The Three Golden Guidelines

I'd like to give you some acting tools that you can actually use, right now.

Next time you're handed a script, I want you to try and remember these THREE GOLDEN GUIDELINES:

1. If you can't see it, you're lying.

2. If you don't know what it means, you're lying.

3. Find the truth of the moment.

In classrooms of the past, I have always introduced principles of acting with these three rules. Let's go through them all and break down what they actually mean.

1. If you can't see it, you're lying.

What this means is that you need to place the environment around you. I've always been a big fan of the human brain and what it's capable of doing, and there's a fact I learned over 8 years ago that blew my mind. Almost half of your brain is dedicated to visual processing. What does that mean for you as an actor? The more you see, the more we see. As the audience, we're much more likely to be pulled into your performance if we believe that you're actually seeing/experiencing something. Practically, this means that you have placed all of the characters/objects in the room. What character is the casting director going to play, within the script? If there's more than two characters in the scene, you have to choose. You should know exactly what your surroundings are. If you're sitting down, what's in front of you? Are you at a table? What's behind you? How loud do you need to speak? How close are you to the other person? What sounds do you hear? What do you smell? Is it bright? Dark? How does this affect you? And so on.

The goal here is to take a 2D image (the screen) and make it as 3 dimensional as possible. This dazzles casting directors, and, when done properly, makes you look like a pro.

2. If you don't know what it means, you're lying.

This one is pretty straightforward. If you don't know what something means in a script, but you perform it anyway, there's a good chance that you're either mispronouncing the word, or you're simply rushing through it to "get to the good stuff" - this is a problem. The writer chose that specific word for a reason, don't rush through it. Be a detective. Find out what it means, and let that influence your character.

3. Find the truth of the moment.

Finding the truth of the moment boils down to reading between the lines. If you know that your character likes another character, but the dialogue between the two of you is simply...

BILLY: Hi!
SUSAN: Hi.
BILLY: How are you?
SUSAN: Good. How about you?
BILLY: Good. I mean, pretty good I guess.
SUSAN: Cool.
BILLY: Okay. Gotta go. Bye!

How would you play that scene? There's a lot that isn't written there - in the dialogue itself - so it's up to you to find the truth of the moment. It's up to you to take that seemingly bland dialogue, and bring it to life.

One way to do this is to take a pencil, and you write next to your dialogue the words your character wishes they could say. These in-between thoughts, these unspoken moments, or thoughts underneath the dialogue is referred to as subtext, and it's an incredible tool. Once you discover the truth of these moments, you're on your way to a brilliant performance.

Over all, make sure you know how your character feels about their current situation, their relationships, and everything in between.

I've always found these guidelines helpful when working on a script - a simple approach that can be helpful for both budding actors and industry professionals - so give it a shot!

Daniel Thrasher | Kids Acting Coach

On Auditions: Focus on Hitting the Target. Every. Single. Time.

Imagine that over the course of this month, you have 10 auditions lined up. Imagine, then, that out of those 10 characters for you to try, only 4 of them are truly aligned with who you are as a person - these are ones that you easily "click" with, or ones that have character descriptions that fit your look perfectly. And out of the remaining 4 characters where you...

1. Truly align with the character description.
2. Absolutely nail each take.
3. Have the right look that casting is going for. 

...your agent/manager tells you that they're looking for someone with a "name" for three of them. What does that mean?

Out of those 10 auditions, those 10 shots, you really only have one chance. But how do you know which one it is? How could you know?

The short answer: You can't. There's no way for you to know.

Even if the casting director tells you that you're perfect for the part, and that everything you did was glorious, and that the executives are going to love you - there is still a good chance that someone with a "name" is already in line for the part. The casting director can even be rooting for you, hoping that you're the one who gets chosen, but the executives (the people with the money) go the other way. It happens all the time!

This, by far, can be the toughest pill to swallow for many actors. Which means the only thing that you can do, the only control you have over the industry (starting out anyway), is how well you present yourself in the room. Your performance, your confidence, how you're dressed, how you behave, your body language, your adaptability - your preparedness - these are things that you have control over, things that you can work on. Remember, whether or not you get the part isn't even up to the casting director! (Granted, I'm talking about larger projects - if it's an "under 5," or a part where you have under 5 lines, then executives don't really need to approve talent.)

Talk to someone who's been in the business long enough, and they'll tell you the same thing. Acting is a numbers game. But I think it goes a little deeper than that. It's not just showing up to every audition. It's hitting the nail on the head as often as you can.

Imagine you're at a carnival, and someone hands you a slingshot. And in front of you, upside down, in a line, there are 10 cups. 4 of them you can knock over (the other 6 are glued to the table), but only one of them actually has something in it for you. This is auditioning. Sometimes, when you think you don't have a chance, but your aim is on point, it's a pleasant surprise when you knock the cup over, and there's a shiny golden ticket waiting underneath.

Imagine you have a slingshot. And in front of you, in a line, there are 10 cups. 4 of them you can knock over, but one of them actually has something in it for you. This represents your next 10 auditions. Four of those cups are rumored to have something in them. Only one actually does.

So every single time you prepare for an audition, you should focus on one thing only. "I am going to aim this slingshot the absolute best I can." Why? So you can find out if there's a prize underneath the cup. If there isn't, it's not a big deal. But if there was, you missed out by lack of preparation.

Let's look at the reverse side of this: If your next audition is the one that actually HAS something for you, but you're feeling bad about your chances, and you don't properly memorize/prepare - you're not going to do well, and definitely you won't get the part. This is the equivalent of you going to a carnival, seeing ten cups in front of you, and saying, "This game is rigged!" as you shoot your slingshot into the sky. Never a good idea! (Not to mention you can hurt someone!) So, again, your number one concern is to train yourself to have the best aim you possibly can.

This slingshot represents your skillset. How well you can aim is how well you audition.

Luckily, when auditioning as a younger actor, there is less "name" competition. I rarely hear phrases like "superstar 8 year old" when listening in on conversations as I walk down Hollywood Boulevard. But if you find yourself put up against another actor who has worked before? The cup may be glued to the table. Either way, you need to take your best shot.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Sometimes, if you wow them enough, and you outperform some celebrity's child, you'll win. But you have to outperform them. This should always be your starting point.

That's where training comes in. A coach or teacher can give you techniques to make sure that for each audition, your aim is the very best it can be. Whether or not there's something under the cup isn't up to us. It isn't even up to the casting director. It's a mix of how well you can aim, and how many cups are on the table. Next time you walk into the room, think to yourself, "Ready. Aim. FIRE!"

And don't forget: It's a carnival. It's supposed be fun!

Daniel Thrasher | Kids Acting Coach

There's No Such Thing as Talent

I know a lot of people are going to be upset by this notion (I'm definitely going against what a lot of parents believe about their children) - but I meant what I said in the title. Talent doesn't exist. It's not real. And even if it did exist, it doesn't matter.

Imagine you're watching a 12-year-old boy walk up on stage, sit down at a grand piano, and play the most stunning piano solo you've ever heard. I'm sure you'd say to yourself "WOW! That kid is TALENTED! Where did he come from, MARS?!"

As someone who has spent a lot of time and effort studying talent acquisition - and also as a pianist of 17 years - here's what I know: What people perceive as talent from the outside, is experienced as a developed skill from the inside. The performer has had lots of practice, hundreds if not thousands of hours dedicated solely to practicing their craft, little by little. Brilliant performers, or performers destined for greatness, practice when they're happy, when they're sad, when they're tired, when they're angry. They practice when they're excited, hungry, elated, or when they just don't feel like it. And eventually? If that person wasn't perceived as "talented" before? Other people start to notice. They put down their coffee mug, and tune in. "Son, where did you learn how to do that?"

I'm telling you. Talent. Doesn't. Exist.

"Ok Mr. Schmacting Coach," I can hear you thinking to yourself. "I know a girl who is seven and she is THE BEST SINGER I'VE EVER HEARD. How do you explain that?!"

Listen here, fanatic person. That little girl? She has a deep interest in singing. The kind of interest that causes her to focus, to squint her eyes like Clint Eastwood. She always has had this interest. She loves to practice, I can guarantee it. And she probably has the resources - the teachers, the peers, the venues, the motivation - to practice all the time. That little girl isn't stuck in front of a TV all day, and when she does watch TV, she's humming along to the theme songs! Nobody is telling her to "BE QUIET!" when she tries to practice - they're taking her seriously, they're getting her lessons, they're telling her what outfit she should wear to her next recital, because they see the value in her interest.

You know what? Let's say there was such thing as talent. Let's use the following example:

Billy is 8, and he's better with comedy than Timothy, who is 12. Timothy has been taking classes for 6 months, while Billy has only just joined the improv comedy class, and is already making everyone laugh harder than Timothy ever did. Some people might say, "Well, Timothy just doesn't have it. It's Billy who has the funny bone!" --- What should Timothy do in this situation? What should 12-year-old Timothy do? Should he give up? Drop the class? Should he believe that effort does not equal outcome? Absolutely not. In fact, now that he's adjacent to someone who's more experienced with being funny, Timothy's exposure to this "talented" person will only increase his chances of becoming funnier.

Why? Listen carefully: You are the average of the 5 people you interact with most.

This is where the idea of "good influence" and "bad influence" comes from. If Timothy is exposed to funny people on a regular basis, he will become funnier. And, if Timothy is interested in practicing what he's learned, he uses the principles of comedy to sharpen his sword over the summer to return to school an overall funnier-than-average kid. On the flip side, if Timothy hangs around kids who complain a lot, Timothy will eventually start to complain about everything. Look, we're social creatures. If kids all center around a TV show like Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants, they're going to repeat and do the strange things that they've seen Spongebob and Patrick do. (I know this first hand.)

We are SOCIAL BEINGS. So we must be careful with who we interact with; as well as pay special attention to how we develop ourselves and how we develop our youth. And, to get back to my original point, "talent" is just a combination of what your child is interested in, who they are influenced by, and how seriously you are willing to nurture their ability.

For more resources on talent acquisition, pick up a copy of The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, or Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin to get you started. Then pick up Mindset by Carol Dweck. They're available as audiobooks, too!

Daniel Thrasher | Kids Acting Coach