January Career Goals Update

One way to help you stay on top of your resolutions is to have people to keep you accountable.  So, you guys are now my accountability team.  At the end of each month we are going to revisit my career goals I set this New Year's and see how I am doing.

CAREER GOALS

Goal: Attend class unless working an acting gig or sick
Actual: I skipped one Thursday class to go to Disneyland with my sister.  My excuse (I know, excuses are a terrible, terrible thing but ...) I had attended 5 classes already that week and needed a mental health day.

Goal: Work on scenes from plays I can put up.
Actual: I have worked on two new scenes already this year, but neither come from a play I would actually put up.  I am starting a new scene next week that has a possibility of being a cool play to do.

Goal: Read two plays a month.
Actual: I read "A Few Good Men," "Play It Again, Sam," and "Vanities."

Goal: Find and attend a good on-camera class to supplement my acting classes.
Actual: Started a commercial class with Chris Game.

Goal: Complete editing on both my films before the PWFF early bird deadline.
Actual: The five minute one has a rough cut, but b-roll footage is needed to round it out.  The 20-minute one is being worked on by Ricardo.

Goal: Write and produce two more shorts this year.
Actual: Let's finish these other two first.

Goal: Continue to help at the agency once a week.
Actual: I've been helping out at my agency and at some casting offices.  On weeks I couldn't go in on my normal day, I would try to go in a different day.

Goal: Find three casting offices that I can help out at as a reader.
Actual: Worked as a reader at two offices already!  A feature office and an episodic!  I think I will try to add more to this goal.

Goal: Blog every Monday.
Actual: Blogged every week.  And I added a new blog: Being Crafty and Cultured in Los Angeles.  There you can see how I am doing on my personal goals.

How do You Keep Yourself Going?

People always say how difficult it is to be an actor because you hear "no" all the time.  This is actually  not true - most of the time you hear nothing at all.  The way most actors find out they were rejected is when they see another actor playing the role they auditioned for on TV.  Oh, awesome, that goofy bug-eyed girl got that commercial I went in for ... again.

But there is no way around it, being an actor is a life filled with rejection.  And I'm not going to lie: it is difficult and it will get to you.  The people who have longevity in this business are the ones who can take the rejection and keep moving forward.

When the rejection starts to get me feeling down, I look at the reasons I chose this career in the first place.  I love to act; I love the theater; I love performing; I love movies; I love plays.

My first step in fighting the rejection blues is by watching some of my favorite actors in their best performances.  I get the classics down and watch Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Singing in the Rain - the movies that made me want to be an actor in the first place.

Another way for me to fight the blues is by wandering around in the play section of my favorite used bookstore, The Iliad.  I grab a couple well-loved, marked up, highlighted plays for a couple bucks and curl up in a dark corner somewhere to read.  One secret of mine: I always act out all the parts in my head while reading a play.

If I am not on an upswing yet, then I pour myself into being more productive.  I find new classes; go to workshops; find offices to intern at.  Suddenly, I am too busy to feel depressed over some lousy one line role or a cheesy car commercial I didn't book.

What do you do to keep yourself moving forward?

What Class is Right for Me?

There are so many classes for actors in Hollywood that it's difficult to know which one is the right one for you.  There are business of acting classes, technique classes, and commercial classes.  Then if you decide to do a technique class, what kind?  Do you want a heavy Meisner class or lighter cold-reading class?

A newer phenomenon in the category of business of the business are these classes specifically geared towards marketing.  Some are taught by people who seem to have little to do with show business and can cost up to $500.  Of course, marketing is important and clearly these teachers are very good at marketing to actors since many are willing to pay the money to take these classes.  Perhaps that does translate for actors marketing to producers, but I'm suspicious.  A few of my friends have taken them and felt like they got a lot out of it.  But are these classes worth all that money?

The same thing can be said for lots of technique classes out there.  So, how do you know if a class is worth taking?

My recommendation is to try it out.  Most places allow you to audit a class for free (and in general if a place doesn't let you do that I would question if it was the right place for me.)  Even some of these marketing classes offer free tidbits online. 

I take every free class offered to me because one thing I believe in wholeheartedly is: free stuff is good. 

Try it out, see if the teacher is right for you.  What's good for me may not work for you, so you can't always just rely on what classes your friends adore.

Recently, I went to audit a commercial class and I knew pretty quick that I would not like this guy as a teacher, but plenty of others swear by him.  If I had just gone by recommendations I would be spending way too much money on a class I would hate.  That allowed me to find another class that was right for me.

Here are a few good websites to find free classes, but be warned some are just trying to sell you on a much larger class:
www.sagfoundation.org
www.actorrated.com
freeworkshops.info

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.

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?