Self taping is happening more and more. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, self-taping is when, instead of being called into a casting office for an audition, casting asks you to submit a video audition. Some actors and agents or managers also submit self-tapes when they can't get an audition for a role they want to be seen for; aka an unsolicited self tape.
The upside of self-taping is that you have far more control than you do in an audition room. You're on your own schedule, you can do as many takes as you like, and you can control things like lighting, sound, the reader, etc. The downside is that all of those things, which are usually taken care of by casting, are now your responsibility; you have to worry about more than just the acting.
So how do you do a self-taped audition that is good enough to book the job, and that won't make you crazy? Here are the most important things to know:
Read MoreI am currently extraordinarily lucky to be in my second season of a recurring guest star role on a show run by one of the best show runners in the business and some of the most crazy-professional and skilled cast and crew members I've ever worked with. So I'm learning a LOT.
Recently, we were in the middle of a take, and I screwed up a line. I pushed through and we finished, but as soon as the AD yelled, "CUT," I said "ACK! I screwed up, sorry!"
Immediately, the show's lead leaned over to me and said, "I didn't notice anything. Never admit you screwed up unless you have to." A minute later, the director came over to me, took me by the shoulders, looked me square in the eye, and said, "No apologizing. We're all in this together."
Read MoreWhile writing the last post about what your agents are for, I realized that I referred to something we haven't talked about before... establishing a quote.
Long story short, an actor's quote is akin to any other quote for professional services... it's what someone has to pay to hire you, based on how much you got paid last time.
In the early stages of your career, you'll likely work for scale (or scale plus ten, which means the production includes an extra ten percent to cover your agent's commission.) But once your agent is able to negotiate your pay above that level, you'll have a quote.
Read MoreOne of the most important things for an actor to understand, especially early in your career, is that it is not your agent's job to get you auditions. Once you really get that and start doing your share of the work, you've put yourself on the path to building the career you want.
But let's be honest. That probably leaves you thinking, "okay, so if it's not my agent's job to get me auditions, what IS their job?" Sure, we know generally that their job is to negotiate the deal when you book work, but given that so many jobs pay scale and seem to involve little negotiating, what are we paying 10% for?
Read MoreThis week, we've got a reader question. (I LOVE reader questions, so if you have one, ask away!)
So - last 2 TV auditions - I read, the CD says perfect, we smile I leave, crickets.
What happens between perfect and crickets?
Is there anyone out there who hasn't had this experience?
Didn't think so.
So there are several possible answers:
Read MoreI had the pleasure of working on a new show last week. Well, it's kind of new. I had a role in the pilot, which got picked up, and then did some reshoots, at which point I wasn't in the pilot anymore. But the showrunners said they'd find a role for me in the show, and they did! That's partly because they're ridiculously wonderful people, but I have to give myself some credit and admit that it's also partly because I always do my best to be the kind of actor people love to have on set. So let's talk about what that means in practical terms.
Read MoreOne of the worst parts of being an actor is the constant temptation to compare your career to the careers of others actors. It's a nasty habit, and one we know we should break, yet we can't stop ourselves.
One of the best ways to break this kind of habit is to look it square in the face and confront what's really going on. Because it turns out that the logic behind these comparisons is so flimsy that it falls apart when you think about it for a few minutes. So let's look at a few of the kinds of comparisons we love to indulge in:
Read MoreLast week, we talked about the fact that what books jobs isn't how well you know the lines, it's the delicious, juicy acting that happens on and between the lines. So all you have to do is get the stuff between the lines right, and let the bookings roll in, right?
Easier said than done. Because the stuff between the lines can be tricky.
Read MoreWe've talked before about nasty, self-sabotaging actor habits. But surprise surprise, there are lots to go around. So this week we're going to talk about an audition-specific nasty habit.
Holding the sides.
I've been seeing a lot of actors lately who want to try to read without their sides. When I encourage them to pick them up, they kind of say, 'yeah I know, I just want to see if I can do it.' But that's the problem. Reading without your sides is not something to strive for, because it will not help you book the job.
Read MoreWe've talked before about the ins and outs of auditioning for one-line roles. We've talked about auditioning on tape. But what about putting yourself on tape for small roles?
The challenge is in giving casting enough to get a sense of who you are and what you can do — without turning a small role into way more than it should be. The solution is definitely, unquestionably NOT to 'act more.' But what else can you do?
Read MoreHappy Friday Working Actors!
This week, we're tackling a reader question!
I just started reading your blog and I LOVE it. Not sure if you accept questions or email people with advice, but I wanted to see if you had any words of wisdom for me. I'm relatively new to LA and have been auditioning for commercials for about 9 months. I get a LOT of callbacks, I've gotten like 8 callbacks in the past month, but never book and never really get that many avails. A couple CBs have not gone my way, but for the most part I leave feeling like I delivered at least what I did during the audition if not more. When I think of the avails I have gotten, I don't remember doing anything particularly great! Have you ever been in this position? I can't think what I'm doing wrong :(
Read MoreThis week's post is late, because I was busy shooting a commercial this week. (YAY!) I'm pretty excited about this one, because it required a kind of acting that a) is really popular in commercials these days, and b) I find challenging. And since I suspect I'm not alone, I decided to write about it.
It's that thing where you don't have any lines, you're just reacting, and the decision makers want that reaction to be very "small." Or very "real." Or very "film." There are a bunch of ways to describe it, but they all mean you'll feel like you're doing nothing. And that's REALLY HARD.
Read MoreWe're 25% done with 2015. Crazy, right? But true.
How's the year been so far for your acting career? Better than the first quarter of last year? Worse? The same? (If you have no idea, that's ok to admit.)
If it's not going as well as you'd like, I have a few questions for you.
Read MoreI graduated from Carnegie Mellon in... Let's just say it was a long time ago. It was fantastic training, and I still use what I learned there every day. But when I think about which lessons were the most important, which ones seared themselves into my brain and changed me fundamentally for the better, one always jumps out:
Commit.
You know what, that deserves to be in bigger letters.
COMMIT.
Read MoreJust a few years ago, it was a safe bet that when you went in for an audition, whether it was a pre-read or a producer session, you'd be face-to-face with the people deciding your fate. Love it or hate it, you'd be greeted in the audition room by any number of people waiting to watch your performance. It felt a little like putting on a two-minute one-person show for a super small audience.
Not anymore.
Read MoreYou did the pre-read. You did the callback. You maybe even did a second or third callback or some other flavor of bonus round. And then, maybe an hour later or maybe three weeks later, your agent (or manager, or the casting director) calls and says IT'S YOU!
Now what?
Read MoreIn a perfect world, decision-makers would see each actor once and know which one to cast. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world. Often, even after you've nailed the callback, you're not done, and in those cases, I think of what comes next as the "bonus round." The bonus round can consist of a few different things.
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