Audition Tips for Actors: What to Wear to Win the Job! Wear blue!
The keyword is BLUE.
Why blue? Why a colour? Colors are a form of energy. When you communicate, you are expressing ideas through energy: your personality, your voice, your appearance, and the COLOR you are wearing! When you appear on camera, the lens captures the energy of that color. Certain colors have more energy and attraction than others. Bright reds and oranges can be very energetic, but for most people these shades are not very attractive. Red can represent passion but also fire, fear, blood and anger. Dark, somber colors—black, evergreen, and brown—are generally perceived as depressing, cold, and sad. The dull shades of grey, navy blue and cranberry often represent the serious corporate business on a global level. Vibrant and pastel shades are generally the most popular. They are frequently used in nurseries, schools and hospitals as they are perceived as joyful, relaxing and healing.
And guess which shade is the most popular among most people? You guessed it. BLUE. Because? Blue is the color of the sky and of water: lakes, oceans, streams. It is the most used color in nature, at least on our planet. Not green. And it represents a positive energy, HAPPINESS. Think about it. Blue skies, blue moon, blue screen, jet blue, TV blue… Any day you will see more blue than any shade of the rainbow, which is why it is the most universal, the most comfortable. It makes people feel comfortable. Sky Blue, French Blue, Aquamarine, Turquoise, and Baby Blue. These colors are everywhere. Now, you’re wondering, how does this relate to acting?
When you audition on camera, the first thing everyone sees is the color you’re wearing. Wear something depressing, annoying or threatening and no matter how brilliant your performance is, you will be affected first by the color and second by the performance, especially when you are auditioning for commercials, TV or movies during the day or in prime time. It’s subliminal, first impressions and all.
If you’re playing a psychopath/murderer, desperate housewife, aggressive district attorney, or FBI agent, that’s fine, choose to wear the more aggressive colors. But if you’re playing a professional: a doctor, a lawyer, a corporate spokesperson, or even a happy mom/dad, wear blue as a whole and you’ll land more jobs. Strange but true. Try it!
Years ago, when I auditioned a lot for TV commercials, I had a top that I bought very reasonably at the neighborhood boutique. It was my favorite blouse. It was somewhere between sky and French blue, a warm ocean-lake blue. I booked more places wearing that top than any other piece of wardrobe I owned. It made me millions over a decade! In more than a few screen tests for lawyer, doctor, mom roles, I wore the top. Did I have a successful career because I wore blue? Yes and no. My hearing had to be good and I had to look good and be the right type too. But when she was competing with dozens of other actresses who were all talented, attractive, personable, professionals with comparable credits, how did she have an advantage? Ego says it was my talent. But the final booking factor might have been the blue blouse.
They even asked me, could I wear that blue blouse as a costume for the final shoot? A commercial casting director who had sat through a final casting session told me that the client had insisted on casting that actress in the blue! So I booked that particular high paying network TV ad. True story.
If you want to book a lot more work in front of the camera, seek the advice of a color or image consultant. What are your strongest or best colors? What suits your hair color and skin tone? There are many shades of blue. Get tips on which hairstyle really sells you and which wardrobe suits your type best. Find out what your type is. Hearing is an art and every detail is important. The best thing you can do is find an experienced career advisor who has been an actor and can advise you on ALL of the above.
FINAL TIPS
For on-camera auditions, avoid wearing RED, WHITE, and BLACK.
WHITE is a no-no for the camera because it tends to cast a green shadow around you and dazzle! Skin tones are off, you don’t look good!
RED can be exciting and beautiful to wear in person for a special interview/audition or for a raunchy song and dance number, but on camera, it’s a mess! The color can become beet red, dark, dry blood red, orange or ugly purple-pink fuchsia. No matter what your skin tone is, eeek!
BLACK looks like a shadow and literally sucks all your energy in front of the camera. (Especially if you have dark skin tones, all the more reason to wear something vibrant to make YOU stand out.)
These colors can be great on a real shoot – a movie, a commercial or a TV series because during a real shoot there is a lighting designer who can add thousands of top lights with gels to soften, tone and perfect the look. Or it will take a whole day to set the mood and make the lighting fabulous. That’s why movie stars look so good.
But during an audition in a casting director’s studio, you usually have a camera and a small light stand with an umbrella that reflects the strong beam. So these 3 colors come off weird making you look, well, less than attractive. You’re just shooting yourself in the foot to defy the law of lighting and color. You just won’t win or win very infrequently.
Instead of assuming it’s your acting or blaming the casting director’s lack of imagination, change up your wardrobe and see if you get a different response. I’d be willing to bet on it. Have you all heard the classic line, dress to perfection? Now, just remember, you saw the COLOR. The first rule of marketing is to make YOU, the product, desirable. So, how you dress is the packaging of the product, YOU. Go Blue!
Meanwhile,
Successful marketing!
gwyn
Copyright 2008.
gwyn gillis
All rights reserved.
