A New Year and New Goals

New Years is fast approaching and people will start asking you what resolutions you made, like that question isn't the least bit nosy and intrusive.  My answers are the same as everyone else: to work out more, eat healthier, stop procrastinating, blah blah blah.  They are all good ideas but they lack specificity and for that reason I'm making the same resolutions every year.

One of my teachers at Playhouse West gives out a great goals assignment every year that helps with those pitfalls.  The first step is to create goals not resolutions.  Goals are something that have a finite end point and they are only goals if it is something that you can do on your own without the approval of someone else.

So, how do you create goals?

I start with my dreams.  You know those things that you want so bad and seem so far away that saying them out loud makes your stomach go into knots.  (I talked a bit about that here.)  This is one of my dreams: to become a series regular in a hit TV show.  The reason this is a dream and can't be a goal is because I cannot do it wholly on my own.  I need other people's approval to get cast and an audience to watch. 

The next step is to break your dream down into smaller dreams that lead to it.  In the case of getting a series regular role the steps before that would be booking some guest stars and before that would be some co-star roles.  That is a more manageable place to start, but it is still a dream and not a goal.

What goals would help me book some more co-star roles? 

• Always attending acting class unless I have an acting gig or am sick and I will always be working on a scene.  Perfecting my craft will make sure that when I get an audition I am 100% prepared to be my best.
• Communicate with my agent at least once a month about what I need to be doing to make it easier for them to pitch me.  Make sure they know what my dreams are so they can help me achieve them.
• Attend one workshop a month with the casting directors who work in the type of TV shows that cast my type.

These are just a few ideas of the type of goals you can make that are specific and are something you can achieve.  The best thing to do is write your goals down in a place you see everyday as a reminder and then revisit your goals a few times during the year to adjust them as you achieve your dreams.

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year filled with success.  Keep Dreaming!

Should I Send a Postcard? (Or how do I advertise me?)

Every year at the Holiday time since I moved to LA, I send out cards to Casting Directors.  The first year out here I bought the giant box of cards at Costco, printed a few hundred postcards of my face, and got the Casting Director book at Sam French.  I sent a card to every CD listed in the book. 

Since then I have cut way back.  This year I am only sending cards to the CDs I have met over the past couple years.

So, are postcards or other cards worth sending?  Some people equate mailing postcards to driving from Los Angeles to San Diego and throwing a headshot out the window at every mile marker.  I don't necessarily agree with that, but I think mailing postcards is something you should do judiciously. 

Before mailing a postcard ask yourself, do I have something to say?  I don't consider I changed my hair cut or I got new headshots to be postcard mailing worthy.  If you are in a play or got a co-star coming up on CSI then that might be worth it to you. 

For me, I only like to send postcards to the people that already have an inkling of who I am.  The CD's who have called me in or who I've met at a workshop are always on the top of my list.  A few other top casting folks who I really, really, really want to meet might sneak in there as well.

I heard some wonderful insight about postcards from the casting director, Bonnie Gillespie.  She compared them to a billboard for Coke on the highway.  That billboard is not designed to make you immediately pull over and find the nearest gas station with Coke.  It's there to leave an impression so that the next time you're thirsty and shopping for a beverage you will want a Coke.

When CD's go through their mail, they will glance at the postcards for a split second and then throw them in the trash.  That's okay.  They don't need to save the postcard and tape it to their computer for you to make an impression.  But if you make enough impressions maybe the next time they are casting your type they will think of you.

Here are a couple more helpful hints about postcards.  Some CDs tell their interns to toss any postcards without a handwritten note on them.  So, even if you just throw on a "Thanks for reading this" and sign your name it may help get your postcard seen by the right people.  Another CD suggests putting them in a nice envelope so it looks like a card or something else they'd want to open.

Postcards should just be part of any plan to advertise yourself.  The most important thing is to keep doing stuff that is postcard worthy and keep creating!

How to Be Okay with People Not Liking You

The other day I saw a guy I knew in a coffee commercial.  Since I live in LA and know a lot of actors this is not unusual.  I can't remember why I know this guy, maybe it was from a workshop or an audition, but I do remember thinking that he was arrogant and a total idiot.  Clearly my opinion of people doesn't preclude them from booking a national commercial.

This is actually good news.  What it means is that you don't have to make everybody like you.  There will always be someone who doesn't like you and those people don't matter.  Maybe they'll never ask you to be in their movie or cast you in a national commercial, but you can't worry about those people because you could be Meryl Streep and not make them happy.

I read some reviews of the movie, Drive, which I loved.  A couple reviewers actually complained about Ryan Gosling's acting.  If you know anything about acting, then you understand how crazy this is.  But, it illustrates that no matter what you do there will be someone out there who will dislike it.

It's hard to let it roll off your back when someone doesn't like you.  You know it's what you should do, but we operate in a business where more times than not it's the opinion of others that decides if you get a job or not.

Next time you find someone who doesn't like you, just keep moving on and the you will be sure to find someone who does.

How to Find Your Audience

Acting is always a collaboration.  Last week, I talked about how to Be Brave and Ask for Help.  But, getting a crew and finishing your film is only half the battle.

The reason you create something is to have an audience to watch it.  So, the question is how do you get that audience?

First decision you have to make is where you want to it to show, like film festivals or on the web.  If you decide to post on the interwebs, you have to choose what site to post it on.  I think it's best to focus on one site to drive all your traffic to.  That way all your views show up in one place and they aren't spread amongst a lot of different sites.

But which site is best for your video?  If it's a funny then Funny or Die is the obvious choice.  I've posted a few videos there on my page, www.funnyordie.com/michellecoyle and it has a community of people who watch the videos which can drive up views.  But, remember on Funny or Die people get to vote on your videos, unless you are one of the chosen (and if you don't know if you are, then you aren't.)  Even really funny videos like Sunset Junction: Francophile can get a lot of die ratings.

Of course dealing with obnoxious comments is always something you have to deal with when you post things on the internet.  The only way to fight them is by ignoring them.  I know it's really tempting to scroll down and see what people have said but, trust me, don't.  It's not worth the angst.

So, back to driving traffic to your video.  There is always the usual social media blitz on your Facebook and Twitter pages.  But, you don't want to over-saturate the newfeeds because even your family will get sick of seeing the same video posted over and over again.  Plus, even if every one of your 900 Facebook friends watches the video that still isn't really viral video numbers.

I've had some success in the blogosphere.  I reached out to Topless Robot and TrekMovie and they happily posted my videos and even wrote nice articles about them.   I also follow lots of people who have similar interests as me on Twitter.  I read their blogs, watch their videos, and repost them.  I now have quite a few people who I have developed relationships with on Twitter and we help each other out. 

But, you can't worry about the views you are going to get before you make a movie.  So, the point is to get out there and start creating something.  The audience will come and it's okay if most of your views come from your mom.

Be Brave, Ask for Help.

We can't do everything ourselves.  I know it can be very difficult, but an important lesson to learn is how and when to ask for help.

This is true even if you are working on the most bare bones production, you almost always need at least one other person to help.  When I shot segments for the webseries, That's What She Said, I did everything I could on my own: writing, directing, editing, craft services (I was practically Robert Rodriguez).  Some people might even say that I have control issues.  But, when it came down to filming I couldn't be behind and in front of the camera at the same time.

After much worrying I finally got the nerve up to ask a friend who just got a new camera and offered him lunch in return for filming the show.  He was excited for the opportunity to play with his camera and jumped at the chance to help out.

What I've learned is that you can't be too afraid to ask for help.  Generally, people in Hollywood want to work and if they aren't doing a paying gig then they are often excited to help you on your project.  Just be sure to return the favor when they need help on their next project.  Don't be the person who is always taking help from others without giving back, because you can quickly burn through those connections in this town.

One rule I follow is if I am not going to an audition or working a paying gig, I always, always, always volunteer to help out on my friends projects.  I've been a grip, a boom operator, slated, gone on coffee runs, whatever needs getting done.  I can tell you there is pretty much no job on a set that I am above doing.

I know you want your friends to cast you in their projects and not just hold the boom, but people notice who is helping out.  Next time there is a part you are right for I promise they will think of you.

Plus, think about how difficult it is for you to ask your friends for help, so do them a solid and offer to help before they have to ask for it.

Like Me, Please Like Me!

Edward Norton once said that one of the things he disliked about being an actor is that it's a career that requires other people giving you permission to do it.  Unlike a painter or poet you can't just go to your basement and be an actor.  Sure you could do a monologue for your stuffed animals, but an actor really needs an audience that listens and responds.  You can't act in a vacuum.

Remember Sally Field winning the Oscar and her joy in realizing that they liked her, they really liked her?  It took her winning an Oscar to figure that out?  Wasn't she America's Sweetheart when she was Gidget?  But, that lack of self-confidence is not uncommon in this industry which can have you being rejected on a daily basis.  Even the most talented actors are worried about when the next job will come along or if there will ever even be a next job.

An actor friend came to me recently concerned that she wasn't being cast in the shorts and webseries her other actor friends were filming.  She went into that downward spiral of questioning her talent, thinking she had none, and eventually landing on maybe it was time for her to give up.  On the outside, you can look into this situation and see all kinds of possible reasons she wasn't cast.  Maybe the parts weren't right for her or maybe they wrote parts specifically for someone who could bring in equipment or money.  But, when you are the actor inside looking out, it's hard not to take it as a comment on your own abilities.  We want so much for people to want us to be in their projects.

One reason actors constantly need approval from others is because we are unable to stand back and see our own work.  This is especially true in theater, but even on film it is nearly impossible to judge ourselves.  I remember an interview with Tea Leoni where she was asked if she ever watched herself in movies.  She said no, she hated watching herself because she could never see past her huge front teeth.  I've enjoyed a number of Tea Leoni movies and have never once noticed her front teeth. 

We are terrible judges of ourselves.  I know I am.  I can't tell you how many auditions I was sure I bombed that I then got a callback or cast.  And as far as looking to others for approval, what I've learned is that some people are going to like you no matter what.  Other people will hate you and you won't be able to change their mind, even if you were Meryl Streep.  You can't worry about what others think, eventually you'll find the people who like working with you and those are the ones worth worrying about.

What I Learned at ActorFest

This past Saturday I went to ActorFest, a free event for actors from Backstage.  There were casting director meet and greets, panels (those cost extra), and lots of booths for things that might be of interest to actors, like Scientology and psychotherapists.  It's a lot like ComicCon minus cosplay and Kevin Smith. 

This is what I learned at ActorFest 2011:

1. There are a lot of companies that seem to exist for the sole purpose of separating actors from their money.
2. Actors will do anything for a chance to talk with a casting director, including standing in line for over 3 hours to have a two-minute chat.
3. However, most actors are not willing to get up before 9am. 
4. I have no idea what to say to a casting  director in a two-minute general meeting.
5. Casting director's also have no idea what to say to actors in a two-minute general and their go-to question is "So, where are you from?"  Better than, do you come here often?  I guess.
6. There are some very sketchy people out there trying to be actors.
7. There are people who look gorgeous at 8am standing outside in the freezing cold.  I assume these people are genetic freaks.
8. If you are going to be standing in line for most of a day, bring snacks.  And if you ask me, peanut butter cups have protein and are therefore good for you.
9. High heels make your butt look pretty and your feet hurt.  If you are going to be spending all day in line, bring flats.
10. Apparently, Irish-American doesn't count as diverse to NBC.

I'm always pro going to free events when you have nothing else going on.  You never know who you are going to meet or what you'll learn.  This weekend I got to meet some cool actors and chatted with a few casting directors.  I'm not sure how much can be learned about someone in two-minutes, but it is more than they knew about me before this weekend.

Yeah, I waited in lines for most of the day, but all in all a fairly productive way to spend a Saturday.  Now time to write the follow-up thank you notes.

Money vs Time

When it comes to film making you either need time or money.  It is possible to make a good film with very little in your budget, but I promise it will cost you a lot of time.  That's why when you start going down the road of producing your own stuff, make sure it is something you feel passionate about.  You have to love it because if you want it to be good get ready to give most of your life over to it.

If you have money, you can hire people to do all the nitty-gritty work; if you are broke like me then you need time to do it all by yourself.  It means driving all over creation to find a cheap pair of scrubs for a costume, sending hundreds of emails to find a few people willing to be extras, and getting up extra early in order to borrow a friend's printer to get copies of all the paperwork you need. 

Doing all this helps lower your costs, but I have yet to master truly no budget film making.  Incidentals always come up.  Things like batteries and printer ink and paper all seem to run out halfway through any production.  Plus, you always have to spend money to feed your cast and crew.  That is generally more than half of my budget on any short I film.  There are those people who I'm sure can sweet talk companies into sponsoring these things for them.  This is not a talent I've mastered.  (If you have: want to produce my next short?)

Now you're thinking, what about equipment?  Cameras, lights, sound equipment, and editing software all cost money.  For me, I decided it was logical to start investing in these things and started collected various pieces of equipment over the last few years and at every holiday and birthday that is what I ask for.  I don't have the fanciest stuff, but it works.  Generally, we try to use ambient lighting as much as possible and I write things based on what I already have access to (so no period pieces requiring crazy costumes or special effects.) 

It is also possible to get a free crew of people looking for credit who can bring their own equipment with them.  A great way to meet these type of people is by helping out on other people's sets.  It's always good to have talented people with film equipment owe you a favor.  But, if you ask me, the best thing is to learn how to do as much as you can on your own so you aren't relying on other people to get your project done.

Get a camera, start filming around your house, play around with the settings and the lighting, see what you can do on your own.  Get a copy of Final Cut and fiddle around with it until you learn how to edit your own stuff.  There are tons of instructional videos on YouTube that will show you how to do just about everything on Final Cut.

I know it sounds like a lot of work and that's because it is.  But, when you get to watch something you created, I promise it's worth it!

How to Help your Agent Help You

I always say how important it is to not sit on your tush waiting for your agent to call.  But, agents are an important part of the business.  There are doors they can open that you can't by yourself.

This is why having a good working relationship with your agent is so important.  I hear so many actors complain about how their agents aren't working for them or how their agents never get them auditions.  But, how many of these actors actually talk to their agents about these problems?

I intern at my agent's office once a week.  It keeps my face in their mind and I get to see what's going on out there.  I know what's casting and if it really is just slow.  But, interning isn't the only way to have a better relationship with your agent.

When was the last time you went to agent's office just to say hi and see how they are doing?  One visit goes a long way, it makes them think of you and want to pitch you.  Bringing baked goods never hurts either.  Plus, you can take this as an opportunity to talk with them about what you need to do to get out more.

Don't hold back from talking to your agent because you're worried about bothering them.  If there is a project casting that you really want to be in, or you know you are right for something, or you know the casting director, you absolutely should email or call your agent and let them know.  If you don't feel comfortable enough to call and email your agent then ask yourself why you're in a relationship with them.

Your agent is your partner, but remember they only make 10% so you should be doing 90% of the work.  Make your own movies, help out at casting offices, research what's currently casting on websites like castingabout.com, go to classes, network, and all that other good stuff proactive actors do.  Make sure your agent has all the tools they'll need to be able to work effectively for you.

Proper Etiquette for No-Budget Filmmaking

I know filmmaking with little to no budget is difficult, stressful, and exhausting.  You are super busy and have no time for politeness.  But, when you have people helping you for free there is some proper etiquette that you should follow:

1. Be grateful.  Yes, your actors and crew may be getting something out of being there like experience or IMDb credit, but they are still giving you their time for free. Thank them every chance you get.   
2. Be prepared.   There is always going to be a certain amount of waiting on a set: while lights are being set up or actors are rehearsing or the set is being decorated.  Don't make your crew and actors wait on you because you didn't do your homework.  Know what you want to shoot and as much as possible know how you want it to look and do test shoots.  Things can change on set, but have a starting point.
3. Be open.  Filmmaking is a collaboration, always be willing to take advice from others on set.
4. Be humble.  No one is more important than anyone else on a set, especially on a no budget set.  I don't care what you think you're title is, if a job needs to be done, do it.  Even if it's just washing dishes between takes.
5. Be flexible.  Things never go as planned.  Don't freak out when a shot doesn't work or the neighbor's dogs won't stop barking or you're behind schedule and the sun is setting faster than you thought possible.  In the end it will all work out, I promise.  Besides so many wonderful moments in films have come from the unexpected happening on set.

What this all boils down to is when people are working for you:  BE RESPECTFUL! (Especially when they are working for free.)

Respect their time and their talents.  People will be happy and willing to help you out if they feel respected and know that they are an important part of the process. 

This is dedicated to all the actors and crew who came out to help me on my shoot over the last few days.  You are all amazing and this little film is going to be great because of all your hard work!

Don't Fear the Competition

I have a bad habit of walking into the lobby of an audition and immediately sizing up the room.  I look over everyone and find the person who by looks alone, I would give the part.  In my head, they are my main competition.

Jenna Fischer talks about being at the studio test for "The Office" and there were two other women up for the role.  She says one was gorgeous and obviously not right for Pam and the other perfectly fit her image of what Pam should look like.  She figured she had already lost the part.

You can see how trying to guess what they are looking for is wrong and if you let it get in your head it could hurt your audition.

A casting director once said to me that there really is only one person right for every role and it's their job to find that perfect person.  What that means is that you are never in competition with anyone else for a role.  You are either perfect or you aren't.

Besides it is not your job to book that one part, it is your job to book the room.  Never worry about getting one role in one film.  Instead focus on making fans of the casting director and anyone else in the casting room.  If they become your fan they will call you in for everything they can, eventually finding that role that you are perfect for. 

It is time for actors to stop looking at each other as the competition.   This is a tough enough business as is, we should all be supporting each other.

What are you working on now?

Yep, that is one of the most dreaded questions for actors.  Right up there with, Have you been in anything I would've seen?

Jobs for actors tend to be few and far between.  A good year for an average working actor would be about four jobs.  Unless one of those jobs is as a regular on a TV show, there is a lot of down time.

Of course, you are doing things like going to classes or on auditions.  But, answering the question with a list of auditions or a description of how you were really close getting this one role, but at the last minute they decided to cast the director's girlfriend, leads to blank stares and polite nods.

Let me tell you how I would answer this question:  We are in post-production on a five minute short that I wrote and shot last weekend.  I am in pre-production on a film that I've been working on for about 6 months.  We are going to shoot in two weeks.  Plus, I am in a play that has been running once a month for over a year.

That sounds pretty impressive, right?  It's all because I am being proactive by creating my own work.  It's easy in this town to sit back and wait for your agent to call but if you do that you may be sitting around a long time.

You don't have to look like a deer in headlights the next time someone asks you what you are working on.  Start creating on your own.  If you don't know where to begin, then find people to work with who do.  Form your own group of creative types and start working on something.

Do you treat your career like an Athlete?

Actors and athletes may seem on the surface to have made opposite life choices to get to those careers, but deep down they are actually quite similar.

For one, if you want to be great at either of these careers you have to practice ... a lot.  Plus, there is a certain level of luck that goes alongside all that practice if you want to be a star athlete or a star actor.  The best college ball player ever can be sidelined by a bad injury and never go pro.  Some of the most talented actors are never at the right place at the right time to get that star-making role.

I recently heard a story on NPR about a baseball player who got drafted into the Minors.  He was getting paid to do what he loved and many actors will say that in itself would be a dream come true for them.  The ballplayer said that from the moment he got drafted he thought the call to go up to The Show (that's what they call the Majors if you believe "Bull Durham") would come at any moment.  Every once in a while, one of his teammates would get the call and he knew if they took that guy surely they were going to call him next.

Then years started to pass and he never got the call.  There are so many actors in Hollywood that have similar stories.  They watch their friends start booking and become successful.  They think why not me and know their big break is right around the corner.

Here is where the story splits.  The ballplayer eventually got too old and had to retire.  With most sports, the retirement age can be 30.  Actors get to keep going and many are just starting at 30.  It's one of the wonderful things about this profession: there is no age limit on success.  Examples of actors who found success later in life include Chris Cooper, Michael Emerson, Melissa Leo, and even Tom Hanks waited tables for most of his twenties.

What's so wonderful about that, is it gives you so much time to become a great actor.  They say you have to spend 10,000 hours working at something to become an expert.  That is approximately 3 hours a day, every day for ten years.  Actors can keep working at it for a lifetime, so just think how amazing you'll get to be.  It just takes work.

How many hours a day are you working on your craft?

TV is Back (or why I love Fall.)

Fall is officially here.  The DVR is cleaned out and prepared for the onslaught of new television shows.  I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  The magical light box in the living room that tells me stories is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

My love for television may be genetic.  I've had entire conversations with my mother and sister about Ross and Rachel, Rory and Lorelei, Jack and Kate, and Quinn and Finn.  Deeply etched into my memory are final episodes of shows in the same way as a lost loved one.  Oh yeah, at 10 years old I sobbed inconsolably when "Family Ties" went off the air.  And who didn't shed a tear when Sam ended "Cheers" for the final time with the line Sorry, we're closed?  Well, I did.  In fact, I am pretty sure that my love of television is a big part of why I chose to become an actor.

This may be why one of my biggest pet peeves is when actors say with that super pretentious attitude I don't watch TV.  It makes me want to scream why on earth are you in this business then?  I don't actually scream that because I am a polite person, but truthfully there are lots of good reasons for actors to watch TV shows.

If you are an actor in LA and want to work then chances are you are going to go out for television series co-star and guest star roles.  The best way to prepare yourself for these auditions is to watch the shows.  That way you'll know the tone and look of the show.  Plus, you should be familiar with the main characters.  Don't be the guy that goes into an audition for "Community" asking, who is Jeff Winger?

If it's an audition for a show that hasn't aired yet, you can figure out a lot about what a show will be  based on what channel it's on and knowing other shows written or produced by the same people.  For instance, the new Aaron Sorkin show will probably involve walking and talking - at a very fast pace.  By watching TV you'll also know what shows are likely to cast your type so you can target those Casting Directors.  Basically watching television is necessary research for any actor that wants to work.

Plus, we should all be supporting scripted television by watching it because we want to keep those jobs coming for all of us actors.  I've been through a few non-existent pilot seasons because of the strike and all the reality shows that came out of it.  Let's not go back to that.

If you are still confused about how awesome television is, just watch Jane Lynch's intro to the 2011 Emmys.

How to Tackle those One-Liners.

Ask any actor and they will tell you the most difficult auditions they go on are for one line roles.  You see these on every TV show: the paramedics, nurses, waiters, receptionists with lines like, "Your table is right this way" or "The stab wound is in curtain two."

I went in for the role of "Assistant" on a TV show a few years back and the line was "Your dinner reservation is at 8."  At the audition, I walked into the room and said my line.  The casting director looked up at me and gave this direction: "Great.  Now say it like you're the assistant to a scientist."

What the hell does that mean?!  I mean, how would the assistant to a scientist say anything?

So, I turned around, took a breath, and just said the line again.  Did I say it like the assistant to a scientist?  I have no idea.

The problem with one-liners is that you don't have much to work with and how are you supposed to make yourself stand out with just one line?  A few weeks ago I went to a workshop with a casting associate who spent years casting a procedural drama that required a lot of your typical one-liner roles.  She had some great tips on tackling these roles.  Here are a few of them:

1. Don't over think it.  Generally, these roles are jobs and you do this job everyday.  It doesn't need to be dramatic.  Keep it simple.
2. Don't drag the line out with lots of unnecessary pauses.  I know it's a short line and you want to be seen for as long as possible, but it's more important to be truthful.
3. Give yourself a moment before you start the line.  You can turn or step into it.  This is a good moment for you to relax, but also practical because it gives the casting director time to find your name on her list so she can actually watch your audition.
4. Remember every part and line is important.  If it wasn't it wouldn't be in the script.  Put as much work into as you would any other audition.  And it's just one line, so please have it memorized.

Now that you've booked that one line role, what should you do?  Exactly what this guy did in his video, One Line on the Sopranos.  (I know I've posted this video before, but it's an awesome video and I'll take any excuse to watch it again.)

Can the actors out there please stand up?

When someone asks you, what do you do?  Do you spout off a list of survival jobs before eventually mumbling under your breath that you are an actor, if you even say actor at all? 

I know you worry how they'll look at you, especially in LA where being an "actor" can have some bad connotations.  I know what it is to dread the next question that'll be coming out of their mouths: Have you been in anything I would've seen?

But, if you can't stand up and proudly say you are an actor then how do you expect anyone else to think of you as an actor.  A couple years back I took a seminar about creating a business plan for actors.  At this seminar we each had to write down our ultimate dream goal in this profession, then we had to put down the paper and say it to the person sitting next to us.  You can't imagine how the words "I want to win an Oscar" get stuck in your throat when you are forced to say it to a complete stranger.  The point was if you can't say this dream of yours out loud to someone then how will you ever be able to reach it.

According to SAG, you are a professional actor when you have headshots, a resume, and are actively seeking acting work.  It has nothing to do with you being paid as an actor or if you have a SAG card, but simply if you are pursuing work as an actor.  So, for all you out there that are going to classes, submitting on Actor's Access and LACasting, or making your own movies: YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ACTOR! 

Don't shy away from it.  Stand up and be proud for pursuing this crazy career.

And as far as that horrible question "Have you been in anything I would've seen?"  I answer by grabbing my iPhone and pulling up my website, MichelleCoyle.net.  There I have links to all the shorts I've made and my demo reel.  Now they've seen something I've been in.

What you can do in a Weekend

As you know from my last blog, What I Learned at the 72 Hour Film Festival, I made a movie last weekend for the Playhouse West 72 Hour Film Festival.  Over this past weekend, they screened all the films.

Our film, Grow A Pair, may not have won any awards, but I am extremely proud of what we made and I got lots of wonderful comments from the people who saw the films.  Plus, I am pretty sure we would have won Best Black Eye Created by a Non-Makeup Artist and Best Use of a Muddy Waters Song had those been a categories.

Today I wanted to share with you all the final product, so that you can see that it truly is possible to create a quality short film that tells a complete story in less than 72 hours.  Here it is:

Congratulations to everyone who made participated in this festival.  It's a cliche', but everyone who made a film is truly a winner.

One last thing, I want to give credit to the fabulous cast and crew of "Grow A Pair":
Directed by Marilyn Porayko
Written by Michelle Coyle, Christina Maria Davis, Somya von Eames
Cinematography by Nick Weidner
Edited by Brian Finifter
Cast:
Alex Aquino
Michelle Coyle
Christina Maria Davis
Nat Dixon
Somya von Eames
AJ Eloy
Jamie Israel
Jermaine Johnson
Elyte Salna

Thanks, y'all!!!

What I learned during the 72 Hour Film Festival.

This weekend I worked with a group to put together a movie for the Playhouse West 72 Hour Film Festival.  We were given a synopsis on Friday and had the weekend to write, direct, and edit the movie.  Here is what we made: Grow a Pair.

Here are some of the lessons I learned:

1. You can make a film for less than $100.
2. Don't Piss Off Your Editor: Make sure you always, always, always slate and that you can see the whole slate in the shot.
3. Even if you think you will never in a million years use the sound from a shot, just go ahead and record sound anyways.
4. Syncing sound sucks.  If you have $150 to spare get PluralEyes.  Trust me.
5. If you can use the ambient light, do it.  You can't imagine how much time you save not setting up lights.
6. High heel platform shoes and wood floors make for major sound issues.
7. Zyrtec is a necessity if you have cats on set.  Allergies can sneak up on cast members.
8. Office roller chairs make terrible dollies.
9. If your movie needs to have a maximum running time of 5 minutes 10 seconds, better to err on the side of a shorter than 5 page script.
10. Generally, a crew of five is all you need unless you are filming a car chase or building implosion.  More people than that can get in the way.
11. Don't be too precious with your script.  Film is a collaboration and be open to everyone, you never know where great ideas will come from.
12. The next time you think you don't have the time to make a film, remember you just did one in a weekend.

I am so very proud of the little film we put together.  A shout out to everyone who came out to play with us this weekend.  Great job, everyone!

How many times can you face rejection and still keep going?

Recently, I read an article about how Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" was rejected 60 times by publishers before finally being bought by Amy Einhorn Books.  She never gave up, even at rejection 59 she kept pushing. 

Not to take anything away from her amazing resilience and perseverance, but most of us actors face this amount of rejection or more in any given year.

Mark Ruffalo went on 800 auditions before someone finally said yes to him.  That's right he had over 800 rejections and still kept on trying.  Finally, his persistence paid off and now he is not only one of the most talented actors out there but also very successful.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I had friends who thought I would try this for a bit and when it didn't work out just go back home and get a regular job.  Some still ask, "when are you coming home?"  The answer is: I'm not.

After Melissa Leo was let go from her breakthrough role on "Homicide: Life on the Streets" she didn't book another part for a few years.  If she had taken that as a sign that she needed to give up and go home she wouldn't have an Oscar today.

Actors have multiple opportunities for rejection every day from your agent's submission on a breakdown to the preread to the call back to the studio test.  For every actor you see on an episode of CSI think of how many actors were rejected for that part. 

Why do we keep putting ourselves through so much rejection?

Because someone has to get the part and there will be that moment where you are the right person at the right place at the right time and the part will be yours.

On the days you feel like you can't face another rejection those are the days you have to push the hardest.  So, keep on pushing guys!

The Money Trap

You may have noticed in a few of my previous blogs, such as Serious Actors Take Classes, that I really dislike lazy actors.  But, I know there are other reasons why actors may not be taking classes or be prepared for their auditions.  Sometimes life gets in the way. 

One thing that always pops up is money or the lack of it.  The rent and bills are always there needing to be paid and the truth is that you won't audition well if you're worried about how you're going to eat this week.  You need money and most of you are not making enough from your acting career alone. 

The number one solution to this problem would be to find a sugar daddy/momma.  But, for those of us who don't have the ... um ... assets required to get a sugar-something we are stuck having to find a survival job.  

Then life happens - your car breaks down or you get sick and suddenly that survival job you got so you could go to auditions and classes gets in the way of doing those very things.  You've lost sight of why you even came to LA in the first place and instead of acting you are living your life shift to shift in a crappy job you probably could be doing back home.  You've become too busy living whatever life you've built for yourself instead of pursuing your dream. 

Not long ago I went to a Q&A with the cast of The Office.  John Krasinski talked about his life as a struggling actor in NYC.  He said he would always take any acting opportunity offered to him, whether it be a film or a staged reading or a play, no matter what, even if it meant walking out in the middle of a restaurant shift.  If they fired him he would just find another job.  It sounds harsh but I think he had his priorities right.

I know you need money to live and that jobs are hard to find right now.  But, you have to prioritize what's important.  Money is important, but in my experience you can survive on less than you think.  Don't get stuck defined by your survival job because you're so busy working that you've forgotten to follow your dreams.
  

Being Okay with Being Ugly (or how to rock a gorilla suit)

Currently, I am performing in a play at Playhouse West called A Mixed Tape.   I spend almost the entirety of the play in a full Gorilla suit.  You may be thinking that's too bad for me that the audience doesn't get to see my face.  But the truth is that being in the costume gives me so much freedom that I have a ton of fun doing this play.  Plus, I don't have to worry about my hair and make-up before the show, so I'm not sitting with the other ladies fighting over plugs for flat irons.

I've always loved character work, when I get in a costume and develop traits that are different from my own, I am truly happy.  Now, even when I am doing a role that doesn't specifically call for a lot of character work, I still create character traits to give my performance that extra layer.  Creating a character always makes me feel more relaxed and free on stage.

What I don't understand are actors who are not willing to make themselves ugly when a role calls for it.  It's like they are scared we have such short memories that we'll forget they are actually beautiful.  Look, if you are supposed to be in the 1800's Old West, you have to accept that showers were not common and flat irons were not invented yet, so if you look perfectly made up and clean then it's kinda hard for the audience to buy that you are actually in the Old West.

Charlize Theron would never have won an Oscar if she worried about what she looked like playing Aileen in "Monster."  If you want to be really truthful in whatever part you are playing, you cannot be afraid to get a little dirty.  Sometimes a role calls for you to put away the curling iron and rock your frizzy natural hair, think how different Cameron Diaz would have been in "Being John Malkovich" without her frizziness.

As actors I know we all fret about what we look like.  We obsess over diets and exercise.  We bleach our teeth and our hair.  We are constantly trying to look like the perfect people we think Hollywood wants us to be, but when you do get an acting job don't forget why you are in this crazy business: to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

Don't shortchange your character or the audience by not being truthful with how your character looks.

Are you your worst enemy?

Each of us find ways to sabotage our own careers.  The trick is to figure out what it you are doing to hurt your career and then work everyday to fight that.

Personally, I often question my abilities and especially my looks.  I will say to myself I am not pretty enough for that part or I don't have enough credits so they will never call me in.  This prevents me from going after roles I really want and then I will never be given a chance in the first place.

Have you ever been called in for something and then thought, this character doesn't look like me or I'm not the type of person they would cast in this role?  What do you do then?  Do you go to the audition and tell the casting director you aren't right for this or even worse do you not go to the audition at all? 

Both of these are the absolutely wrong choice.  Don't do the casting director's job for them.  You can't know what they are looking for, so go in, don't make excuses, and do the best work you can do.  Let them decide that your ears are too big, or your nose is crooked, or that your credits aren't enough.

Woody Allen famously said, "Eighty percent of success is just showing up."  Talking yourself out of trying for things that may seem difficult or out of your reach can be a self-protecting device to prevent you from being rejected.  But, I guarantee someone else will get 100% of the jobs you don't show up for.

Serious Actors Take Classes

In last week's post, Where is your Craft, I questioned how people could claim to be following their dream without working on their craft.  I wanted to follow-up on that and talk a little bit more in-depth about the importance of acting classes and why it's hard for me to take you seriously as an actor if you don't take classes.

I've said it before but it is worth repeating: LEARNING TO BE AN ACTOR IS A LIFELONG PROCESS!

Just because you've booked a few roles doesn't mean that you have no more to learn.  Doris Roberts at 80 still goes to her acting class every week and she's been in the business for 60 years.  From Doris Roberts' Interview with CBS:

"I go [to class] every Saturday morning, I went this morning! I keep learning. See, the important thing about getting older is not to settle. The minute you settle, it's like a disease: if you give into it, become a victim, then you're dished. So I don't settle."

Ted Danson spoke with the Washington Post about working with an acting coach for his role on "Damages."

"[Acting coach] Harold [Guskin] got me to stop being a nice actor. . . . There was an arrogance that he gave me to the acting process that was fun to play with."

Do you still think you have nothing to gain from taking classes or that they are a waste of money?


I found a school that works for me and that I enjoy in Playhouse West.  But, I know that everybody works differently and needs help in different areas so I suggest auditing many different classes to find the one that is right for you.  Don't use not liking a particular class or teacher as an excuse to not go to any classes.  There are so many acting classes in Los Angeles, I guarantee there is one for you.

Now, I want you to understand that I am not talking Casting Director workshops.  They may pretend to be classes, but we all know what they really are.  I am not going to weigh in on the fight over whether CD workshops are worthwhile or not, but one thing I do know is that they are not training.  So, please do not put workshops under training on your resume (and yes, I have seen that), if you do this I will immediately think less of you as an actor.

So, if you aren't taking classes ask yourself how serious you really are about pursuing this career.

Where is your Craft at?

I am amazed how many people in Hollywood say they are following their dreams but don't find the time to go to classes or even read about the craft of what they are trying to do.  If you can't find the time for your dream then how can expect anyone to give your dream time. 

Why do so many people choose to not work on their craft?  I see three main reasons: they get too busy, they get too lazy, or they think they know everything already.

Today I want to talk about the latter reason because I think it is the most detrimental.  I know some people who think they are going to change all the rules of filmmaking, photography, writing, or whatever it is they want to do without ever even learning what the rules are in the first place.  They want to change the world, but discount everybody who came before them.  If you truly love to do something then you should want to learn as much as you about it as you can. 

If you love acting then you should be reading plays and books by the masters all the time.  If you love photography you should be studying photos by the greats and reading about the techniques they used.  If you love filmmaking then you should watch the classics and learn about the intricacies of telling stories through moving pictures.  This goes for anything that you want pursue on a professional level. 

Would you go to a doctor who hadn't studied?  Would you want to fly on a plane with a pilot who had never learned in a simulator first?  Would you want to be represented by a lawyer who didn't study the precedents in your case?

If you want to be a professional why would expect anything less from yourself?

Do you have support?

Yesterday, I spent the 4th with my extended family. All day we ate and gabbed.  It was wonderful and I got to see how very lucky I am. (This is also my excuse for being a day late with my blog.)

I have an amazing support network of aunts, uncles, and cousins who love me unconditionally and are guaranteed to repost anything I put on Facebook (probably including this blogpost.) On days when I am feeling down for not getting more movie or TV work, one thing that keeps me from really beating myself up is knowing how proud my family is for what I have done. With their support I know I can keep trying to do this crazy career. 

Not everyone has such a supportive family and my suggestion to you is to create your own. If your family wants you to just go to Law School already then make your friends your support network. Find a group of like-minded people and support each other. 

Remember friends are the family you get to choose, so choose well. If you are friends with people who aren't supporting your career, why are you friends with them?

What Do You Do for Fun?

Today I want to talk about something very inspiring I saw over the weekend.  Jim Nieb put together a super fun "Coffeeshop" show at Playhouse West.  This show was an opportunity for actors from my acting school to show off some of their other talents.  These actors showed off great skills like tap dancing, singing, comedy and some of the bravest souls even got up for their first try at stand up.

It got me thinking, what do you have other than acting?  If this is your career, do you have any hobbies?

Between classes, interning, writing, rehearsing scenes and plays it's really difficult to find time to do anything else.  In my last blog I asked if you were doing enough for your career and I told you it's important to find the right balance and to not beat yourself up if you are not currently working at an acting job.  I also mentioned the importance of having a personal life. 

Watching these performers, I was amazed by the super talented ones who clearly had been doing this for years, but I was most moved by the ones who were trying something new.  It's inspiring to see actors reaching past their comfort zone and get up on stage to tell some jokes or read a poem they've written.

So, what are your hobbies?  What makes you feel good or uncomfortable or just plain happy?  Make sure you give yourself time to do that!

Are You Doing Enough?

Last weekend at the Playhouse West Film Festival, Scott Caan did a Q&A about his career.  One thing he said really struck me: he always feels like he should be doing more for his acting and for his career.  Here is a guy who is a regular on two television shows, writes and directs his own films, and is starting his own production company and he doesn't feel like he is doing enough.

If this guy doesn't feel like he is doing enough, how can any actor feel like they are doing enough?  Well, maybe James Franco does, but I assume he has Hermione's Time-Turner in order to do everything.

At the acting school I attend, I've seen some newbie-super-gung-ho actors come through who want to do everything right away.  They'll audit every class they can and want to constantly rehearse.  It is commendable, but what often happens with these actors is that they burn out quickly and end up leaving LA.

The trick is finding the right balance.  Of course you should work on your acting and your career, but there are more ways to do that than just going to class.  For me, I help out at my agency once a week, read at casting offices, go to class, write, and produce my own stuff.  But, don't forget that there is more to life than just your career, so don't beat yourself up when you are tending to your personal life as well.

As actors we chose a career that is more like a vocation or calling.  We don't have office hours, so our work is constantly with us.  When we aren't in the middle of working on something it is easy to feel bad about ourselves.  The hard thing is that this chosen career tends to have more downtime than working time. 

Here Michael Ian Black on SadSadConversation talks about the panic he feels when he is not working on something (around the 50 second mark):

Oscar winner, Michael Caine says he would always say yes to any role offered to him because he never knew if it would be the last role he was offered.  That's why he agreed to do Jaws: The Revenge.  He wanted to work and was afraid that could be his last chance.

Is the lesson here that no matter how many Oscars you've won, how many shows you've been a regular on, or how long you've been in the business you'll always feel that you aren't doing enough? 

No, it's more about acceptance. 

If you know you are doing as much as you can: if you are going to class, rehearsing, writing, reading, actively making new contacts, then accept yourself and don't beat yourself up every time you are without an acting job.

Some Film Festival Inspiration

I spent a very inspiring weekend at the Playhouse West Film Festival.  Three days of films, mostly shorts and every film involved Playhouse West students.  I have worked at this festival for the past 6 years and I am particularly proud of this year's film selections.  We had so many well made films with tight writing and good acting. 

I am a little disappointed in myself for not having a film in the festival this year.  I helped out on a few projects as a PA and such, but nothing more.

So, I want to take this opportunity to make a promise to myself and to all of you that I WILL HAVE A FILM IN THE FESTIVAL NEXT YEAR!!!

Congratulations to all the filmmakers who got off their tush this year and produced such wonderful work.  Throughout the festival, the advice most of the filmmakers give is to just go out there and do it.  That's exactly what I plan on doing as soon as I take a nap since working the festival is not just very inspiring but also extremely exhausting.

So, you want to be Rich and Famous?

If you chose to become an actor because you want to be rich and famous, I should tell you there are easier ways with a much better return to achieve both of those goals.  Your average work-a-day actor may never be able to quit the day job.

I spend many weekends working one of my survival jobs, sampling stuff at Costco.  It's not a bad job: short day, good money, and sometimes I get to take samples home.  This weekend a couple aisles down from my moisturizer demo, a guy had a fancy demo of those super cool blenders that can blend anything.  I call it fancy because they gave him a microphone and he was standing on a small stage with lots of equipment, all I had a small table with a black tablecloth.

The most interesting thing about the blender demo is that the guy running it is a well-known character actor.  He has a large recurring role on a series that has already gotten picked up for the fall.  This actor has a career that spans two decades and has included other large recurring roles, guest stars, movies, and a long running commercial campaign.  By all accounts a very successful career and one most of us actors are striving for.

And here I am working basically the same survival job as him.  Now, I am not pretending to know him or why he was there.  Maybe he has large gambling debts or he was doing it as a favor to a friend, but I suspect he was doing it because if you aren't working an acting job, doing promotions is a respectable way to get some extra income.

This is why you have to truly have a passion for acting, because if it's money you want there are more tried and true ways to get it like going to med school or becoming a stripper.


And if it's fame you're after, well I had an acting teacher once tell me that if I wanted to be a famous I chose my parents poorly.  Navigating Hollywood certainly would be easier with a name like Coppola or Arquette.

But, if you really want to be famous may I suggest reality television.

Who the heck booked Pilots this year?

Now that the upfronts are pretty much over and we know which pilots got picked up and which ones didn't, there are those of us actors who didn't even get to go out for pilots much less book one.  So, of the pilots that got produced who did get those jobs? 

James J. Jones owner of The Premier Talent Group did the math for those of us not good with numbers:

“2011 PILOT SEASON stratification by the numbers
Of the 529 Series Regular Roles (assuming that named
doing recurring roles):

112 or 21.2% Went to NAMED ACTORS
262 or 49.5% -­ Went to KNOWN ACTORS
374 or 70.7% -­ Went to NAMED AND KNOWN ACTORS

*Of the additional 27.3% of the bookings, almost all of them had significant credits
as series recurring actors or series regulars in shows that did not last long. Only 7
bookings (2.0%) would be considered truly developmental received series regular
roles, and many of these went to the under 18 category.

In short,

21.2% of series roles went to bonafide star names (ie Ethan Hawke and Christina Ricci).
49.5% of series regulars went to former series regulars of major shows.
27.3% of series regular roles went to heavy working actors with numerous.
series recurring roles and/or series regular roles of shows that did not last.
2.0% of series regular roles went to true developmental actors."

I spent a number of days helping out at my agent's office during "pilot season" and can tell you that no matter how much he pitched it was hard to even get an audition for any talent who did not already have significant credits.  One of my agents was pitching me for a co-star role and they told her it had gone to an offer.

On top of all the roles going to offers many of the Pilots were filmed outside of LA.

"As of April 18th, Variety was reporting that confirmed Pilot Shoots will occur in:

United States
48 Los Angeles
11 New York (Unt. Susannah Grant, Over & Under, Unt. Redlich/Belluchi, Prime
Suspects, Smash, Weekend at Bellevue, Georgetown, Persons of Interest,
Ringer, Rookies and Pan Am)
4 Florida (Bad Mom, Magic City, The Finder, Angels)
4 Illinois (Cooper and Stone;; Boss, Playboy)
2 Georgia (Hail Mary, Partners)
2 New Mexico (Reconstruction, Longmire)
2 North Carolina (Revenge;; Hart of Dixie)
1 Oregon (Grimm)
1 Louisiana (Wild Card)
1 Texas (Good Christian Bitches)
1 Pennsylvania (Locke and Key)

Outside of the United States
5 Vancouver, Canada (17th Precinct, Secret Circle, Alcatraz, Heavenly and Once
Upon a Time)
2 Toronto, Canada (Awakening, Poe)
1 Prague/Rome/Vienna (Missing)
1 Puerto Rico (The River)
1 Montreal, Canada (Identity)"*

That tells me it is time to either marry a Canadian so I can legally work up there or make some magic happen with the local hire casting offices outside of LA. 

Now you can either take all this information and chose to be discouraged, but I don't think that is the right response.  I think it is even more evidence that you can't rely on other people to give you opportunities to do your art.  Create your own films!

Need some inspiration? See what your colleagues are creating by joining us at the Playhouse West Film Festival to be educated and inspired.


*See the complete 2011 PILOT REPORT from The Premier Talent Group

There is No Vacation from Following Your Dreams.

For my birthday this year I took a vacation.  I left LA for a week and did my best to not look at the breakdowns or obsess over what I wasn't getting called in on.  This week I tried to have a break where I didn't have to think about all this acting "career" stuff.  Sounds easy, right?

It isn't.  I already told you in my last post, It's Your Audition, Own It, I had to self-tape an audition while I was away. The truth is that I loved that I had to do that.  Whenever I take any break from my work towards my dreams, I am filled with regret.  I fear missed opportunities.

That is what makes pursuing your dreams so much different from so many other professions.  There are no true vacations and you always take your work home with you.

Since it is the last day of my vacation and blog writing is not my dream, I will keep this post short and end it here.

It's Your Audition, Own It!

I was out of town this week and as is often the case when I leave Los Angeles – I got an audition.

I swear there should be Travel Agency for Actors that plans wonderful vacations for us, virtually guaranteeing amazing auditions on the day after we are supposed to leave town. 

Luckily for me this casting office was willing to accept a self-tape audition.   My dad and I found an empty wall in the house, brought every light into the room that we could gather and shot the sides on my 7D.  Dad made an excellent reader.

After approximately 50 takes (I'm very critical of myself), I edited the best ones on iMovie and emailed it off to the casting office.

I know I always say after an audition you should forget about it, but apparently I am not good at practicing what I preach.  The next morning in the shower, it hit me: I’D COMPLETELY MISINTERPRETTED THE SCENE!   

I immediately did the actor-thing of beating myself up.  How could I have screwed up a self-taped audition?  How could I have ruined my one opportunity to impress this casting office?  All the usual self-flagellating things that actors do.

In the midst of my inner monologue filled with self-hate, my mother points out I could always just film it again the other way and send it to them.  My first response was: No, I don’t want to bother them.  But, after a little pushing from my mom, I reconsidered and decided: what do I have to lose?  So, we set up the wall again and I did the scenes with my new take.  Mom also made an excellent reader. 

I edited it and emailed it off, with a nice note to the casting office.  And to my surprise they weren’t annoyed or put out; they actually sent a note of thanks back.

Don’t be afraid of casting, they want you to do the best you can, and if you truly hated your audition and know you can do it differently ask them if you can do it again.  The time you have with casting is your time, don’t leave feeling like you didn’t do everything you wanted to do.

Just Waiting for Someone to Wake Me Up

Over the last couple months, I’ve been working as a reader at a feature film casting office.  What was interesting about this particular experience was that we were working on only one role for 6 weeks.  I read with over 200 hundred actors all doing the exact same 5 page scene.  Trust me, at this point I know every line in that scene inside and out.   I can do the scene in my sleep and I hate to admit it but there were times when I was pretty much asleep during the session.

If good acting is listening and reacting, then I fully admit during these auditions I was not always a good actor.  But every once in awhile, an actor would come in and really draw me out; these few would force me to pay attention.

It reminds of something a casting director once told me: in auditions he was usually just waiting for an actor to wake him up.

I started trying to figure out the difference between the boring actors that have now all run together in my head and the few that forced me to notice them.  Honestly, the ones that really woke me up were the ones that I could tell were truly paying attention to me.  In the scene they weren’t just talking at me but were listening to me and making sure that I understood them.

The ones that were good were more concerned about me than how they looked or if they were acting “right.”  It made them live truthfully in the situation, which is something actors are wonderful at on stage or on set, but for some reason find nearly impossible in the audition room.

When you go into an audition, take the pressure off yourself and put all the attention on the other person.  It will help you relax and one thing a casting director always likes to see is a relaxed, confident actor.  Those actors make the casting directors job so much easier.

What Makes Art so Important? (or why I became an actor.)

Right after 9/11 happened the whole world seemed to stop.  The only thing on television and radio was the news.  I hated leaving my living room because I was afraid to miss a minute of the coverage and even refused to turn my TV off when I was going to sleep.  For days we became a nation of news junkies.  No one seemed to know when was okay to start airing something other than the images of the Towers and the Pentagon that are now ingrained in everyone’s collective memory.   

In the days following 9/11, entertainment seemed so trite and unnecessary.  But, eventually all the stations went back to airing their regular programs.   

And as much as I can't forget the footage of that terrible day, I also remember Jon Stewart on the Daily Show a week later asking “Are you okay?” and Dave Letterman getting choked up explaining why he decided to put The Late Show back on air. 

Today, it seemed silly to write a blog about how to be a better actor because after yesterday’s news how trivial does that sound?  But, then I remembered that it was the entertainers, the actors, the comedians, the writers, and the musicians who helped mend a very wounded country 10 years ago.
 

I believe the entertainers helped to bring us back from the brink.  They became the ones we looked to on how to go back to our lives after the tragedy.  They showed us that what we were feeling was the same as everyone else in this country.  They helped us grieve and even begin to heal. 

The world needs artists as much as it needs scientists and doctors.  Art, whether it’s a painting in the Louvre, a musical on Broadway, or a crime drama on CBS, provides people with a way to relate, reflect, and give meaning to the world around us.

So, today's blog is for all you artists, writers, actors, musicians, comedians, and entertainers out there to remind you that what you do is important!  Don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s not.   

**Dedicated to all the brave men and women fighting for our country and protecting our freedoms.  I promise we will do our best to keep entertaining you.**

 
 

Are We There Yet? (or why I need to learn to enjoy the journey)

There are days I get so frustrated with Hollywood that I want to leave.  Pack my Ikea furniture, Forever 21 wardrobe, and boxes of unused headshots into my 10-year-old Civic and drive the 3,000 miles back to my parent’s house, which always has plenty of food in the cupboard.

I know if I did go home and got a regular job in Atlanta - did some community theater on the side - my life would be so much easier.  But, easier does not mean better and the harder it is to reach something the sweeter it will be when you do.  So, I convince myself to stay in LA and fight for the hard dream.

The problem with choosing acting as a profession is that there is no given way to success.  If you’ve lived in LA for more than a year then you probably know a few people that have reached enough success that they were able to quit their day job.  (Ah, that would be a dream!)  Maybe they’ve had a few nationals or even got a series regular role.  But, the longer you live here the more you realize that this success happens to the most random people and that some of the best actors you know can’t even get an agent.

It’s an ugly truth about Hollywood, but some of the best actors in the world are stuck doing 99-seat theater in North Hollywood and they never manage to move beyond it.  This is because acting is not just about talent and hard work, there is a modicum of timing and luck that goes alongside with success.  Being in the right place at the right time can be the difference being someone “making it” and someone not.

What is your definition of success in your career?  And the really tough question is: what if you don’t reach that level of success?

Find the things you enjoy in the journey that leads to your success and it will be easier to stick it out.   

BESIDES THE OTHER WAY TO FIND SUCCESS IS TO SIMPLY OUTLAST YOUR COMPETITION.

Stop Worrying so Much!

This audition doesn’t matter.  Seriously, whatever audition you are about to go on does not matter nearly as much as you think.  There will always be another audition, another pilot season, another feature film, even another agent or manager.  Actors often act like if they don’t get this job it will be the end of the world.  Trust me, it won’t.  This is not your last chance!

I don’t say this so you can feel okay about going into your next audition unprepared.  I say this because that desperation you feel to get this job shows up all over your face from the moment you walk in the room. 

You know how you hear about people finding the “right one” the moment they stop looking for them and then they get married and live happily ever after?  That’s because they stopped being desperate.  It’s the same with getting a job.  When you worry about each audition like it’s your last chance, you aren’t relaxed and that can prevent you from getting the job.

Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam Beasley on “The Office,” has a great story about when she pretty much gave up on acting and she suddenly found success.  She had been in Los Angeles pursuing her acting career for about 10 years.  She had some co-stars, gone out for pilots, and such but hadn’t found a way to make a living as an actress.  She decided it was time to pursue a new career and chose to go to veterinary school.  

Since she was very close to her manager and agent she decided to give them one more pilot season before completely giving it up.  But she had something else now and each audition wasn’t the end all be all for her.  That is when she got cast in “The Office.”  That’s not to say she didn’t come prepared for the audition, I am sure she did all that work, but I’m willing to bet she wasn’t nearly as worried about whether or not she got the job.

I’m not saying you have to have a back up career already in your pocket, but you shouldn’t look at each audition as if it’s this or nothing.  Because it’s not.  They are always going to be making another movie.  Television shows are going to be cancelled and new ones will have to be made to fill their slots.  They will always need actors.

I told you this is acting thing is a long-term project, so stop trying to be an overnight success.

I'm a Green Dot, or why you need to know your type

When I first moved to LA, a friend convinced me to go with her to an audition for a reality show.  It’s at a studio and when we finally get to the front of the line a woman quickly looks me up and down.  She takes a green dot from her pack of multi-colored stickers and places it on my paperwork.  My friend gets a blue dot. 

We are then split up into lines based on our colored dots.  I am sent to the green dot line along the wall and my friend is sent to the much shorter line with the other color dots.  I look at her line and everyone is tall, beautiful, and seems to have a fan constantly blowing through their perfect hair.   

They look like a Vanity Fair cover.

Then I look down my line and I realize they are not very attractive; I’m talking people with hunchbacks, missing limbs, patches over an eye, and definitely not hot. Then it occurs to me: 

I’m in the ugly people line!  

It came as a bit of a shock, I mean I know I’m not Angelina Jolie, but I had thought I was at least a Jennifer Aniston.  I chose at that moment to accept the fate of being categorized as a character actor, took the green dot off my paperwork and put it on the middle of my forehead for my audition.  Owning it.  I AM A GREEN DOT!

Now I know who I am.  I’m not the one who gets the Prince at the end of the fairy tale: I’m her snarky best friend or the Prince’s secretary.  I’m the diner waitress or a school teacher.  That is my brand.

The point is that you need to know who you are.  Not everyone is the leading man - someone has to be Steve Buscemi.  Once you find what roles you are going to play then let that be your brand.  Your photos, your reel, all your marketing tools need to be aimed at that brand.

Actors are always afraid of being “typecast.”  I always say the most important part of that word is “cast.”  Be the go-to person when casting directors need your type.  That is the way to get jobs in this town.  Once you are Ryan Gosling or Natalie Portman you can branch outside your brand.

YOU NEED TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH WHO YOU ARE AND SELL IT!

Why Relationships Matter

What I am about to tell you will seem like really bad news for actors. 

I helped cast the lead in a feature film and we saw 20 guys a day for 4 days before the breakdown was ever released.  So, before your agent ever even gets a chance to submit you on that project casting has seen over 80 people and probably has choices.

Other not so great looking statistics for actors: One casting director said if a role is in the 20’s to 30’s age bracket then she expects over 3,000 actors to be submitted.  Another casting director at a large television casting office told me they generally only call in 8 actors for every guest star role because they don’t have time to see more.  You can do the math, but 8 actors out of 3,000 submissions and anyone can see that the odds aren’t great.

I know that all this can seem pretty bleak for those of us actors who aren’t “names.”  But, here is the good news: people do get called in and not all of them are repped by TalentWorks or CAA. 

There are things you do have control of that help increase your odds of being one of those people who gets called in.

Build relationships with the people who make those decisions.  

Find something you enjoy doing and do that to build the relationships with the people you like.  My favorite way is by helping out at casting offices.  I found out that I enjoy helping actors get parts and I love how much I learn while sitting in the auditions.  Plus, I get to work with people I like.  I think that is the key: make sure you actually enjoy spending time with the people that you are building these relationships.

SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDS.   

Go see their shows.  Be an extra or a PA on that short film they are making.  They will love you for it.  Then when you need a referral to a commercial agent or an introduction to their aunt who is an exec at Paramount they are much more likely to do that.  I know we are all busy in this town, but we really have to support each other.  Yeah, it’s a pain to drive down to Santa Monica from the Valley at 6pm to see your friend’s night of one-acts, but they will appreciate the fact you did so much!

Create your own work.   

I know I harp on this a lot, but seriously make your own movies.  It is too easy not to and there is no an excuse to not go out create something.  Post these movies on the web, get them into film festivals, and you never know who will see it.

Way down on the list for me is going to workshops.  I know we have all heard stories of people getting auditions after seeing someone at a workshop, but I think that is the exception and not the rule.  Disclaimer: I do attend workshops every so often.  (Of course, I prefer the free ones offered through the SAG Foundation.)  The important thing if you are going to spend money on a workshop is to make sure it’s with the decision maker in the office.  I suggest making a target list of casting directors you want to meet and don’t just try to see everyone.  Of course there is a lot of controversy over workshops which I am not going to delve into, but if you are interested you can read more about that here: Pay to Play?

The fact is that this is a town that is built around personal relationships.  Casting directors are going to call in people they know and like.  Directors and producers are going to cast people they enjoy working with.   

Building relationships doesn’t happen over night, so you have to be willing to put the time and energy in and if you do eventually the rewards will come to you.

Be Confident Even If You Aren't

First of all, if a casting director called you into an audition that means they want to cast you.  Seriously they do, because if you come in and are perfect for the part then their job is done and they won’t have to sit through another 100 actors who look just like you.  Trust me they want to like you, they really, really do.

But, we are actors and think everyone is judging us constantly and we need validation.  This makes us seem needy and lacking confidence.  Which is a problem, because over and over again the actors that get callbacks and book parts are the ones that exude confidence the moment they walk into the office.

For those of us that lack that natural who-gives-a-hoot-what-anyone-thinks-air, here are a couple basic traps many actors fall into:

Don’t Walk into an Audition Apologizing

I helped at a casting session that involved singing.  The first thing a bunch of the actors said the moment they walked in the door was, “I’m so sorry, but I’m not a very good singer.”

Now everyone in the room is thinking, great this is going to be a waste of our time and then we are going to be stuck in the uncomfortable position of having to coddle you after your audition and tell you that you weren’t as bad as you thought.  Since, you told us that you were going to be bad, I am going to go over my grocery list in my head while you are singing.

And truth be told, most of these actors weren’t that bad and if they hadn’t made everyone biased against them the moment they walked in they may have had a chance.

Don’t Come in with Excuses

I can’t tell you how many actors have walked in and the first thing they said was an excuse as to why they were late, or don’t have their headshots, or why they don’t know their lines.

Here is the answer to all your excuses:

1. Yes, you live in LA; traffic sucks.

2. No, your agent didn’t send over headshots for you.  Here’s a hint: They never do.

3. There are other actors up for the same part who had the material the same amount of time that do know their lines.  Guess who looks better on camera. 

How can you seem more confident? 

1. Be pleasant and greet the casting director, but don’t start rambling on.  When they ask how’s your day going they are just being polite and don’t need to hear about how your cat threw up on your bathroom carpet (true story). 
2. When they ask if you have any questions, they are doing two things: offering to answer any intelligent questions you have about the scene and they are letting you know that it’s time to start.  Don’t ask a question just to ask a question and don’t ask something that you should have had answered before you came in.  What should you have found out before you stepped into the room?  Things like: is this a comedy or drama and how are these characters related.
3. If you feel like things are going supremely terrible it is okay to stop and ask to do the scene again, but only do this if you are going to do the scene differently and you are sure it will be better.  Also, know that even if you think you are doing terrible usually you are doing fine.
4. Once the scene is done say thank you and leave.  I have seen more than one actor talk themselves out of a role after they did an amazing scene by going on and on once they were finished.  The need to fill dead air with talking shows a lack of confidence in yourself.

There are those that are born with confidence.  For the rest of us who weren’t, may I suggest faking it and eventually you might find some of that confidence inside you.  Not that I have, but it could happen.