The Jerry Seinfield show used to say their show was a show about nothing. The same might very well be said about this blog entry, as it is somewhat of a jumbled collection of thoughts, happenings, and other things that move through my life.
LA weather is usually great until it isn't. I found that out last week when on two successive days the high temperature was ninety eight one day and over a hundred the next. Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over, as the daily high temperature quickly fell into the sixties.
Day after tomorrow I have another acting lesson in Hollywood. It may be my last one for a few weeks, as my acting coach will be out of town for a while pursing his interests in Seattle and Chicago. As always I can expect the lesson to be fairly intense, as he is not at all shy about putting you through the paces. If one is looking for an easy "Oh that was so wonderful" type of acting coach, he's not it, and that is exactly why I like him, and why I feel I progress as an actor with every lesson I take from him. As I have said before, I don't often reveal names in this blog, such as acting coaches, casting directors, product names in commercials, and so forth. However, some of my actor friends know who my acting coach is, and to them I say, study with this man every chance you get, and you will become a better actor for having done so.
This past Friday I had a very enjoyable evening with Bill Thomson and his wife, Bill being a very influential music professor from my college days. Bill went on to serve on the faculty of several universities, before becoming the Dean of Music at USC. Bill gave a talk to a large audience about the history of jazz in the LA area. His talk was fascinating, and was followed by a buffet, and then by a good jazz quartet, fronted by an excellent alto sax man. I finished the evening back at the Thompson's house (in Pasadena), where over a glass of good wine, the three of us talked about music, college days, jazz, and what have you. It was a fun evening.
This coming Sunday, I shoot my scene (yes, I have but one) in the film in which I play an embarrassed priest. I got very lucky in the location for Sunday's shoot, as it's in Sherman Oaks, which is less than ten miles from where I live. I could easily travel sixty or seventy miles from where I live and still be in the LA area. Sometimes life hands you a little luck, I guess.
Well, you were warned that this was really a blog entry about nothing, but the good news is that it's fairly short. Perhaps I'll have more pertinent things to say in my next entry.
Later........
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Actor's Ladder Of Success - LA Style
Not only do actors in LA come in all shapes sizes, nationalities, and ages, they all stand on different rungs on the ladder of success. I'm not going to try and tell you how many rungs are on that ladder, as quite frankly, I don't know. I suspect the number of rungs on that ladder change depending on who is discussing them. I have also been in LA long enough to know that how I see things now, may not necessarily be the way I will see things, as I become more experienced in the ways of Hollywood.
However, I can identify some of the major rungs on that elusive ladder of success so many of us are climbing. First, and most obvious are the top and bottom rungs of the ladder. At the top, are the established stars. They command huge salaries per picture, they sometimes delve into the production end of things (like George Clooney), and they sometimes direct (like Clint Eastwood). They have arrived. They are the standard. They have set the bar. At the opposite end of that ladder, is the bottom rung of people who almost never get cast in anything. Bless their hearts, they try, sometimes for years, but for whatever reason, it just never falls their way. I'm excluding newcomers like myself from being on any rung, since it takes probably at least a year to find even your starting place in this town. So we newcomers must first find the ladder and then begin our climb.
On the next rung up the ladder are those people who work in various projects (usually non union) like small commercials, independent films (short and feature) and so forth. As I said, I don't yet consider myself to be standing on any rung on that ladder, but I may at least have a hand hold on the rung I just mentioned, on the strength of a commercial I recently shot, and because of the small part I have in a non union film, which is shooting over the next two weeks.
Above that rung are the people who work fairly regularly. Some may be non union, but most are union, and they have carved out a reputation for themselves which keeps casting directors bringing them in for auditions and often casting them in small parts, sometimes in major films and television productions, other times in lesser productions. Strangely, there are a few in this group who do mainly extra work. Again, they have become known by the people who cast extras, they have an interesting look, and they are reliable. They are professional extras (almost all of whom are SAG, AFTRA, etc.) and work quite steadily.
On the next rung are the people who work larger parts in films and TV shows. They are not the guest star on a TV show, or even the second guest star, but play the judge, the girlfriend or wife, the detective asking questions, the bartender with the friendly ear, the doctor talking with the family after an operation, the first lieutenant to the crime lord, and so forth. They work enough that you recognize their face when you watch television or go to the movies, but you just can't quite remember their name.
Next, are the guest stars on television, and maybe they also are seen as the third lead in a film, or in a strong character role. You certainly recognize these actors and many times you do remember their names. They have become known quantities. They have arrived, but are still a couple of rungs from the top.
Then you have the recognizable actors who get the second billing in films. Most do well financially, are respected actors, and are just a short stones throw from the top rung. Some are older character actors, while others are lead types who will be the next generation on that very top rung.
Of course being on any rung is not permanent. All of us who are not on the top rung, are striving to get to the next rung, and then the next and so forth. The people who occupy the top rung are striving to stay there. And, of course, a few icons, are on the top rung for as long as they care to be. They are permanent fixtures. Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Tom Hanks, and many others are permanent residents of that rung. Paul Newman was a permanent fixture there until his death.
Some people go up the ladder, some go down, some fall off, and some get off the ladder by choice, as their interests change. Occasionally, a newcomer to town hits the ladder and whizzes straight to the top. It's rare, but it happens.
So, with my feet still on the ground, but with a hand clamped around one of the lowest rungs on that ladder of success, I am but one of thousands determined to see if I can climb it, and if so, how far. Whatever the outcome, I have already learned, it's quite an amazing journey.
More to come........
However, I can identify some of the major rungs on that elusive ladder of success so many of us are climbing. First, and most obvious are the top and bottom rungs of the ladder. At the top, are the established stars. They command huge salaries per picture, they sometimes delve into the production end of things (like George Clooney), and they sometimes direct (like Clint Eastwood). They have arrived. They are the standard. They have set the bar. At the opposite end of that ladder, is the bottom rung of people who almost never get cast in anything. Bless their hearts, they try, sometimes for years, but for whatever reason, it just never falls their way. I'm excluding newcomers like myself from being on any rung, since it takes probably at least a year to find even your starting place in this town. So we newcomers must first find the ladder and then begin our climb.
On the next rung up the ladder are those people who work in various projects (usually non union) like small commercials, independent films (short and feature) and so forth. As I said, I don't yet consider myself to be standing on any rung on that ladder, but I may at least have a hand hold on the rung I just mentioned, on the strength of a commercial I recently shot, and because of the small part I have in a non union film, which is shooting over the next two weeks.
Above that rung are the people who work fairly regularly. Some may be non union, but most are union, and they have carved out a reputation for themselves which keeps casting directors bringing them in for auditions and often casting them in small parts, sometimes in major films and television productions, other times in lesser productions. Strangely, there are a few in this group who do mainly extra work. Again, they have become known by the people who cast extras, they have an interesting look, and they are reliable. They are professional extras (almost all of whom are SAG, AFTRA, etc.) and work quite steadily.
On the next rung are the people who work larger parts in films and TV shows. They are not the guest star on a TV show, or even the second guest star, but play the judge, the girlfriend or wife, the detective asking questions, the bartender with the friendly ear, the doctor talking with the family after an operation, the first lieutenant to the crime lord, and so forth. They work enough that you recognize their face when you watch television or go to the movies, but you just can't quite remember their name.
Next, are the guest stars on television, and maybe they also are seen as the third lead in a film, or in a strong character role. You certainly recognize these actors and many times you do remember their names. They have become known quantities. They have arrived, but are still a couple of rungs from the top.
Then you have the recognizable actors who get the second billing in films. Most do well financially, are respected actors, and are just a short stones throw from the top rung. Some are older character actors, while others are lead types who will be the next generation on that very top rung.
Of course being on any rung is not permanent. All of us who are not on the top rung, are striving to get to the next rung, and then the next and so forth. The people who occupy the top rung are striving to stay there. And, of course, a few icons, are on the top rung for as long as they care to be. They are permanent fixtures. Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Tom Hanks, and many others are permanent residents of that rung. Paul Newman was a permanent fixture there until his death.
Some people go up the ladder, some go down, some fall off, and some get off the ladder by choice, as their interests change. Occasionally, a newcomer to town hits the ladder and whizzes straight to the top. It's rare, but it happens.
So, with my feet still on the ground, but with a hand clamped around one of the lowest rungs on that ladder of success, I am but one of thousands determined to see if I can climb it, and if so, how far. Whatever the outcome, I have already learned, it's quite an amazing journey.
More to come........
Friday, April 17, 2009
First Blood
After being in LA for almost seven weeks, I have my first paying job....actually my first two paying jobs. Since I am not yet a member of SAG or AFTRA, both are of course, non union. One is a commercial for an electronic scooter, in which I play an oil company CEO talking about how much oil we use in this country, and about how we need to drill for even more. This is cleverly superimposed (I have seen a prototype of the commercial) over the information about the scooter, which uses no oil. I shoot the commercial tonight.
I also have been cast in a small role in a film as a priest who is caught in a compromising position. It's a scene played for laughs, and should be fun to do. Shooting starts tomorrow for several weeks, and I have not as of yet received my call times. I did receive a call from the wardrobe mistress of the film yesterday, asking about my sizes, and an email this morning saying that my call times would be coming shortly.
I by no means will be getting rich off either part, but it's paid work and it's a start.
My last acting lesson with my acting coach earlier this week, was a real eye opener for me, and I need to practice and use the things he pointed out to me in that lesson. Here's a solid fact for all of us already in the Hollywood area, and for any of you who are thinking about making the move. What was good enough to get you here, is not necessarily good enough to keep you here. By that I mean you must elevate your game, so to speak, to the next level, or perhaps even the next two levels to be competitive in this area. This is certainly true for major studio film and television work, and is even true to a lessor degree for non union work. The television commercial I am shooting tonight received over fifty submissions for the part in which I was cast, within twenty four hours after it was posted. I heard that straight from the producer, and that is a relatively low number, as it is not at all uncommon for a single role to receive hundreds of submission from agents and actors. Every role in LA, Union and non union, is highly competitive. So whatever was good enough to get you work in Seattle, Phoenix, San Antonio, or Little Rock needs to be taken up a notch or two once you get to LA, and that is exactly what I'm working on with my acting coach. I'm still very much a work in progress, with progress being the key word. Yes, he and I can see that progress in each lesson, but more is needed if I am to be really successful in the LA acting market. Time will tell.
Until next time.........
I also have been cast in a small role in a film as a priest who is caught in a compromising position. It's a scene played for laughs, and should be fun to do. Shooting starts tomorrow for several weeks, and I have not as of yet received my call times. I did receive a call from the wardrobe mistress of the film yesterday, asking about my sizes, and an email this morning saying that my call times would be coming shortly.
I by no means will be getting rich off either part, but it's paid work and it's a start.
My last acting lesson with my acting coach earlier this week, was a real eye opener for me, and I need to practice and use the things he pointed out to me in that lesson. Here's a solid fact for all of us already in the Hollywood area, and for any of you who are thinking about making the move. What was good enough to get you here, is not necessarily good enough to keep you here. By that I mean you must elevate your game, so to speak, to the next level, or perhaps even the next two levels to be competitive in this area. This is certainly true for major studio film and television work, and is even true to a lessor degree for non union work. The television commercial I am shooting tonight received over fifty submissions for the part in which I was cast, within twenty four hours after it was posted. I heard that straight from the producer, and that is a relatively low number, as it is not at all uncommon for a single role to receive hundreds of submission from agents and actors. Every role in LA, Union and non union, is highly competitive. So whatever was good enough to get you work in Seattle, Phoenix, San Antonio, or Little Rock needs to be taken up a notch or two once you get to LA, and that is exactly what I'm working on with my acting coach. I'm still very much a work in progress, with progress being the key word. Yes, he and I can see that progress in each lesson, but more is needed if I am to be really successful in the LA acting market. Time will tell.
Until next time.........
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Learning LA 101
No, the title of this entry doesn't refer to the freeway, which I live near in Southern California, but rather to this basic 101 courses we all took in college, no matter what our major.
My acting coach, told me that for the first few months after moving here, I would be learning how Hollywood, and the film and TV industry works in LA. I didn't give it all that much thought when he first mentioned it, but now I am beginning to see what he means.
In an earlier entry I explained how getting your SAG card as as an extra works. While what I told you wasn't incorrect, it was incomplete. It is true that if you work as an extra on three SAG films, and get a voucher for each film, you are then what is known as SAG eligible , and can join SAG whenever you want. However, here's the straight skinny on that. First, SAG films are required to hire so many SAG extras before they hire any non union extras. That, in essence, reduces the number of non union extras needed for each film. Secondly, voucher's for non union extras are not automatic, but instead are very subjective in that the First AD and the director have the absolute final say as to who, among the non union extras who have worked on a film, get a voucher and who does not (or in many cases, simply are not considered, and, therefore, left out). Conceivably, you could work many more SAG films as an extra than three, to finally get your three vouchers.
There is another route (several routes, actually) in getting your SAG card. You can join AFTRA. This takes no eligibility and anyone may join AFTRA any time they choose (with the initiation fee being roughly half of what the SAG initiation fee is). Then after one year, and providing you have had a principal role in an AFTRA sanctioned production, you are also considered SAG eligible, and may join at any time. I am not a stage actors, but members of Actor's Equity have that same rule about becoming SAG eligible.
Another way is to audition for, and be cast in a speaking role in a SAG film. This also makes you SAG eligible. However, this means you would have to be cast over the SAG actors who audition for the same role, and for casting a non SAG actor, the production company must pay a fine to SAG. It's not a huge amount, but it does add to their production costs. Does this ever happen? Sure, but not all that often.
So my education as a new actor in LA continues. In the meantime I am continuing to audition for roles in non union films (of which there are many), as I think about and plan for getting an agent. Speaking of auditions, I have an audition for the role of a priest tomorrow in a feature film. It's a small role, but newbies like myself audition when and where they can,
Yes, I know I have mentioned this before, but for those of you who read this who are musicians, you will particularly understand my feeling, as I drive by the Capitol Records building, as I take the Gower Street exit each time I drive to my acting coach's studio in Hollywood. Of course famous entertainment business locations and buildings are sprinkled all over this area. In Burbank you drive by NBC studios (the Tonight Show, with Jay Leno), Warner Brothers studios, and the Disney Studios. And of course nearby are Universal studios, and in Hollywood there's Sunset Gower Studios. While not as well known as the others it is the home to some well known TV shows (Heros and The Office, being two of them). Just a couple of blocks from the Sunset Gower Studios is the famous intersection of Sunset and Vine, and the Hollywood walk of fame.
Well, that's it for now. Talk with you soon............
My acting coach, told me that for the first few months after moving here, I would be learning how Hollywood, and the film and TV industry works in LA. I didn't give it all that much thought when he first mentioned it, but now I am beginning to see what he means.
In an earlier entry I explained how getting your SAG card as as an extra works. While what I told you wasn't incorrect, it was incomplete. It is true that if you work as an extra on three SAG films, and get a voucher for each film, you are then what is known as SAG eligible , and can join SAG whenever you want. However, here's the straight skinny on that. First, SAG films are required to hire so many SAG extras before they hire any non union extras. That, in essence, reduces the number of non union extras needed for each film. Secondly, voucher's for non union extras are not automatic, but instead are very subjective in that the First AD and the director have the absolute final say as to who, among the non union extras who have worked on a film, get a voucher and who does not (or in many cases, simply are not considered, and, therefore, left out). Conceivably, you could work many more SAG films as an extra than three, to finally get your three vouchers.
There is another route (several routes, actually) in getting your SAG card. You can join AFTRA. This takes no eligibility and anyone may join AFTRA any time they choose (with the initiation fee being roughly half of what the SAG initiation fee is). Then after one year, and providing you have had a principal role in an AFTRA sanctioned production, you are also considered SAG eligible, and may join at any time. I am not a stage actors, but members of Actor's Equity have that same rule about becoming SAG eligible.
Another way is to audition for, and be cast in a speaking role in a SAG film. This also makes you SAG eligible. However, this means you would have to be cast over the SAG actors who audition for the same role, and for casting a non SAG actor, the production company must pay a fine to SAG. It's not a huge amount, but it does add to their production costs. Does this ever happen? Sure, but not all that often.
So my education as a new actor in LA continues. In the meantime I am continuing to audition for roles in non union films (of which there are many), as I think about and plan for getting an agent. Speaking of auditions, I have an audition for the role of a priest tomorrow in a feature film. It's a small role, but newbies like myself audition when and where they can,
Yes, I know I have mentioned this before, but for those of you who read this who are musicians, you will particularly understand my feeling, as I drive by the Capitol Records building, as I take the Gower Street exit each time I drive to my acting coach's studio in Hollywood. Of course famous entertainment business locations and buildings are sprinkled all over this area. In Burbank you drive by NBC studios (the Tonight Show, with Jay Leno), Warner Brothers studios, and the Disney Studios. And of course nearby are Universal studios, and in Hollywood there's Sunset Gower Studios. While not as well known as the others it is the home to some well known TV shows (Heros and The Office, being two of them). Just a couple of blocks from the Sunset Gower Studios is the famous intersection of Sunset and Vine, and the Hollywood walk of fame.
Well, that's it for now. Talk with you soon............
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Seeing LA For The First Time, All Over Again
I have, in the past, made many trips to LA. Most were business trips for various companies for which I toiled, prior to going into acting some thirteen years ago. As all of you know who have traveled on business, you see the airport, your hotel, your client or prospect or convention, a few restaurants and the freeways, and that's about it. As I used to tell people, business travel is like flying to another city so you can get up at 6:00 AM and go to work.
Now that I live in the greater sprawl called LA, it's like seeing it for the first time. Most cities have one, maybe two famous landmarks (The Space Needle, The Alamo, The Golden Gate Bridge, and so forth). LA, on the other hand, has a multitude of them, which you pass in your everyday travels around the area.
On the way to my acting lesson in Hollywood this past Wednesday, I passed the famous circular Capitol Records building, The distributor of records (and then CDs) for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton (for you jazz fans) and many other great musical artists.
Besides the famous Hollywood sign above Hollywood, there are Warner Brothers Studios, The NBC studios, Disney Studios, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, Disneyland, the Santa Monica Pier, The Venice Ocean front walk, Mulholland Drive (with fantastic views), The Rose Bowl, all manner of museums and art galleries, The Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many, many more.
I mentioned in earlier entries that while I must never forget the reason I'm here, or my goal, one has to take some time to see and enjoy the many sights and activities available in LA. A little relaxation is good for the soul and keeps you balanced. So next week I am going to the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where some 160 plus Hollywood celebrities have left foot prints, hand prints, hoof prints (Gene Autry's horse) and other assorted prints. Oh yes, they also show first run films. It should be easy to find as it is on Hollywood Blvd., less than a mile from my acting coach's studio, which by the way, I can now find without using my GPS.
In my acting lesson last Wednesday I was far less rusty than I was in the one before, and it went pretty well. My acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD for you, and watching it later makes a great review of what you did in the lesson (both right and wrong).
No matter the training, experience, or level of talent an actor had before coming to LA, they must push it up a level or two in order to be competitive in this marketplace. There is an old adage which says "What was good enough to get you where you are today, may not necessarily be good enough to keep you there." That is quite true of the acting scene in LA. While there is tons of work for actors in LA, there are multitudes of good actors vying for that work. For every role you will be competing with the best. It's a challenge which I welcome, and my acting coach is helping me to move towards meeting that challenge.
Well, I've rambled on long enough for one day. Saturday chores await, and then maybe I'll get out and about some, and discover more about LA.
Later...............
Now that I live in the greater sprawl called LA, it's like seeing it for the first time. Most cities have one, maybe two famous landmarks (The Space Needle, The Alamo, The Golden Gate Bridge, and so forth). LA, on the other hand, has a multitude of them, which you pass in your everyday travels around the area.
On the way to my acting lesson in Hollywood this past Wednesday, I passed the famous circular Capitol Records building, The distributor of records (and then CDs) for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton (for you jazz fans) and many other great musical artists.
Besides the famous Hollywood sign above Hollywood, there are Warner Brothers Studios, The NBC studios, Disney Studios, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, Disneyland, the Santa Monica Pier, The Venice Ocean front walk, Mulholland Drive (with fantastic views), The Rose Bowl, all manner of museums and art galleries, The Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many, many more.
I mentioned in earlier entries that while I must never forget the reason I'm here, or my goal, one has to take some time to see and enjoy the many sights and activities available in LA. A little relaxation is good for the soul and keeps you balanced. So next week I am going to the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where some 160 plus Hollywood celebrities have left foot prints, hand prints, hoof prints (Gene Autry's horse) and other assorted prints. Oh yes, they also show first run films. It should be easy to find as it is on Hollywood Blvd., less than a mile from my acting coach's studio, which by the way, I can now find without using my GPS.
In my acting lesson last Wednesday I was far less rusty than I was in the one before, and it went pretty well. My acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD for you, and watching it later makes a great review of what you did in the lesson (both right and wrong).
No matter the training, experience, or level of talent an actor had before coming to LA, they must push it up a level or two in order to be competitive in this marketplace. There is an old adage which says "What was good enough to get you where you are today, may not necessarily be good enough to keep you there." That is quite true of the acting scene in LA. While there is tons of work for actors in LA, there are multitudes of good actors vying for that work. For every role you will be competing with the best. It's a challenge which I welcome, and my acting coach is helping me to move towards meeting that challenge.
Well, I've rambled on long enough for one day. Saturday chores await, and then maybe I'll get out and about some, and discover more about LA.
Later...............
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