What You Should Expect at MTV Auditions

Probably one of the best ways to get into show business these days is through MTV Auditions. MTV has made celebrities out of ordinary people and models like Lauren Conrad, Nicole Elizabeth “Snooki” Polizzi, Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio and many other celebrities who have made their way through MTV’s reality shows. They are still on the lookout for more people with unique personalities and interests.

The History of Music Television

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If you weren’t born in the 80s, then you wouldn’t know what Music Television, or MTV, was like back in the day. Its original format revolved around playing music videos introduced by Video Jockeys (VJs); much like how a Radio Jockey would introduce a song on the radio. They had shows that were then dedicated solely for playing music videos. Executives at MTV saw that this format was losing its audience and so they tried to inject shows that depicted the lives of real people. In 1992, MTV introduced The Real World, one of the longest-running reality programs on television. It was a huge success that centered on young adults who had to move into a house with other housemates where the cameras would document their everyday lives.

The Rise of Reality-Based Programs

Laguna beach: the real orange county — Photo source: www.serialzone.cz

From then on, MTV has produced several notable reality shows like A shot at love with Tila Tequila, , The Hills, 16 and Pregnant, Jersey Shore and Teen Mom among others. These shows became staples in the lives of young adults and adolescents. Due to the popularity of their reality shows, MTV was inspired to make even more. At present, there are more than 10 reality shows that are airing on MTV and even more in conception. They’re constantly looking for more talents to be on their shows such as The Real World, MADE, 16 and Pregnant, and a multitude of new shows.

MTV’s Audition Process

Those who want to be in the limelight always look to MTV to give them instantaneous fame. Unlike acting auditions, no one’s made to rehearse lines or act out various scenes. Instead, they’re asked to become themselves and tell their own stories in front of the camera. Here is a breakdown of how they conduct their auditions:

Casting Call Announcements

The process starts once MTV sends out their casting call on their website. Their site never runs out of announcements for upcoming shows and main shows that need new people for an upcoming season. Each announcement will contain what they’re looking for in the cast and descriptions can be very varied. As a general rule, they’re looking for people with unique views, experiences, and personalities that should fit the format of their show. Here are some examples of what they specify for every show:

Catfish:Is looking for people who are in an online relationship and have never met or seen their online significant others.
16 and Pregnant:looking for pregnant women in their teens who are ready to share their stories and challenges during their pregnancy.
Real World:Men and women ages 20 years and older and look like they’re between the ages of 20-24.

Each announcement specifies the age range that the talent should be, the preferred residence/location where talents should be from, and the circumstances that they should be in to qualify for the role.

Responding to Casting Calls

If the talent fits into what the show specifies, they can respond to the casting call through sending their resume and recent photographs or headshots to an email that is indicated on the announcement. Instructions and schedule will follow after the application has been reviewed by corresponding casting directors. Some casting directors, especially for Real World, will further require an audition tape where the talent will have to show the executives why they should be on the show. It’s important that those who want to try out should make these tapes very interesting to capture the attention of the executives.

Audition Day

Like usual auditions, talents are expected to come to their schedule on time. They should bring with them the following:

Resume: should contain important personal information and their contact information.
Proof of Identity
Headshot or Photographs

Minors, for shows like Teen Mom, and 16 and Pregnant, will need to be accompanied by their parents or guardians to the auditions.

Interview

Casting directors and producers will have to make sure that they find the right people for the show. Most of these auditions revolve around a series of questions, which will determine how fun or unique the person is. They will also throw in some situations where the talent would be asked how they would respond to them. Some of the questions that could be asked are:

What would you want to do in the future?
What is your lifestyle like?
How would you respond if you were in a situation where you…?
How are you like when you’re in a relationship?
Do you like going to night clubs?
What were your past working experiences?
What is your concept of fun?

These questions and situations are patterned after the personalities that they’d like to cast on their show. It’s best for the talent to answer these honestly and in a way that would make them sound very interesting to the executives.

Deliberation

After everyone’s been called for their audition, MTV executives, producers and casting directors will then deliberate which applicant would be awarded with the role.

What If You Don’t Get In?

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Not everyone would get the chance to be part of the cast, but MTV always encourages people to try out again. As their qualifications can be very broad, competition is tough at MTV auditions and only a few get selected. Those who really want to be part of their shows could try for other shows or better yet for another season of the show. They can also look into other options like modeling auditions or venture into acting. They can act for an upcoming film from renowned actor, director and producer Tyler Perry. He’s responsible for TV and movie hits like Madea’s Family Reunion, Why Did I Get Married?, and Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor. His production company, The House of Payne, is constantly looking for talents to join him on his shows and films. Currently, there are numerous Tyler Perry auditions held for his TV shows Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and The Single Moms Club. The production company promises to do more shows and films in the future, which should be good news for aspiring actors.

No One is Running out of Options

Show business is in constant need for more people. TV and film entities like MTV and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne open opportunities to those who dream of becoming celebrities. MTV has contributed a lot to the culture of TV and to dreams of many who wished to have their own minute of fame. Expect more MTV auditions to come as they draw up more ideas to put more reality shows on TV. Also, check out our reality TV casting calls at ExploreTalent.com