Britt McDanel as Candace
Character Description
Candace can't help it. She's just being honest. She's unapologetically herself and one gets the feeling her son would know that and not be surprised. She's trying to stay strong and not show too much emotion, maybe to a fault. So when she does show a little emotion, it goes a long way.
Scene Description
Candace's teenage son has been in an accident and lies in the hospital bed in a coma. No one else has joined her yet. Unsure of whether he can hear her or not, she talks to him. The problem is she's in her head and what comes out might not be what most moms might say. But she's not like most moms.
Written by Shelly Paino
Les Best
ActorBritt, I felt that you were so close but taped before you reached a full understanding of what you were doing. i.e. were you talking to your son because the doctor told you your son could hear you, and talking to him could help him so you were just talking stream of consciousness? or were you talking to him because you didn't know if you would ever be able to talk to him again and you had some things you wanted to say that you wished you had a chance to say? How important was your son to you? i.e. Was he your whole life, or were you estranged at the time? Be bold and make vulnerable choices.
Clint Hankinson
ActorNice work Britt! Loved how the stress at the beginning (eye rub was great) turned into grief when you saw your son.
Just a few thoughts to consider - After you hang up, you could let that moment breath. When you see your son, pause and let that moment sink in. I felt like ethe pace was rushed a little and the mother/son relationship was not super clear. About halfway through, the pace and the behavior felt more real to me. You also had a few deep sighs that stuck out. Just my 2 cents! Great job!
Kathy Patterson
ActressHi Britt: Casting Director here! Please keep in mind, going forward, that a great majority of casting agencies ask for your audition be done in a landscape format, not vertical.
Also, please make your eye line slightly to the right or the left of the camera; not directly into the camera, unless instructed to do so.
Your background and wardrobe choices are great!
Thank you for sharing your time and talent and keep up the great work!
Dale Norman Green
Actor | WriterNicely done. Try to use sighing less frequently, only for key emphasis, but very nicely done!
Susan Willis
ActressDelivery was nice, as well as lights and backdrop. 2 signs that you may be new to self tapes. Recording in portrait mode instead of landscape - super easy fix. Also, your eye line was straight to camera. That's a big no-no in self tapes (unless it's a commercial and is meant to be delivered TO-Camera) Treat the camera as a silent observer but still let us see your face. Put who you are talking to just to the left or right of camera - no more than 6 inches. It's ok to look sightly down for a 'coma patient'. Check your eye line in rehearsal - if you believe it so will the viewer.
Steve Toft
ActorThe pace of this performance was spot on but two very basic rules of acting need to be adjusted.
Never look directly into the lens. I have found that from this distance you only need to look around 3 inches off of the lens to give the illusion that you are speaking to another person. You did what is known as "breaking the 4th wall" and it should have been the 1st thing taught in "on camera technique"
Next, please eliminate any of the "exhales of frustration". A sigh (unless specifically called for by the writer) should never be used to show disappointment or frustration.
Bryan Whorton
ActorBritt, you had some nice moments connecting, but I lost them every time you looked directly at the camera. Like I said you had some nice moments, I would like to see you build on those.
Tommy G. Kendrick
ActorBritt, good work! Some suggestions:1) Don't look into the camera lense. Put your eyeline ever so slightly camera left or right, not into the lens. NOT profile either. 2) WAY to much sighing. Keep that energy bottled up. 3)Lose the forward and back movement. Stillness in the frame (not stiffness) is your friend. 4)Shoot LANDSCAPE NOT PORTRAIT unless told otherwise. Frame yourself with less headroom. You have a great look and good instincts. Just clean up some tech stuff and you'll start looking more pro. Check my latest YouTube video on self taping. It might help. youtube.com/tommygkendrick
McKenna Christian
ActressOverall- I really enjoyed your performance! However, I'm going to give you advice that I've been given a hundred times. Make sure you're filming in landscape and not portrait. Unless it asks for portrait, its better to stick to landscape.
You should also avoid looking directly into the camera unless it tells you to do that. I think it took away from the fact you were talking to your kid in a coma.
I loved your reactions and how you played her. I think adjusting these small things would really elevate your performance!
