How to Pick A Scene

Hey everybody! It’s Madeline at Catapult Acting Studios. If you have seen me around, awesome! If not, I hope to meet you in the future! I have been with Catapult for over 3 years now and have overseen a LOT of workshops! Being the project coordinator (and an audition coach), it’s kind of my job. However, the one thing I find over and over is that actors struggle to pick GOOD scenes for themselves. There are a variety of reasons, but mostly it comes down to, you don’t know what you don’t know! What’s that Farmers’ Insurance slogan? “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two?” I have seen enough to know what will make a DYNAMITE scene choice, and what could present challenges. SO strap in because I’m about to break it all down STEP by STEP! 

• Where do I start? 

What do you enjoy watching? Is there a movie or TV show you would just LOVE to be a part of?  If you could travel back in time and wave a magic wand to be part of a project, what would it be? Just make sure you are looking for appropriate roles for your age and demographic. It can be incredibly distracting when you deliver a line like, “I want a divorce and I’m taking the kids with me,” if you don’t look a day over 13. For those watching, it can be…confusing.

Here are some points to keep in mind when searching for that scene:

1. Trading Places – What role could you step into right now? Not 10 years from now, and not 10 years ago, but right now. Could you believably swap places with the current actor in that role? 
2. You remind me of…. – Are there any actors you have been told you are similar to? Not who you look like, but with whom you share a vibe or give off a similar energy? For example: are you the shy, soft-spoken, mysterious guy? The boy next door who is also secretly up to no good?: Look no further than Barry Kehogan, Rami Malek, and Bill Scarsgard (to name a few). For the goofy, loveable, “doesn’t take herself too seriously” leading lady we have examples like Zendaya, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Stone. 
3. Occupations – Have you been told different occupational roles you could play? For authoritative roles, such as cop, detective, lawyer, or CEO career person, look for procedurals like Law + Order, Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. If you have a more gritty, works-with-their-hands, blue-collar vibe, look at shows like Shameless, The Bear, The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, etc.
4. For Our Youth Clients – Where are kids your age being cast? Do you see your energy in Disney and Nickelodeon shows or do you match more of a Stranger Things type of vibe? Maybe Steven Spielberg movies like The Goonies or ET are closer to your style. There are major tone differences between these options, so figure out which type seems to work best for you and lean into it. 
5. “It’s Giving…” – We would all LOVE to play a million roles and try on all different types of looks, voices, and personas but you need to walk before you can run. Before Johnny Depp was the crazy pirate Jack Sparrow, he was the straight-laced, pretty boy cop on 21 Jump Street. Before Margot Robbie was Harley Quinn, she was the beautiful leading lady in Wolf of Wall Street. Both of these actors are arguably “character actors,” but they both had to wait and play “leading man” and “leading woman” roles first because that is the public’s and casting’s first impression of them. For you, in a workshop setting, it is about giving a first impression as well. 

Real-Life Breakdown of Scene Search: 

1. Step one: What’s a movie you love? – Beetlejuice – Start there! Look for scenes from that movie in which you can realistically be cast right now.
2. Step Two: What actors are in that movie who fit your type? – Winona Ryder – Look into other movies/TV shows she’s done and check for scenes there.
3. Step Three: Who Directed it (Beetlejuice)? – Tim Burton – Look for more of his movies and search for more scene materials there.

And so on. If you use these steps for the things you like, you will be sure to find a scene that will work for you! 

• Where do I Find The Scenes?

1. 1. Script Slug 
   2. Scripts.com 
   3. If you love a scene but can’t find the script, look up a “transcript” of it online and then put it into Google Docs. Use the free extension in Google Docs to change it into script format.
   4. Catapult will send a database for every workshop as a last resort. However, many times you have very little info on what the project is, what the tone is, who the character is and what the moments before and after are. Now, I get it! You might not have all of that available to you in an audition setting either, but WHY make it harder on yourself? There are enough things to focus on and to challenge you in the workshop setting, so why not try to make the part you DO have control over as easy as possible?

• What kind of scene am I looking for? 

1. 1. Keep It Simple – “Well in this scene I’m supposed to be wrestling a bear, or I’m supposed to be riding a motorcycle in a car chase, or “I’m cooking a dish while talking to 5 different people with all different eyelines.”  Not that these scenes don’t serve their purpose in the movies and shows we like to watch, but keep in mind: you will be with a reader either in person or via Zoom and you don’t want to have to spend half your brain space remembering technical framing and eye-line issues. If you can try to find a scene where it is just 2 characters talking – that is the sweet spot. 
   2. What’s Going On – Is there some type of conflict happening IN the scene that makes sense? It’s more interesting if the scene has a conflict happening in real time, not talking about one that already happened. 
   3. Character Arc – Does the Scene have a beginning, middle, and end? Does your character end in the same place they start or is there a journey? A good arc keeps us engaged in wanting to watch the story unfold.
   4. Play to Your Strengths – Do you naturally make people laugh and love cutting up with your friends? GREAT! Pick a scene with some good banter and maybe some room to ad-lib! Do you have a natural vulnerability and emotional accessibility that you would LOVE to put on display? GREAT! Pick a scene that will break your heart! However, if you feel anxious and pressured because “the scene says I’m supposed to cry,” first of all, FORGET the stage directions. Second, if that is not your strength, maybe don’t choose a scene that would require that of you. Think about what you’re good at and run with it. 

Last note: Pick something you know you can NAIL! Singers don’t audition with songs where they always crack on the top note. They PRACTICE those songs, of course, because that’s what makes you get better. But for a first impression – you want to pick a song you KNOW you can hit all the notes and leave a great impression. The same goes for picking the perfect scene. 

If you are meeting with industry professionals – they want to meet you! They want to get to know you and see what you are bringing to the table. They want the ingredients you have to offer. So don’t try to be an apple pie if you’re a delicious juicy burger. Savory and sweet, there are all kinds of different flavors at this potluck. Be yourself and you are sure to knock it out of the park! 

Break a leg!

Written by

Madeline Marconi