For the daily needs of actors trying to make it big!!!
On one of my first auditions the casting director told my manager I was good, but I was “a bit green”. What the hell does that mean? Well, its still not very clear. For some its a simple excuse not to get into detail about WHY they didnt like you. For others it means their lack of experience is preventing them from hiring you even though you have talent, and for others, its a matter of a lack of talent or not having leart to use it.
As actors we are stuck with alot of “in-between gigs” periods. All that time when there arent many auditions and bills still need to get paid. When your career seems at a standstill sometimes you need to find new ways to CREATE opportunities. The most common and well known example of how this works is Sylverster Stallone, who wrote “Rocky” with the intention of creating for himself a good role that would showcase his talents. Im not saying your next script will be a big hit, but isnt it worth a try? It might even open up a new side of you that you werent aware of.
The other day I was reading this article on Unclutterer (for the full article…click here.) and it really struck a chord. In the extremely competitive business that is acting…auditions anyone?… how often do we feel the need to best others? To look better, perform better, act better, prepare better…basically BE better?
In this video, professional voice instructor Jennifer Rutherford of International School of Music, and private teacher in Bethesda Maryland, describes how to prepare for a competition like American Idol, or any other audition. Some tips on preparation, vocal health, song choice, and audition etiquette are covered. Warm ups are also suggested and demonstrated with student [...]
Generally speaking, actors are normally too apologetic about themselves or their craaft. We tend to victimize ourselves somehow (specially at auditions) because we feel lucky to be given a chance, or time, or a meeting, so we value other peoples time more than our own. How many times have you been at an audition, had [...]
“What the heck did she say?”
Leaving a decent phone message seems like it would be a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately, not always. All too often Mr. Mumbles, Ms. Fast-Talker, and Mrs. Nocontactinfo leave messages. Yet the difference between a good message and a bad one might mean landing that next role or not. Casting directors and [...]
Lately there have been alot of blogs covering the story about “My Life In Ruins” actress Nia Vardalos’ comments about movies about women. Amongst these times its always good to look at the facts. I believe with them in hand you can either accept reality, confront it or change it armed with knowledge. Here is a post from Women and Hollywood blog about these statistics:
As actors we will have plenty of occasions to speak in public: award shows, thank-you speaches, interviews, but mainly our day to days: auditions. We need to know how to adress the room full of people who might end up giving you your next big break! So it is of utter importance to know “how” to get rid of your fears of public speaking, or atleast learn how to “fake it”.
Backstage has a great article based on several interviews to managers and industry proffessionals. They comment what it is they look for in prospective clients, how they expect them to behave, what really matters and ow a typical meeting goes. For the full article…Click Here.
How do you stand out?
This is the biggest thing in auditioning as far as I’m concerned. It’s sometimes hard to fathom just how many people the casting folk have to see on a daily basis. The same is true for the university admissions folk as well. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people that want to be actors and as a general rule,
Here is a very interesting comment from “Actor Growth” about how you only get one chance to make a great impression. Do you agree? I personally believe it isnt until the SAME casting director sees you SEVERAL times that he will choose to make a gamble on you. Think about it this way: would you hire someone who was good but a complete unkown to you? Or would ou rather hire someone good but that you have seen perform well in several occassions, has proven to always be on time, have a nice attitude and always have his sides memorized prior to the audition?
Backstage (as always) offers us an article on that one list you never want to be on as an actor. How to avoid it, how to deal with it if you already are… For the full article...Click Here
If you haven’t heard of it, it goes something like this: A young actress moves to Hollywood to start her acting career. She takes some classes, gets an agent and books a role on a TV show. Then she books another small part and another and another. Maybe a dry spell here or there, but first year out of the gate and she ends up booking a good dozen or so roles…
Gen Yers are often ridiculed for their desire to get to the top fast. Most of us feel, however, that there is nothing wrong with being young and ambitious. But, if you’re making the choice to be on the fast track, be prepared; it’s not all fun and games:At Actorfest NY, the experts were asked what they consider pitfalls at auditions. Here is a video of things to do and AVOID during an audition.I think one of the most significant is when an actor argues creatively with a CD. NO NO!!! Our job is to take direction and use it, not argue it.
As far as tools for actors go, I think a P.O. box is often overlooked: they’re useful and can even solve a few problems…
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to hand out my home address to every potential contact, actor, CD, Agent…
Most of us write emails everyday. Agents, CDs, Producers, directors, teachers, fellow actors… So, why don’t we put the same care into our emails as our other communications? The way you present yourself on writing also says alot about you so dont just jot down the first things that come to mind. Below I share some guidelines on writing an excellent email. Before I go further, I want to say that these tips are assuming that you are sitting in front of your computer typing a business email. Emails from mobile devices are a different story for a different post…
Everyone needs to eat. And pay bills, and classes, rent, gas…etc. But as an actor you have to be careful with what “Day Job” you get. Not only because you run the risk of it taking up valuable time from your objective, but also because in BREAKALEGG we think ANY job that doesnt give you some sort of knowledge or advantage over other actors is a complete waste of time. Here are 10 great options of jobs that allow you to be flexible with hours or more importantly, can give you great insight into the industry. At the end of the day, it is where you are planning to be anyways…right?
Great article of “Petermans Eye” on character actors and their amazing contribution and sometimes belittled rewards… for the full article… Click Here.
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