Last night was another new experience in my acting journey in LA. There is an organization in LA called Actors West. They don't post audition notices, nor can you post your resume or headshot on their website. What they do offer are a multitude of workshops conducted by some prominent casting directors in town.
I attended my first such workshop last night conducted by a lady who is well known in LA casting circles. All actors know that when you do a live audition, you get zero feedback other than thank you, or possibly "That was very nice." There is no critique of how you really did....what you did right or wrong. In a workshop held by a casting director, that is not the case. there were probably 20 actors at last night's workshop. Each of us were part of a two person assigned scene which we did in front of the casting director and the entire workshop. My scene partner and I did our scene three times, taking different direction from the casting director after each time. Our scene went well with some positive feedback from the casting director. The casting director also collected headshots from each actor and jotted down some notes as she watched each scene. The lady who was my scene partner was a good actor, and it always helps to work with a person like that. Best of all, it was great fun. The workshop was attended by some very good actors, and most scenes went well. Of course, this is LA, and finding you are in a room full of good actors is not at all uncommon.
The casting director also took questions from the actors in a Q and A session, where we got a chance to understand how a casting director thinks, what they are looking for, how casting decisions (or recommendations to the director) are made, and as I have stated before, the many items outside of the actor's control which might, and often do, influence who is cast and who is not.
Having had one positive experience, I will be attending more casting workshops at Actors West. While primarily holding workshops conducted by casting directors, they occasionally have events where agents come in to look at actors. An added plus is that all their workshops and events are very reasonably priced, and it's a short 25 minute drive on Highway 101 for me to get to their location. Also, I have taken only private lessons since being here, and it was great to interact with other actors.
As an added bonus, Actors West has what they call a wall of headshots in their office, where anyone is free to tack up their headshot, which I did. It can't hurt, and you never know.
Other news? This past Tuesday, I auditioned for a small role in the NBC series, The Office.
It's cooler here now, with only a high of 88 expected in the San Fernando Valley, today. 88, depending on where you live, may seem cool or not, but it's a pleasant relief for this area.
More later.........
Showing posts with label actin in LA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label actin in LA. Show all posts
Friday, August 14, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Crossroads
Tomorrow, I will have been a resident of the greater LA area for exactly five months. It has been somewhat of a whirlwind of activity, a blur in some cases and agonizingly slow in others. Overall, I would say it has gone fairly well. I have two good acting coaches (more about them later), a quality commercial agent, and I have even managed to find a bit of work in these five months.
I should feel on top of the world about what has happened since I have been here. Truth is, I don't. My downtown LA acting coach says I am too impatient. Maybe he's right (he usually is), but inside I have this gnawing feeling of wanting more....more signs of progress, more auditions, more bookings, more everything that an actor needs as milestones to judge how things are going with their career.
I don't feel my impatience is necessarily a bad thing, if kept in control. A good football coach will tell you that he wants his number two quarterback chomping at the bit to play, yearning to show the coach that he is the man for the job. That impatience is one of the key ingredients which fuels that quarterback's drive. I believe it's the same with me, or any other actor who wants to excel in a major market.
I have two quality acting coaches that anyone would be happy to have, and that's exactly the way I feel about both of them. However, I may have been rushing it too much, in that I am taking a private lesson from one coach one week and the other, the next week. While they come at you with different personalities, they say pretty much the same things. I think however, that I may be (by taking a private lesson each week) overloading my senses, in that I am pushing and trying too hard. As all actors know, trying too hard is not the way to deliver a smooth and natural performance. I thought about taking a month off from acting lessons entirely to regroup my thoughts about the techniques of acting. I decided against that because I didn't want to go a full month without acting lessons.
Before adding my second (Hollywood Hills) acting coach (at the urging of my commercial agency) I was taking a lesson every two weeks from my original acting coach in downtown Hollywood. I believe the two weeks between lessons were beneficial in digesting, utilizing, and incorporating into my acting, what I had learned in each lesson. With that in mind I am strongly considering alternating acting coaches in the following manner. I will take a lesson every two weeks one month from one coach. The follow month I will do the same with the other coach. I believe this will give me more time to more fully understand, and to practice what I had learned in the most recent lesson. This will have the effect of alternating each coach on a monthly basis. This may be a workable scenario or not, but it should only take two months to find out. I haven't made up my mind fully on this, but I am strongly leaning that way.
In with these private lessons, I need to schedule a weekly improve course, and various acting seminars, as they arise. I am taking a one evening seminar from a well known casting director on August 13th.
In the world of Academia, the bylaw for professors is "Publish or perish," For actors it's "Study or perish." I am fully aware that I need to study. It's just that my study schedule may need a bit of tweaking, as I feel I am at a crossroad as to how I continue my studies. Not with whom, just how. I need to continue them in what I deem to be the best way to further my acting skills, and more importantly, my acting career. Perhaps, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach said, I do need a bit more patience. I need to understand that taking a private acting lesson every week may not speed me towards my goal any faster that taking one every other week. The progress of an actor is far more important than the number of acting lessons they have taken.
There is also one other thing which, while I have been doing it frequently, I need to do even more. It is probably best illustrated by an old joke that was in vogue back in my days as a professional musician. A man is walking down the streets of New Your City when he spots a musician coming towards him, carrying a horn case. He stops the musician and says, "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The musician looked at him for a moment and then replied, "Practice, man, practice." That's good advice for an actor as well. I have exercises and copy to practice in front of a full length mirror, plus filming certain segments with my video camera, so I can study and review my look, actions, etc later. As I said, I need to spend even more time doing that. As a professional musician I spent hours upon hours practicing techniques until they became second nature. As an actor, I need do no less.
Finally, actors all over Hollywood (Using the name Hollywood to mean all of the LA acting community) are complaining that there is lees work than before. That can be attributed to two factors. (1) there is always a noticeable slowdown in work in July and August, and (2) the economy has affected the number of film and TV projects, as well as the budgets of some of the projects that have been given the green light. I have discussed before the fact that there are some things which are directly under the actor's control (being on time, being professional, being prepared for the audition, Being prepared for the role once you are cast, etc.), and there are a number of things over which the actor has no control. The economy is one of those things, and is not something I choose to worry about.
We will talk again, soon...............
I should feel on top of the world about what has happened since I have been here. Truth is, I don't. My downtown LA acting coach says I am too impatient. Maybe he's right (he usually is), but inside I have this gnawing feeling of wanting more....more signs of progress, more auditions, more bookings, more everything that an actor needs as milestones to judge how things are going with their career.
I don't feel my impatience is necessarily a bad thing, if kept in control. A good football coach will tell you that he wants his number two quarterback chomping at the bit to play, yearning to show the coach that he is the man for the job. That impatience is one of the key ingredients which fuels that quarterback's drive. I believe it's the same with me, or any other actor who wants to excel in a major market.
I have two quality acting coaches that anyone would be happy to have, and that's exactly the way I feel about both of them. However, I may have been rushing it too much, in that I am taking a private lesson from one coach one week and the other, the next week. While they come at you with different personalities, they say pretty much the same things. I think however, that I may be (by taking a private lesson each week) overloading my senses, in that I am pushing and trying too hard. As all actors know, trying too hard is not the way to deliver a smooth and natural performance. I thought about taking a month off from acting lessons entirely to regroup my thoughts about the techniques of acting. I decided against that because I didn't want to go a full month without acting lessons.
Before adding my second (Hollywood Hills) acting coach (at the urging of my commercial agency) I was taking a lesson every two weeks from my original acting coach in downtown Hollywood. I believe the two weeks between lessons were beneficial in digesting, utilizing, and incorporating into my acting, what I had learned in each lesson. With that in mind I am strongly considering alternating acting coaches in the following manner. I will take a lesson every two weeks one month from one coach. The follow month I will do the same with the other coach. I believe this will give me more time to more fully understand, and to practice what I had learned in the most recent lesson. This will have the effect of alternating each coach on a monthly basis. This may be a workable scenario or not, but it should only take two months to find out. I haven't made up my mind fully on this, but I am strongly leaning that way.
In with these private lessons, I need to schedule a weekly improve course, and various acting seminars, as they arise. I am taking a one evening seminar from a well known casting director on August 13th.
In the world of Academia, the bylaw for professors is "Publish or perish," For actors it's "Study or perish." I am fully aware that I need to study. It's just that my study schedule may need a bit of tweaking, as I feel I am at a crossroad as to how I continue my studies. Not with whom, just how. I need to continue them in what I deem to be the best way to further my acting skills, and more importantly, my acting career. Perhaps, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach said, I do need a bit more patience. I need to understand that taking a private acting lesson every week may not speed me towards my goal any faster that taking one every other week. The progress of an actor is far more important than the number of acting lessons they have taken.
There is also one other thing which, while I have been doing it frequently, I need to do even more. It is probably best illustrated by an old joke that was in vogue back in my days as a professional musician. A man is walking down the streets of New Your City when he spots a musician coming towards him, carrying a horn case. He stops the musician and says, "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The musician looked at him for a moment and then replied, "Practice, man, practice." That's good advice for an actor as well. I have exercises and copy to practice in front of a full length mirror, plus filming certain segments with my video camera, so I can study and review my look, actions, etc later. As I said, I need to spend even more time doing that. As a professional musician I spent hours upon hours practicing techniques until they became second nature. As an actor, I need do no less.
Finally, actors all over Hollywood (Using the name Hollywood to mean all of the LA acting community) are complaining that there is lees work than before. That can be attributed to two factors. (1) there is always a noticeable slowdown in work in July and August, and (2) the economy has affected the number of film and TV projects, as well as the budgets of some of the projects that have been given the green light. I have discussed before the fact that there are some things which are directly under the actor's control (being on time, being professional, being prepared for the audition, Being prepared for the role once you are cast, etc.), and there are a number of things over which the actor has no control. The economy is one of those things, and is not something I choose to worry about.
We will talk again, soon...............
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Audition
OK, I couldn't resist The title of this post is a play on the old stand-up comic line of "A funny thing happened on the way to....." In this case, that happens to not be entirely accurate. Actually, a funny thing happened at the audition.
While casting directors vary somewhat in their methods, the audition process itself is fairly standard in LA, Seattle or in any other location. For the non actors among you, here's how it works. You are either sent the sides (a small portion of the script) via email, or you are told that it is a cold reading, and you will get the sides a few minutes before the audition (the email option is much more in vogue now). If you received the sides by email, you study them, make choices as to how you will play the character, and in general, prepare for the audition. If it's a true cold read, you and all the other actors must do this same process in ten to fifteen minutes before you audition.
This past Monday, I had an audition, for which I was sent the sides in advance. What happened when I arrived is when the structure of the audition varied greatly from the norm. Traditionally, when you arrive at an audition, you sign in, and take a seat in the waiting room. One of the casting assistants checks the sign in sheet frequently and calls you, one at a time, to enter a separate room for the audition. Next, you audition, you thank them, and you leave. As I said, that is fairly standard in the business.
For this audition, however, there was no waiting room, and the room to which you entered was the same room were all the actors waited and auditioned. This meant you were able to see the auditions of all the actors who came before you on the sign in sheet. This is highly unusual
I was amazed at the lack of preparation of some of the actors. One punctuated his audition with maniacal laughs, even though the script mentioned nothing about the character exhibiting that sort of behavior. Another spoke in a monotone, even though the script did indicate that the character was somewhat animated. One drew the dialogue out so that it took twice as long as normal. One actor gave quite a good audition, and was obviously prepared.
How did I do? They say the desired result for an audition is to walk away feeling good about your performance; feeling that you captured the character as the script indicated. That is the best you can hope for, and that is what I did. I was also prepared, had a good audition, and walking back to my car, I felt good about how it had gone. Will, I get cast? There are so many variables in an audition, that is impossible to answer. First, I only saw a small segment of the actors who auditioned for the role. Secondly, there are intangibles that are totally out of the control of an actor at an audition, yet often have a direct bearing on who is cast. These include your look, and how all the other actors did in their auditions for the same role. Still, walking away from an audition feeling good about how you did is the desired result, and being able to watch other actors audition for the same role is a rare bonus.
The process of acting in LA continues, as I have a theatrical audition (film) in Burbank this afternoon, and a private lesson with my Hollywood Hills acting coach, tomorrow.
Being a new actor in Hollywood is a work in progress. I attended an acting seminar this past Saturday, and with two audition and an acting lesson this week, that's pretty much par for the course.
Until next time..........
While casting directors vary somewhat in their methods, the audition process itself is fairly standard in LA, Seattle or in any other location. For the non actors among you, here's how it works. You are either sent the sides (a small portion of the script) via email, or you are told that it is a cold reading, and you will get the sides a few minutes before the audition (the email option is much more in vogue now). If you received the sides by email, you study them, make choices as to how you will play the character, and in general, prepare for the audition. If it's a true cold read, you and all the other actors must do this same process in ten to fifteen minutes before you audition.
This past Monday, I had an audition, for which I was sent the sides in advance. What happened when I arrived is when the structure of the audition varied greatly from the norm. Traditionally, when you arrive at an audition, you sign in, and take a seat in the waiting room. One of the casting assistants checks the sign in sheet frequently and calls you, one at a time, to enter a separate room for the audition. Next, you audition, you thank them, and you leave. As I said, that is fairly standard in the business.
For this audition, however, there was no waiting room, and the room to which you entered was the same room were all the actors waited and auditioned. This meant you were able to see the auditions of all the actors who came before you on the sign in sheet. This is highly unusual
I was amazed at the lack of preparation of some of the actors. One punctuated his audition with maniacal laughs, even though the script mentioned nothing about the character exhibiting that sort of behavior. Another spoke in a monotone, even though the script did indicate that the character was somewhat animated. One drew the dialogue out so that it took twice as long as normal. One actor gave quite a good audition, and was obviously prepared.
How did I do? They say the desired result for an audition is to walk away feeling good about your performance; feeling that you captured the character as the script indicated. That is the best you can hope for, and that is what I did. I was also prepared, had a good audition, and walking back to my car, I felt good about how it had gone. Will, I get cast? There are so many variables in an audition, that is impossible to answer. First, I only saw a small segment of the actors who auditioned for the role. Secondly, there are intangibles that are totally out of the control of an actor at an audition, yet often have a direct bearing on who is cast. These include your look, and how all the other actors did in their auditions for the same role. Still, walking away from an audition feeling good about how you did is the desired result, and being able to watch other actors audition for the same role is a rare bonus.
The process of acting in LA continues, as I have a theatrical audition (film) in Burbank this afternoon, and a private lesson with my Hollywood Hills acting coach, tomorrow.
Being a new actor in Hollywood is a work in progress. I attended an acting seminar this past Saturday, and with two audition and an acting lesson this week, that's pretty much par for the course.
Until next time..........
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Bingo!
This morning I had my interview with the last of the three agencies who contacted me after my mass mailing two weeks ago. This agency is one of the more well known agencies in the commercial end of the LA acting business. I had investigated them thoroughly before today, and found them to be one of the more respected agencies in their field in LA. I could not find one person who had a bad word to say about them. Based on that investigation, I was prepared to say yes, if they offered to represent me commercially. They did and I did, and I now have an excellent commercial agent.
I am still looking for a theatrical agent, and that is not an unusual situation for relatively new actors in LA. Many, many actors, have two agents....one commercially and one theatrically (for film and TV). Of the two, the commercial agent is a bit easier to obtain, as they are more willing to take non-union talent that appeals to them.
I'm not saying I will not find a quality theatrical agent before becoming a member of SAG, but working towards my SAG card remains a top priority for me. Acting in commercials may also lead me to joining AFTRA, but you can join AFTRA any time you choose by telling them you want to, and paying the hefty initiation fee. AFTRA also offers another avenue to getting a SAG card, as after being an AFTRA member for one year, and doing some AFTRA contract work during that year, you become eligible to join SAG. I'm not sure of all the fine details involved, but in capsule form, that's how it works.
I guess I could best sum up my visit to the agency this morning this way. It was a good day....a very good day.
I was quite fortunate in that all three of the agencies I visited offered to represent me. The first two agencies I visited are smaller than the one I visited this morning, and are what is known as full service agencies, in that they cover both the theatrical and commercial side. It is doubtful that either would want to represent a non union actor who already has a commercial agent. Both of the other agencies have a lot to offer, but unfortunately I will have to call them and decline their offers of representation. These are good agencies, staffed by good people, but I feel I will be best served by the commercial agent I visited today, while I continue to look for a theatrical agent.
Tomorrow, I'm off for some R&R in my home near Seattle, returning to LA next Monday, the 22nd.
Talk with you next week.................
I am still looking for a theatrical agent, and that is not an unusual situation for relatively new actors in LA. Many, many actors, have two agents....one commercially and one theatrically (for film and TV). Of the two, the commercial agent is a bit easier to obtain, as they are more willing to take non-union talent that appeals to them.
I'm not saying I will not find a quality theatrical agent before becoming a member of SAG, but working towards my SAG card remains a top priority for me. Acting in commercials may also lead me to joining AFTRA, but you can join AFTRA any time you choose by telling them you want to, and paying the hefty initiation fee. AFTRA also offers another avenue to getting a SAG card, as after being an AFTRA member for one year, and doing some AFTRA contract work during that year, you become eligible to join SAG. I'm not sure of all the fine details involved, but in capsule form, that's how it works.
I guess I could best sum up my visit to the agency this morning this way. It was a good day....a very good day.
I was quite fortunate in that all three of the agencies I visited offered to represent me. The first two agencies I visited are smaller than the one I visited this morning, and are what is known as full service agencies, in that they cover both the theatrical and commercial side. It is doubtful that either would want to represent a non union actor who already has a commercial agent. Both of the other agencies have a lot to offer, but unfortunately I will have to call them and decline their offers of representation. These are good agencies, staffed by good people, but I feel I will be best served by the commercial agent I visited today, while I continue to look for a theatrical agent.
Tomorrow, I'm off for some R&R in my home near Seattle, returning to LA next Monday, the 22nd.
Talk with you next week.................
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.........
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