some of their other projects, it might give you an idea of a style for the character they’re looking for.
• What is the director trying to achieve by shooting this script? Are they participating in certain causes or do they typically like their projects to share an important message?
• Why are they doing this project?
• How can you help them achieve that goal if you were involved in the production?

By answering these questions, you’re giving yourself fodder for small talk with the crew at the beginning. They’ll like you more if you can show that you’re a fan of some of their other work and you want to be a part of their project because of the reasons they’re doing it.

Remember, not everything is about the audition. The audition is half the battle. The other half is making the right connections. The best way to do that is to do your homework in advance. Make small talk, connect, and be memorable.

If you do it right, you’ll definitely be the stand-out person at the audition and they’ll likely want to bring you back.

Who is Martin Bentsen?

Martin Bentsen has spoken numerous times at New York University. He has run educational seminars at Actors Connection and other acting studios as well. These seminars focus on branding and marketing strategies for performers. Mr. Bentsen has written an informational book called Get Cast™, as well. It focuses on marketing tactics actors can use to find more consistent work. He is a member of both the National Association of Sales Professionals and Sales & Marketing Executives International, two highly acclaimed marketing organizations in the United States.

Martin graduated in 2011 with honors from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Film and Television program. Naturally, his focus was directing. City Headshots®, which he founded in 2010, is the top headshot studio in New York according to Yelp. Martin’s long term goal is to run major business and actor marketing seminars across the country while expanding his City Headshots brand to go international