What is an Open Call When Referring to Auditions (Showbiz Term of the Day)?

Open Call, Getty Images via @daylife

When we talk about acting and modeling auditions, it is important to know what it means if the audition is an Open Call. Today’s Showbiz Term of the Day is “Open Call.”

My daughter went to Open Calls a couple of times for shows such as America’s Most Talented Kid before we moved to LA. Those were not experiences I really wanted to repeat!

We arrived early in the morning for one particular Open Call. We sat in the waiting room with hundreds of other people, trying to pass the hours. We did not know that other people would arrive long before the open call time to get in line, so there were many people in front of us.

After waiting for many hours, my daughter was finally told she would go in next to audition. She was very exited. She warmed up, practiced, and got psyched and ready to go in.  The assistant came back, and my daughter stood to go in.  But then the casting assistant informed us that casting was going to take a lunch break, and that she would be first after lunch.

My 5-year-old daughter, who had been waiting happily and patiently for 5 or 6 hours, then started to cry. She had been all excited that she was next, and being told she’d have to wait some more was upsetting to her. She was hungry and tired, and we were not sure we even had time to get her lunch before they called her in!

Her Dad rushed off to pick up some lunch (along with hundreds of others). When he finally got back with food and my daughter eagerly took her first bite, smearing ketchup all over her face and hands, the casting assistant showed up to take her back to audition!  I quickly tried to wipe her hands and face, and she finished chewing that bite as we walked back for her audition.

She was not really at the top of her game when we went back to audition. Of course, that was not surprising, given how things had just gone. But she was a trooper and did her best, and I was very proud of her even though she was not selected for the show.

If you are not in the LA Area or NY Area or other areas where theatrical auditions (see  Do You Know What Theatrical Acting Auditions Are?) and commercial auditions (see What Happens When Your Child Is Auditioning for a Kid Commercial) are common, an Open Call may seem like the only way you can be seen by entertainment industry professionals.

So, “What Is an Open Call When Referring to Auditions?”

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What Are the Sides for Acting Auditions? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

What Are Sides for Acting Auditions for Film and TV?

The mention of “sides” to anyone who is not involved in the television or film industry or who is not already going on acting auditions or taking a child to acting auditions is likely to result in a confused look.

So today I have chosen “sides” to be the “Showbiz Term of the Day.”

I remember my confusion when I first heard my daughter’s talent manager tell me he was sending me the sides for her to learn before her acting auditions. I did not want to show my ignorance by asking “What are sides?”

“Sides” are yet another of the many acting terms that you will encounter that you are not likely to understand when you are getting started in the entertainment industry.

Yet the term sides will become very familiar once you join the community of actors and begin actively auditioning. (For more on acting auditions, see “What Happens at Movie Auditions for Kids?“)

So, “What are the sides for acting auditions?”

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What is a “CD” as Related to Acting Auditions? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

I am starting a new series called “Showbiz Term of the Day.” Today’s showbiz term of the day is “CD.” Do you know what CD refers to when it is used related to Acting Auditions or Print Auditions?

I know I wondered what the term CD meant when I first heard it used when my daughter went on her first acting auditions. Acting terminology can be very confusing, especially when it comes to many of the acronyms that are often used.

You have probably heard “CD” used in several different ways I can think of right off the top of my head.

The most common uses of CD that come to mind are “Certificate of Deposit” and “Compact Disc.”

Neither of those is the term I am defining today. I am discussing CD in relation to acting auditions and show business.

So, “What is a CD as Related to Acting Auditions?”

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What Does a Child Give Up to Become a Child Actor?

Image by respres/Flickr, Spend Hours in Traffic to Become a Child Actor

When we decided to help our daughter become a child actor, we did not think much about the cons of acting — instead we were focused on giving our daughter the opportunity to do what she seemed to enjoy most — entertaining others.

At the same time, helping her become a child actor seemed like an exciting and fun thing to do. And Los Angeles seemed like a cool place to be. (See “What Should You Do If Your Child Wants to Become a Child Actor?” and “Should You Move to Los Angeles for Your Child to Become a Child Actor?”  for more on this topic.)

As we started our journey into show business, we knew there would be some sacrifices, but it was not until we moved to L.A. and began auditioning that we started to really understand the sacrifices.

A Birthday Party

I remember one particular time when my daughter was 7, and she was invited to the birthday party of one of her best friends at school.  It was a pool party, and all of her friends were planning to be there. She was so excited that she could hardly think or talk about anything else.

An Audition

When the phone rang the day before the party, and it was her talent manager, my heart sank. As I feared, my daughter’s manager informed me of an audition scheduled at the same time as the birthday party.

It had been a while since my daughter’s last audition, and I knew I really needed to agree to it.

Perhaps I should have turned it down, but instead I asked if we could change to a later time.  I was able to postpone it for two hours, but it still meant she’d have to leave the party early.

I dreaded telling my daughter about the audition and wondered how I could get her to rehearse her lines, much less be cheerful and happy in the audition.

Changing Plans

When I told her, first she said “No, I am not going!”   She was very upset, but after a few minutes of thinking, she seemed to understand that it was something she needed to do. She immediately began working on learning the lines for the audition.

I still remember having to tell the mother of the birthday girl that we’d be leaving early for an audition. I also remember how she looked at me when I told her.  Most people really don’t understand about this sort of thing.

Doing What You Have to Do

When I arrived back at the party to pick up my daughter, she was in the pool laughing and playing with her friends, and I hated having to take her away from this.

I still remember how sad she looked when she saw me there. But she got out willingly, and then, amazingly, cheerfully left with me.

Making Plans is Difficult

This was only one of so many occasions when plans were made with friends and then had to be canceled due to auditions.  Sometimes I was almost afraid to make any plans for my daughter for fear of an audition resulting in us having to cancel.  I even started warning the parents whenever plans were made that if an audition came up we’d have to cancel.

Some of the other parents and I joked about it saying we needed to make plans to go somewhere if we wanted our child to get an audition.

Interference with plans made is just one of a number of things that a child has to deal with when they become a child actor.

Have you thought about what your child will give up to become a child actor?

“What does a child give up to become a child actor?”

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Who Gets the Breakdowns for Acting Auditions for Big Movie and TV Roles?

TV/Film, Acting Auditions

Yet another thing I was confused about after I came to Los Angeles was the term breakdowns.  When my daughter’s manager called to tell us about her acting auditions, often he’d say he was reading the description of the character from the breakdown.

The only breakdowns I’d heard about before that were those related to a person’s emotional state that typically resulted in hospitalization in a psychiatric facility.  And obviously that was not what he was referring to.

Perhaps you’ve heard people talking about the breakdowns for acting auditions and wondered about exactly what a breakdown is.  And, even more, you’ve probably wondered how to get the breakdowns for acting auditions yourself, so you can find out about all the best acting auditions.

So, exactly “What is a breakdown?” And ” Who Gets the Breakdowns for Acting Auditions for Big Movie and TV Roles?”

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What Should You Do When Acting Auditions Don’t Go Well?

Like a Mouse at Acting Auditions, by Greenfield via Flickr

One of my daughter’s very first theatrical acting auditions in L.A. was actually in the director’s house. This was NOT typical for acting auditions. But this was an independent project for a children’s educational video.

The Best-Laid Plans …  (for acting auditions)

The day before the acting audition, I used mapquest to get directions, drove there to make sure I could find it, and got everything ready for the audition. I went over a few directions with my daughter, reminding her to just do her best and to have fun. There were no sides (lines), so there was not much preparation to do. She already had songs ready to sing.

We got up, got ready, and left quite early so we’d arrive on time (like all the books I’d read suggested).

We got there 45 minutes early since there was almost no traffic at 8:45 am on Saturday.  I drove around the block a few times, and then we waited in the car for a little while before we went to the door.

We were still about 25 minutes early, but I thought it would be okay to go on to the door since other kids were probably there auditioning.

Of Mice and Men .. (meet my daughter and the director) Often Go Awry (– Robert Burns)

I rang the bell, and after a little while we were greeted by a rather disheveled man. He seemed flustered and looked like he had just gotten out of bed.

I was embarrassed for obviously arriving too early, and he seemed embarrassed as well. I apologized for being so early and asked if we should come back in a few minutes.

But he invited us into his living room and talked to the two of us together. This was not what we expected, but I’m sure it was due to the acting audition being in his home.

My daughter acted like a little mouse, looking at me for encouragement after each question he asked and talking barely above a whisper. When he asked her what she wanted to sing, she just looked at me.  This behavior was so NOT typical for my daughter who always enjoyed talking and performing for adults.

I knew she was not accustomed to having me in the room during auditions, so I asked if I could sit out on the porch where I could still see and hear her.  She did speak up after I left the room, but at that point, I knew it was a little too late. Needless to say, she did not get that part.

This  just goes to show that with kids and auditions, no matter how prepared you try to be, you never really know what to expect. You also never know how your child will react in a particular situation, and you have absolutely no control over it.

To Make Matters Worse

When we left, I asked my daughter about why she had behaved that way. I’m sure all my questioning only upset her. I was upset about arriving too early and confused about why she had not been her typical self.  I was also worried about what her talent agent and talent manager would say.

Looking back on that audition and many other acting auditions that my daughter had, I realized that my behavior was not only not helping my daughter, but it was hurting her. I thought by questioning her and trying to figure out everything that she did wrong, I could help fix it for next time.

So, what should you do when your child’s acting auditions don’t go well?

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What Happens When Your Child Is Auditioning for a Kid Commercial?

Auditioning in Hollywood, Image via Wikipedia

I remember the first time my daughter was going to be auditioning for a kid commercial in L.A. She had auditioned for commercials in the  Southeast, but I knew auditioning for a kid commercial in L.A. would be different, just like everything else in L.A.

Her first L.A. commercial audition was down in Hollywood, so driving to the commercial audition and finding the exact location was stressful enough. (See Will You Like Driving Your Child to Acting Auditions? for more on this topic.) Then I had to find legal parking within a reasonable distance from the audition location,which is not usually an easy task either.

After parking, we walked to the audition, crossing busy streets along the way. I carried a case with headshots and resumes, the audition details, and other necessary information, along with a hair brush and accessories, snacks, water, and a few games and activities. I held my young daughter tightly by the hand.

I really did not know what to expect or what to do when we arrived at the commercial audition. Her talent manager had given me a few quick tips, but he certainly did not cover any details.

The whole process of auditioning for a kid commercial did not get much easier until we’d gone to at least four or five commercial auditions.  While no two commercial auditions are exactly the same, there are many similarities.  So after you go to a few of them, you do get the basic drill down, and it becomes much less stressful and more fun.

So, What Typically Happens When Your Child Is Auditioning for a Kid Commercial?

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What Do Talent Managers Do?

When we first started to pursue an acting career for my daughter, I did not know anything about talent managers. I didn’t know what services talent managers provide or how much money we’d  pay for having one.

My daughter’s first talent manager “discovered” her at a talent competition in Charleston, SC. His talent management group wanted to represent her and convinced us to move to California to pursue an acting career.  They started promoting her before we even got to California.

I did not ask a lot of questions because I did not know what to ask. I know now how important it is to ask a lot of questions.

My daughter had been acting professionally in SC for a few months.  I’d never considered going to Los Angeles. In fact, anyone who knew me would never have expected me to leave the Southeast.

Shortly before we left for California, I spoke with Craig Wargo, one of her talent managers.  He told me we had to stay at least 3 straight months, that we should live in Burbank,  and that my daughter should stay in public school. He  even suggested areas in Burbank where we should live.

Less than three weeks after our arrival in California, the talent managers had set up meetings with agents for us, picked out headshots for us, created a resume, and helped us decide on an agency for my daughter.

My daughter’s talent manager gave us information about everything I needed to do to get her ready for acting in LA.  He answered any questions we had. He immediately started trying to get her into auditions.

He was very nice, and my daughter was quite fond of him. He made us feel welcome in LA. He was one of my daughter’s biggest fans, and he was convinced that she could become a successful child actor.

He only had a small number of clients, and he believed in and worked hard for each one.  He also provided coaching for his clients before auditions.

We were fortunate to have found someone like this.

Talent managers do so many things, and at the same time, there is so much variation in what they do. That is one of the reasons it is important to do your research and ask questions.

So how do you answer the question “What do talent managers do?”  Read more »