Conflict is a state which most people find unpleasant and wish to avoid. It can lead to fear, anxiety, as well as chaos. However, when it comes to acting auditions, conflict is necessary to a successful reading. Every actor must discover the conflict within a character and story so that he or she can better deliver a successful audition as well as performance.
The majority of persons and characters have internal conflicts between desires and feelings. Persons and characters can also experience conflict externally with fate, the environment, the world, and God. Relational conflicts are yet another form of personal conflict that are in present in almost every person and, therefore, character's life. Typically, an actor is only given the dialogue, a brief outline of the character's personality, and a story overview when they are asked to read. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. The actor has the responsibility of finding the conflict and demonstrating it's effects in their audition reading.
There is no doubt that conflict is interesting. Instability in a character or story adds depth and movement. Once the desires and needs of a character have been discovered by the actor, obstacles are inevitable. That is the way life is. Our life's hurdles must be overcome and manipulated until they become collaborators in our lives. Think about the movie, "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. He experiences many conflicts in his quest including other bounty hunters, FBI agents, his insecurities, as well as Mardukas himself.
The information provided for your reading may not have all the answers in regards to the character's desires and conflicts. To strengthen your acting audition, you may need to create a character yourself, one that has conflicting desires and needs. Doing so will add more dimension and life to the character, thereby grabbing and holding onto the attention of the auditor and improving your chances of making a good impression. Even if the conflict you create is not "correct", it is far worse to have no conflict at all during your reading. If you are able to flesh out a character in this way, your auditions are sure to be more successful.
Real conflict is rarely one-dimensional. The average character will have several different desires and feelings that are in constant struggle with each other. Using this to your advantage during an audition will make for an exciting reading. Despite what many actors believe, the most important thing is creating a character not merely the lines in the script.
Despite the fact that you may be the only person in the scene, there is no doubt that invisible forces or persons are affecting both the personality and story of your character. Understanding these circumstances will allow you to improve your readings and auditions. There is another thing to remember about conflict. Conflict should always be slightly comedic. Levity is a part of even the deepest conflict. Neglecting to add comedy will make the reading unwatchable. With both conflict and comedy combined, your reading is sure to be a success.
The majority of persons and characters have internal conflicts between desires and feelings. Persons and characters can also experience conflict externally with fate, the environment, the world, and God. Relational conflicts are yet another form of personal conflict that are in present in almost every person and, therefore, character's life. Typically, an actor is only given the dialogue, a brief outline of the character's personality, and a story overview when they are asked to read. Some form of conflict always exists in a story and personality. The actor has the responsibility of finding the conflict and demonstrating it's effects in their audition reading.
There is no doubt that conflict is interesting. Instability in a character or story adds depth and movement. Once the desires and needs of a character have been discovered by the actor, obstacles are inevitable. That is the way life is. Our life's hurdles must be overcome and manipulated until they become collaborators in our lives. Think about the movie, "Midnight Run". Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is responsible for the capture of Charles Grodin's character. Jack, played by De Niro, needs to collect his bounty by bringing in Mardukas, played by Grodin. He experiences many conflicts in his quest including other bounty hunters, FBI agents, his insecurities, as well as Mardukas himself.
The information provided for your reading may not have all the answers in regards to the character's desires and conflicts. To strengthen your acting audition, you may need to create a character yourself, one that has conflicting desires and needs. Doing so will add more dimension and life to the character, thereby grabbing and holding onto the attention of the auditor and improving your chances of making a good impression. Even if the conflict you create is not "correct", it is far worse to have no conflict at all during your reading. If you are able to flesh out a character in this way, your auditions are sure to be more successful.
Real conflict is rarely one-dimensional. The average character will have several different desires and feelings that are in constant struggle with each other. Using this to your advantage during an audition will make for an exciting reading. Despite what many actors believe, the most important thing is creating a character not merely the lines in the script.
Despite the fact that you may be the only person in the scene, there is no doubt that invisible forces or persons are affecting both the personality and story of your character. Understanding these circumstances will allow you to improve your readings and auditions. There is another thing to remember about conflict. Conflict should always be slightly comedic. Levity is a part of even the deepest conflict. Neglecting to add comedy will make the reading unwatchable. With both conflict and comedy combined, your reading is sure to be a success.
About the Author:
Kirk Baltz has been a acting coach los angeles for more than 15 years. Kirk helps actors of all levels get the roles that they desire. You can read more about acting auditions at the actor's intensive website.