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And hallmark movies may look effortless,

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but don't be fooled.

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There's a very special acting skill set

behind all that charm and lightness.

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If you've ever wondered why some actors

pop in these auditions while others

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fall flat,

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today's episode is for you, we're

breaking down the hallmarks of Ram com acting.

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See what I did just there,

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what casting directors are really

looking for and how you can prepare to

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shine in this unique genre

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let's dive in

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this is casting actor's castle.

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Well, hello, and welcome back to

casting actor's cast.

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The podcast for actors who want to

sharpen their audition skills, book

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more roles and understand the industry

from the inside out.

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Now today we're diving into a genre

that's,

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I don't know, I think it's deceptively

challenging,

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yet absolutely essential for so many

working actors,

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romantic comedies in hallmark style

films.

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I'm happy to let you know that we've

just completed our 4th hallmark movie.

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And of course, our background in film

has been like a long list of Ram coms.

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See these projects, I think,

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have their own flavor,

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their light, they're charming, their

heart felt, and often they're just

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sprinkled with humor.

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And I have to say it predictability.

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But here's the catch.

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What works in a dramatic audition,

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doesn't work here.

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If you overplayed the depth, you miss

the levity.

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If you underplay it, you risk the

seeming flat or uninspired

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part of the work.

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So how do you strike that perfect

balance?

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In this episode, we're going to explore

the hallmarks of Ram com acting, the

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specific skill set that helps actors

shine in both auditions

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and onset.

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Now, whether you're preparing for a

hallmark Christmas movie or a witty Ram

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com pilot,

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you'll walk away with practical tools

to deliver the style casting and

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direction directors are looking for.

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But first, this is that moment of the

conversation where I get to say, thanks

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for tuning in to casting actors.

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Cast.

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It's been a pleasure bringing these to

you.

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I'm Geoffrey Dreisbach, and I've been

presenting these podcasts for several

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years now.

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And I'm excited that you are here.

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Listen.

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If you haven't done so already, I

invite you to check out the website,

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casting actors cast.

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All one word dot com.

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Casting actors cast that.

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Tom there you're going to find a whole

archive of the past episodes.

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You're also going to see some freebies.

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If you fill out that form that says,

dive into the tallad pool, by the way,

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asks for your email address and your

name that's it.

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I don't Spam you, or send you junk or

anything like that at all, but it's

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just a great way for me to know that

you're out there.

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Also, would you please consider leaving

a like and a share and a thumbs up, or

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whatever you can do?

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Because as long as I know that there

are actors out there who enjoy this

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information and enjoy the work as I

present it, then I am going to continue

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to doing it, and I appreciate you being

here.

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All right.

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Now let's jump into the subject.

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The

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reality of doing these kinds of

projects often don't really get a lot

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of time spent on them.

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And I'm happy to say that my good

friends at actor's connection are

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actually going to

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let me do an intensive on this very

subject.

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So if you're hearing this, I look

forward to seeing you at the actor's.

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Connection.

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Intensive that's going to be coming up

in a few weeks.

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So, actors, connection, dot comslash,

New York.

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All right.

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So first of all, let's understand the

genre

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Ram kam's romantic comedies and

hallmark style films.

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You know, they're really based

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in optimism.

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They really are meant to

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show charm and simplicity.

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The stakes are emotional,

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but not tragic.

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Conflicts

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resolve with hope.

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They resolve with humor and heart.

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Also consider the audience.

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This is valuable.

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Audiences really do watch for the

connection between characters,

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the light hearted chemistry.

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And of course, audiences love these

movies.

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I was amazed

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at how popular

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the homear channel is.

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It's not just around Christmastime.

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It is all year round

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that you can watch Christmas movies.

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But you know what it is, it's escapism.

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It's not heavy emotional

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exploration.

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So the person who's watching it can

identify with these characters.

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And of course, the acting style is very

authentic.

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But guess what?

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It's not

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heavy handed,

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because truthful reactions really do

matter in

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these scripts.

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But without deep dramatic layering,

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you don't need to kind of find the

undercurrent or the subtextual elements

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of these scripts.

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The way that it works for actors is

that you play the moment, you play it lightly.

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See these scripts, they thrive on

buoyancy and rhythm.

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And of course, the humor is subtle

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it's often very situational, but it's

not joke driven.

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The smile in your voice and your eyes

is really something that you need to

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think about, not only when you're

auditioning, but when you book the job

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and you're on the set.

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I love that phrase.

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Smiling with your eyes and your voice.

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There's something very

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fun about doing that.

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Now, I know some of you have

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worked really, really hard and you're

acting on your dramatic elements,

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your subtextual elements, your

emotional conflict.

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But you know what,

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as a change of pace,

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this might be a really fun thing to get

into, really.

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So the way I think of it is chemistry

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over complexity.

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I think that's the best answer, because

relationships

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matter more than internal turmoil.

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So here are some audition preparation

tips.

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If you happen to have

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an audition for a hallmark movie or a

light romantic comedy, here's a couple

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of suggestions.

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One is when you, during your script,

read through,

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really, chart out and identify the beats

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of those,

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what I call charm moments,

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where warmth, where there's, humor

where there is some kind of connection

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that lifts the scene.

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Make a note of that.

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The second suggestion,

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as far as tips are concerned is

practice, controlled energy.

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Controlled energy is valuable here,

because you need to be engaging

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without slipping into melodrama.

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There is

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a level of sincerity,

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I think that the actor really needs to

Embrace.

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It's just very open, it's very upfront.

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And we just don't want to think in

terms of being overly

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melodramatic.

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As far as cassing is concerned, I think

focus on liability.

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I can tell you that casting directors,

they want to root for you the way the

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audience will.

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So you're not necessarily a victim,

vict victim.

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You're not necessarily a victim of

circumstance.

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But you are making an honest appraisal

of each and every moment as it happens.

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Now you might not have thought about

this, but dress choices can be really

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valuable for the actor, especially in

an audition environment.

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It's got to be casual

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but polished clothing

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that reflects the grounded yet

accessible tone of these films.

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Now some onset acting tools, keep it

simple,

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play the situation,

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not layers of the back story.

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Be ready to adjust tone quickly.

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You see, directors will often fine tune

energy levels

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scene by scene.

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Here's another great tip, and I think

this is really valuable here.

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As to listen generously.

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You see these films thrive on

connection.

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So your best moments come from reacting

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authentically.

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Pace and rhythm, stay sharp and

responsive.

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Ram combanter

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is musical

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in its timing.

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That's why I think a lot of times

musical theater performers do very,

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very well when they audition, because

they have the energy and the approach

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for that authentic

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yet energized characterization.

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So we're going to talk about mindset

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for success

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when doing your homework.

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Ram com.

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Right after this,

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welcome back to casting.

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Actress cast.

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We're just talking about the Ram calm

and hallmark movies.

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And now we're going to talk about

mindset for success in this genre.

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First,

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I think this is valuable don't

underestimate the craft

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light comedy.

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It really requires precision.

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It requires that discipline,

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and it requires some mental acuity.

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Because you have to remember a couple

of things.

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One is the audience expectation.

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The audience is expecting some level of

comfort

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in your portrayal,

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some kind of joy.

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But most importantly, is relatability.

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Can they relate

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to your character?

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Find those

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moments where your character is

something that becomes universally identifiable?

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The other suggestion is to approach

with confidence and charm.

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This is really much more about making

people feel good while believing your

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character's journey.

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All right,

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the hallmarks of roundcomacting,

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00:11:04,898 --> 00:11:08,568

as we wrap up to day's episode,

remember this, romantic comedies in

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hallmark style, films

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they're not easier.

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they're different.

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Acting.

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The style is lighter, the tone is

brighter, and the audience expectation

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is comfort

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and connection.

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But listen to pull that off takes real

craft.

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So let's recap.

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Here are the essentials.

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Understand the genre.

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Optimism, charm and resolution.

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They are the heartbeat.

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Don't forget to adjust your style.

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Truthful, but light.

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Play humor and warmth without heavy

dramatic weight

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audition, smartly

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show like ability,

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controlled energy and moments of charm.

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And then when you're on the set, keep

it simple.

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Listen generously

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and nail the pacing.

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My mindset, when I think about casting

romantic comedies or hallmark movies,

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is confidence,

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joy

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and connection.

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When I see those ingredients in an

actor's audition, they become the

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actor's greatest tools.

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I hope that that makes sense.

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So here's your actor homework?

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Yep.

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I'm going to give you homework on this

episode.

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Grab a scene from a hallmark script or

any light, romantic comedy.

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I won't want you to perform it twice.

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First play it as if it were a drama,

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then perform it again, focusing on

lightness, charm and chemistry.

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Notice the difference in energy.

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00:12:50,36 --> 00:12:52,5

Notice the difference in rhythm,

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and how much more watchable it becomes

when you lean into that Ram, gam style,

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when you can toggle between those

approaches,

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you'll be ready to book in this genre,

and you'll be able to shine once you're onset.

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Hey, listen, I hope that this has been

helpful to you.

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It's been a joy bringing it to you.

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Don't forget to check out casting

actors cast.

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00:13:18,31 --> 00:13:22,68

Caste, I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach, and we'll

see you on the next episode.