Auditioning for commercials can be a lot like going to a casino.
Hear me out…
Sometimes when you go to a casino you might sit down in front of a slot machine.
You put your money in and hit the buttons and if you’re lucky enough to be playing the right machine at the right time, you win. It’s mostly about showing up. No real skill involved.
And maybe half of all commercial auditions are similar to playing a slot machine: You show up, slate your name, and maybe complete a few basic actions for the scene (e.g. Pretend to open a fridge door! Answer a random question designed to get some of your personality on camera! Eat a bite of cheese and smile!) and hopefully serendipity is on your side and you get the job. Commercials are a visual medium and these “slot machine” kind of jobs generally trade on your look and a natural, authentic vibe more than acting skill
But then you can also sit down at a poker table in a casino. And in that case, you better know how to play poker or you are going to lose very, very fast.
And this is the other half of commercial auditions: skill games, or, in other words, stories that require a well calibrated performance. Can you deliver a one liner or a single facial expression so that we get an honest laugh? Can you make these lines sound like you are saying them for the first time? Can you deliver the performance at the pace the commercial will require? Can you take this slightly funny line and make it really funny– without changing a word? This is where training, experience, and well-honed instincts pay off, almost exclusively.
Ultimately, commercial writing is incredibly structured and recognizing how a commercial is built and functions allows you to prepare more efficiently and confidently. So: is this commercial a slot machine or a poker game? Does this story hinge on a look or a nuanced performance or both? Determining what kind of “game” you are playing as you begin preparing for a commercial audition automatically puts you in the mindset of the director and the ad creatives who will be making the hiring decisions. And that’s a huge help because now you’re beginning to assess, just like they are, what the story truly needs from the actor in order to be successful.
Give yourself the advantage of that critical perspective. It’s always more fun to gamble when you can tip the odds slightly in your favor.
–Matt Miller is a commercial director, recovering casting director, and occasional instructor at ASC.