What to expect at The X Factor auditions.
I'd like to start of with saying that the X Factor auditions I
attended was at Old Trafford in Manchester on 17th March 2012. I'll also
point out that I wasn't the one auditioning, but supporting my sister
who was auditioning.
The first thing you will need to do is make sure you know the date
and location of the X Factor audition you wish to attend. You will also
need to read very carefully the details which are put up on the website
for auditions t make sure you are there on time and also you know what
the cut-off time is for the X Factor auditions you are attending.
If you are not a morning person and struggle to get up before 7am,
then going to an audition like this may mean you have to put some extra
effort in just to get to the specified venue in time to be in with a
chance to audition.
For the day that we went to The X Factor auditions, we were told not
to be there any later than 9am as it would be unlikely that we would be
allowed to even queue if we were. Of course, you have to account for all
the others that will be attending and those that even camped out the
night before to get a good spot in the queue. With that in mind, we were
up at 4am, with a plan to be there between 6.30am and 7am. We knew that
it would take a while for us to get to the venue and therefor allowed
enough time for this. We also made sure we knew the times of buses,
trains and trams to get there, and made a timetable for ourselves.
When we arrived at the venue, there were some areas to park close by,
but not at the actual venue itself, and having read the website, we
already knew this and were told that it would be best not to drive
there, unless you were being dropped off, as parking would be limited.
We arrived at the venue at around 6.45am and started queuing
immediately. There were already approx 1000 people there, and there were
plenty more behind us.
Once we finally got to a point where we were standing still, after
snaking round all the barriers for about 20 minutes, we finally stood
still and gave a sigh of relief. We'd made it, and looking in front of
us, we weren't that badly placed.
I won't go on about my day in particular much more, but instead give
you a few hints and tips of things you should take with you and what to
expect.
Items you should take with you when auditioning for The X Factor.
- An umbrella. ( we forgot ours and paid the consequences!)
- Comfy shoes. - You are likely to be stood in the queue for a
minimum of 5 hours. Bring a pair to change into if necessary, after all
you may have picked out an outfit that doesn't include your comfiest
shoes.
- If possible, bring a camping chair/seat. That will eliminate the
need for comfy shoes to a degree and will also mean you can at least sit
down for a while.
- Take a picnik
blanket or towel to sit on if you haven't got a camping chair. At least
this way you can sit on the floor without dirtying your outfit. But be
prepared to be shouted at and told to stood up during filming!!!! There
was a lot of that. Lol
- Take sandwiches, drinks etc to keep you going. There are hot food
carts around, but that'll mean needing to leave the queue, only to queue
again and then having to find your place again, and if you're on your
own, that may be difficult. So with that, I would also suggest having
someone with you if you can.
- A coat, or a warm top. It can be cold standing around all day and
the last thing you want to be doing is shivering, on top of the nerves
that you may already have.
- An ipod/mp3 player/magazine. There will be big gaps where there
isn't much going on and if you can pass the time listening to a few
tracks or reading, it will make all the difference.
What to expect when auditioning for The X Factor.
-
Expect a very, very, very long day. So be prepared.
- Expect a lot of repetition, especially whilst they are filming. The
film crew made us repeat things over and over again, so they could get
the shot they wanted. About 4 hours of filming for what will be about a
couple of minutes footage on the t.v.
- Expect to be waiting longer than expected. There was a countdown
clock for when the auditions started it was counting down from 3 hours.
When it finally got to a minute, the whole crowd started to count down
and then let out a huge cheer, followed by......... nothing. Because
nothing happened. Instead we waited for another 30 minutes or so just
to be asked repeatedly to do the count down again, so that they could
film it. Ugh.
- Once you do start moving.. finally, expect to be waiting for at
least another 2 hours, without really knowing what's going on, unless
you are in the very first group that they take in. We were sat in the
Old Trafford stadium for about 2 hours without being told what was
happening.
- Expect to be singing whilst others are singing. The booths are all
in one room and are pretty much material made pop-ups. So if you get
easily distracted, then you certainly will be here. Whilst I was waiting
for my sister, all I could hear was a muffled noise of different songs
and singers. Some really loud and not great, others were really good and
high pitched. Enough to distract anyone who is trying to concentrate.
- Lastly, and most importantly, expect to
get a no. Not because you can't sing, but because the simple fact is,
they need to get numbers down to a more manageable number, so even if
you're a fantastic singer, you're luck might just not be with you.
There were plenty of really good singers that were told 'no'.
Don't be discouraged by this, but except it. Don't be bitter, just take
with you the experience of the day and use it to your advantage if
you're planning to audition another time.
Hints and tips for people auditioning for The X Factor.
- Wear something that will make you stand
out from the crowd. They randomly pick people out of the crowd for
interviews and such. People who catch their attention are more likely to
be these people. Although there were plenty of normally dressed people
they picked too. These are the type of people that will at the very
least get put through to the auditions in front of the 'real' judges.
- Get there as early as possible. You'll get a better view of what's
going on and more likely to catch the attention of the film crew.
One last thing I would like to mention, and something that annoyed me
greatly, was the amount of litter that people left. As we were moving
round the barriers ready to go into the auditions, the litter just got
worse and worse. There was no excuse for this. There were plenty bins
around, and even if there hadn't have been, there is nothing stopping
you taking a bag for your rubbish. It's not nice to see, shows a great
lack of respect for other people and the environment, and most of all,
is just damned lazy and inconsiderate. The campers were the worst as
the front of the queue was where the most litter was.
I invite you to add your comments and if you have had the
experience of auditioning for the X Factor, share your story here,
aswell as tips for others who wish to audition.
moment.