ok…lets get this out of the way…. network pilot season is over….roll your eyes, stomp your feet, have your moment… now lets get back to work….. you made it through relatively unscathed…if you were lucky enough to book a pilot (and we had a few of those this year!) congrats…. if you were one of the many folks who auditioned and or tested…. that rocks…. if you were the majority of hollywood who did not…. not to worry…. pilots happen all year round… and we told you not to get that excited about this as it will just be a let down to you.
so what now…. well… for those of you who payed attention and got your tools in order…. updated photos, putting a reel together (not just a bunch of haphazard clips that no one really uses), do some great casting director workshops, getting into a good class…. then you can breath a heavy sigh of relief…. you are ready for cable season, films, potential pilot recasts. the rest of you…. really… what is wrong with you…. here is the thing….(and this is a bit like deja vu)
if you have not had new photos taken in a few years… (whether you still look the same or not…) Sometimes a new photo is just the thing that you need….keep it fresh…. that does not mean that you have to go spend thousands of dollars to do it…. but keeping things updated just makes it look like you are on your game. (you are on your game right….) and if you are going to do photos…. keep the sexy selfies on your instagram….honestly if i see one more moody head thrown to the side shot with pursed lips i am going to scream…. your pictures should be simple…. here is something that fascinates me…. the unwillingness (and mostly from women) to have an ugly shot….because god forbid someone should see you looking like shit…. i have 3 words for you –Farah…Fawcett…Extremities…..show folks you can play the victim (or the bad ass) – i have no doubt you can play the party girl…. show us more depth…. be more interesting…guys… this applies to you as well…..
video clips….i don’t care what other folks tell you… I can tell you if you have 25 clips up…. chances are i may hit one…. or two if they are labeled well…otherwise put a damn reel together….seriously…..you have a lot of stuff…ok…do 2 – one funny – one not – i don’t care… but when i see a lot of clips….. and a lot of them are really old… i start to lose interest…because i assume you have lost interest.
putting your reels up on Actors Access….i love when i hear an actor say… send them a link to my site…. my reel is up there… uhmmmmm no…. the thing that makes actors access great… that is how a majority of folks already do business…. keep that updated, with the correct info, status, and reels…. then everyone’s life is easy… why would you want to complicate things… if you make it difficult for folks they will get bored fast…. and move on to the next one!
giving and taking advice from actors…. if you have an actor friend (or you are that actor friend) that feels you should be getting or giving advice…. i have a suggestion for you…. STOP!!! everyone’s path is different…. period. what worked for you may not work for someone else…. and vice versa…. if you know someone that is doing things that are similar to what you are doing…. tell your story… fine… but please….. just leave it at that…. if in fact you can’t help yourself…. then perhaps you should think about going into management…. i am in the process of writing a book… you can read it… start your own company… and advise away… and if you are the actor that has taken the advice….and then something goes wrong (because maybe they didn’t really know everything….) i suppose you are going to want me to clean up that mess… happy to do it…why… BECAUSE THAT IS MY JOB…. so… before you give or get advice from an actor… please, please, please consult a professional first….
And since this is on par with giving and taking advice…. don’t always be so quick to listen to folks who have partial info. I am astounded at how often I hear someone has a friend who works on a show…. and they take that friends word as law. Unless your friend is the writer, director, creator, producer and casting director…. they don’t have all the info…. don’t make assumptions based on this…. it will drive you crazy – it will drive you reps crazy!!
lets talk about casting….on occasion parts are put out and auditions are given even though there may be an offer on the table. And you may be asked to read for something under those circumstances. Casting offices have their reasons for doing it – what if the offer falls through…..what if they really do need a plan B….don’t try and second guess what is going on with casting (they are their own rare breed….) and what if the person who was originally going to get the role does the deal…. and you did a FANTASTIC job as well. They will remember you…. not just for doing a good job….but….for stepping up to the plate.
and since we are talking about casting…. if you get called into a room and you look at the breakdown and it is nothing like you…. wrong age….wrong color…wrong size…. call your rep and check it out… you may be the ringer…. casting didn’t just pick your name out of hat…. they saw your picture… and your resume…. maybe…just maybe…. they want to show the character in a different light…. but here is something weird… that is their call… not yours… go in and knock it out of the park…. be the one they remember… and if you don’t book it because it went to the person who looked exactly like the breakdown…. chances are you made a fan with the casting office!! (you are here to act right? why would you constantly second guess everything?)
now go be a rockstar
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