TV & Movie Auditions - A Cheat Code to Learning subtle mannerisms, nuanced communication and body language

Think of your favourite TV show or Movie.

There was an audition period for each actor in the show - a trial performance to appraise an entertainer's merits. Typically, with multiple producers and the director to ultimately determine if you fit their vision for the performance.

These audition videos are always extremely interesting on multiple levels. Firstly, you see the actor’s skill without all the SFX, no costume or make-up, no post-production, and no camera movements. There is absolutely nothing besides the actor’s acting to build the scene, the context, and the story during these auditions.

Secondly, you see how an actor interprets a scene. Sure, there is some direction offered in the script with notes on the emotion and the context, but the majority of the scene remains undetermined and is left to the actor’s discretion for interpretation.

AUDITIONS REVEAL MANNERISMS, COMMUNICATIVE INTERPRETATION AND SPEAKER NUANCE.

Now the interesting thing for an English language learner is observing the actor transform the scene based on their mannerisms, their speech, and their creative liberties. These vary from actor to actor but shed light on specific trends and universality across speakers in English as well as specific idiosyncrasies expressed by individuals.

From an English language learning perspective, this involves the articulation of a word, the nuance of an enunciation, or the performance. You see the effect of the performance on the overall delivery of a message, how different actors apply their own take on a delivery, and the change in rhythm and cadence.

It applies to their enunciation, their body language, their eye contact, their decisions for inflection, pitch, cadence, and rhythm. All of it impacts the overall feel, and the message.

Another important thing to recognize is that many of these actors are native speakers of English.

They all pronounce the words correctly.

The difference is how they decide to communicate it because the subtlety of English affords difference.

When you raise your pitch, pause for a longer duration, shift your eyes, smile, stutter, laugh uncomfortably, cross your arms and then say your words a little louder, you haven’t changed the meaning of the words You have simply changed your delivery.

This is important for English language learners to recognize because learners always focus on the pronunciation but sometimes the more effective tools for improving your communication aren’t related to the pronunciation but these other aspects.

There isn’t a more correct or incorrect performance.

Instead, there is a better and worse character fit. There is a better and worse behaviour and mannerism fit for the envisioned character.

These behaviours and mannerisms communicate a difference in confidence, authenticity, patience, charisma, happiness, and energy level. These are the things that can separate people for an acting gig.

Separate the confident from the unconfident.

Separate the people who seem authentic versus sleazy.

Separate the people who seem genuinely happy versus the annoyed and frustrated.

Separate the patient versus the irritable.

Now, it’s easy to imagine how that can impact the choice of an actor for a role. If an actor is supposed to be generous, charismatic, and heroic, if they have mannerisms that are conniving, secretive, and sly, then they are not a good character fit.

It can be harder though to imagine that applied to you - a non-actor. But the truth is, people judge those characteristics in you as well. When you interview for a job, when you are going on a date, when you are selling a product, these same mannerisms and characteristics are judged and can impact how other people see you in the world.

By understanding how others communicate these characteristics, you may learn how to incorporate them into your own mannerisms and speech.

For example, confidence can be communicated via an upright posture, a smiling neutral face, a relaxed, open body posture, and eye contact. Behaviours can also include a firm handshake, a slow rate of speech, a sing-song intonation pattern, and generally positive word choice. By ensuring you are doing these things consistently and frequently, you communicate confidence.

And vice versa.

If you don’t do these acts, even if you are confident, you may be communicating signals of that imply you are not confident. This is important.

You may accidentally be communicating meekness, discomfort, and uncertainty even if you don’t feel those feelings. You may be doing this unintentionally.