Lessons Learned In the Booth

One of the things I learned while being a booth director was not to over direct.  I learned to feel the actor out and see their level of skill and also, their level of tolerance for me and my ideas.  Some actors don't want any direction at all, they know what they want to do and I should just stay out of it.  That's not always comfortable for me or even correct for them but it is their audition after all.

One day, there was an audition for a really big commercial campaign.  The wife of a prominent actor had been coming in to audition occasionally.  She had a very interesting sounding voice and was an actor but was not very skilled in Voice Over yet.  Sometimes, the agents would just bring the wives and husbands of celebrities in to read because they wanted to keep the celebrity happy, and sometimes they really thought they may have the potential to make some money with them.  They were always looking for potential.  So, she came in to read this big campaign copy.  I liked her, we got along fine and she asked for lots of direction, she wanted to book the spot.  I gave her line readings and edited the audition and made a very good presentation of her for the client.  She booked it!  Wow!  Your first booking is a huge campaign!  Everyone was thrilled!

The day of the session arrived and I was busy at work doing my thing.  As I entered the "bull pen" from the recording booth where we all worked, I was asked about the audition session I had with the actor.  It was days ago and I barely remembered it being significant but I recounted our time together as best I could.  The agent working on the job told me they had to replace the actor on the session immediately and that she was "undirectable" and had no idea what to do in a recording session.  "She didn't even know to put on the headphones to communicate with the director."  I was shocked and a little humiliated although it wasn't my fault.  I was just helping the actor get the job, that was my job and I wasn't made to feel bad by anyone.  She was replaced by our client, the client who originally had the campaign.  I'm not sure why they held auditions for someone else, perhaps that will be another story…maybe the agents wanted more money for her?  That's a whole other story for some other time.

We all learned a bit of a lesson that day.  The actor learned that she needed training and confidence and the agents learned they needed to make sure of the skill level and expertise of their clients. 

I learned, not to over direct a novice.  

Raw talent is fantastic and should be nurtured and encouraged!  Having the right amount of training and skill are the keys to showcasing your talent.  Since that audition/experience I have learned to be honest and give strong advice when it comes to training, especially when there is potential to be a great voice over actor.  

I've said this before…I love working with creative people!