Being Flexible

This past Sunday, during church services, my phone started buzzing. So, I answered it and started talking loudly in the middle of the congregation. Just kidding! Actually, I slipped it out of my pocket, glanced at the number, and put it away. Basically wanted to know if it was something I would want to check on after the meeting. No need to follow up on a pocket dial from the other end of the pew.

Turns out it was for a project I had booked earlier that was shooting that day with a call time that happened to be when the services had started. So I immediately called him back and told him it was the first I heard of it. And that I was available and could probably be there within the hour.

I had worked with him before, so he didn't think I would have just flaked on him. Shows the importance of developing a good reputation. If I didn't have a good track record, he might have just tried to get someone else instead of following up with me. Okay, he would probably have cast someone else in the first place, but that's beside the point.

Fortunately, as I mentioned, I was available and willing to rush to set. After the shoot, we looked into why I never got the shoot info. It turns out when he sent out the email, it was going to the same number of addresses as the number of people working on the project. But one was a child actor and another was her mother. He decided it would be best to follow up the night before in the future. Also shows why you're often asked to confirm.

Was I at all upset about the communication glitch? No. Although, I was a bit concerned and curious. Would having received the email been preferable? Absolutely. They had to wait for me. Okay, they did use the time to shoot some scenes I'm not in, but still. Also, I could have been...on another set and unavailable. What!? I could of.

I suppose I could have told him I was unavailable on such short notice. However, this is my career so the thought never even occurred to me. Things happen last minute. Sometimes by accident, as in this case. Sometimes because the opportunity didn't exist the day before.

SAGAFTRA

For information on the SAG AFTRA merger, click on the link:
http://www.sagaftra.org/

You (meaning anyone with an internet connection) can do things like read the merger agreement, the health plan feasibility report, and the FAQs.

There are also events being held throughout the country where paid up & in good standing members of at least one of the unions (and accompanying parents of minors) can learn more about it.

Haunted Sunshine Girl

This post is about a project that I am not involved in. Pointing this out so you don't think this is a self-promo entry and stop reading half way through.

There is this YouTube series called Haunted Sunshine Girl. Wait! Wait! Wait! It's actually a good series. Yes, I have seen it so I can legitimately say that. But please few free to judge for yourself.

It's about a girl named Sunshine who moves into a haunted house with her mother and documents her experiences with those who, well, meant it when they said they'd be there in spirit.

If you happen to like it, great. Continue to watch. If you don't, feel free to comment frequently (on the YouTube videos, not this blog) your protest of their exploitation of damned souls.

How successful is this series? Successful enough to result in a feature film: Haunted Sunshine Girl and the Black Eyed Kids produced by Coat Tale Productions. I believe it is, as of this writing, in post production. Be sure and see it when the opportunity arises.

New Years Resolutions

New Years Resolutions 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Yes, it's that time again. Time to pull out the same list of NYRs you've had the past several years and change the date while mentally committing to do better this year.

NYRs are really no different than goals set at another time. The problem is they are looked at and treated as something mystical and larger. How many NYRs are there that are not long term or continuous or set because someone else - doesn't matter who - wants it?

How many of 2011's NYRs are you frustrated with not accomplishing which are not realistically accomplishable in one year? Break it down into smaller steps. Paying off your debt within a year might not be financially possible, but taking steps beyond the minimum each pay period is possible.

There are continuous NYRs. I don't mean failed attempts at quitting smoking. I mean NYRs that were successfully accomplished in 2011 which should be continued in 2012. You might have been successful at your NYR to do more non-obligatory romantic things for your spouse in 2011, but if you don't continue in 2012, it was a false success. (The preceding was sponsored by every spouse in the world) These NYRs should, of course, be carried forward into the new year with the satisfaction of knowing the commitment is to continue being successful.

Are all of your NYRs truly your NYRs? How many of them did you set because it's the socially correct thing or you think it's what Mommy wants? I'd highly recommend discarding all such NYRs or making them your own. And not your own because Mommy said to! (On the other hand, don't cut off your nose to spite Mommy.) Make it your own because what you want for you happens to be in line with what Mommy wants for you.

Treat NYRs the same way you would treat goals made in March or August; in the setting and the doing. Celebrate the progress (short term goals) made toward accomplishing the NYR (long term goal). This will make your goals, I mean NYRs, a more positive experience than is traditionally associated with them.

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.

The Business With A Capital B

Ever look at your schedule at the beginning of the month and think "I don't have very many acting commitments" only to review your activities at the end of the month and think "I did all that?"? Happens to me a lot. And that is just things involving physical contact. By physical contact, I mean non-virtual and not that other thing.

Why does this phenomenon of opportunities popping up during the month occur? Because I attend to the business side of my career. Networking event? I attend and endeavor to do the network part. Opportunity to pick up some knowledge/skill through legitimate channels which will be an asset next time a role comes up? Taking it. Research projects to self-submit to? Daily, except Sundays.

In fact, I do not think I have had a single opportunity arise because I was tending to the show side. I suppose it might be possible to find a Project B that I was cast in because I worked on Project A. But how do you think I got to work on Project A?

Concentrating most of your effort on the business won't stifle your creativity. The business side is what allows the creativity to be created.

Acting's The Ten Commandments

1. NDA stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement. The production side takes these things very seriously...VERY SERIOUSLY. Mess this up and the rest of this blog might be moot to your dead career. Don't be the actor who ends up on a casting director's "do not bring in" list or a network's "do not approve for any show" list because of a NDA violation.
2. Don't exaggerate or make up special skills. When casting asks if you can do X, they are not making conversation. Unless something like a major rewrite happens (You arriving to set and admitting you cannot do X is not considered a valid reason for a rewrite.), there is a 100% probability that whoever is cast will have to do X. Don't exaggerate or make up listings under the other headings either.
3. Look like your headshot. Or make sure your headshot looks like you. If you were kidnapped and the only chance of rescue was searchers being able to identify you using just a single photograph how confident would you be if that photograph was your headshot? No, I'm not looking for you, the girl I'm looking for has long hair and it's blonde. No, I'm not looking for you, the guy I'm looking for is about 15 years younger and clean shaven.
4. Training is career long. In other words, you have a career as long as you keep training. Classes directly related such as cold reading or improv are obvious options. But classes not directly connected such as the violin or judo are also good. Assuming you are a good learner, you can list it under your special skills. Take from the best teachers. I would qualify best as being up to date on the material and able to effectively teach it. Also, avoid gurus and classes that are demeaning. Being actors opportunities to work on our careers are endless. Even watching in production TV shows counts. Of course, there is not a TV shows watched section on a resume.
5. Take care of your instrument. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Get an appropriate amount of sleep. Exercise. Don't smoke. Limit or cutout the alcohol. Of course, your instrument isn't limited to the physical. How many have gone off the deep end because the mental was not taken care of? Make sure you are mentally prepared to handle your career without relying on drugs. Actually, this one is a good idea for everyone.
6. Remember, at the end of the day, it is a career not a mission from God. Where you place career when you prioritize the different areas of your life should be the same if you are an actor, doctor, plumber or car dealer. Take time to relax. Even a weekend trip can help rejuvenate you. With today's technology it is easy to keep in touch if being out of contact, even for a day, causes you to break out in a sweat.
7. Have a well rounded life. There is life beyond the set/stage or getting on the next one. What that life consists of is up to you, but have one. Have interests outside of acting. In fact, outside of the entertainment industry. Yes, you might gain contacts or skills beneficial to your career, but that should be a happy coincidence. Other than the fact that this will make you a well rounded person and give you tools to add to your proverbial actor bag, it will help you avoid this thing known as burnout.
8. DO NOT COMPROMISE YOUR PERSONAL MORALS. Feel free to mess up all the other numbers; it's only your acting career. Mess this one up and it's, well, personal. You need to know your personal morals to avoid compromising them. So, if you don't, I suggest figuring them out before it is decision making time. They are your morals, not society's so if there is something that is legal, popular and acceptable on your won't do list: perfectly acceptable. Obviously, the reverse is not true. Oh, this does not mean only accept roles in which the character's morals line up with yours, but feel free to factor it in to your decision making process.
9. Network - this includes marketing. Both online and inperson. Celebrity wish lists and those you have the "hots" for aside, who would you want to work with? Bet the people on your list are professional, enjoyable to be around and most importantly, someone you actually know. Think others might use the same criteria when adding you to their list of want to work with? This is how the industry gets to know you. Make sure you become known for what you want to be known for.
10. There is no "one" way to any aspect of an acting career. Any advice that comes your way, even from me, is through the filter of the giver. Should you do extra work? Are CD workshops a good idea? What type of paper should your headshots be printed on? You know where your career is at best. So don't just blindly follow the latest advice. But don't just outright dismiss it either. And allow others the same courtesy when deciding how adopting a particular piece of advice is best for their career.