Tag: television
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Career Longevity: An Interview with Paul Bazely
We speak to Paul Bazely about his early days as an actor, as well as the powerful mantras and practices that have enabled him to work at the highest level for so long. While perhaps best known as Troy from hit comedy series Benidorm, Paul Bazely is certainly no stranger to our screens, stages or…
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Meet the Casting Directors – Film & TV Casting for Young Performers
Casting directors Lauren Evans, Anna Dawson and Emma Stafford share their best advice for both parents and young performers on self-taping, the casting process, and how to be found through Spotlight. Spotlight’s latest Summer Session saw casting directors from across the UK answering your burning questions about film and TV casting, including Lauren Evans (London),…
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Are Sci-fi and Fantasy Helping to Level the Acting Playing Field?
Actor Sam Otto explores how fantasy and science fiction could be leading the way in creating space for racially diverse performers. There’s been something of a paradigm shift over the past few years in our media in terms of racial inclusivity. Battered into the cultural consciousness by political movements such as #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite and BLM,…
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How to Manage Days on Set as a Young Performer
Advice to all young performers, for their first time on set… Spending our days on a film set is the ultimate goal for many aspiring performers. You are able to witness first-hand the high level of craftsmanship required to make a production. You can enjoy creating while watching others do so too. From working on…
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Casting and Acting on Screen
Actor Billy Barratt, his mum Carolyn Owlett and casting director Daniel Edwards CDG join us for a chat about working on screen. In this episode, we speak to Billy Barratt, a 13-year-old performer who won the International Emmy for Best Performance by an Actor for his role as Ray in Responsible Child, a factual drama about…
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The Spotlight Guide to Idents
Everything you need to know about filming an ident and full length shots. An ident – sometimes called a slate – is a purely technical part of the audition process in which you state your name, your agent (or that you’re self-represented) and occasionally a few other details. It’s used by casting directors to help…
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Using Costume to Create Characters
Actor Fiona Rodrigo discusses the power of costume when building a character and shares what’s in her on-set kit bag. The accents and fit of a costume are incredibly helpful for creating character. For me, the cut over the shoulders and what type of shoes the character wears are particularly helpful in bringing out a…
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Success from Stage to Screen
Performer Tahlia Norrish shares her career journey from stage to screen to inspire young performers who want to make the transition. The purpose of acting is to effectively communicate a story through character, but stage and screen are distinctly different means of doing so. One of the greatest delights of being an actor is the…
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Working with British Sign Language Consultants
Demystifying the role of a British Sign Language Consultant and how they support the creative process of performances that involve deaf characters or sign language. Having a BSL consultant on your production will truly make a positive change to the attitudes towards deaf people by including BSL and deaf characters authentically Since the launch of…
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Q&A with the Casting Director and Director of Normal People
We talk to Casting Director Louise Kiely and Director Lenny Abrahamson about the phenomenon that is Normal People. We hosted a webinar (with Spotlight’s Clare McGinley chairing) where we explored the process of casting from beginning to end and the relationship between the director and the casting director. So, who better to speak on the subject than Casting…