Casting Calls: It’s Nothing Personal

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Casting Frontier

“It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.” – Michael Corleone

A camera operator I know once told me a story about a callback he ran in which no one could agree on the principle in a national commercial. The director, the producer, the production company, and the ad agency all had a different pick for the star of their 30-second epic. It was a conundrum as this was a huge campaign, and tensions quickly escalated to 100 degrees Celsius. As the night wore on, each person became more cemented in his or her own position; things got worse when the client sent word they were thinking of dropping the spot. In the end, they solved the contretemps by agreeing on an actor none of them had picked as their first choice! Can you imagine? This guy wasn’t even in the running, and he landed the choice gig in a mega national commercial! Which, by the way, ran forever.

There are many reasons why you might get booked or rejected for a particular job. At times, it is because you’re well groomed, prepared, confident, highly skilled, on time, charismatic, and professional. I’m sure this is the case most often. But then there are times you get picked because you’re unanimously second on everyone’s list. Or you’re selected because you’re the girl who doesn’t look so much like the director’s ex. It’s important to understand casting is not an exact science. Indeed, the casting industry is built on opinion, personal taste, conjecture, and instinct–pretty subjective stuff! So, be heartened: it’s not always up to you and your performance. Sometimes, it’s just folly.

I heard of another instance with a spot featuring a page of dialogue which required “serious acting.” They cast for a week and got some stellar performances–only for the director to show up at callbacks explaining, “We really just need someone who’s crazy smokin’.” This instantly ruled out the merely-smokin’-but-highly-skilled actresses in the lobby. And, yes, the execs got someone crazy smokin’, and moved on with their project. Thus is the business, thespian, you find yourself in. But knowing this can bring you clarity: All you can do is your best, your very best, and then let the chips fall where they may. Hey, it’s not personal. It’s just business; strictly business.

What instances have you had to remind yourself to not take things personally?

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.

Fewer Casting Calls Leading to Summertime Blues?

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Casting Frontier

“Sometimes I wonder what I’m gonna do, there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues.” –The Who

So, what are your plans for the summer? River rafting in Colorado? Touristing in Milan? Spending days by a friend’s pool baking to that perfect bronze hue? Traditional wisdom suggests the dog days are a slow time in the industry, so might as well kick back and enjoy the sun and surf, right? Well, that’s all well and good for those who aspire to an endless summer, but for those worthy few willing to sacrifice to succeed, it’s wise to keep busy!

Theatre is a great way to hone your craft and add to your experience during the summer months. Summer Stock holds a rich tradition in this country; producing organizations are always looking for new faces and new energy to ensure their productions stand out (AKA “star vehicles”). That’s your queue to step in! Enter stage left…or right…just go and get involved! Summer Stock normally puts up a number of shows in a short period of time, so there is plenty of opportunity if you’re willing to brave the heat, the bugs, the pollen, not to mention the lack of remuneration! But always remember, you are taking valuable steps and making your bones. Every production you complete is a step toward your dream. Overnight fame usually takes many years of preparation.

Countless successful actors have participated in summer stock. Denzel Washington is one such actor who performed in summer stock theater early in his career. Soon thereafter, he was starring as the grapes in the Fruit of the Loom commercials–and the rest of his distinguished career is history!

Big time studio producers and directors have been known to summer in the Hamptons or St. Tropez; that’s precisely why independent filmmakers typically use the summer months to produce their brooding masterworks. Budding auteurs have to pay the rent during busy periods, working as PA’s, PM’s, best boys, graphic artists, etc. So when the vacation season hits, they finally have the opportunity to bring life to their mind-bending creations. So be on the lookout for all manner of independent film–low-budget, micro-budget, no budget at all! It doesn’t matter. As long as you can grow and shine, it will be a magical summer.

An Increase in Auditions for Actresses to Come?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Casting Frontier

Meryl Streep is making headlines again. This time it’s not for winning another major award or acquiring a new juicy film role. Nor is it for a who-wore-it-better dress comparison. Rather, this time it’s for using her prominent, highly respected voice to encourage the Hollywood business powersuits to give more women a chance to participate in the making of big-budget movies. At the 2012 Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards last week, she urged for a change: “In this room, we are very familiar with…dreadful statistics that detail the shocking under-representation of women in our business…[Women make up] 7-10% of directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers in any given year. This in spite of the fact that in the last five years, five little movies aimed at women have earned over $1.6bn: The Help, The Iron Lady (believe it or not), Bridesmaids, Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada. The Iron Lady…cost $14m to make it and brought in $114m. Pure profit! So why? Why? Don’t they want the money?”

Martha Lauzen

Streep’s words were consistent with those of Martha Lauzen, PhD, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in TV and Film. Lauzen tested the age-old notion that films featuring female protagonists bring in less profits than films featuring male protagonists. “What we actually found was that there was no statistically significant difference between films featuring female protagonists and male protagonists; or women working behind the scenes. What we found did make a difference was the size of the budget.” Lauzen then noted if women were given the same budgets as men, they would likely display similar profit margins.

There indeed seems to be a growing awareness and cultural push towards women telling their own stories through use of media, whether it be in news stories or via film and TV. Journalist Megan Kamerick is dedicated to advancing a balanced representation of women in media over all, and calls attention to the fact that while women make up half of the population, only 24% of news subjects (the people in the news stories) are female. However, women represent more images than men if they are students or homemakers.

Certainly, there’s no shortage of material if one considers any number of current news stories, one which states, “Women hold less than 20 percent of all legislative seats, 70 percent of the poorest people — those who live on less than $1.25 a day — are women, and 4 million more women die each year than men, a result of poor families’ preferences for male infants and underinvestment in women’s and girls’ health.”

So, will Hollywood see an increase of big-budget female roles and behind-the-scene positions? Will more TV shows feature a wider array of women’s concerns, struggles, and strengths? Will there be an increase of female commercial spots beyond the student and homemaker roles? It could be argued that the collective media is the most powerful force in influencing cultural perceptions. If so, what influence would this kind of change have on culture in general?

When Casting Calls Lead to Paychecks: Financial Tips

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Casting Frontier

When you dreamed of coming to Hollywood and making it as a famous actor, was part of that dream going belly up and filing for Chapter 11 protections? Losing everything you own and being in debt up to your ears? Well, this sad scenario happens to many actors who dream of 5-star hotels, personal chefs, and an everything-and-anything-you-can-imagine lifestyle at their fingertips. Nicolas Cage, one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, owned two castles, 15 mansions, and a fleet of Rolls Royce luxury autos when he filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Now, let’s be honest, Nic is a weird dude; I think that’s been established.

But he’s certainly not alone when it comes to fiscal irresponsibility in the entertainment business. Stephen Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Ray Winstone, Randy Quaid, Pamela Anderson, Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, and Gary Busey, to name just a few, all had to beg the IRS for mercy at one time or another. Larry King filed for bankruptcy twice, once in 1960 and again in 1978. There are a myriad of reasons–some would say excuses–why these financially privileged individuals manage to find themselves in the deep end of the pool without their floaties. Mickey Rooney cited alcohol and gambling as the culprit in his financial meltdown; Kim Basinger bought the town of Braselton, Georgia in 1989 (she bought a town–nuff said); Ray Winstone, who starred with Leo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in The Departed simply said of his financial misfortunes, “I could never deal with the paperwork.” But one thing is certain in all of these unfortunate tales: they could have been avoided.

As a young actor, it would behoove you to start thinking about financial responsibility now, before things get too hectic. Try budgeting your expenses for just a month, and see what happens. It can be as simple and archaic as pencil and lined paper, or as sophisticated as the newest Quicken software. But the idea is to get started right away and find out what strategy works for you. It’s real simple, track the money you bring in and the money you pay out. Look beyond your paper receipts, making sure to include online purchases and auto-renewable accounts. Don’t be afraid to make some phone calls; some of these accounts are confusing because, guess what? They’re meant to be.

Auditing yourself in this manner can be a real eye opener. You see what you realistically can live on, as well as have actual numbers concerning extras you can/can’t afford. This way, you’re prepared when you do land that recurring TV role; you can estimate how long those paychecks will keep you afloat. Then you can make informed financial decisions, “Do I really want to move to a bigger place? Buy that car? How about that castle?” And remember to keep investing in your dream: classes, lessons, reels, photos, networking. As you know, it all costs.

If you are really dedicated to your craft, you’ll make sure the drama is in your work, not in your finances. You don’t want to strive your whole life for a dream, only to have the dream go belly up once you’ve achieved it.

Productive Habits to Increase TV and Commercial Auditions

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Casting Frontier

Let’s face it: most of us procrastinate. We’ve got a million great ideas to improve our career potential, maybe we’ve even written them down on a to-do list; yet we convince ourselves that we’ll get to the list tomorrow, next week, or (yikes!) next year. And time keeps ticking away. But feeling bad about it only reduces our energy levels, which creates a vicious cycle. How can we break the cycle? Here are a few tips.

First off, just know you’re going to have to do things that make you uncomfortable. If something has to be done, whether it be a phone call you’re dreading, a trip across town, reworking your website, or replacing a scene partner, do it sooner rather than later. That way you won’t spend your day being haunted by those tasks that make you uneasy. And you’ll be energized by the sense that you’re getting important things done right away. This builds momentum early in the day.

That being said, know your own unique energy patterns and work with them. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, consciously schedule work that requires serious focus to coincide with your peak energy levels. If you have to learn your sides by tomorrow, don’t put it off till bedtime when you’re ready to nod off.

Of course, you’ll have a better quality of energy if you take good care of yourself. By following all those healthy habits your mom ingrained in you from eating your vegetables, to getting daily exercise, to sleeping eight hours a night, you’ll reap the benefits for your acting career. First, you’ll look and feel more vibrant. That’s kind of critical! And secondly, you’ll have more get up and go to focus on your career—and you won’t waste as much time tending to tasks when you’re feeling sluggish or less confident.

Set your priorities and stick to them. This means saying no to people and activities that take attention from your ostensible goals. If you’re going to get headshots tomorrow, you might want to say “no” to your friend’s slammin’ party. Sylvester Stallone talks about writing the screenplay for Rocky; he felt lonely while his friends partied the night away. It’s safe to say, he doesn’t regret his decision to hunker down and get it done. Granted, this is not always easy. There are times, for example, when family and friends really need your help. Or you may fall ill, and time well spent is time recovering. But, in your life, almost exclusively you need to spend your time doing things that will matter in the long run. Try this for just a month and see what good stuff happens. Also, as for the tasks that may mitigate your career goals, it helps to set a time limit. Be clear with yourself, “Yes, I can veg out with reality TV—for 30 minutes.”

And please do not make the mistake of minimizing activities that waste 5-15 minutes at a clip. Just as buying a daily three-dollar cup of coffee will cost you almost $1,100 by year’s end, those wasted minutes will really add up. Consider the strides you might have made had you used those many minutes networking rather than mindlessly surfing the internet. I mean, how interesting is Kim Kardashian’s hair style anyway?! To do this effectively, first you’ll need to pay close attention throughout your day to discover how much time you’re actually wasting, and on what. Once you can pinpoint your inefficiencies, you’ll be empowered to spend your days the way you really want to. And as far as tasks that you must do but find yourself spending way too much time on? Consider using a timer to complete these tasks quickly and with fewer distractions. The louder the buzzer, the better.

And, last of all, understand that we go through times when we’re less productive than usual. But don’t let that stop you from strategizing how you can do more, achieve more, enjoy your life more, and succeed beyond your wildest expectations!