Riding the Acting Wave

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Casting Frontier

Have you ever been in the midst of doing something you love–a hobby, a pastime, or sport, whatever–and suddenly you realize you have a worthwhile insight, perhaps one that’s even life changing? All those activities you do in your spare time, can in fact, inspire your life and career. Let’s take surfing for example. What can an actor learn from riding the waves?

Getting yourself out there can be the biggest challenge

It might be a hassle when you have bills to pay, and countless distractions, to get your board in the Honda, don your wetsuit, trek to the beach, and get in the water. But in every worthwhile pursuit, you’ve got to accept the efforts as well as the rewards. You need to prioritize, and inevitably, something has to be put on the back burner. Acting is very similar, you have to budget your time, and there are elements in your life (family, friends, parties, other sources of work) that are bound to suffer. But once you get in that water and feel the tidal pull, none of the hassle and life’s megrims can touch you! Have you ever felt that way on stage?

Traveling is often required to find the best waves

Sure you might be able to nab some nice swells at your local spot, but to catch the choice waves, you’ll need to travel. Traveling long distances to bag big waves is a time-honored tradition in the surfing world–and indeed, surfers see travel as a way to make their bones. For most, it is a big part of the juice. Traveling requires a level of preparing and planning. So when you’re asked to fight through city traffic for an audition or travel to far-off towns, or even to cross state lines, see it as an adventure, and a way to make your bones. Once you get to the audition and drop in, remind yourself: you’re going the distance for the career of your dreams.

Opportunity comes in sets

Any surfer worth his salt knows riding opportunities do not necessarily come in a steady flow. Rather, gnarly waves often come in sets. The seasoned rider has inhuman patience and impeccable timing; so when a good set rolls up, they are poised to drop in. The film and television industry works in much the same way: production runs in fits and starts. Roles are coming out right and left and then…nothing. You, as an actor, need to position yourself in the right place at the right time so you’re ready to go when your set rolls in.

No single spot stays hot forever

Robert Frost wrote, “Nothing gold can stay.” Ain’t it the truth? All those huge swells yesterday might well be pitifully small tomorrow. And there may be weeks and even entire seasons where the surf is just whack. Or sometimes your lucky spot in the water that you superstitiously cling to will run dry of luck altogether. A surfer can miss out on the changing trends of tides when he or she refuses to adjust to the transfiguring ocean. There’s no use getting upset over the capricious nature of the universe. As an actor, you can learn to expect change, and prepare to be flexible. Adapting to the ebb and flow of the world increases your chances of success. If film isn’t working, try TV; if TV isn’t working, try theatre–or voice-over opportunities, a new skill, a new look, etc.. Stay nimble, keep moving. And when your acting career is really cooking, and you’re in the gold, your sense of appreciation for such moments will be deepened.

Improve by exceeding your current personal competence

With all the different levels of a surfer’s skill set at any given point, one thing is constant: they all have to eat a lot of salt water in order to improve. They need to be willing to risk failure on their journey to succeed. Charging ever-greater waves is the only way to rip the surf at higher levels. As an actor, you need to challenge yourself constantly with difficult roles, tricky dialects, physical demands, and emotional boundaries, in order to break through. In the ocean, waves come continually, and the only option is to charge them. In the acting game, opportunities are rolling in all the time; you need to charge.

You will wipe out

It’s inevitable. Some waves will overpower you no matter how strategic and skilled you are. If you’re seeking better waves, bigger opportunities, sooner or later, you will get hit. If you’re not experiencing wipeouts, you’re likely not taking enough risks, playing it too safe. In auditions and on your resume, don’t hold back on revealing who you are and all you have to offer. Be fearless in your performances–fearless of judgement, believing sincerely that no matter what happens on any given day, you will land on your feet and be all the better for the experience. Make sure you’re not seeking comfort at the expense of advancing your career.

Performance is cyclical

Some days you’re on and some days you’re off. One day you’re ripping it up, the next you’re wiping out. Don’t beat yourself up because you’ve had a bad day. Work through it, focus on the positives, build on your dreams, and put it in perspective. Feeling embarrassed or ashamed is an option–as is feeling secure with yourself, your journey and your prospects.

You need the right tools

Besides the surfboard, sometimes you need a wetsuit so you don’t freeze; sometimes you need a shorter or longer board depending on conditions. You need to understand currents and weather patterns. Always be prepared. As an actor it’s imperative you have current, professional headshots, a current and complete resume, a dynamic, impressive reel, your acting chops need to be finely honed, and you must be supremely confident every time you walk in an audition.

You are the talent. Ride that wave! Ride it with every bit of passion, love, style, and energy you have. On any given day, whether you ride it to the shore or wipe out in the foam, it’ll be an awesome, worthwhile ride. Ride on!

Submit your profile for commercial auditions, TV auditions (and more!) in Los Angeles, New York & nationwide. Get more auditions using Casting Frontier's online casting system and showcase your talent! Post your reel & plus get your Casting Card that includes your personal Actor ID Barcode. Visit us at http://castingfrontier.com.

Feast on The Hunger

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Casting Frontier

“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.” – Ovid

I told you so! To what am I referring? Last November, I told you there would be another Twilight phenomenon coming around, so keep preparing as an actor. At that time, it seemed impossible to imagine another movie reaching such frenzied heights from fans and the media. But, The Hunger Games not only set a movie presales record (advanced ticket sales eclipsed the previous record set by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 by selling 12 tickets per second) but now the box office numbers are in, which officially place The Hunger Games’ opening-weekend profits above The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1.

These epochs and epics of the Movie Industry don’t come along often, but they do come along–and seem to come along with increasing frequency these days. And as sure as there is The Hunger Games, there will be yet another franchise blockbuster that fascinates the masses and fills the pockets of movie studios with bricks of gold and silver…sooner than you think. The only question now is: Are you going to be a part of the next big thing? I asked this question in the earlier blog, and the answer’s still the same: Yes, you are! The people who star in these titanic films are not aliens, fairies, magicians, or super heroes. They are real people who had a dream and stayed after it. That is all. Don’t complicate your career. Get your headshots, get your reel, go on auditions, take classes, get in plays, learn classic monologues–go, go, go! And if you don’t star in the next Hunger Games, you career will regardless improve greatly. It’s simple: if you practice playing tennis two hours a day, you will get better, period. Take it a step at a time. The trick is to put yourself in a position to succeed, and then keep doing it. The cumulative laws of numbers will begin to work on your behalf. Jennifer Lawrence never took an acting lesson, but you better believe she went after her career with a vengeance. So resolute was her commitment and determination, I think it’s fair to say she would have starred in some mega something else had it not been The Hunger Games.

Wes Bentley, another star of the Hunger juggernaut, grew up in Jonesboro Arkansas–not necessarily a showbiz hotspot–and struggled to pay the rent working at Blockbuster and TGI Friday’s. Does this sound like someone destined for greatness? No! At that time, he was just another struggling actor; but he worked hard and put himself in a position to win. Can you not do the same thing? Are you any less deserving? Likewise, the answer is No! Go out and make your fortune, and don’t forget to have fun doing it!

Headshot No-Nos

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Casting Frontier

The expression “faux pas” originated during the reign of Louis XIV. Dance was so important in the royal courts, performing a misstep in any one of the countless dances could get you thrown out. Likewise, actors who make headshot faux pas, could get passed up in the tremendously competitive industry of acting. Knowing how important first impressions are, you want your headshots to stand out for the right reasons—as opposed to the wrong ones. Here are some tips to avoid such faux pas:

Wardrobe & Make-Up Don’ts
Avoid logos and branding as best you can. This is something to pay attention to particularly when you’re going for an athletic style in a headshot. You don’t want the commercial executives to see you wearing the competing brand’s logo when you’re auditioning for a sports gear commercial.
Steer clear of patterns on clothes like polka dots, stripes, busy florals, or plaid. These prints might make for an appealing item of clothing, but will ultimately distract the viewer from what you are trying to emphasize most in a headshot: your face and your eyes.
For the same reason, go light on the make-up. Keep it clean and natural. And avoid jewelry, keeping it simple if you choose to wear any. But keep in mind, as in all things, some rules are meant to be broken. For example, if one of your “types” is a punk rocker, then you could make an exception with some outrageous jewelry or a funky hairstyle in that particular headshot.

Don’t be afraid to dress up in character for some of your headshots. Some argue if you dress in doctor scrubs, you run the risk of locking yourself into only medical roles; some say these shots insult the Casting Directors’ imaginations; and some are quick to label such shots as cheesy. But keep in mind, your Agent or a Casting Director may specifically request seeing these character images from you. As long as you have a strong foundation of at least 3-4 general looks, feel free to add your supplementary shots of blue-collar, athletic, educator, alternative, or any other types you can realistically pull off as well.

Misrepresentation Don’ts
Don’t waste everyone’s time, including your own, by going for headshots that make you look younger or older than you actually appear in person. A Casting Director who is expecting a twenty year old is embarrassed and angry upon seeing a person in his or her mid-thirties entering the room to audition. Along the same lines, don’t try to hide your wrinkles, freckles, or moles with heavy make-up, and/or photoshopping. Although you may enjoy seeing those wrinkles disappear, trust me, you’re not doing yourself any favors with busy and perpetually stressed-out Casting Directors. Go for flattering, honest, natural shots that showcase the confidence you have in yourself just as you are.

Posing Don’ts
Something that may sound obvious, but can be a real pitfall, is posing in a stiff or unnatural way. Before your photo shoot, stretch out or dance around the room. Get loose, be relaxed, and have fun. Remember, regular folks don’t normally get to experience a photo shoot; it’s a fun part of your job!

Amateur Don’ts And last of all, don’t have a friend take your photograph and use it as a headshot. This generally looks noticeably unprofessional and conveys you don’t really care about your career. A trained photographer provides a trained eye and invaluable advice. If you want it done right, get a pro.

On that note, Casting Frontier has proudly launched our Digital Photography Services in our new Hollywood location. We would love to help you avoid such faux pas and make sure you get the most out of your actor headshots. Call (323) 300-6129 or email headshots@castingfrontier.com to schedule an appointment. A forty-minute session is $75.00 for all annual Premium or Premium Plus members; $150 for non-members. Our well-trained and personable photographer will be glad to guide you through the session step by step!

Interest or Passion for Acting?

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Casting Frontier

“So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains,  And we never even know we have the key. ” –Lyrics from Already Gone, performed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album

Do you know what you should be doing to go after your passion for acting, but you’re having a tough time applying yourself? Listening to bespectacled economist Larry Smith is like being chewed out by your grandpa for your patchwork of higgledy-piggledy ideas about life, and why you’re ultimately going to squander your dreams. Maybe you’re too lazy to give your greatest aspirations your all, maybe you’re afraid to embarrass yourself, or never even get started because you’re afraid you will fail. Whatever your reasons, he calls out his audiences on their cockamamie excuses in his talk called Why you will fail to have a great career.

If you’re someone who is most motivated by reverse psychology, then Smith is your kind of guy. He’ll fire up your passion because you’ll want to prove him wrong. Even if you don’t like his slant, his talk might get you listening more closely to your inner voice, and help you gain insight as to why you should challenge it more often.

What is acting to you? If you won the lottery and were financially secure, would you still vehemently seek it? If you were to ask your family and closest friends what they think you are most passionate about, would they say acting?

If you have listened to Steve Jobs’ Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish commencement speech a number of times, but still find yourself not taking action on behalf of your own dreams in life, you’re certainly not alone. But with all the obstacles you face each day, it’s important not to allow your passions to be extinguished. Larry Smith coaches his students to find the careers that they will truly love–not just have a lukewarm interest in–and then go for them. Click here to hear Larry chew you out. And here’s to your smoldering dreams!

Jennifer Lawrence Is Not Just a Lucky Star

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Casting Frontier

“I look at Kristen Stewart now and I think, ‘I’d never want to be that famous.’ I can’t imagine how I’d feel if all of a sudden my life was pandemonium.” – Jennifer Lawrence

She’s 21 years old, was named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in the World in 2011, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2010 for her stunning performance in Winter’s Bone, and is about to blast the doors of fame off their hinges with her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games…even though she’s never taken an acting class.

Who could be luckier than Jennifer Lawrence?

Well, while luck may have been involved, Lawrence’s road to success has been paved more so on ambition and determination. At the age of 14, she had such a conviction that her path in life was to be an actress, she convinced her parents to allow her spend a summer in the New York City in hopes of finding a talent agent. Her parents clearly were supportive of their daughter’s dream, and allowed her to leave her Kentucky home base. Once in New York, instead of finding a talent agent, a talent agent found her, that is, during a modeling shoot. The agent invited her to do a cold read to which Lawrence received high praise despite her only training being from church plays. She did end up staying in New York City that summer, and appeared in commercials for MTV’s My Super Sweet 16. From that point on, Lawrence committed to her school work load, and graduated high school two years early to begin her career as an actress.

How many high school students do you know with this kind of determination? To label Lawrence as lucky would be to minimize all that she really brought to her career advancements. Her ambition has been unwavering right from the start. So what if that talent agent never discovered her that day? Do you think that would have stopped her? Of course not. According to Jennifer, becoming an actress “didn’t feel like a choice at the time, and it still doesn’t.”

According to a recent New York Times opinion piece, The Go-Nowhere Generation, a side effect from the slow economy has been for young Americans to become “risk-averse and sedentary.” This stuck-at-home mentality at a minimum prevents teens from getting their driver’s licenses, and at worst hurts the economy as young adults take fewer risks with their investments and job opportunities. Kids who grow up during tough economic times also tend to believe that luck plays a bigger role in one’s success, which breeds complacency. “Young people raised during recessions end up less entrepreneurial and less willing to leave home because they believe that luck counts more than effort,” said Paola Giuliano, an economist at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

The fact that Lawrence took risks and went to where she felt the work was, shows entrepreneurial grit. She once stated, “I like when things are hard; I’m very competitive. If something seems difficult or impossible, it interests me.” Let’s hope she maintains that positive spirit with her new mega-star fame—and all the pandemonium that unfolds!