For many of us actors, whether or not we have have a day job is not really a choice. It can be quite difficult to make a living as only an actor. Without another source of income, every acting job and in turn every audition becomes even more important. When it's just the job that you want, you often appear desperate in your auditions and your acting can suffer.
Having a day job that you can count on to provide you with money allows you to relax and do your best acting. It does not have to be a job that you love to do, but it shouldn't be one that you loathe. If going to your day job makes you miserable and stressed then your acting will also suffer.
Most people think the only job an actor can have is waiting tables. I waited tables for years and learned that being a server made me a miserable person to be around. Everyday I had to go to a restaurant was a day I dreaded and made it difficult for me to focus on my acting. So, this wasn't a good day job for me. But, there are other jobs actors can do that will allow you to go on auditions and classes. I have many friends who have very accommodating office jobs.
But, you have to be careful. Making money can be a trap. The more you make of it the more things you want to buy and then the more you need of it. If you get too comfortable with the money you are making then it can be easy to allow your acting to fall off the side. Suddenly, you don't want to take time off for classes or auditions, and you day job becomes your career.
There is a happy medium that every artist must find. Money is a necessity, but so is your art. Don't let the need for money prevent you from creating your art. But, you have to accept that having a job that you can rely on can also be important to your acting career.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Being an Actor isn't that Bad.
Recently, this article called 5 Awful Things Nobody Tells You About Being an Actor has been passed around the social networking sites. I took it upon myself to look up the writer of this article, Soren Bowie (click on his name to visit his IMDb page and help his Starmeter.) From what I can tell he has a similar career as me: a few independent films, a webseries, and some shorts he wrote. This article makes it sound like he is going through a pretty rough point in his career.
I know being an actor is tough, but I disagree with almost everything he talks about in this article:
#5 You Aren't Building a Real Skill Set
He asserts that most of the day jobs actors have like serving or retailing are not meant to be careers and generally aren't very enjoyable. That while your high school and college friends are moving up the career ladder you are stuck trying to upsell the vodka in someone's martini.
This is incorrect for two reasons. First off, actors don't have to work in the service industry. There are other flexible day jobs and if you find a generous boss almost any job can be flexible. I have actor friends who work all types of jobs including as a doctor, personal assistant, and lots of various office type jobs. Plus the career we want to build is as an actor, not in the service industry. We work these day jobs to pay for our dreams. If I always have to work in jobs other than acting in order to live, but it allows me the opportunity to act from time to time then I am happy.
Secondly, there are lots of skills actors learn that are useful in all walks of life. Skills like public speaking, listening to others, and how to market yourself. You even learn important skills in the service industry like how to deal with difficult people, multitasking, and even remembering long lists of specials helps with memory. Plus, the writer of this article seems to be building a skill set by writing articles for an online magazine. (Look another day job choice that is not in the service industry.)
#4 Most Roles Have Nothing to Do with Acting
His example of a role that doesn't require acting is a Listerine commercial where people make funny faces using the mouthwash. It's true that most commercials are more interested in your look than your ability to act. You don't do commercials because you want to act; you do commercials because you want to make some money to support your acting career. Those poor mouthwash people probably made tens of thousands of dollars for that one day of work. Cry me freakin' river that it didn't require real acting.
If you aren't getting to do the roles you want, then write them yourself. I noticed on Mr. Bowie's IMDb page that he wrote and produced a short that he acted in and that is exactly what you should be doing if you aren't happy with the roles in which you get cast.
#3 You Will Never Be Considered for Roles that Require Acting
First of all, never is a very harsh word. Second, if you treat co-star one line roles as if they aren't acting then you probably aren't going to be cast as in those either.
He goes on a long diatribe about the difficulties of getting in SAG and how if you aren't SAG you won't be asked to audition for SAG productions. Here is one argument: with the SAG New Media Agreement it is super easy to become SAG eligible. Here is another argument: most casting directors I know have no issues Taft-Hartleying someone who isn't SAG. True some productions will forbid it, but most allow it. I was Taft-Hartleyed into SAG on an Army PSA. He mentions a "hefty fine" but I've heard it isn't that much and certainly a pittance for a $20 million production.
He also mentions that directors are not likely to trust you in a lead role if they don't think you have experience. That's why you get experience by doing co-stars, your own films, theater, and then hope that the right people will see it. Most of the roles I worked have been given to me by someone who knows me and has seen my other work, including on stage and even as a reader in a casting room.
#2 Your Faith Will be Exploited
Here he talks about how much actors have to rely on everyone else in a production to help them look good. It's true filmmaking is always a collaboration. But, we've all made bad stuff and worked with people who were not so great at whatever they were claiming to be.
But, if you have a good technique then even if you look terrible and everything in the movie looks terrible you should still be acting correctly. In the end that is what's important. And if it really is that terrible then don't put the movie on your reel or show it to anyone. Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.
#1 You Won't Make Enough Money to Live On
We've gone over this in my blog post When Do I Start Getting Paid For This. The answer is: maybe never. And if you want to keep pursuing this job then you have to be okay with that. You have to accept that you may never buy a house or be financially stable.
I've decided that the house with the barbeque and white picket fence are not part of my version of the "American Dream." My dream is to be able to act and perform. If I wanted money I could have picked a hundred different jobs. And if you want to be rich and famous check out this post on how to do that: So, You Want be Rich and Famous?
He is right; you may not make enough money to live on. And he ends the article by saying your take home pay for one day on an ultra-low budget movie is about the same as a Greyhound ticket home, which may be the point of this article: to make his competition want to go home. Remember, y'all, this is a game of attrition and much like Survivor the winner is the one who Outlasts their competition. So, do your best to outlast this guy.
And I wish Soren Bowie the best in his pursuit of the Hollywood dream!
I know being an actor is tough, but I disagree with almost everything he talks about in this article:
#5 You Aren't Building a Real Skill Set
He asserts that most of the day jobs actors have like serving or retailing are not meant to be careers and generally aren't very enjoyable. That while your high school and college friends are moving up the career ladder you are stuck trying to upsell the vodka in someone's martini.
This is incorrect for two reasons. First off, actors don't have to work in the service industry. There are other flexible day jobs and if you find a generous boss almost any job can be flexible. I have actor friends who work all types of jobs including as a doctor, personal assistant, and lots of various office type jobs. Plus the career we want to build is as an actor, not in the service industry. We work these day jobs to pay for our dreams. If I always have to work in jobs other than acting in order to live, but it allows me the opportunity to act from time to time then I am happy.
Secondly, there are lots of skills actors learn that are useful in all walks of life. Skills like public speaking, listening to others, and how to market yourself. You even learn important skills in the service industry like how to deal with difficult people, multitasking, and even remembering long lists of specials helps with memory. Plus, the writer of this article seems to be building a skill set by writing articles for an online magazine. (Look another day job choice that is not in the service industry.)
#4 Most Roles Have Nothing to Do with Acting
His example of a role that doesn't require acting is a Listerine commercial where people make funny faces using the mouthwash. It's true that most commercials are more interested in your look than your ability to act. You don't do commercials because you want to act; you do commercials because you want to make some money to support your acting career. Those poor mouthwash people probably made tens of thousands of dollars for that one day of work. Cry me freakin' river that it didn't require real acting.
If you aren't getting to do the roles you want, then write them yourself. I noticed on Mr. Bowie's IMDb page that he wrote and produced a short that he acted in and that is exactly what you should be doing if you aren't happy with the roles in which you get cast.
#3 You Will Never Be Considered for Roles that Require Acting
First of all, never is a very harsh word. Second, if you treat co-star one line roles as if they aren't acting then you probably aren't going to be cast as in those either.
He goes on a long diatribe about the difficulties of getting in SAG and how if you aren't SAG you won't be asked to audition for SAG productions. Here is one argument: with the SAG New Media Agreement it is super easy to become SAG eligible. Here is another argument: most casting directors I know have no issues Taft-Hartleying someone who isn't SAG. True some productions will forbid it, but most allow it. I was Taft-Hartleyed into SAG on an Army PSA. He mentions a "hefty fine" but I've heard it isn't that much and certainly a pittance for a $20 million production.
He also mentions that directors are not likely to trust you in a lead role if they don't think you have experience. That's why you get experience by doing co-stars, your own films, theater, and then hope that the right people will see it. Most of the roles I worked have been given to me by someone who knows me and has seen my other work, including on stage and even as a reader in a casting room.
#2 Your Faith Will be Exploited
Here he talks about how much actors have to rely on everyone else in a production to help them look good. It's true filmmaking is always a collaboration. But, we've all made bad stuff and worked with people who were not so great at whatever they were claiming to be.
But, if you have a good technique then even if you look terrible and everything in the movie looks terrible you should still be acting correctly. In the end that is what's important. And if it really is that terrible then don't put the movie on your reel or show it to anyone. Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.
#1 You Won't Make Enough Money to Live On
We've gone over this in my blog post When Do I Start Getting Paid For This. The answer is: maybe never. And if you want to keep pursuing this job then you have to be okay with that. You have to accept that you may never buy a house or be financially stable.
I've decided that the house with the barbeque and white picket fence are not part of my version of the "American Dream." My dream is to be able to act and perform. If I wanted money I could have picked a hundred different jobs. And if you want to be rich and famous check out this post on how to do that: So, You Want be Rich and Famous?
He is right; you may not make enough money to live on. And he ends the article by saying your take home pay for one day on an ultra-low budget movie is about the same as a Greyhound ticket home, which may be the point of this article: to make his competition want to go home. Remember, y'all, this is a game of attrition and much like Survivor the winner is the one who Outlasts their competition. So, do your best to outlast this guy.
And I wish Soren Bowie the best in his pursuit of the Hollywood dream!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, June 6, 2011
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)