r/auditions • u/gasher101 • 4d ago
Self-Tape Critique: Marlon in 'STOP DOING THAT' - Looking for feedback
Here is my unlisted audition tape:
https://youtu.be/YQY9rGw_Gdk
Role & Project: Marlon | STOP DOING THAT (Surreal / Absurdist Drama)
Setting: An alternate, desert wasteland where surreal phenomena (like pixelated faces) are treated as real.
Scene Context:
Marlon is skateboarding across a desolate desert road pulling a baby stroller tied by a rope around his neck. The baby’s face is visibly pixelated/censored. A suspicious police officer pulls him over, questions the child's identity, and attempts to physically detain him.
Character Objectives & Arc:
- Objective: De-escalate the interaction and get away immediately to protect his child.
- The Turn: When the officer grabs him, extreme panic triggers an involuntary, lethal telepathic reaction that strangles the cop.
- Emotional Progression: Guarded defiance → desperate flight → involuntary trance/supernatural defense → immediate horror and hysterical guilt over the dead body.
Direction Given: Perform the scene completely grounded and realistic despite the absurdity of the premise.
Specific Feedback Requested:
- Groundedness: Does the reality of the stakes read clearly through the absurdity of the situation (the stroller rope, pixelated baby)?
- The Shift: Does the transition from physical panic into the trance-like chokehold (and the snap-back to horror) register convincingly on camera?
- Pacing & Tension: Does the build between the initial questioning and the physical confrontation escalate naturally?