The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

RELATIONSHIPS ARE FOREVER (THE CASTING DIRECTOR)

Relationships within the industry can be challenging as we’ve seen, but sometimes it isn’t about being simple or difficult as much as it has to do with timing. 

 

We put an actor on our roster who was new in town.  He had a good skill set, interesting look, diverse character look, and a professional focus that made working with him a piece of cake.  Needless to say, this actor was someone for whom I was willing to go to bat when push came to shove. 

 

All that said, I was disappointed when he wasn’t as well received by CDs and clients as I had expected.  The first few months were frustrating, which we both felt and discussed.  After some trouble shooting, he took advantage of the opportunity to get new images.  They adding significantly to his marketing materials, and it was one of those newer images that finally caught a CD’s eye.  In the throws of a last minute movie casting, the new (and more appropriate to the character’s role) image that I sent in made an impression. 

 

He didn’t get the role.  So there are two perspectives to consider – whichever one you choose will tell a lot about your future as a talent.  The first perspective could be “all that for nothing” since he didn’t book the job.  (The insider story you’re not aware of is that the role was cut from the script, so the result isn’t a reflection of his abilities.)  This is a discouraging way to see things.  If you choose this view, you will carry that negative energy into the next casting with you and it will slowly bring you down until your career implodes.

 

The second perspective is one that the actor won’t ever directly experience, but as his agent, one with which I can encourage him.  After that impression, the CD has asked for this actor by name many times.  The CD now believes that he is an A list actor and wants to read him whenever possible.  That one moment that didn’t turn into a booking, did produce an open and revolving door for the actor to and from this powerful CDs casting studio.  Considering where he was for months prior to that, this was a huge step in the right direction.  Now it’s just a matter of time before he reads for the right role and is launched into the success he’s been working so hard to achieve!

The myth that someone is catapulted into superstardom overnight can be discouraging to the talent who works day in and day out trying to achieve their dream.  How long are you willing to pursue your goals and how do you keep yourself focused and grounded when you get discouraged?

RELATIONSHIPS ARE FOREVER (PRODUCTION)

Remember how I said talent sometimes try to make things more simple, but usually end up causing things to become more difficult?  Good intentions can be irritating to the producer or production manager who have spent so much of their time prepping in order to have a smooth set.  And when multiple talent are involved – adding multiple confusion and questioning direction out of place – it compounds the level of frustration.  More frustration on set, means a tougher day for you as the talent!

 

Knowing your place in the bigger picture of a production or the industry as a whole is imperative.  I once had a child actor whose mother interfered with intense debate on set between the director, ad agent, and producer.  Her intention was not meant for ill, but the child was forever black balled from all companies associated with the production - an unfortunate, albeit well intentioned, mistake!

 

So what is your place as a talent?  It’s to do your homework, know your stuff (script, purpose, angles, client needs, etc), and to follow direction.  You are a creative mind, so you will likely have some creative ideas when production encounters a hurdle to jump through.  Keep your ideas to yourself.  The only time it’s appropriate to share your suggestion or opinion is when you are asked directly to do so.

 

Every so often, I am lucky enough to get an email or call from production going out of their way to praise a talent.  I have to admit these are the moments that fuel me through the rough patches, as an agent.  (There is a parental pride that swells up inside me.)  Business-wise, however, it’s a simple matter of psychology.  After having paid a talent for their work, if someone takes the time to initiate positive feedback, that talent is ensured a lifetime of “preferred status” within that production company.

 

Have you ever received positive feedback from a set?

 

RELATIONSHIPS ARE FOREVER (WE'RE ALL CONNECTED)

The Casting Director is commonly viewed from a skewed perspective.  He/She most definitely wants to see the new face, even though the seasoned talent was greeted by name and with warm body language.  The CD also wants you to succeed every time you’re in front of the camera.  And although the CD doesn’t necessarily pick who the client books, he or she can have influence and the final say on whether your audition ever makes it to the client’s desk.  If it isn’t evident, the relationship you develop with a CD is pivotal to your success.

 

Talent tend to chit chat in the casting office.  Not surprisingly, they talk to other talent about what they have in common – the industry.  What is surprising, however, is the lack of filter practiced when industry ears are all around.  Talent frequently report things they have heard other talent do or say at auditions.  Casting assistants always share with the CD what the talent mentioned in the waiting room.  It gets around to agents, coaches, other CDs, producers, photographers, crew members . . . and the seemingly harmless statement that “Friday was a long day on set with ‘such-and-such’ director” becomes the talent having condemned the artistic direction of the one individual who could book them over and over again in the future.  Another example is the talent talking on set about the casting that brought them to the booking they are working on.  Misinformation (or accurate portrayals) get back to the CD and that talent will find themselves not welcome back in the casting office. 

 

True, there will be times you wish things turned out differently than they did. And true, you can probably find the weak link that caused the frustration.  But calling it out or putting in your two cents where it wasn’t requested is only going to burn bridges and create hard feelings.  Keep your critique to yourself, or if necessary, express it only to your agent, who can help you better cope with the situation in the future.

 

You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.  From where I sit, I frequently get to see talent make tremendous first impressions that follow them for years to come.  Some of these first impressions are positive and some negative, but once made, the talent has set the stage for their opportunities henceforth.  Sounds scary, but only the lazy or thoughtless talent should fear making a bad first impression.  With the right guidance from your agent and preparation done on your part, you are guaranteed a positive first encounter every time.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE FOREVER (THE AGENT)

Everyone who knows anything about entertainment will agree that the #1 factor in any talent’s success is their ability to have positive relationships.  Surprisingly, this can be a challenge for the more dramatic personalities who haven’t learned how to professionally handle conflict, discussion, and personal opinion.

 

As we’ve agreed, the agent and talent relationship is a partnership.  Anyone who has ever joined forces with another human being in any respect learned quickly that partners will have different views, opinions, experiences, ideas, and even visions at times.  The partnership a talent builds with their agent is going to face challenges, uncomfortable disagreements, and moments of doubt on both sides.  Like any union, the only way the relationship will profit long term is if both parties are willing and committed to identifying and working through the rough patches to find a mutually beneficial solution.

 

Rough patches or fields of daisies, the relationship you maintain with your agent says a lot indirectly and makes the rest of the industry confident in your commitment to their projects.  Far too often the talent decides that being passive-aggressive or non confrontational will be a better choice than putting forth the effort to solidify a relationship that might have experienced difficulty.  Talent who show that they are only interested in their own personal gain, act dishonestly, or go out of their way to be harmful verbally or professionally will reap the consequences of their actions more immediately than they will likely realize.  Everyone is connected by only a few degrees of separation. 

 

Casting Directors, for example, frequently refuse to see multi-listed talent (talent who have been submitted by more than one agent as representation).  The same CD who might want to read you for a movie, also wants to maintain a positive relationship with the agencies with whom they partner.  If that CD has to burn bridges to get to you, there is always another talent in your demographic they can see instead.  Additionally, knowing where to find the talent who has created a positive relationship with a client is crucial to the quick pace that casting and production sometimes need to take.  A committed agent will know how to get in touch with the requested talent quickly and effectively. In the end, everyone prospers!

THE TALENT'S NETWORK

A recent conversation with a working model and actor in our region brought to light the value and payoff in building a profitable network.  Clients ask for this talent by name and discuss her work on set with other clients.  Her professionalism and the quality of her work on set has guaranteed return clients and recurring roles. 

 

In the industry, we call this a direct booking, meaning the talent does not have to audition for the role in order to be booked.  Working models can be direct booked based on images in their portfolios.  Supermodels are direct booked by name.  Even the beginning model can be direct booked once he/she has built a solid and professional relationship with a client.  Actors can be direct booked, but these instances are less frequent since there are scripts involved.

 

The payoff that every green talent dreams of achieving is to become a working actor and/or model.  Being a working actor or model means you are making over 50% of your income from working as a talent.  In business classes, we are taught that a new business will take on average 3-5 years just to achieve a profit.  (A profit doesn’t mean the business has reached it’s full potential; it merely means the business no longer owes more than it makes.)

 

The majority of our readers are probably not yet at this level, but breathe deeply knowing that it took the aforementioned talent over 15 years to get to this stage.  For the vast majority of the talent pool, this timeline will be similar. 

A TALENT'S PRACTICE PHONE SCRIPT

 

Below is an example phone script for you to use when practicing for your new phone technique.  Don’t just assume your voice is charming because people have worked with you in the past or like you in person. 

 

We strongly encourage you to try this test!

 

Call your own voicemail service and leave a message just as if you were calling an industry professional.  Make it at least a sentence or two so that you have enough to gather clarity from and then reach your voice-mail back to see how you sound.

 

Try this scipt:

"Hi this is "YOUR FULL NAME". I am calling to speak with "CONTACT PERSON" because I have a quick question for him/her.  I am following up from a sit down meeting we had on "EXACT DATE".

 

Could you hear yourself well? Did it make sense? Were you Articulate, Audible and "to the point"?  Make phone interaction painless and save time in the process!

 

A TALENT’S PHONE PRESENCE

Your phone presence is like “stage presence.”  If you have it, you are interesting to watch.  If you don’t, people find someone else to watch.  Here are some keys from a CD’s desk on how to be well-received via phone.  (Note:  These clues are meant for phone interaction with agents, stylists, production managers, or anyone else you encounter.)

 

His words . . .

What you say is only half the battle, how you say it is the other half.  In other words if we cannot hear you clearly or if you speak too fast it doesn't matter what you say.  It seems people often say things in a manner that is directly correlating to a "stream of consciousness".  We not only need informative and concise information, but information that can be easily notated in one sentence. Try keeping these three things in mind when making phone calls to industry professionals:

1.)  Articulate

Articulate your words (especially your name) so that we don't have to make you repeat it which wastes both of our time

2.)  Be Audible

Make sure you are Audible; speaker phone/ear pieces are not a wise choice; we cannot help but be frustrated when someone calls and it sounds like they are talking to us from across a 30 foot room.  Don't be shy, use that strong acting voice you were given and if you aren't normally very loud then FAKE it... Hey you're an actor right!? 

3.)  Get "To The Point"

Don't waste time (time is money) tell us who you are, why you are calling, and who you are calling for.  It is rare that the person that answers the phone is the person you are trying to reach so making that first correspondence as stream-lined as possible will help both of you.

-- Casting Director, Scott Powers

 

Now that you have the ingredients, practice on your voicemail so that you are prepared and professional when someone important is on the line!