Ask Me!: Light on the resume, should I wait to network?

Anonymous asked

So I wanna get out there an network and go to seminars but all I have to my resume is 2 jobs doing extra work and non sag membership, should I get more credits and a membership or go to those seminars regardless?

Continued: Ask Me!: Light on the resume, should I wait to network? | The NYC Actor

Ask Me!: Non-Union Commercials?

Is it possible for a Non-Sag to get to do commercial?

Continued: Ask Me!: Non-union Commercials? | The NYC Actor

Word to the Wise: Get Your Calendar in Order!

These are the words I said to myself in the mirror this morning (and the following few hours). If you’re a person who is chronically late, who forgets appointments, who double-books.. This post is for you.

I am pretty good with scheduling. I’m generally an “on-time” kinda person. And I pretty much always call ahead if there are delays/problems. But even I can forget or miss an appointment if I don’t have it written down in my calendar or unforeseen circumstances (a family emergency or train trouble, etc) take over. There are a lot of things that can get in the way of getting to a booking or an audition on time. One thing that can help is to be religious about your calendar.

Continued: Word to the Wise: Get Your Calendar in Order! | The NYC Actor

Learn to Ignore First Refusals!

One day I hope to be at a point in my carreer where a “First Refusal” for a job has zero impact on my day. It’s very exciting to get any kind of positive feedback for an audition - especially if it’s for a big job - but it’s imperative for your sanity to keep your feet on the ground.

What is a First Refusal?

Continued: Learn to Ignore First Refusals! | The NYC Actor

Anecdotes on the job: Break-neck Speed!

I just had to record a VO audition from home.

The direction was “young, animated and under 22 secs.” Fine, right? Well, sure.. unless the text you’re reading is technically 30 secs in length at best and not one of those hi-speed legalese tags. No, I’m still responsible for sounding like a normal human being.

Continued: Anecdotes on the Job: Break-neck Speed! | The NYC Actor

Ask Me!: Get SAG card before moving to NYC?

Anonymous asked

I want to move to NYC from Atlanta,Ga. The acting here is ok but I really want a shot at the industry at its finest! Should I get my SAG card here first, or can I waite and just go to NYC without it?

Continued: Ask Me!: Get SAG card before moving to NYC? | The NYC Actor

ASK Me!: Reviews?

Could you help me with my "Reviewer/Critic Theory?" I go by the 50% rule. Only 50% of both positive and negative reviews are honest. The other 50% are either trying to get on your good side at the ground floor or are trying to look good and get more hits on their website by making you look bad. Am I off base here? How should you treat your theater reviews?

lettersofdispleasure

For the answer: Ask Me! - Reviews? | The NYC Actor

Ask thenycactor a question

You've been framed! - Acting for camera

If you are auditioning for an on-camera project ask the CD/shooter/director what the frame is - or in very poor lay-terms where the outside of the shot is in relation to your face. Is it close-up, medium (head and shoulders) or a wide?

WIDE

<-- This is the outside of the shot/FRAME

MEDIUM

CLOSE UP

EXTREME CLOSE UP

Why ask?

Read more: You've Been Framed! - Acting for Camera | The NYC Actor

Resume

For the full article: The Actors Resume | The NYC Actor

Building the Perfect Website

These days an actor website is a MUST-HAVE. It's really important. Primarily because the industry that is not connected through your agent (if you have one) is online. There are so many casting websites that an actor should be linked up to and one thing you'll find you need is a link to a website.

There are many ways to do this and many of the casting websites out there offer you hosting and a page on their site. However you do it, if you have a website on your resume and/or business cards you are making it THAT much easier for a prospective employer to see your work - which'll make getting hired easier.

Read more: Building the Perfect Website | The NYC Actor

Know Thyself

Getting comfortable with your "type" - or, in other words how the rest of the world sees you - could be one of the most important things you do as an actor. So many of us are confused, even deluded, about who we are and what type of roles we should be playing that we can waste a lot of time working against ourselves.

When I first moved to New York I was 20. And I was deluded about my type. As an actor, I was told that I had a natural talent and a great "look." I was tall, thin, had a decent body and occasionally people would tell me to model. When I was a teenager and looking out into the world for successful female role models Kate Moss and the other supermodels of the 90s saturated the market. So of course, being associated with a model inflated my ego and made me feel VERY good about myself. I assumed that I was an ingenue and immediately set out to secure the roles that would reflect this: Juliette, Desdemona, Olivia, or anything commercially that had the words "young" "beautiful" and "ingenue" in the breakdown. 


Read more: Know Thyself | The NYC Actor

VoiceOver Home/Portable Studio

I've been making a modest living in voiceovers for the past two years. And recently I have been getting more and more requests to get my home studio together. As someone who travels frequently and who has nearly lost a couple of bookings by being out of town, I thought it would be wise to make sure I could take my home booth on the road, too. But, considering I'm not exactly making house-buying money yet, I can't quite afford the industry standard equipment. So, with the aid of a fantastic book "Voice for Hire" by Randy Thomas and Peter Rofé and some solid, online research I have come up with a low-budget option that is so far proving to be quite effective.

Read more:  Voiceover Home/Portable Booth | The NYC Actor

Headshots: Do Your Research

Here are some pointers I've learned from personal experience that may help you the next time you are in the position to get a new pic:

Do your research!

Don't just go with the first photographer you see. Or the one with a celebrity on his/her website. That doesn't mean anything. Look at your friends photos. If you see one you like, ask your friend about their experience. This is important. Primarily because someone can have a pretty good shot, but it took 4-hours to get and the photographer was distracted and unprofessional.

Read more:  Headshots: Do Your Research | The NYC Actor

Headshots

Ahhh. This is an interesting element to being an actor.

Knowing what a good headshot is is like knowing when to shelve those high-waisted mom-jeans. It is a trend that is as changeable as any you read about in fashion magazines. Black and white shots? Or color? Horizontal framing? Or traditional vertical/portraiture framing? Full-body shot? Or 3/4? OR tight in at the face? Glossy printing or Matte? Border or no? Name on the front?, etc., etc.

Read more:  Headshots | The NYC Actor

The Unions: AEA

AEA (Equity)

How do you join AEA (Actors Equity Association) - You can also buy into Equity if you are affiliated and listed as being "in good standing" for one year with one of the other unions. Although, as I am currently non-equity, I will have to come back and tell you more as I learn it. You can, as applies to all the other unions, also join by booking an AEA job.

Read more:  The Unions: AEA | The NYC Actor.

From Angela's Ashes - some helpful insights (I hope!)

Hello there,

Welcome to a blog designed purely for actors. I am very green at this whole blog thing so firstly I really have to prepare you for the fact that I am not a writer by any stretch of the imagination. But I am passionate about sharing information with you, so I will do my best to be clear and concise.

As an actor living in New York, I have begun to work more and more on higher-paying jobs, and auditioning/meeting with some of the biggest hitters in the industry. What I have realized is that there is very little information out there to assist a conscientious actor in their quest to become a truly successful business person in the field. There are tonnes of books and websites on how to be a good artist, which is brilliant, but what happens when you find yourself on the front-lines, as it were, of this gigantic and new business world? How do you make the right steps? What are the right steps, even? What do I need to be prepared for? What does a professional actor need to have to get their foot in the right doors? How do I get, and keep a good agent? What type am I? How do I write a cover letter? What should my headshot/resume look like? And so on and so forth.

My goal here is to answer as many of those question as possible in the most straight-forward way I can so that you as an actor can glide into success with grace - rather than fumble around blindly hoping and praying that you don't screw up and piss off the wrong person or team of people, etc., etc.

By sharing with you my experiences as they happen, you'll be able to sift through the ashes of my successes and failures and hopefully find your self a couple of diamonds to help you on your way.

And, as I mention in my title's intro at the top of the page, this is not the Holy Grail, "be-all, end-all" of the industry. It's just one woman's guide. Hopefully, this can be a place where people will share their experiences; correct me when I'm wrong; offer alternate approaches; or just offer their opinions/agreements/disagreements in the comments sections.

Ultimately, Francis Bacon said it best: Knowledge is Power. So here is a little knowledge from me to you. I hope you enjoy! Good luck in your life as an actor!