In order to feel productive and continue my quest to find out more about the industry, I decided to head down to Walt Disney/ABC Studios to join the writers on the picket line this morning. It was my first time on an organized picket line (unless you count that time in college when our fraternity decided to organize a picket/boycott of Real Chili) and it was actually quite a bit of fun. I participated in chants and waved a sign – saw a bunch of showrunners (the guys who make LOST, and Ugly Betty, and Grey’s Anatomy) and of course the press that inevitably followed. Passersby often honked their support, and surly studio employees fit the stereotype to a T. There were a few dozen of us there – including the cast of Scrubs who were there marching to support the writers (in fact, the show’s star Zach Braff is also a member of the Writers’ Guild). Jay Leno even slowly drove by honking his support in a car that must have been from about 1915. I guess he does that everyday in a different car, and yesterday he brought donuts.
A little background on the Strike or Why you will be watching reruns and reality shows all winter and spring: The Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) represents the writers who are the most underappreciated part of the industry. Here’s a quick anecdote and example. Aaron Sorkin, who is most well-known as the creator of and head writer for The West Wing – a top show for half a decade – was once a young writer. And, as a young writer, he wrote a little play called, “A Few Good Men.” This play became quite successful and a couple years later, Sorkin wrote the screenplay for a film called, “A Few Good Men.” However, when the film was released, it was billed as “A Rob Reiner Film” and the director (Reiner) and the actors such as Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson got the entirety of the spotlight. But, without Aaron Sorkin, there never would have been a “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” speech. Most writers don’t really mind this, but at least pay them a fair share of the enormous revenues that such projects generate!
Anyway, the WGA essentially wants two things from the studios/producers: 1) a raise in the writer’s share of DVD sales from 4 cents per DVD to 8 cents per DVD. Sounds quite reasonable to me. 2) Payment of some kind (right now there is NONE) for shows broadcast on the internet. The studios/networks make money off these shows but refuse to pay the creative minds behind them.
The Producers have really held the power in Hollywood for a long time, and as of now, they have shown little to think that they will budge, so this strike may be even longer than the last one which lasted for 22 weeks almost 20 years ago. Already shows have been shutting down production which not only means no work for writers, but also actors, directors, set designers, carpenters, wardrobe people, caterers, etc. – the whole town is starting to be affected. And the Directors’ Guild and the Screen Actors’ Guild will be paying close attention as both Unions have contracts with the Producers that expire in June, 2008.
Thus, I may not have picked the best time to venture out this way, but boy did I pick a fascinating time to be in Hollywood...
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
A Modicum of Success
A Modicum of Success
Yesterday I called a headshot photographer whose work I really like, and I set up a shoot for this Sunday. It was nice that he had an opening as I’m anxious to get that done. Anyway, he was looking at my website and told me he had a contact at an agency he thought might be interested in me for print stuff (print = magazine/newspaper/internet ads, catalogue material, tradeshow stuff, etc.) Here in L.A., you can only have ONE film/tv agent and ONE commercial agent, but you can have multiple print agents.
Sure enough, I went to Valencia, CA, where this agent is headquartered, met with a woman there and they took me on. It sounds promising, but of course there are no guarantees. Another nice thing is that they work with a lot of clothing companies supplying them ‘fit models’ – which is what I did with Bachrach in Chicago for about 3 years and is the easiest job known to man. Essentially, you just try to clothes on to see how they ‘fit’ and the company’s technical designers measure things and clothing designers ask how the shirt/pants/whatever feels. It would be HUGE to get such a gig out here, as it would pay the bills while I seek out my acting agent. And it is possible – if any company is looking for a more normally built guy like me versus most of the dudes out here who are 6’ 2’’ with 30 inch waists. We’ll see what happens…
Yesterday I called a headshot photographer whose work I really like, and I set up a shoot for this Sunday. It was nice that he had an opening as I’m anxious to get that done. Anyway, he was looking at my website and told me he had a contact at an agency he thought might be interested in me for print stuff (print = magazine/newspaper/internet ads, catalogue material, tradeshow stuff, etc.) Here in L.A., you can only have ONE film/tv agent and ONE commercial agent, but you can have multiple print agents.
Sure enough, I went to Valencia, CA, where this agent is headquartered, met with a woman there and they took me on. It sounds promising, but of course there are no guarantees. Another nice thing is that they work with a lot of clothing companies supplying them ‘fit models’ – which is what I did with Bachrach in Chicago for about 3 years and is the easiest job known to man. Essentially, you just try to clothes on to see how they ‘fit’ and the company’s technical designers measure things and clothing designers ask how the shirt/pants/whatever feels. It would be HUGE to get such a gig out here, as it would pay the bills while I seek out my acting agent. And it is possible – if any company is looking for a more normally built guy like me versus most of the dudes out here who are 6’ 2’’ with 30 inch waists. We’ll see what happens…
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
"It only takes one person to change your life in this town"
Or so goes the mantra out here. An agent said that during one of the classes, and no doubt it is a truism. The only problem is that you never know who that person is or when they may appear. So, I guess you just have to be "ready" - and I'm trying to figure out what that means...
Samuel French is the name of the huge theatre/film bookstore in town. And it is big - any of you theatre lovers and cinephiles must make it a point to visit when you come to town. They have just about every play you can think of and loads of books on film - screenplays, director interviews, behind the scenes stuff. And in the front is an entire wall dedicated to 'breaking into the business' A big section of entertainment self-help: for aspiring screenwriters, producers, directors, and most of all, actors. There are literally hundreds of books on acting techniques, methods, strategies, etc., - a few of which I've read, but it would be impossible to read them all. My point is that everybody has an opinion on what you should do and how you should do it.
What I need to do is make a plan that best fits what I want to accomplish, move forward on making the plan come to fruition - while reading, learning, listening to others who have trod a similar path - and then be ready for the surprises - both good and bad - that I will inevitably encounter. Sounds easy enough, right?
~~~~~~~~
By the way, any of you Chicagoans that take the CTA - I found that I still have my Chicago Card Plus and I think it has about $20 left on it. If you can use it let me know, and I'll send it out - it's certainly doing me no good here!
Samuel French is the name of the huge theatre/film bookstore in town. And it is big - any of you theatre lovers and cinephiles must make it a point to visit when you come to town. They have just about every play you can think of and loads of books on film - screenplays, director interviews, behind the scenes stuff. And in the front is an entire wall dedicated to 'breaking into the business' A big section of entertainment self-help: for aspiring screenwriters, producers, directors, and most of all, actors. There are literally hundreds of books on acting techniques, methods, strategies, etc., - a few of which I've read, but it would be impossible to read them all. My point is that everybody has an opinion on what you should do and how you should do it.
What I need to do is make a plan that best fits what I want to accomplish, move forward on making the plan come to fruition - while reading, learning, listening to others who have trod a similar path - and then be ready for the surprises - both good and bad - that I will inevitably encounter. Sounds easy enough, right?
~~~~~~~~
By the way, any of you Chicagoans that take the CTA - I found that I still have my Chicago Card Plus and I think it has about $20 left on it. If you can use it let me know, and I'll send it out - it's certainly doing me no good here!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
School's Out...for now, anyway.
Whew! Finally done with class. It has been a long, productive and insightful week. I've come to know many wonderful people through this experience - both peers and potential contacts in the industry. During the many workshops I was given plenty of notes - both about things I am good at and things I need to work on.
We mainly worked on cold reading this week (where a casting director/agent will give you a script and a few minutes - sometimes less - and you then have to read the script to him cold, i.e. without much prep. Here, as in Chicago, a cold read is the standard first audition. Often, when you make the cut and are called back, they will give you a script and more time, sometimes a day or two, to prepare). I got pretty good feedback on my cold reading skills and also a couple of things to work on in order to really nail each audition. Truly though, it will take the actual DOING of auditions to really see improvement. It is easy to practice these skills, but so hard to simulate the actual audition environment - the self-induced pressure, the old dude with one tooth who is the director's reader (your scene partner!) who often is reading the lines of a young woman's character, the annoyed and tired casting directors who have seen this same scene 100 times already today, etc. The key to any audition is to shrug off that pressure, use your nervous energy to your advantage by channeling it into the emotions of the scene, and somehow make your audition different than those other 100 folks. Therein lies the challenge...
So, now me and my 30 some-odd classmates head our separate ways - some back to their own countries, some on to the next step here in L.A. For all of us that is something different, but most of us need to accomplish similar things in the long run - get an agent, join the union, find an acting teacher/class, start meeting casting directors, etc. All of these things are much easier said than done. There are many unemployed actors out here who have spent years trying (or not so much) to accomplish those things. That being said, there are some folks who are here for a couple months and manage to do all of them. It truly seems like an industry where you have to persevere, work your arse off, and put yourself in the best position to succeed. So, when those serendipitous things happen - that chance meeting with a producer at a coffee shop, an agent who likes your new headshots, a casting director who spots your quirky postcard on the corner of his desk and calls you in for a role, or a manager who you meet on the YMCA basketball court - you are ready and able to grab a hold and take full advantage.
So, I have a lot to do. And I need to get started. But just for tomorrow, I think I will watch some football...
We mainly worked on cold reading this week (where a casting director/agent will give you a script and a few minutes - sometimes less - and you then have to read the script to him cold, i.e. without much prep. Here, as in Chicago, a cold read is the standard first audition. Often, when you make the cut and are called back, they will give you a script and more time, sometimes a day or two, to prepare). I got pretty good feedback on my cold reading skills and also a couple of things to work on in order to really nail each audition. Truly though, it will take the actual DOING of auditions to really see improvement. It is easy to practice these skills, but so hard to simulate the actual audition environment - the self-induced pressure, the old dude with one tooth who is the director's reader (your scene partner!) who often is reading the lines of a young woman's character, the annoyed and tired casting directors who have seen this same scene 100 times already today, etc. The key to any audition is to shrug off that pressure, use your nervous energy to your advantage by channeling it into the emotions of the scene, and somehow make your audition different than those other 100 folks. Therein lies the challenge...
So, now me and my 30 some-odd classmates head our separate ways - some back to their own countries, some on to the next step here in L.A. For all of us that is something different, but most of us need to accomplish similar things in the long run - get an agent, join the union, find an acting teacher/class, start meeting casting directors, etc. All of these things are much easier said than done. There are many unemployed actors out here who have spent years trying (or not so much) to accomplish those things. That being said, there are some folks who are here for a couple months and manage to do all of them. It truly seems like an industry where you have to persevere, work your arse off, and put yourself in the best position to succeed. So, when those serendipitous things happen - that chance meeting with a producer at a coffee shop, an agent who likes your new headshots, a casting director who spots your quirky postcard on the corner of his desk and calls you in for a role, or a manager who you meet on the YMCA basketball court - you are ready and able to grab a hold and take full advantage.
So, I have a lot to do. And I need to get started. But just for tomorrow, I think I will watch some football...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Acting Class
So, this class I'm enrolled in is pretty intense. This morning begins my third 10-12+ hour class day. So, it has been hectic, but that's good. I've met quite a few interesting actors, casting directors, agents - so far. There are 34 actors total, and when we break down into smaller groups for the performing classes, it splits to 17. And folks are from all over - New York, Chicago, London, Australia, Poland, which makes for a varied and diverse group. Oh, and a friend of mine from Chicago named Brittani is also enrolled, so that's a funny coincidence!
The class is a combination of sessions: some on the business side of things (terminology, L.A. agents, what to expect), some cold reading sessions with casting directors where we are assigned a script, given a few minutes to prepare, and then perform the piece, get feedback/notes and perform it again, and finally some sessions in front of agents where we perform individual monologues and get feedback/critiques.
It is funny, as I go from feeling really confident and hopeful during a session where I get really positive responses to feeling a bit less so when I hear about the overwhelming odds and how difficult it is to even get an agent, get your SAG (union) card, make a living as an actor, etc. But, people do accomplish these things, and I know I can't get discouraged, and I press on!
And, the weather out here is beautiful.
~~~~~
Oh, and what a great Packer game on Monday night!
The class is a combination of sessions: some on the business side of things (terminology, L.A. agents, what to expect), some cold reading sessions with casting directors where we are assigned a script, given a few minutes to prepare, and then perform the piece, get feedback/notes and perform it again, and finally some sessions in front of agents where we perform individual monologues and get feedback/critiques.
It is funny, as I go from feeling really confident and hopeful during a session where I get really positive responses to feeling a bit less so when I hear about the overwhelming odds and how difficult it is to even get an agent, get your SAG (union) card, make a living as an actor, etc. But, people do accomplish these things, and I know I can't get discouraged, and I press on!
And, the weather out here is beautiful.
~~~~~
Oh, and what a great Packer game on Monday night!
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