Don't wear flip flops to a car commercial audition unless specifically told otherwise.
EVER
I went in for this spot last Friday that mentioned "summer dress casual" on the wardrobe. Get there and every girl is dressed up in what I would call a date-style summer dress look, not the casual bright summer frock and gold flip flops I had on. Oops. So I go in with another guy and even though it was the first call there was a producer or some other decision making person in the room and wow, she could barely contain her disgust at my look. OK, I didn't think I looked all that bad and really do you not have any other imagination beyond what I have on Miss Stick-Up-Your-Ass? Here's the thing with that, even if the actor who walks in the room isn't what you are looking for TRY your best not to be a total bitch as it turns out some actors are really sensitive and might take it the wrong way. At this point in my career I have been in every type of room and at this point I rarely let it get to me since my philosophy is to impress the casting director enough that they keep calling me in and then eventually I will get a booking.
But, lesson learned, no flops for a car audition. From now on it's all heels.
My trials and tribulations in the city of Lost Angels
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Wait
Two hours.
That is how long I waited at a callback this week to be seen. My time was around four o'clock and I got there early being the good lil' actress I am and then....
......
......
I couldn't believe it, definitely tied my record for longest wait at a call. I don't understand why production feels it's OK to disrespect our time? Maybe someone can explain it to me. Yes, I don't expect to sign in and go right in every time and blessedly SAG has a time limit that requires it's actors to be paid after being made to wait an hour past their scheduled time but still I don't get the general long waits. Did they call too many folks back? Did they start late but still won't hustle slightly to catch up? But the big question that nags at me - do they really just not care about actors and our time? That's what it feels like sometimes. That we are all that desperate because believe me this was no big time money.
Still, what can I truly bitch about? I am one of the ones that stuck it out, sat around and waited till my name was called. I went in and as it always is you are faced with anywhere from one other person to a room full of people. This can consist of just the director, just the producer or everybody and their mama plus two intern PAs. Sometimes the room is friendly and sometimes it is most definitely not. Lucky for me they were all really cool people and low and behold I was kept around and actually ended up being looked at for three different roles!
This makes the wait worth it.
After all what do we spend a lot of time doing as actors - waiting. Whether it be for the audition or the callback or the booking we have to wait for many others to choose us as their representative for the public commercially or as that character they believe we are theatrically. It's so supremely frustrating and sometimes you just want to yell - "HURRY THE F***K UP! I HAVE A LIFE TOO YA KNOW!"
But you can't do those sorts of things, especially if you want the job.
Which I do.
Which I booked.
That is how long I waited at a callback this week to be seen. My time was around four o'clock and I got there early being the good lil' actress I am and then....
......
......
I couldn't believe it, definitely tied my record for longest wait at a call. I don't understand why production feels it's OK to disrespect our time? Maybe someone can explain it to me. Yes, I don't expect to sign in and go right in every time and blessedly SAG has a time limit that requires it's actors to be paid after being made to wait an hour past their scheduled time but still I don't get the general long waits. Did they call too many folks back? Did they start late but still won't hustle slightly to catch up? But the big question that nags at me - do they really just not care about actors and our time? That's what it feels like sometimes. That we are all that desperate because believe me this was no big time money.
Still, what can I truly bitch about? I am one of the ones that stuck it out, sat around and waited till my name was called. I went in and as it always is you are faced with anywhere from one other person to a room full of people. This can consist of just the director, just the producer or everybody and their mama plus two intern PAs. Sometimes the room is friendly and sometimes it is most definitely not. Lucky for me they were all really cool people and low and behold I was kept around and actually ended up being looked at for three different roles!
This makes the wait worth it.
After all what do we spend a lot of time doing as actors - waiting. Whether it be for the audition or the callback or the booking we have to wait for many others to choose us as their representative for the public commercially or as that character they believe we are theatrically. It's so supremely frustrating and sometimes you just want to yell - "HURRY THE F***K UP! I HAVE A LIFE TOO YA KNOW!"
But you can't do those sorts of things, especially if you want the job.
Which I do.
Which I booked.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
New Month, New Opportunities
T.G.I.J. - or thank goodness it's July!
June has always been what I have termed my "slit-my-wrists" month. For me the commercial auditions are slower, episodics (TV) are on hiatus mostly and no money seems to want to come in no matter how many times I check the mailbox.
So this past month I decided to try to take a more pro-active approach. I started improv classes, shot new headshots and hit up the casting director workshops to get my face in front of some folks. I auditioned for every lil' indie film that I could get to that called me in just to get the experience.
Had a few good auditions over the month which culminated to a few "avail"s (that notorious word that has you one step away from booking the job) and one for a SAG National (can you say much needed $$?) .... nope, they went with someone else. Le sigh. Avails are breaking my heart this year. What is wrong with me?? See, that's what most actors say and yeah I do it too every now and then.
Then I go in for a callback with a director who had me on avail for another spot that I also did not book. He told me he fought for me to book the spot but some of other decision-makers thought I looked too young. He told me he really liked me and liked what I did. Now how can you feel bad about yourself after hearing that?
I feel like the worst thing actors can do is self-sabotage. Confidence is such a key part in the business side of the craft. Try to never let 'em see you sweat, etc. Remember that if you are getting called in you are awesome. If you are getting callbacks you are awesome. If you get put on avail you are awesome! Actually booking it? Well, that is just gravy on the biscuit. Yes I was fully disappointed that I didn't book that SAG national. Yes I am entirely frustrated at the number of times I have come avail-close to booking a job this year.
But you put your big girl panties on, deal with it and move on to the next month and next opportunity.
...oh, and a callback for the film from the crazy monologue audition. ;-)
June has always been what I have termed my "slit-my-wrists" month. For me the commercial auditions are slower, episodics (TV) are on hiatus mostly and no money seems to want to come in no matter how many times I check the mailbox.
So this past month I decided to try to take a more pro-active approach. I started improv classes, shot new headshots and hit up the casting director workshops to get my face in front of some folks. I auditioned for every lil' indie film that I could get to that called me in just to get the experience.
Had a few good auditions over the month which culminated to a few "avail"s (that notorious word that has you one step away from booking the job) and one for a SAG National (can you say much needed $$?) .... nope, they went with someone else. Le sigh. Avails are breaking my heart this year. What is wrong with me?? See, that's what most actors say and yeah I do it too every now and then.
Then I go in for a callback with a director who had me on avail for another spot that I also did not book. He told me he fought for me to book the spot but some of other decision-makers thought I looked too young. He told me he really liked me and liked what I did. Now how can you feel bad about yourself after hearing that?
I feel like the worst thing actors can do is self-sabotage. Confidence is such a key part in the business side of the craft. Try to never let 'em see you sweat, etc. Remember that if you are getting called in you are awesome. If you are getting callbacks you are awesome. If you get put on avail you are awesome! Actually booking it? Well, that is just gravy on the biscuit. Yes I was fully disappointed that I didn't book that SAG national. Yes I am entirely frustrated at the number of times I have come avail-close to booking a job this year.
But you put your big girl panties on, deal with it and move on to the next month and next opportunity.
...oh, and a callback for the film from the crazy monologue audition. ;-)
Monday, June 20, 2011
I F*ing Hate Monologues
Just got back from a non-union film audition where they asked me to do two contrasting monologues. I did NOT want to go and spent the whole morning talking myself into going for a myriad of reasons none of which included me being totally prepared for it.
See this threw me for a loop since now a days most auditions for film and TV are scenes and even ever so randomly are you asked to do a monologue for a theater audition or occasional agent. And so I was sent scrambling to find TWO contrasting monologues, one-to-two minutes each. And being the overly-analytical gal I am I wanted to find ones that would somehow fit the brief description of the film and the possible emotions of the character I would hopefully play.
Can I say how hard it is to find good monologues these days?? Maybe it's because people don't really do them anymore but even so as you dip through plays it's hard to find one that doesn't start with "Thee" or "Thou." I was also hoping to do something funny and something vulnerable which again challenged me because I am not all that funny. Vulnerable I had but the funny? Not so much.
However, stubbornness and professionalism prevail and I find a monologue that says "F***" a lot. This is funny to me because I don't think I look like the type of gal that would say that word (can't even write it apparently) and I thought maybe if I just ranted a bit perhaps that would get out any nerves laying around. Nerves will kill ya in an audition every time if you can't harness them and use it, or maybe that's just me.
I work on it a bit over the weekend but it doesn't seem to be as funny as when I have seen it done and I begin to doubt myself, hence me not wanting to go to the audition. I ask my man to listen to it this morning so as to gauge a reaction, get some pointers and .... not one laugh.
"This is supposed to be my funny one!"
"Oh it is?"
...oh crap.
Well thankfully it sent me into a spiral of no self-confidence and total frustration which was EXACTLY where the character needed to be! I decided to hell with it, I am going to the audition and even if I suck it up with my two monologues I will have had the experience of the audition and I will have proven once again my professionalism to the acting fates which surely watch and rack up karma points.
I did them both, low and behold I felt really good about that F***ing monologue and did only OK on the one I had more time with and was much more comfortable with (or so I thought) The director actually giggled as I was spouting F*** old people, F*** critics etc.
Bottom line is I was able to come home and feel good that I pushed myself as an actor today. I may suck at monologues and comedy but I will never get better if I don't keep trying.
Acting Karma for the SemiProAct = +1
See this threw me for a loop since now a days most auditions for film and TV are scenes and even ever so randomly are you asked to do a monologue for a theater audition or occasional agent. And so I was sent scrambling to find TWO contrasting monologues, one-to-two minutes each. And being the overly-analytical gal I am I wanted to find ones that would somehow fit the brief description of the film and the possible emotions of the character I would hopefully play.
Can I say how hard it is to find good monologues these days?? Maybe it's because people don't really do them anymore but even so as you dip through plays it's hard to find one that doesn't start with "Thee" or "Thou." I was also hoping to do something funny and something vulnerable which again challenged me because I am not all that funny. Vulnerable I had but the funny? Not so much.
However, stubbornness and professionalism prevail and I find a monologue that says "F***" a lot. This is funny to me because I don't think I look like the type of gal that would say that word (can't even write it apparently) and I thought maybe if I just ranted a bit perhaps that would get out any nerves laying around. Nerves will kill ya in an audition every time if you can't harness them and use it, or maybe that's just me.
I work on it a bit over the weekend but it doesn't seem to be as funny as when I have seen it done and I begin to doubt myself, hence me not wanting to go to the audition. I ask my man to listen to it this morning so as to gauge a reaction, get some pointers and .... not one laugh.
"This is supposed to be my funny one!"
"Oh it is?"
...oh crap.
Well thankfully it sent me into a spiral of no self-confidence and total frustration which was EXACTLY where the character needed to be! I decided to hell with it, I am going to the audition and even if I suck it up with my two monologues I will have had the experience of the audition and I will have proven once again my professionalism to the acting fates which surely watch and rack up karma points.
I did them both, low and behold I felt really good about that F***ing monologue and did only OK on the one I had more time with and was much more comfortable with (or so I thought) The director actually giggled as I was spouting F*** old people, F*** critics etc.
Bottom line is I was able to come home and feel good that I pushed myself as an actor today. I may suck at monologues and comedy but I will never get better if I don't keep trying.
Acting Karma for the SemiProAct = +1
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