Sometimes we stop asking because we fear our persistence will be seen as an annoyance. We think that if we keep insisting they will get tired maybe even to the point of “dropping” us, so we get frustrated thinking they arent taking us seriously. But here is the truth; you are just as responsible as they are for this vicious cycle. If when you dont get a reply you merely let it go, thinking well, I will find out eventually. Then you are giving the message, through your actions, that its OK for them NOT to answer you.

If on the other hand you insist (without ever becoming offensive or insulting) they will get the message, again through your actions, that you are someone who has to be answered. Someone who demands a response. The easiest way to do this? To simply hit the RESEND button. Your agent hasnt gotten back to you in over 2 hours responding to your question? Simply take the last email you sent with the question and click resend. Its been 4 hours? Simply Simply hit RESEND again.

Not only will you get a response if you keep doing this, but you will prevent future uncertainty (which is a cause for major stress and frustration in most actors). From now on the thoughts in their mind will be more along the lines of: “We better answer this because he will not just forget”.

And heres the funny part. All those worries about whether or not they would be annoyed by your persistence will vanish as soon as you get an answer and see the results of your assertiveness. Keep in mind that every successful filmmaker or actor WAS annoying until he could afford to pay someone to be annoying for him. And no one will think of your persistence as annoying when you are making them money, or when you are winning awards on a stage. All they will know is that moment.

Normally one shouldn’t have to wonder if the person beside them, carrying out the same job, is getting paid the same. But curiosity killed the cat as they say, and we have all been there before. You look at another actor with similar amount of text as you and question if he’s getting the same amount of money. Or another writer on the same show as you, or a director…whatever the case. The answer is most likely: NO. Lets take the first as an example: Salaries for actors have a set minimum if the project is unionized, and you will never be taken advantage of being paid less than established, but once the minimum is set, there is no bar or law that establishes equality among cast. So he or she may be earning more than you.   It mainly depends on two things: Experience and representation. Experience is more about your popularity among the industry or, in special cases, the lack of other capable of carrying out the job. If you have been in very popular shows, and your face or name is one the audience knows, then the more likely they will want you as opposed to an "Unknown". Representation all depends on how well your agent can negotiate your contract. Generally it is something we cant or don’t play a part in, but simply must trust our agent does his or her best on. After all, the more money they get us, the more money they get themselves. If they can sell you well, and know when to take a risk asking for more pay, then  the more likely you will get a higher paycheck.  The one mistake we can make is to ask others on the job how much they get paid. It is more likely to cause problems (for you, your agent, theirs, the producers or anyone else) than it is to satisfy our curiosity. If you want to know about the average paycheck, and you feel it is not (Pay attention this is crucial), I repeat NOT inappropriate because the relationship is not strictly proffesional, then you may ask how.. much they get paid for IN OTHER PROJECTS that have nothing to do with you or are in strict competiction with you. Sometimes an innocent question can lead to a lot of problems and even lawsuits that you might not want to get involved in.   For example you shouldnt ever ask another Action Movie director how much they get if you are also an Action Movie director! Find out on IMDb or ask your agent. But never ask someone about their salary directly, or even worse, ask and then go to the producers complaining because they earn more. A simple rule needs to be followed: Dont Ask, Dont Tell.

Let alone being honest and listening to a Casting Director or the reader. The worst part about this particular problem comes when the role strictly requires a certain dialect. Obviously NOTHING, not even a casting director you says they want a Standard British Accent should make you compromise the level of work and talent you put into the actual performance, so if push comes to shove, ditch the accent and make sure the performance is so good they are willing to oversee that detail. If they really love you they might work with you once you have the part.

But what is certainly very clear, is that investing in a good vocal coach and feeling comfortable with a few "type" appropriate dialects is well worth the investment either way. Some of the most common include: RP, Standard British, Russian, French, Italian, Mexican and Spanish, Southern or African.

For example, here we have a woman who feels confident enough in 21 different ones;

Now, what I really wanted to review is the "substance or lack-there-of" of this multi-million dollar investment. AVATAR rumors and hype have circulated the net and subsequently our TV screens for months. Fans have written reviews before even seeing it, and not-so-fans hated it likewise. Honestly, if forced to choose… I was in the latter group. Not that I am not a fan of James Camerons previous work. I loved Alien (all of them), Terminator, The Abyss, Titanic, and even had a soft spot for Jamie Curtis doing her awkward strip-tease in True Lies…BUT after reading and hearing so much about AVATAR I pretty much decided prematurely that it was a retold combination of "Ferngully" and "Dances with wolves" starring some very large smurfs!

Little did I know how only 15 minutes into the movie I would come to find Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of a snarky scientist with a die-hard smoking habit mildly amusing. Even the typically bland Sam Worthington gained life when inside the avatar body with the help of the FX people! And the parts of the storyline you expect and can get "cliche"  (and there are plenty) were easily overlooked. Zoe Saldana (although the least recognizable of the cast) was also funny and suprisingly exciting to watch.

Hype normally becomes a problem for moviegoers (not for the studios) because high expectations are usually not met. In this case, I think it somehow set me up for disappointment in that it made me believe it would be another substance-lacking boring-as-hell blockbuster in the same league as "Transformers 2" or "Surrogates" has  been this year. And so I was almost blown away when presented with a movie I would actually want to go pay for and see AGAIN. Here is a filmmaker who, albeit not exactly "artistic" in the pure sense, has proven me wrong in thinking all Hollywood needs to make good action movies are bombs, robots and A-listers. To Mr Cameron; I congratulate you on another great action flick.

On one of my first auditions the casting director told my manager I was good, but I was "a bit green". So, 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 didn't like you. For others it means your 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 learnt to use it.

After this, I asked around to everyone I could: What does being green mean?. Every single actor has gotten it at some point. The beginning ones get it as soon as they hand in their resume. The more experienced ones get it when they present themselves without a certain confidence generally associated with someone of their experience.

I started re-playing the audition over and over in my head because I wanted to know exactly what was pushing this CD to say that. And then I realized I had done everything right…up until I finished my audition. I had planned in my head for days how I would walk in confidently, shake their hands and do a great job (and so I did), BUT I had never thought about what would happen afterwards. So as soon as I finished and he told me how "That was a great job"…I was caught off guard, got nervous and said in what I can now only describe was an insecure teenagers' impression: "Oh, really? Did you think so? Gee, thanks…"

In a matter of milliseconds I had transformed from my character and a confident actress sure of what she is doing into a sad puppy in need for approval and eager to please. I was doomed! I walked out not giving it a second thought until I got home. Theres an old age saying that has done wonders for me in this arena after my horrid experience:

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.

As actors we are all eager to please the casting directors, our agents..etc. After all they are the ones between us and that next big gig. But coming across as unsure, hesitant or merely wanting them to like you, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Have you ever seen how cocky some of the best actors are? Not as people, but when it comes to their profession. They don't hesitate when asked how they got into character, or how they did this and that in a scene. They don't apologize for their mistakes over and over. If you believe you are a master at your craft; You will be seen as one.

Needless to say when I returned to that same CD, I put on a brave front UNTIL I walked back to my car and never heard that comment again.

Soon "Fame" will be coming to a theater near you. It was a classic, they are making it into a disgrace. Next thing you know they will be remaking "Grease" or "Pajama Party". Listen, I know we need more musicals in film, but not cheesy, formulated, unoriginal teen productions without pazazz! I love that modern days have good movies that integrate music like: Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Hairspray, Sweeny Todd…(have you noticed the best musical features come from really good theatrical musicals?)… and on the other end of the spectrum we get the Step up (1 and 2!!!!), Dance with me, You got served, Whip it and countless others that mean NOTHING when it comes down to making a good movie.

Yes, they might have great dance moves in them, good choreographies, but they are like 2 hour long videoclips! And here we have anotherone coming…(Lets hope this one is better than the aforementioned). Unfortunately sounds like another Save the Last Dance. 

Have you ever notices most of these stories revplve around Hip Hop dancers who learn classical or "formal" dance, or vice-versa? And another of my pet peeves, they dont really hire actors for most of the starring roles. Musicals used to be done by great actors who had musical abilities. Now… They get dancers who cant say a line honestly to save their life. I’d like to see these same teen "dancers" auditioning for Cats! For the full article...Click Here.

Here is a great article from Creative Review about the opening titles of classics and modern day jewels when it comes to film. Personally I have to say the 2 most iconic opening sequences from the list are any of the Bond Movie titles (who can forget those intricate and beautiful graphics and patterns intertwines with silhouettes?) and suprisingly the Pink Panther; mainly due to the catchy tome but also to the playfulness. Dudum Duddum, Duddum duddum duddum, Duddum Duduuuuuuuum. For the full article…Click Here.

If only for the brilliance of Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges this movie is a definite "Must -See". And among SOOOO many remakes or unoriginal movie concepts (Somebody say: Final Destination 4, Wolfman…) its good to see that we are also still getting those great jewels (admittedly they are mainly based on Novels so its not exactly the screenwriters who get the credit). Here is the new Ewan McGregor and George Clooney movie: The Men Who Stare at Goats.

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. Our advice here at BREAKALEGG is never think youve done enough. Even if youve gone to your classes, and if you have worked on your talent, read up on plays and scripts, auditioned wonderfully, been on time and professional…if theres more time than you thought, find something else to work on that can help you get where you want to go. Screenwriting, Directing, producing, teaching, volunteering…  For those of you who want to give filmmaking a shot, here is a great article to get you started… For the full article..Click Here.