The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

THE CASTING DESK (NYC MODEL SEARCH)

The following article is from the desk of a New York City CD and blogger, Andrew Weir.  Get his insider perspective on what happens behind the scenes and after the model leaves.

As a casting director in NY for the past decade, I've seen thousands of models, actors, celebrities, and real people for a wide range of projects, everything from soap to Vogue. There’s not only a constant influx of new talent out there, but we also have to keep up to date on the people who we regularly work with, since their looks are always changing too.  It is important to always stay current and be ready because you never know what job is just around the corner.

One of the tools we use to help manage the flow of information is what we call "casting notes."  They're our quick reference guide, a sort of Wikipedia about each model.  They help us keep track of who is what & what is who. The casting notes cover the basics like weight and height and describe the subtleties about someone that you don’t see straight away. It is important to look beyond the model's façade, to find out something more about the talent. I like to know their story.  What was it like growing up in Transylvania?  When did you start studying to become a concert cellist? What do you like to do? What special talents do you have?  You would be surprised by the answers.

More and more, clients are asking for talent who can bring something else to the table besides just a pretty face.  So these days we get as much info as we can when we meet the models. We record it and keep it for upcoming projects, and it has proven very effective. In addition to the photographs we take of every model, we have our casting notes - a crucial reference that can help us find that perfect match . . . I'll share with you my New Face of the moment and what interesting things I took note of.  Today we feature Tim Meiresone, a new face from Independent Men. Visit http://bit.ly/CDAndrewWeir to check out his polaroid and my casting notes.

From the desk of Andrew Weir (NYC).

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’ (PART 4)

In the article we’re discussing, the author says . . .

I know the feeling. Take Tina Fey. I do not know Tina Fey, but we’re around the same age, have similar coloring and are known for being funny—at least she is. Sometimes it really bums me out, the feeling that I Am Not Tina Fey and Never Will Be. Other times, I think about her accomplishments and kick into high gear, logging extra hours at my computer. Why do I, and others, vacillate between feeling inspired and wracked with despair?

Her question is reasonable, but more important is the realization.  In this case, that realization is an emotional roller coaster throwing the talent’s heart into his/her throat every-so-often.  Talent all know that queasy disappointed feeling that sends the mind into a pit of despair.  She goes on to explain the beautiful and horrific consequences of human nature . . .

Because excellence in others expands our sense of possibility, giving us a positive surge of energy–unless we’re too wrapped up in a knot of negative self-comparison to gain that vicarious boost, says Shane Lopez, a psychologist and senior scientist at the Gallup organization. The key is to remain “self-referential,” to allow ourselves to be moved by others while staying focused on our own path. “Self-referential people see themselves as the marker,” says Lopez. “They care about their own performance, not how they measure up compared to that guy over there. They don’t attach themselves to super successful people. They can get the boost, but they don’t see that person as a reference point or a competitor because the only competitor is the self.”

If our possibilities are greater, our achievements become dwarfed and shrink proportionately with our ego.  A smaller ego leads to disillusionment – and now we’ve started down the road to self-loathing.  What Psychologist Lopez is suggesting is that we should not base our achievements on what others are doing, but rather on what we have already achieved ourselves.  Our point of reference is then the “self.” 

Staying focused on self-growth keeps our emotional life healthy and motivated.   There will always be someone having a shining moment – and in that moment, the self-referential talent will choose to celebrate with the achiever.  Likewise in that moment, there are many others who may not be having outward success.  What we should be asking ourselves each night is - did I grow further than I have in the past?    Did I conquer a new experience?  Did I give 100% to what I did today? 

So . . . did you?

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’ (PART 3)

It’s true that looking up gets you down – at least when it comes to comparing our self-worth.

We all gauge our own success against that of others, at least in part, and we always compare up. Universal though it is, the negative comparison habit may be amplified by America’s striving spirit: Here, everyone can, and therefore should, make it to the top–or so we think. Those of us who’ve had more opportunities may wind up feeling that much worse.

The verb “should” is a scary word.  It projects the judgement and expectations of others on our own state.  The “should” pressure leads us to believing we aren’t good enough (i.e., shame) and compels us to achieve for reasons which are not self-fulfilling.

Take Cheryl Aviva Amitay, a graduate of Brown University and the University of Maryland law school. Amitay has a happy marriage, a great daughter, two older “bonus” stepsons, and a career as a lawyer near her home in Bowie, MD. Still, she’s plagued with feeling subpar compared to some of her peers.

“I read through Brown Alumni Magazine and feel a bit ill as I see how rich, famous, and influential my classmates have become,” says Amitay. “It seems like everyone and their mothers are doing interesting, meaningful, exciting things. I am just back at work, in a non-permanent, junior contract legal position, after having been laid off from a job I didn’t like but that at least had a great title. I feel like the world’s greatest underachiever who peaked senior year in high school, when I got into Brown early admission, was the school president and class clown, played drums in a band, did school plays, and was considered ‘cool’ and ‘different.’”

Based on Amitay’s picture of what was happening when her life “peaked,” we can guess that she was receiving a lot of reassuring feedback from her peers, advisors, educators, and family during this time.  Success, in her eyes, was directly related to how other’s viewed her choices, work, and accomplishments.  She isn’t the only one who measures success through the lense of others, though – we all do!  Maybe not all the time, but at least part of the time if we want to be honest with ourselves.

Your experiences – both triumphs and challenges – are experienced by others in a very different way than they are experienced by you personally.  Look at your accomplishments (or lack thereof) from last year and see them for what they truly were and are.  Someone else will likely see them differently than you, but they should be worrying about their own growth.  Uh, oh!  There’s that “should” word again!

Amitay acknowledges that her life probably looks good to others, but she’s bothered by thinking she should have been able to leverage her “wits, brass, and assertiveness” into something bigger or more extraordinary.

We are all bothered by the same worry as Amitay at some point in our lives.  We are told to aim for the stars and then be happy when we land on the moon, but if someone else actually hits a star, our moon is no longer sufficient.  Some goals are there to drive and motivate us.  Some goals are there to be attained.  The key in dealing with other people’s “should” is to keep striving for whatever the goal is that we want.  Wanting something means that it may be flexible.  As we change, our goals may change with us and that want may look a bit different from year to year.

Embrace your goals because they fulfill you!  What goals are you still actively pursuing?  What goals may need to be revamped to fit your current wants?  And what goals should you drop altogether because they aren’t really your goals at all?

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’ (PART 5)

“Ok, so I get that I shouldn’t be comparing myself to other people necessarily,” you are saying after the last blog post, “but that’s difficult.  After all, aren’t we in an industry where we are constantly being compared to other talent?”

It’s so true – it is both hard and unfair to be asked not to compared our achievements/experiences to someone else’s.  My mother’s favorite quote as we were growing up was “life isn’t fair.”   It doesn’t make me any happier to hear those words today, even knowing now that she was right.  But what does make me feel more light-hearted is knowing that we can learn to change our comparison perspective, and in learning to do so, can avoid all the hurt, disappointment, and frustrations that are the result of unfair comparisons.  (Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure my mom doesn’t read the blog, so she won’t yell at me this time.)

If you are up for the challenge, Lopez tells us the benefits of learning to be self-referential . . .

Self-referential people are more hopeful than those of us who see everyone else’s path as possibly better than our own, says Lopez. They have their own personal goals, and constantly turn their focus to those.

This kind of thinking can be destructive to other opportunities.  When your roller coaster talent world starts to take a dive, stop and ask yourself who you are comparing your achievements / opportunities / profit with.  Then stop and envision the self-referential comparison.  It will bring your focus back to achieving your goals and give you motivation to move through the hard times unscathed.  Can you learn to be self-referential?

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’ (PART 2)

Picking up from our previous blog post . . .

On those days I identify with the late Farrah Fawcett, who longed to move past Charlie’s Angels status into serious acting. People laughed—until she did The Burning Bed, which got her nominated for an Emmy award and a Golden Globe.

I’ve got more in me, too, I think.

Call it the Contender Syndrome–while this phenomenon is not a clinical diagnosis, the feeling is quite common today, especially with the proliferation of social networking and the public blaring of the fabulousness of other people’s lives.

Hollywood publicists are hired and paid well to help celebrities maintain their status by constantly being marketed to the mass public.  We can’t buy food, be entertained, or even grab a stick of gum without learning something exciting or scandalous about a celebrity face.

 “Whether it’s a 16-year-old student or 45-year-old CFO, I hear them say, ‘I’m not as successful as I should be,’ and I’m seeing it more and more,” says Jim Taylor, a psychologist in San Francisco. “It used to be that your immediate comparison group was your neighborhood or friends. Now you’re exposed to everybody who has so much. We base our happiness on our most immediate comparison group. These days, it’s the world.”

Now take a moment to stop and consider what our friend Mr. Taylor has said here.  Who would have been your comparison group in a world without mass media and social networking?  Your immediate friends and neighbors, right?  Stop reading (only long enough to do the exercise and then come back) and picture each one of them.  You can compare yourself if you feel compelled to do so, but it’s not necessary.  Just taking the time to fully realize who they are and where they are at in life should be enough.  Some will be much more successful (launching your natural contender syndrome) and some will be much less successful.  The key thing to note is that wherever a friend or neighbor falls on that scale is entirely your perspective.  Their reality may be very different than you perceive.  Whether it is or isn’t, our human nature uses this meter to define our own level of success.

Your feelings may change after thinking about it . . . and they may not.  After all, the contender syndrome is deeply ingrained and may take a focused awareness to change over time.  Doing this exercise, how do you view your own level of success currently?

THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

We’ve come far enough into 2011 that the start of the new year is finding a lot of talent steadfastly pursuing the goals that were set a few weeks ago.  Pat yourself on the back for your hard work.

More than likely your goals are concrete aspirations pertaining to your line of talent work within entertainment.  Often, a goal never set is the biggest challenge of all.  In this case, I’m talking about the safety of our mental and emotional life.  Most talent look at their accomplishments as having never been enough.  Some talent can only focus on the goals that haven’t been achieved (despite the reason).   Others are constantly patting themselves on the back for how hard they worked and telling others all of their recent growth and success.  The common ground for all of these personality types, though, is comparison.  Our competitive nature in a subjective industry asks us how we match up next to the Jones’.

An article currently published in Psychology Today does a deep analysis on our human need and the reasons behind it.  It also takes the time to help us learn to compare our growth in a more effective way; hence, avoiding the Jones’ altogether when thinking about ourselves.  In the next few blogs, I want to break down the article and help you make it personally beneficial.

Getting your career off to a great start in the new year is partially achieved through working on the craft, but it is also met by working on ourselves.  Growth as an individual can only give you more skills to add to your toolbox, after all!  When you looked back to assess last year’s accomplishments and growth, how did you rate your success as a talent?

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’ (PART 1)

Some people spend a lifetime clocking their non-accomplishments and dreaming of a big break. Here’s how to escape aspirational limbo, even if the only change you make is to your mind-set.

By Abby Ellin [published in July 2010’s Psychology Today].

I have never written a best-selling book.

I have never won a Pulitzer.

I have never reported for 60 Minutes, won a gold medal in gymnastics, or thanked my parents and God as Barbara Streisand handed me my Oscar for Best Actress/Writer/Director.

Who reading this blog wouldn’t hope to have that happen!?!

I do not have a Ph.D. or J.D. Nor, for that matter, did I spend my undergraduate years frolicking amid the ivied walls of Harvard or Yale.

I have only one home, a one-bedroom in New York City. No Tuscan villa. No French chateau. No yurt in Sonoma.

In sum, I am not living the life I expected—the life of, say, Diane Sawyer, Julia Roberts, or better yet, Barack Obama. And this bothers me.

A lot.

After a certain amount of time pursuing a goal, we all stop and wonder if we’re ever going to get there.  We have moments of doubt, moments of fear, moments of shame, and sometimes we reconsider if we even want to continue the pursuit.  If you haven’t felt these things yet as a talent, you probably will.  If you feel them now, you’re not alone.  Staying power directly correlates to success in the business of entertainment, but keeping your head and heart in track together is challenging when viewing our life from a comparison-to-others-more-successful perspective.

It’s not that I think I’m a total loser. I can hold my own at cocktail parties. I can pitch a tent. I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. I have an MFA in creative writing and I authored a book, Teenage Waistland, which was optioned by SONY Pictures.

Wow, she must be amazing!

(Not that it was ever made into a movie.)

Oh.  The pain!!  So close to success and such a let-down!  Why can’t she get a break?!?

I even saved someone’s life once–a woman had pilfered cantaloupe slices from the bulk food section of a supermarket, began choking on them, and turned to me for assistance. I called out, “Heimlich in Aisle 1! We need someone to do the Heimlich in Aisle 1!”

She lived.

On good days, my psychic resume seems fine. Other times, I’m gripped with the gnawing sensation that I haven’t tapped my full potential, that I’m not operating on all six cylinders, that I’m simply not… [well] enough. On those days I identify with the late Farrah Fawcett, who longed to move past Charlie’s Angels status into serious acting. People laughed—until she did The Burning Bed, which got her nominated for an Emmy award and a Golden Globe.

If we as talent can’t relate to Farrah Fawcett’s struggle to be able to fully spread her wings as an entertainer, there may not be much point in continuing our pursuit.  The struggle is hard because the reward is great!  Stop and take a moment to consider what Farrah might have been thinking or feeling after being so successful with Charlie’s Angels and before finally having the opportunity to show the world she could do more than they had given her credit for.  My best guess is it sounded a lot like what I hear in the office – “I just can’t get a break.  Why can’t they see that I can do this?!?”  Well, she could, so I’d guess you can, too.  Next time you get down because things are difficult, pull Farrah’s tenacious nature out and persevere!  Talent all take turns needing and being someone’s muse – I bet she’d say it was all part of the game of a talent’s life!

THE PREPARED TALENT’S TOOLBOX (WORKING THE CAMERA)

Models learn quickly how to work the camera if they are going to be successful.  Having knowledge of angles, lines, and appropriate personalities is the expertise for which a model is hired.  Actors have to learn to do the same!  Still cameras and film cameras are all recording and capturing.  Even though one picture is static while the other changes, they both require the talent to know and do their part.

In the artistic craft of connecting with others, the adage "practice makes perfect" rings true!  Learning subtle and effective movements can only be done by practice.  And being able to connect with those around you is imperative.

The best way to practice is to get involved.  That may mean starting with a less than glamorous situation.  For example, actors may not be paid as a green talent working on a student film or a young model testing with a photographer.   Doing the actual gig is only the beginning, though.  After shooting, a talent must go back through their on-camera moments and find the things that worked . . . or didn’t.

Being aware is the first step to success.  Then actively working toward avoiding the things that didn’t work and pursuing the things that did is the second step.  Keep in mind that may mean getting a third party opinion.  Some talent are never comfortable scrutinizing their own work.  Some are much too forgiving of themselves, while others may be too proud of what they’ve accomplished to find the areas where they need to improve.

In the end, the goal of every shoot is to continue improving the craft.  Practice in an educational institute means at least four years of daily training – why should talent work be any different in order to learn the skills needed to be at the top of your class?

THE PREPARED ACTOR’S TOOLBOX (MONOLOGUES)

Memorization can be challenging for some and comes quickly to others.  Whichever side of the fence a talent falls is irrelevant.  The bottom line is that anyone can memorize words on a page – it’s making them come to life that makes the actor talented!

What are the actor’s responsibilities when it comes to character development?   First, it’s the actor’s responsibility to research what they are given.  There are some defined qualities in the script for every character.  Identify the boundaries given.  Is it just a physical description?  Is there a family tree?  In what relationships is this character involved?  Where does he/she live?

Second, the actor is responsible for filling in the gaps by making strong (albeit, appropriate) choices.  If the script doesn’t dictate the character’s childhood experiences, the actor must fill in that blank by creating a backstory.  Green actors tend to be fearful of making strong choices, which gives them away in the casting room.

Breathing life into a character is a many layered event and each talent may approach doing so in their own way.  At the end of the day, all talent end up in the same place – with a fully developed character.  That developed character is who brings us to tears as the audience.  It’s the same one who motivates us to take action and who helps us work through our own baggage.  We relate to him/her.   And in doing so, that character comes alive!  As an actor, are you able to breath life into a new being?

THE PREPARED TALENT’S TOOLBOX (BEFORE THE CASTING)

In the audition and go-see process, a talent has only seconds to make a strong impression on the decision makers in order to continue moving through the selection process.  The hope is that those few seconds will turn into a booking, of course!  Knowing how to use those few seconds wisely may not end up always booking the job, but it does build solid relationships and position the successful talent to be considered for future opportunities.

There are certain qualities that you may not be able to easily change about yourself.  Obvious examples are your looks, your personality, your height, etc.  There are also variables outside of your control when it comes to the decision maker’s process and personal likes/dislikes.

Probably the only thing the talent can consistently do to position themselves well is their homework!  Know your script, your character, your setting, other related projects they’ve worked on, and maybe even the current pop culture trends that might open up good conversation!

There will be a lot of talent who may be right for the job, but only a select few of those great talent end up making an impression.  Are you setting yourself up to be professional?  And even then, are you also memorable?