17 Ways to Land a Role in a TV Commercial | May 2024 (2024)

Some of us have made the six o’clock news at least once in our lives. Some of us live where people are shooting ads and got to walk around on camera. The thing is that we aren’t professionals, so acting in commercials isn’t in our comfort zone.

What if someone was shooting an ad in your neighborhood, and you wanted a part in the ad? Should you just walk on the set and ask for an audition? Do you simply step into character and hope you don’t get tossed off the set? This tutorial will show you how to get into commercials on TV.

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A TV commercial, also known as an ad, an advert, or a commercial ad or advert, is programming paid for by a company to engage the buying public in its product or service. The ads last anywhere from ten seconds to a full minute. Longer ads of the 30 minute or more variety are called infomercials.

Of course, like cars, shoes, vegetables, and dozens of things, there are types of TV commercial:

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You see it all the time, the cute baby or the darling puppy. They knock over a box of the product, crawl on it, or otherwise let you know you need this product because the baby and the puppy like it.

That’s the definition of a TV commercial and its different types. However, you want to know how to be in a commercial on TV. You’re planning to learn how to be a commercial actor, so you’ll need to know two things: how to audition for a TV commercial, and you should know something about agents for TV commercials.

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Because television is a visual medium, it stands to reason that people would exchange viewpoints or dialogue. In the video portion of an ad, the actor will make a statement of confidence in a product or service. He will make an emotional appeal to the consumer to do what he did and buy the product or service.

The ad could use several actors in a friend-on-friend scene, in a party or family reunion scene, or in a formal setting like a wedding, board meeting, or a celebration in a restaurant.

Some roles will be for a single actor in an ad. Other roles will be supporting characters to the main character in the advert. If the commercial is animated, your voice will be used for one of the characters.

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Reading about a TV commercial shooting day might help you decide if you care about how to get into commercials on TV. If you’ve been drooling over how to get in a commercial on TV, then keep reading.

You’ll be up about 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning for a shoot beginning at 7:30. You’ll hit the catering truck for breakfast and talk with the cast and crew while you eat. When everything is set up, and by this we mean your hair and makeup is done, your wardrobe is spot on, and the lighting and sound guys have got you squared away, then you’ll begin your day.

Let’s say you’re filming in the living room of a multi-million dollar mansion in the California hills. The sound and lighting might change depending on the environment surrounding the house: the darkness of an unexpected storm, noisier than ordinary traffic, a neighbor’s dog won’t stop yowling, and you get the idea. That means dozens of takes. So when those takes are done, when it’s perfect in the director’s and producer’s eyes, and the film is at last in the can, then you can go home and gratefully fall into bed.

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Now you’ve read all about it and decided you’ve just got to know how to be in a commercial on TV. You know that actors have agents for TV commercials. You are also aware that these agents will help you learn how to be a commercial actor by learning how to do a commercial audition.

Agents tell their actors the who, what, when, where, and how of TV commercial casting. Some will even tell you for which jobs you should know how to audition for commercials without an agent. An agent’s job is to know how to get into commercials on TV for their clients. It’s their job to know what’s available and for what you would be the perfect fit.

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By the time you get to a casting call, a brand has approached a casting company. They will have offered a presentation of the product or service. The casting company will have accepted the assignment. The two of them will have come up with a script and background for a thirty-second TV commercial.

Here’s where you enter the picture since learning how to get into commercials on TV. You’ll scan the film industry advertisem*nts for open auditions. Your agent will include your resume, demo reel, and headshot in his submission. The casting director chooses the submissions whose education and experience best fit the “look” and the subject matter.

This is where you need to bring your A-game. You might only have one or two minutes to state your name and something about yourself. Your clothes, hair, and makeup have to fit the “look” for which the casting director is searching.

You’ll have a paper with your lines on it. It might only be a few seconds, but you’ll have to be in character, with the right “voice,” and movements. Remember, you only have a few seconds to make the best impression you can.

Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to come back for another step in the casting process. This step films a short scene, sometimes with you reading the lines to someone off-camera. You’ll look your best, be in character, and deliver your lines the best you can. Don’t worry that it’s a brief appearance. The casting director has a lot to do that day, so just do it and go home.

Now the auditions and callbacks go to the team consisting of the casting director and the ad agency’s creative team. When you get a phone call, you’ll know you were chosen to act in the TV ad.

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Acting on a TV show gives you a week to get it just right and in the can. Acting in a movie gives you upwards of 90 days to tell the story. TV commercials are different. Thus, the audition is different.

You don’t always get more than a couple of minutes for your audition. You might only be asked to stand still or turn around. You could only have one line. The most important things are your look, being on time or early, having your lines memorized, and the perfect delivery. Following these tips should help you know how to get into commercials on TV.