The Prize

Earlier today I was watching the season finale of Face/Off.  (I DVRed it.)  Wait!  Wait!  Don't tell me who won...I'm only part way through the episode.  At the beginning they listed some things the winner would receive.  Don't remember all the prizes but it included things like a car, cash - with a capital C, oh, and bragging rights.

The winner of some reality show is going to get a prize package not to be proverbially sneezed at.  So, what?  While watching the "winner receives" portion, I thought the most important prize is exposure.  Of course, the other contestants get exposure as well.  Those you, if you were a contestant, would want your work showcased in front of are watching.  They should be watching, at the very least, the latter episodes if they are doing their job.

I am referring to reality shows that target an industry related skill like Face/Off or American Idol.  And by exposure, I mean people becoming familiar with your work.  Thought I should point that out before anyone starts running around naked in hopes of getting on a police reality show.

So what are some things these people you hope see your work are looking for?  Here's some things I would look for:

1. Their level of talent.  Do I think they can deliver on a consistent basis?
2. Their ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.  The pressures of winning a reality show is one thing, but what if you are working on a feature and your failure to deliver on time would mess up the production schedule?
3. Their ability to follow direction.  "So&So missed the mark on this one" is a phrase that was often said by the judges on Face/Off.  Basically means that the assignment was to create X and the contestant delivered Y.  Might have done a great job on Y, but it's not X.
4. Their ability to be creative and diverse.  Can they use the different tools and materials of the trade?  Can they come up with interesting stuff that fits within the parameters of the project?
5. Their attitude.  Do they "need" to win?  I'm talking about their attitude about what will happen to their career if they're eliminated, not that they could really use the money.  How well did they work with others on team projects?  Are they confident in their abilities without the ego?

Hmm, think these things might be important considerations for any job in the industry?

Being Thankful

Here are a few of the many things I am thankful for:

1. I can belittle other posters on message boards with negative comments and make broad generalizations.
2. I can wait for my agent to call (email - whatever) instead of looking for work to submit to.
3. I can make crap, in every sense of the word, and post it online.
4. I can gripe about how much my family time takes away from my acting time.
5. I can sit on my butt and complain about how I never achieve anything...except, perhaps, a bigger butt.
6. I can stick pins in a Voodoo doll, or put a hex on, or whatever a person because they, oh, got picked instead of me.
7. I can search for fault in things with the same intensity with which Sherlock Holmes would search for a clue.
8. I can be abusive to my body. After all, all types are needed in this business.
9. I can speak ill of other people.
10. I can get bent out of shape when things don't go according to my plan.

Of course, instead, I could...

1. post comments which are more positive and hopefully helpful while avoiding making everyone in a given demographic a negative characteristic.
2. look for opportunities.
3. make things of good quality.
4. appreciate how much my family loves me and what they add to my life.
5. get off my butt and actually work at achieving something.
6. sincerely congratulate others on their successes. Perhaps even promote them.
7. find the positive in life. Even the trials.
8. take care of myself. After all, there's not much need for medically unfit actors. Even if the character is.
9. speak well of others, or, at least, hold my tongue.
10. be flexible.

How Do You Approach Your Acting Career

There are many ways to approach your acting career. Let's look at the examples of two actors, A and B.

• A is proactive in looking for work. B expects his agent (don't ask how he got an agent) to do all the work.


• When A is going to be unavailable, which is the exception, he books out. When B is going to be unavailable, which is the rule, he simply doesn't show up.


• A attends industry events in order to network and support others. B also attends industry events. Particularly those that have an open bar or showcase a project he was involved in.


• A prepares for his auditions by reading the script, making strong character choices, etc. He also keeps his cold reading skills sharp just in case. B gets a copy of the sides when he shows up at the audition and glances over them once before going into the room. The only time he cold reads is in the audition room.


• A looks like his headshots. B, not so much.


• A is a pleasure to work with. He shows up on time, prepared, and is considerate of others. B is not a pleasure to work with. He shows up late, unprepared and gossips.


• A sincerely wants the best for his fellow actors. Even the ones that are often up for the same roles as him. B does subtle things to try to sabotage other actors. (FYI, B's behavior will usually backfire for several reasons.)


• When A posts on actor forums, it is done with the intent to help and give others another option to consider. When B posts on actor forums, it is to belittle those with differing view points.


• Whether it's a formal class or getting together with other actors, A is constantly taking steps to better his acting skills. With the exception of CD workshops in order to "be seen", B never works on his acting skills.


• A realizes this is a business and treats it as such. B doesn't bother with the business aspect.

So, are you an A lister or a B lister?

Attitude is Important

Took my nephew to his soccer class. The class next to his took a water break. One kid came running out yelling "We won! We won!". They had been working on drills.

What's your enthusiasm like toward your entertainment career? Are you only excited about bookings and award nominations? Or are you like that kid who won soccer drills?

Look at anything that progresses your career as a success to be celebrated. Get current headshots? Great. Find a good class to work on an area your weak? Great.

Of course, booking a recurring role calls for bigger celebration than adding a comedic monologue to your acting bag. But if your not enjoying the journey, you will never arrive at the destination.

Scream Queen Acting Observations

Wasn't able to watch last week's Scream Queens due to DVRing issues until last night. Anyway, the acting observations I made deal with attitude and taking on the character.

The exercise for the week was crying on cue. First round, no tears. They were all trying to cry. Anyone ever try to cry? NO! Trying to cry because the script says your character cries does not count. The character wouldn't be trying to squeeze out a tear. The circumstances are what produces the tear. The character is crying because her puppy died or her long lost brother returned home. Second round, the actresses were given an emotional story to personalize. Personalize because, well, we have all driven past accident scenes. Probably glanced over out of curiosity, thought how terrible and went about our day. I highly doubt that would be the response if we realized that smashed up car belonged to a loved one.

One actress was in the bottom the first two weeks. This week she won both the elimination safe challenge and the performance challenge. Winning both for the week is a rarity. The difference? She incorporated what the judges told her and put herself into the character. The actress that went home was overacting. I don't mean broad gestures for a close-up overacting. I mean a watch my pieces of business to stand out overacting. The difference was the attitude of these two actresses. The first had an attitude of I am going to take what I've been told and I am going to improve myself. The result was the first delivering a performance that greatly exceeded what she was capable of delivering just the previous week. The second had an attitude of how can I stand out and deliver what they want. The result was the second putting off nervous energy.