Carolyne Barry Commercials

Book TV Commercials

You Are the Character

By: Carolyne Barry

Actors are trained to play characters. From when you first began to train, the focus was on developing and being true to the character. With theater, film and television work, the actor’s responsibility is to bring them to life. I believe it is different for commercials. Commercials are very short and the roles portrayed are targeted at a specific segment of the population. There is no time to establish a character in the majority of commercials. In a few seconds, it has to be clear whom the actors represent and their roles. Those watching must see a semblance of themselves in order to identify and be motivated to buy the product. This is why physical types and essences are almost as important as talent in commercial casting.

If you don’t play characters, how do you prepare? I strongly suggest approaching the parts as ROLES YOU play. You play numerous roles in your life? i.e: Employee, boss, friend, spouse or significant other, child, parent, neighbor, student or teacher, working person or professional, etc.

Many of these parts featured in commercials, are roles you are or have played in your life. (Those for which you are physically right but haven’t experienced should also be doable with a little work.) Approach your auditions using your feelings and reactions. Focus on how YOU would behave or react in the given situation not a character you create. It is easier, faster and you’ll have better results when starting with the premise that “You are the Character playing a role”.

Blue8 Intro to Basic Stunt Work

Intro to Basic Stunt Work

Stunt performance is the ultimate form of physical acting. It is the moment when you commit, mind, body, soul into a physical state and share the same fears, exhilarations, triumphs and defeats as your character. In this place the lines of reality blur and for a blink you exist in complete portrayal of the role you have submersed into. Safety is step 1 toward this experience and involves years of extensive training to attain a foundation by which you can build on and progress toward higher level action scenes.

In this video our head stunt coordinator Kyle Weishaar breaks down the basics of action for film and introduces some traditional concepts that will help you gain a firm understanding of the fundamentals.

Today’s video will cover:

  1. The Golden Thread
  2. Action and Reactions
  3. Safety Tips

This course of instruction introduces you to beginner level techniques and general knowledge that we would like you to internalize and apply to the vast library of discipline specific tutorials offered by the Blue crew’s Action MTT’s covering parkour, kung fu, tactical work and much more!

To us action and stunts equals cinematic poetry. It is artistry and science combined that demands attention from both sides of your brain to pull it off. We know that these valuable teachings will augment your career as well as your life and are proud to share this knowledge with you. Check out our blog for more Blue8’s tips tricks and suggestions on how to approach stunt work and action acting.