With the multi-award winning casting team from McSweeney Newman Casting -

Tom McSweeney & David Newman

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​This Masterclass runs for two consecutive days at THE WAREHOUSE WORKSHOP SCREEN ACTING STUDIO in Helensvale. 

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Over the years a number of well prepared Australian actors have been successfully cast in leading roles in US film and television productions. Now is the time to brush up on your audition and self test skills, and to be prepared for the casting of the numerous US and Australian productions scheduled to shoot in 2021?

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DAY ONE - Location: Warehouse Workshop Screen Acting Studio

Tom McSweeney on The Casting Process - Before and After

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Morning session (10am - 1pm)

The Casting Process

A step-by-step guide through the casting process and breaking down exactly what an audition is and the purpose it serves. Including the relationship between producers/directors/casting and actors, audition techniques and approaches, promoting and marketing yourself as an actor, and more. 
 

PLEASE NOTE: Participants will be provided with carefully selected scenes matched to their level of experience prior to the Masterclass. 
 

Afternoon Session (2pm - 5pm)
The Producers Session
The Producers Session gives the actors the chance to see what happens behind the scenes once the screen test has been completed. 

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Acting as producers and members of a production team, students will be given a script to read for a project that has previously been produced in Australia. As a team, students will make casting decisions based on a casting shortlist session in which they will watch real screen tests for the script provided. 
 

Once this process is complete and students have assigned actors to roles, Tom will walk the students through the original casting session deliberation. He will explain which actor was given which role, including why they were chosen and what producers think about when making their casting decisions. 
 

This class is about perspective and providing across with the opportunity to see the process from the other side of the casting table. And you will never view an audition the same way again!

 

DAY TWO - Location: Twin Towns Conference and Function Centre
David Newman on Self Taped Auditions - Take Control
(10am - 5pm with an hour break for lunch)

Over the years, Dave Newman has received thousands of self- taped auditions – the good, the bad, the ugly and the truly amazing.

This class will explore every aspect of self taping, helping you to embrace the opportunity to take control of your audition, reduce stress levels, and ideally help empower actors in the process. 

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When approaching a self taped audition, the thought process can be overwhelming: 

 

What do they want? Where should I pitch it? What should my production values be? What if I can’t find a pro actor to read with me? They want it in how many days? What should I wear? Is it good enough? What should the background be? Should I re-tape it? Are the files too big? How do I choose which takes to send?  

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As Casting Directors we see a lot of tapes with stress written all over them. We know when we get take 56, the production values my be as perfect as you can get them but have we lost the true essence of the character and the magic that only you as an actor may personally bring to it along the way?? 

 

In this class, we will address all of these concerns and more by looking at what a production might be after (where the clues can be found re pitch and tone), breaking that down and simplifying it. Each student will be given a scene to film in a self tape environment (each student will have a different scene), covering the issues of general approach, framing, lighting, the background, the sound, the pace, what order the scenes should go in, and tips for having to watch yourself, choosing takes and self critiquing - which can be hugely confronting for actors (as most actors tend to be perfectionists - what can we let go of in this process? Is there beauty in the imperfections? Are your self expectations far exceeding the actual expectations of the casting director? When do I let go of the stress and finally hit send?).

It is the aim of this class to reduce the stress surrounding self taped auditions and ultimately encourage the actors to take full advantage of, and enjoy, the opportunity to self tape auditions. 

 

Please note that participant numbers are strictly capped.

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

AGES: 16+
DATE: TBA 2022
TIME: 10am - 5pm both days (1 hour break for lunch)
LOCATION: The Warehouse Workshop Screen Acting Studio 
Unit 3/9 Millennium Circuit, Helensvale QLD 4212
FEE: $395 (incl. GST and transaction fees)