WORDS OF WHIMSICAL WISDOM

Being an indie actor is about finding the projects that really speak to you. Sometimes its choosing the experience over the money, sometimes it a favor to a friend, and sometimes you luck into an amazing role with a great script/director/crew/post-production.

Everyone hears the stories of actors who happen into the right role and its the first time they have ever been on camera. They win awards and accolades. That is exceptionally rare. A more likely scenario is you work for several years building your skills, taking classes, stretching your comfort level, become choosier as you gain experience, meet more and more people, have several directors who like to work with you over and over (that's a sure sign by the way that you are starting to develop your talent), do strange and bizarre projects in tiny little theatres and oddball scripts, and then one day your practice pays off. You meet the right team of people who know the right people. But also just know that with festivals, it is a great culling of talent. These festivals get thousands of submissions and choose the best of what they received. If your film makes it into a festival, you have made it one step up, but only one. If the film is really good, it will win the festival and if your film is worthy of true praise, it will win multiple festivals. You have then made it to two steps up. Realize that you have 1000 more steps to go, because ever project is a shot in the dark (well, unless you're in a Scorsese project in a supporting or lead role, not an extra - do i even have to say that?!).

As I was watching Sunday Morning Shootout on AMC, Hillary Swank was talking about how Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby was a hell of a sell. He worked like made to find funding and get that project done. The same is true for Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, and Alexander Paine's Sideways. All were winners in the Oscars and Spirit Awards, but the work it took to get them made was extraordinary, even for these legends in directing/producing.

NYC RESOURCES

NOTE: I know it hurts to hear but you should pay to get in front of industry people as much as possible, but NEVER go to a networking "party". You can meet lots of other actors at these events but the industry people will be too busy getting tipsy and talking to their friends to pay much attention to you. Here's the deal, no one knows you are talented unless they see. The 5-6 minutes in the 'pay for play' session you have with this person is your true moment to shine. Pay the 30 bucks, have their undevided attention for 5 minutes and shine. On the other hand, maybe their assistant will open you blind submission and not toss it, watch your stellar reel (for 30 seconds, so put the best of your best of your best 1st), put it in a pile of others they might call, and move on to trying to get work for their signed clients they already have which they know and have seen perform. Oh and about showcases, make sure you are in the a play with actors who are better than you and who have representation, because agents/managers/c.directors only have time to come and shows with their people in them. You have to become a known entity for agents, managers, and c.directors - and you do that by being seen.

Actorsconnection.com, consistently good and quality indutry people, great system and organized.

Breakthroughstudios.com, okay quality industry people. I got the most out of their full day casting seminar with 5-7 casting directors and agents. You basically had two go-rounds and could take the feedback from the morning and drastically improve your after session.

Oneononenyc.com, have heard about them but do not know; recommended because you have an appointment time and do not have to sit through an informational session. Mitchell/Rudolph casting suggests them.

Theauditionexperience.net, I would never go to this company that says they will not provide refund if the industry person does not show up (according their policy on their website). Beware!

HEADSHOTS

Lesliehassler.com, the most consistent and reasonable photographer I know. Most importantly, do not go for the beauty shot. Be yourself in your pictures. If you hear casting people say, how old is your shot, or if they hold up the picture and check to see if you are the person in the photo, then GET NEW SHOTS. You are pissing casting directors off by not looking like your photo and you will not get cast because of that.

MUCH MORE TO COME IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

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