Tag: video

  • 12 Tips for Controlling Nerves

    12 Tips for Controlling Nerves

    Top tips to help deal with nerves ahead of auditions, performances or rehearsals Nerves can get the better of all of us. Even established actors get nervous before auditions, performances and in rehearsals as Imelda Staunton, Josette Simon, Alex Jenning and other actors have shared with us. The trick is knowing how to deal with them when…

  • Tips for Preparing for a Performance

    Tips for Preparing for a Performance

    Top tips about preparing for performing on stage or on camera. As part of the Spotlight Prize, graduate performers are asked to perform a monologue of their choice in front of the camera before performing a second piece on stage in front of an audience of industry professionals. We asked them what they did differently to prepare for each…

  • 7 Headshot Tips from Casting Directors

    7 Headshot Tips from Casting Directors

    Casting directors explain what makes for a good headshot and what they look for in a photo. As a professional performer, your headshots are vitally important. They’re how you’re represented on Spotlight and are the first thing a casting director sees when selecting performers to audition so it’s essential that your photo looks like you and truly…

  • Life Lessons from Drama School

    Life Lessons from Drama School

    We asked graduates to reveal the most valuable lessons and unforgettable experiences they’ll carry with them from drama school. The Spotlight Prize 2022 finalists come from some of the most prestigious drama schools in the country where they’ve spent years learning their craft and honing their skills. Fresh from their impressive performances at the Spotlight…

  • How to Find the Perfect Audition Monologue

    How to Find the Perfect Audition Monologue

    Tips for finding monologues for a showcase, and how to know which one is the right one for you to perform. We’re often asked where to find monologues for showcases. With so many resources available both online and in libraries, how do you go about starting your search? And how do you know which of…

  • Why I Became an Actor

    Why I Became an Actor

    We spoke to performers attending the Casting Directors Awards 2022 to find out what made them want to become actors. The Casting Directors Awards (CDGs) are over for another year. Trophies were awarded, speeches were given, laughs were had and drinks were drunk. Meanwhile we jumped at the chance to speak with some of the performer…

  • The Spotlight Guide to Idents

    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…

  • 12 Pieces of Advice for Actors From Actors

    12 Pieces of Advice for Actors From Actors

    Performers attending the Casting Directors’ Guild Awards share the best advice they’ve ever been given We asked David Morrissey, Naomi Ackie, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Daniel Mays, Daniel Monks and Jonah Hauer-King why they pursued a career in acting and what advice they could offer to performers. Watch the video: Here are their 12 pearls of wisdom…

  • Emma Ashton on the Commercial Casting Process

    Emma Ashton on the Commercial Casting Process

    Casting director Emma Ashton gives us her insight into the way commercial castings come about… Casting director and member of the Casting Directors Association (CDA), Emma Ashton, talks to Spotlight about how commercial castings come about, and what happens behind the scenes. Perfect insight for any actors looking into commercial castings! Take a look: Find…

  • How to Pick a Photo for Your Spotlight Profile

    How to Pick a Photo for Your Spotlight Profile

    Tips to help you pick the right photos for your acting profile. You might be swimming in headshots, production stills, and Instagram selfies, but what photos should you include in your acting CV? In this video, we’ll cover: How to choose a good headshot Production stills What we definitely can’t let you upload Some very…