If you're wondering what it takes to make it in the acting field, you
need to ask yourself one very important question before you begin: Why
do you want to become an actor? If you answer is that you want to be
rich and famous, you should stop right now. Like any art, acting takes
hard work and passion for the craft. The business can be gruelling and
almost always involves a lot of rejection. There are thousands of actors
who work constantly, but are never known by name. They keep at their
art because they love it. If you are going to become an actor, so should
you.
Every day and adventure in life is your stage as an actor. Any kind of life experience can benefit your acting talent as long as
you learn from it. While you need solid, tangible roles and training to
build your resume, any project that you undertake that helps you reflect
on yourself can be considered a victory. There's no substitute for work
experience and training, but life experience adds the seasoning that
makes a better actor. Pay attention to all that happens in your life --
good and bad. Living your life fully and with open eyes will make any
role you play richer and more real.
Commercial Print Instructor, Scott Powers provides information that just may help advance your career.
How ridiculous. What's that got to do with their success? A lot
more than you think. There are many elements that go into the making of a
successful career and a career profile and this is an unusually
important one. It's always part of a successful actor's career.
They
learned a long time ago that hiring is subjective. How competitive it
is, how many clones of themselves there are out there. How to get the
upper hand? Shave points in their favor? In a business notorious for the
"me, me, me" syndrome by too many less than courteous individuals, they
turned it around: choosing to focus on how to help the person who can hire them or
represent them and show appreciation back. They didn't HAVE to be called
in, after all, and they have never lost sight of that.
That's
why they find ways of thanking those who are in a position to hire them
or represent them. In person during an audition or interview - Thank
You! Or, Thanks for giving me this opportunity! and then again in a
postcard and/or email after that audition or interview. You would be
amazed how a little appreciation goes a long way. You catch more flies
with honey than you do with vinegar.
There may also
come a day when you might need a favor from one of "them." If someone's
been consistently appreciative, "they" will be far more willing to do
that much needed favor. "They" may be less inclined to do something like
that for a taker.
Lesson to be learned: two words pack a
big wallop in this business: Thank You. Find a way to use them as often
as possible. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the results that start
coming your way.
Leave the boatload of excuses,
attitude, bitterness, meanness, self-entitlement, revengefulness and
other manifestations of negativity outside the door. "They" have their
own set of problems, "they" don't need or want yours. Why do you think
therapists were invented? They get paid to listen to peoples' problems
and tales of woe, all wrapped up in a thunder cloud of negativity, for a
price.
PS: What's the companion to "Thank You?" "Be nice." So simple. Be nice to those who can hire or represent you.
PPS:
What's the companion to the companion? We heard this from an actor we
recently booked on a movie: "Thank you for the work." Those words cut
through all the day's clutter. A beam of white light. So sweet. We
stopped to appreciate what we just heard. And we'll hire him again.
Too
often you don't know who can help you or who can hurt you. There is not
one actor out there who cannot be replaced. We see this in action every
day. Make "them" want to hire you, to be part of their universe. We
track actors' successes (or failures) and these principles are always in
their successes, or missing in their failures.
You have the choice. We all write our own books. Your book should be on the Best Seller list,
not on the remainder pile. And, you can do it. And as a parting little
secret, there are more "industry people" out there who are behind you -- rooting
for you and want you to succeed -- than you would ever know. Now go knock
it out of the park.
These two words can open up
endless opportunities and most importantly create a domino effect on
society.
What have you experienced after saying the words "Thank you"?
With only a couple of days away from the 85th Academy Awards, the intensity is at a high. As showtime is quickly approaching and viewers plan for Oscar parties, the Red Carpet, and performances, nothing can compare to the moment the winners are announced. The question is, who amongst the nominees has what it takes to take home the gold?
Here is a list of the Nominees:
Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables"
Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master"
Denzel Washington in "Flight"
Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin in "Argo"
Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master"
Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"
Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Argo which is based around the Iran hostage crisis of 1980, is
the true story of six Americans who barely escape the United States
embassy after being overrun by an army Iranian rioters.
After escaping, the Americans take refuge inside Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor’s (Victor Garber) house. They remain stuck there for two years before CIA operativeTony Mendez (Ben Affleck) developes a plan to get them out as a American film crew scouting for shooting locations. [Read the full review on Shorthorn.com.]
Critics have said that Argo is probably one of the best drama films of the year. The movie will keep you on the edge of your seat with its suspense, drama and humor. Considering its success, Argo is nominated for seven Oscars for the 85th Academcy Awards show. It's comes as no surprise that Argo has its number of nominations, however; I question whether or not they will win all seven. To find out if they do, tune into the ABC Channel on Sunday February 24th, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Is Argo going to win all seven nominations? If not, which nominations should Argo win?
What can you do to book more jobs? Every talent asks this question and although a lot is dictated by outside variable and other decision makers, some of the easiest things a talent can do are frequently overlooked or dismissed as unimportant. You are already working on your skill set, building your resume or reel, and developing a bigger network of contacts. What else matters?
Here is a list of simple things that successful talent do on a daily basis that set them apart from their peers:
1.) Pick up the phone. The talent on The Avenue's roster who book the most work consistently
answer the phone when the agency calls. It may sound trite, but being able to access a talent quickly means being able to respond to the client more quickly -- and in many cases, the early bird books the job. Case in point, last week I called a talent and left a message early in the morning. I didn't hear back from the talent until very late that night. The job had already been booked and the late caller not only lost the opportunity, but lost a little of my confidence. As an agent, we want to know to that we can count on the talent to do their part of our partnership, so the talent who readily respond are always going to be our go-to pick when we are in a pinch!
2.) Follow directions. You always follow directions right? Of course, you do! Well,
you mean to anyway. Best intentions aren't good enough when it comes to following directions. As an independent contractor, you have many different clients asking for similiar things with different details. Should you bring 1 headshot or 3. Did you wear black pants when you were supposed to wear khaki? Can the CD count on you to listen and then nail their direction in front of the director? I recently witnessed a well-meaning and very talented actor submit a taped audition for a big role. The audition was phenomenal, but the file was not sent according to the directions that had been given. Casting did not realize the tape was there until after the role had already been cast. A very sad day for the talent who nailed the audition and was never even considered for the part -- and now has created the impression with casting that he/she can't follow directions.
3.) Be able to submit a taped audition from home -- immediately! Our digital age is exciting
and has opened up opportunity to a lot of actors outside of the biggest markets. Those who are self-reliant and respond quickly are booking work all over the place! The talent who rely on another person, another person's technology or expertise, or even someone they hire for help are missing the boat. Sure, your agent may be willing to tape you, but do you really WANT them spending time burning down audition tapes? No, they should be working to get you more opportunities! Self taping has become so simple that every home has access to some sort of video recording and computer burning device. It may vary from person to person, but the end result is the same. The talent who don't make excuses and figure out a way to make it work are the talent who are working. They are also the talent who the agent is going to call first and when under pressure or time deadlines. Don't you want to be that first call?
4.) Be willing. This is an industry of unknowns. Models are doing taped submissions for jobs today as often as actors are. The models who are willing to try working with a video camera instead of a still camera are the models who are working. And the added bonus is that a lot of them are booking jobs that pay residual, which means they are making a lot more money than they have in the past. Being flexible and willing to try something that you
Sometimes your bottom line profit is about more than your abilities as a model or actor. In this high drama industry, everyone is looking for the easiest way to keep their set functional and friendly. Are you making their life easier and giving yourself an advantage?
The hallmark holiday of love is heated topic in entertainment. As consumers, we tend to either make it a grandiose holiday or ignore it altogether. Rather than doing either extreme, have you thought about how passionate you are towards your career? Or maybe what emotions the valentine's holiday conjures up for you? These are great questions to take stock of now for future characters, story lines, or shoots! Or could you just use the holiday to get a whole lot of hits on YouTube and become an overnight sensation?
So this is the industry asking politely . . . will you be it's Valentine?
In this TED talk by Supermodel Cameron Russell, we get to live from the model's point of view the true power of beauty and the entertainment industry. Her disarming appeal and approach will win you over! Think that modeling is the career path for you?
She majored in economics and political science at Columbia University. She is involved in charitable organizations and gives her time as a model to give back to her community.
At this year's holiday party, The Avenue's talent were given an open
forum to record whatever came to mind. With no preparation or
forewarning, many brave souls were willing and vulnerable enough to
share a piece of holiday spirit with us. In the following blogs, we
will share their video choices and YOU will get to decide which video
will win! The lucky winner will be announced after all videos have been
posted and can pick up their prize from myself at The Avenue. So tell
your friends, share on facebook, and tweet away -- will it be you?
Talent are known for beating themselves up, but Caleb takes it to a whole new level. Someone help this kid!
To vote for Caleb, Jeremy & Katie, or May, leave a comment below. The video with the most comments will be announced next week, so check back. Did you pick the winner?
At this year's holiday party, The Avenue's talent were given an open
forum to record whatever came to mind. With no preparation or
forewarning, many brave souls were willing and vulnerable enough to
share a piece of holiday spirit with us. In the following blogs, we
will share their video choices and YOU will get to decide which video
will win! The lucky winner will be announced after all videos have been
posted and can pick up their prize from myself at The Avenue. So tell
your friends, share on facebook, and tweet away -- will it be you?
Are you fearless? These talent are! Every opportunity is an exciting experiment, and some of the best just happen naturally when we aren't hindered by our own fears. Vote by leaving a comment about your favorite video below. Will you make David, Heather, Stephanie, Jacob, or Joel our winner?
