3 replies to this topic

[Mermaid711]

Well, I always loved to preform. And my dream, event though it probably WON'T come true, is to do some stuff on camera. And being the daughter of two teachers, we couldn't afford formal training (even though my little sister gets to do soccer, gymnastics and who knows what else but it probably costs more than what i want to do lol.) so it was tough for me to get an agent.

But the person who lives across the street from me and I were talking one night over a nice game of ping-pong.

"Hey Sarah, do you know who Michael Bay is?"
"Yeah! He directed Transformers!"
"Well you're not going to believe this but..."
"What? Tell me!"
"He and I used to go out when we were in the eigth grade."
"Are you serious?
"Yeah. The other day, a week or so before transformers came to this theater in town he called me and he was like "Oh my gosh Liz, I am doing great. I've gotten into all this movie directing!" and sure enough Me, matt Chris and Jane and Jhon went to see transformers and it said Directed by Michael Bay"
"Woah. Well next time you talk to him let him know who i am!"
"Do you act?"
"Yeah, but I've never done anything big."
"Well, Did you know that Jane and I were in a Movie once?"
"No i didnt!"
"Yeah we were..."
"Oh cool! Anyways, I do lots of stuff, when I was Anna's age i was a child model."
"Really? Chris and Matt were models too. Jane was a swimsuit model."
"Really?"
"Yeah!"

So last night it occoured to me- I need to make connections. I'm not going to get famous the easy way- and Liz is my way into it!

So in the end, acting and fame are all about connections.

[TikiPrincess]

I think I said this before somewhere else, but acting is a tough dream to follow. You have to be able to withstand the CONSTANT criticism about every aspect of yourself: your body, your hair, your ethnicity, your speech, the way you pronounce your a's, how delicately you step, whether your arm bends too much when you arch it, whether your breasts are too big, whether they're too small, can't you fit your fat size 6 butt into a tiny size 2 skirt, you're too bubbly, you don't have enough personality, your eyes are too close together, your mouth is too wide, your lips are too full, your left pinky toe is just a tad too long! Okay, I exaggerated on that last one, but all the other ones I have actually heard when auditioning. Judging from some of your other posts, I think that the audition process would be a bit too harsh for you at the moment.
And you're right, it's not what you know, how talented you are, or even how perfect you are for a role, it's who you know. A good agent will set your parents back thousands of dollars each month, and they usually take a larger percentage because they know that without them, you're nothing. There are also so-called "agencies" that are nothing more than scams used to prey on the hopes and dreams of others.
If you're really set on pursuing a career in acting, do local stuff, build up your resume. I'm not sure whether there's a Central Casting office near you, but try looking up films that were made in Texas and look through the credits to see who did the casting in your area. A reputable company will not charge you anything to register with them as an extra. You'll have to shell out a few hundred bucks for some professional head shots. If your neighbors were models, ask them if they can help you find a good photographer. They might know someone or at least tell you what to look for when interviewing a photographer and how to tell the difference between a good photograph and a bad one. Then you'll spend another couple hundred on hair and makeup and costuming so you can pose for about two hundred shots, just so you can find three or four that are acceptable. Submit those to the casting office. Then you wait.
In the meantime, get experience. Learn to play an instrument or sports or something so that you can add that to your list of talents. They may need a few girls to play the opposing team in an upcoming soccer movie. Or they may be looking for a girl who can play a harmonica. Take up dance or yoga, or better yet both, because these help you learn to control your body. Dance teaches you to move with grace and purpose, while yoga gives you flexibility and control over parts that you didn't even realize you could move.
Anyways, good luck with your endeavors. I hope you do become one of the few that do succeed, but promise me you won't end up like Lindsay or Brittney!

[Mermaid711]

TikiPrincess, on Aug 1 2007, 01:58 AM, said:

I think I said this before somewhere else, but acting is a tough dream to follow. You have to be able to withstand the CONSTANT criticism about every aspect of yourself: your body, your hair, your ethnicity, your speech, the way you pronounce your a's, how delicately you step, whether your arm bends too much when you arch it, whether your breasts are too big, whether they're too small, can't you fit your fat size 6 butt into a tiny size 2 skirt, you're too bubbly, you don't have enough personality, your eyes are too close together, your mouth is too wide, your lips are too full, your left pinky toe is just a tad too long! Okay, I exaggerated on that last one, but all the other ones I have actually heard when auditioning. Judging from some of your other posts, I think that the audition process would be a bit too harsh for you at the moment.

Actually no. I have auditioned for a movie before, and things are different from what they used to be. They film you in front of a back drop, and then send it off to the studio/casting director. But the only thing about that movie was that it got canceled because the director went bankrupt but that's another story

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And you're right, it's not what you know, how talented you are, or even how perfect you are for a role, it's who you know. A good agent will set your parents back thousands of dollars each month, and they usually take a larger percentage because they know that without them, you're nothing. There are also so-called "agencies" that are nothing more than scams used to prey on the hopes and dreams of others.

Of course I'm right just kidding. Of course, those arent the only people i know. As i stated in the shoutbox earlier, I know the lady who played the grandmother in John Hughes's film 16 Candles and Helen Grifiths (an asistant casting director who was on a soap opera once, and now a kick A$$ acting coach ) And I have connections to Linda Mcallister Talent. But the sad thing is that my dad SAYS we can't afford formal training, so i guess that option is out

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If you're really set on pursuing a career in acting, do local stuff, build up your resume. I'm not sure whether there's a Central Casting office near you, but try looking up films that were made in Texas and look through the credits to see who did the casting in your area. A reputable company will not charge you anything to register with them as an extra. You'll have to shell out a few hundred bucks for some professional head shots. If your neighbors were models, ask them if they can help you find a good photographer. They might know someone or at least tell you what to look for when interviewing a photographer and how to tell the difference between a good photograph and a bad one. Then you'll spend another couple hundred on hair and makeup and costuming so you can pose for about two hundred shots, just so you can find three or four that are acceptable. Submit those to the casting office. Then you wait.

Hehe my resume isn't too shaby. Hey tiki, do you think doing the weather for a channel up in Dallas will count as experience??? Yes i know how much professional headshots will cost. They are crazy expensive, but nevertheless necassery. And the wait is crazy long, many will get over looked.

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In the meantime, get experience. Learn to play an instrument or sports or something so that you can add that to your list of talents. They may need a few girls to play the opposing team in an upcoming soccer movie. Or they may be looking for a girl who can play a harmonica. Take up dance or yoga, or better yet both, because these help you learn to control your body. Dance teaches you to move with grace and purpose, while yoga gives you flexibility and control over parts that you didn't even realize you could move.

Hehe i took up dance once, it wasn't the best idea. but i do yoga it is fun! And i play three insturments: The ALto saxophone (even though i can play all of the saxes, but my sopranno skills arent very impressive ) The piano, and the electric gutair.

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Anyways, good luck with your endeavors. I hope you do become one of the few that do succeed, but promise me you won't end up like Lindsay or Brittney!

To late. I already shaved my head and the other day i was following this lady on my bike and she called the police and they found cocaine in my pocket JUST KIDDING! And what about paris? "mommy mommy mommy!!!!"

[IMHO]

There's a few different types of acting you can explore. There's theatrical on camera - film and television. There's theatrical - on stage. Then there's commercial - acting for television commercials. Each one has techniques and nuances that you need to learn in order to be successful.

My boyfriend is an acting coach out here in Southern California. He teaches both commercial and theatrical classes, and coaches his students to the point when they are ready to get an agent, then helps them sign with the right one by arranging talent showcases. He also hosts workshops so his students can be seen by active casting directors in the business.

I'm a writer by trade and have been helping him create trade press articles and blogs on acting. The first piece that we worked on was just published in last week's issue of BackStage West magazine, called "How to Make Your Auditions Dynamic." It was fun to work on it, but given the fact that I hadn't 'acted' since my high school plays (many years ago... I stopped counting), it's been tough to help write on the subjects he covers. So.........

I started taking his commercial acting level one class last week. I figured it would be fun, plus I'd be more familiar with his teaching techniques to help with future writing projects. It was a blast! Hard work, but fun. I learned how to address the camera in auditions, how to bring out my quality (who I really am, which is different from my type - the external impression I give), how to break down commercial script copy... and a lot more. It's an 8 week class, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. Everyone else in the class is an experienced actor who wants to book more work in TV commercials (which can be very lucrative if you can get them). Many of the actors you see on hit television shows and movies got their start in commercials. In fact, Michael Bay directed commercials for many years before he got his break as a theatrical director!

Yes, acting is a tough dream for anyone to pursue - it's ridiculously competitive and the market keeps changing. But if it's something that you really want, you need to make a commitment to yourself to do whatever's necessary to make it happen. Part of it is making connections and networking for sure, but there's a lot more to it. You need to study the craft of acting, particularly the kind of acting you want to do, constantly feed your creativity, work hard to keep your self-esteem at a high enough level that the 'no you didn't get the part' responses won't break you down, and understand the business well enough to 'work it.' It sounds like a lot, but because it's so competitive a field, it requires a lot of focus.

An introduction to Michael Bay would be great! But beyond the introduction, you'd really need to blow him away with your acting skills in order to seriously get his attention. He'll likely say (and I've seen this happen many times), 'send me your headshots and resume, and I'll take a look' or 'have your agent get in touch with me.'

I hope this reads as encouragement, because that's what the intent is. If acting is something you really want to do, then go for it! See what kind of acting classes are in your area, audition for community theater productions (if stage acting is an interest of yours), get some headshots done (maybe you have a friend who knows a photographer that can give you a deal) and talk to some advertising agencies in your area about who casts local commercials (if commercial acting interests you).

Good luck! Oops... I mean, break a leg!