Audition Prep · 3 min read
How to Prepare for a Commercial Audition
Commercial auditions reward specificity, not subtlety. The choices, the slate, and the energy that book commercial work.
Published February 26, 2025
Commercials are micro-stories with a specific job. The casting director needs to see you fit the brand and have a useable face.
Commercial auditions are not theater. They reward upbeat specificity, a clean slate, and a body that knows it’s being watched. Bringing dramatic technique to a 30-second spot misses the format.
The work, step by step
- Read the spec like a brief. What’s the product? Who’s the audience? What feeling do they want? The spec answers all three.
- Find the moment. Most commercial audition copy has a "moment" - the look up, the realization, the smile. Identify it. Earn it.
- Slate with personality. Casting watches the slate to see if you’re castable as a person. Energy + warmth + your real voice.
- Play with the product. If there’s a prop - even imaginary - handle it like it matters. Specific physical relationships sell.
- Don’t over-act the smile. A real smile lives in the eyes for a half-second longer than a fake one. Casting can read both.
Common pitfalls
- Treating the audition as comedy - most spots want warmth, not jokes.
- Forgetting the brand - your performance has to fit it.
- Slating low-energy then performing high-energy - they want congruence.
How Actry fits in
Use Actry to drill commercial copy at three different paces; commercial reads punish a draggy tempo. Self-tape the slate separately so you can review your in-character energy against your slate energy.
Frequently asked questions
How long are commercial sides?
Usually 30–60 seconds of copy. Some are silent, with a single direction.
Do I need to memorize commercial copy?
For self-tape, yes. The medium expects it. For in-room, often you can hold the sides.
Should I improv?
Only if invited. The agency wants what they wrote unless they say otherwise.
Filed under Audition Prep. Tagged: commercial, audition, on-camera.