Sharon Bialy - How To Audition On Camera: A Hollywood Insiders Guide for Actors

Praise for How to Audition on Camera

Alright, so youre the greatest thespian since Sarah Bernhardt. But if you cant get the job, whats the point? While acting is an art, auditioning is a craftand Sharon knows this world six ways to Sunday. Her book brims with no-nonsense advice and tough love. Theres not an ounce of b.s. or filler in here. And I can assure you, from a producers point of view, that shes telling you exactly what folks like me are looking for.

Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad

Sharon Bialy and her merry persons have come up with more great ideas than the Federal Government. And hers actually work. I rely on her tremendously. She has long suggested that any actor wishing to understand the audition process work for a while on the other side of the table. Ive never heard better advice. Any actor will profit from her book, and, should they bring a copy along to any audition she and I are running, will surely get not only our attention, but our respect.

David Mamet, Pulitzer Prize-winning

playwright, Glengarry Glen Ross

Auditioning is the most nerve-racking thing an actor has to go through. Sharons book is a fly-on-the-wall insight on how its all done, how you should walk into the room, and what you should expect. I really wish I had read this book when I first started because I could have avoided a lot of cringe-worthy embarrassments. Sharon Bialy is a casting director who truly loves actors, and in her book she openly and candidly gives you all the tools youll need to walk into the room with confidence and give the best audition you possibly can.

Krysten Ritter, actress, Jessica Jones

Why should you read this book? The more information you can get before you go into a room, the better! I agree with Sharon that a lot of it has to do with confidence and convincing them you are up for the job and can pull it off. Its their time, their money, and their project. The more ammo you have going in, the bigger the boom. Read the book and you will know what I mean.

Norman Reedus, actor, The Walking Dead

Sharon Bialy is the very, very best, especially at preparing actors to shine in the room. As a director who has worked with Sharon on multiple projects, I can tell you that she has now given actors the answers they need to prepare for a fully expressed audition.

Davis Guggenheim, Academy Award-winning director

Everyone in the business should read this book. As a talent agent, I find Sharon to be respectful of the actors we send in to audition, and she works to get the best out of them. Her taste and expertise in her field are beyond comparison.

Iris Grossman, talent agent, Paradigm Talent Agency

I wish Id had this advice available to me when I started out.

Bryan Cranston, Three-time Emmy Award-winning actor, Breaking Bad

When I was asked to write this piece for Sharons book, it struck me that forward, the homophone for foreword, is the perfect word to guide actors as they navigate the choppy waters of a career in this profession. You have to move forward in your thinking and forward in your approach to a character. And you have to look forward to auditioning. Yes, I said look forward to it. If some of the hurdles of auditioning were removed, wouldnt it be more fun? Well, that is exactly the point of this bookto help you sidestep the pitfalls so that you can enjoy the acting.

Sharon gives us really valuable information in this book. As I read it I found myself nodding in agreement. Im honored to write this for her, but I am equally honored to write it for you, my fellow actor.

Sharon has always been passionate about acting and actors. Shes not one of the several casting directors who stumbled their way into that position by answering a help wanted ad. Sharon has a keen eye for talent.

As evidenced by her work on our show, Breaking Bad, Sharon, along with Sherry Thomas and the rest of the casting team, brings us actors who are perfect in their characterizations for the story were telling. Ive directed a few episodes in the series, and I rely heavily on Sharons perception of a characters description and her intuition on particular actors. She has been spot on each time.

There is so much to say about the craft of acting that no one book, or even several books, can hope to cover the subject completely. But if a pragmatic approach to auditioning is what you wantand who doesnt?this may be the only book youll ever need. Ive been acting professionally since 1979. A long time. After finishing Sharons book, my first thought was, I wish Id had this practical advice available to me when I started out.

Im glad that you do. Have fun, and I wish you the very best of luck.

Bryan Cranston, Emmy Award
winning actor, Breaking Bad
September 2012

I never expected four years ago to be writing a revision for How to Audition On Camera, yet so much in our business changes from year to year. I felt I owed it to you, the reader and the actor who is working to become an even better actor, to inform you of changes occurring within our industry. Since the initial release of this book in 2012, more and more original content is being aired or streamed in a variety of formatsNetflix, Amazon, and Hulu, to name just a few. Now is a very good time to be an actor. How can I tell? Because I can barely keep track of all the content that is availableso much so that the six of us at Bialy/ Thomas & Associates divide and conquer as much as possible in order to stay current with what is airing, streaming, or featured on old fashioned live television shows and movies.

Even within our offices there is proof of this volume of activity. We always attach a list of actors that we have checked and vetted when sending auditions to our producers. Its a list of casting ideas for our network and studio partners. But the list of actors who are not available for any given project has gone from one page to multiple pages.

Your goal is to become one of those names on that not available list. This newly revised and first paperback edition is meant for youto help you make the most of what you love to do: acting.

One quick note: Words and phrases that are in boldfaced type in the book are defined in the glossary in the back.

July 2016

As a casting director working in Hollywood for more than 29 years, I am constantly asked questions about how to audition successfully on camera. Actorsboth novice and professionalare often misled by the myths and obsolete information presented in various acting books. George Bernard Shaw said, Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. My goal in writing this guide is to dispel the false knowledge on this topic. This guidebook is meant to be concise and helpful for you, the actor. I will focus on the art of on-camera auditioning from the perspective of the casting director, the person in the room collaborating with the producers and director on making the final decision. I want you to have a handbook that you can start using immediately and that will help lead you to success.

If you are going to act on camera, you are going to have to learn how to master the audition. As reported in Variety in 2012, Google announced its intention to spend $200 million to market the plethora of new channels launching on YouTube. Those 100 new channels were just the beginning of the second screen marketplace, which has opened up an entirely fresh medium for actors, something other than film, cable, and network television. How are you are going to get those jobs? The answer is by mastering the art of auditioning on camera. If you learn to master the art of a recorded audition, the work will eventually follow.