Mind your own Business!

Acting is a business just like many other professions. I believe that every actor’s journey should be unique to themselves, as it is about you and it’s your business. Every actor has their own story. Being an actor means being self employed, even if you have an agent. I personally have my inspirations. I look at some of the very successful actors in Hollywood and I look at their journey, but I am very much myself and I do things my way. I’ve been blessed with the amount of work I’m getting, especially as I haven’t got an acting agent yet. I lost my agents when I left Canada.

However, I would like to point out that I’m getting a lot of unpaid work in order to pad out my resume. I am also getting paid work, and have signed with two agencies, but they are modelling and commercial agents. I’m working on applying to UK acting agents at the moment, but I looking to present strong applications. Why present a mediocre application when I can produce an outstanding one?

When I decided to take acting seriously as a career, for some reason I quickly managed to meet many other actors. Before this, I knew absolutely no actors. A small number of the actors I initially met were/are doing relatively well, i.e. getting a lot of commercial work, auditions and even spots on US TV programmes. They are also new to acting so this is pretty good! Nevertheless, the majority were not getting as much work, or weren’t/aren’t even signed to an agent. I really don’t know why some do well and others don’t. I tend not to dig too deep into what other actors do to manage themselves and their business.

Initially, I was happy to give out advice to actors who asked for it, and readily gave out my phone number to any actor who seemed friendly enough. However, after two-three months of doing this, I now see that I was really naive. I understand that in this profession it is about who you know, but I’m also realising that you have to be really discerning about who you connect with in this industry. Acting is competitive after all, and unfortunately I have found that there are some people who will use your resources, and advice to build themselves up and knock you down. Like I said acting is a business after all, a very enjoyable, and fun business, but a business nevertheless.

Now when I get small parts which may be on TV, for example a commercial, I quickly hear from these ‘actors’ who never bother phoning me beforehand. They read my tweets, or facebook status (I really need to delete them) and then a day or two later I get a text asking me about how I got it. It frustrates me as I see through them and their motives. Dreams don’t work unless you do; that’s my motto.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I have some acting friends who I’ll happily help out because I like them and they just want a break. These people are different from the ones that have a motive to use you for what they can get, and then try to take you down. The ones I want to help out aren’t leeches. I would be interested to see how many actors have had similar experiences with these people. Maybe these types of people were responsible for Britney Spears break down in the 00s. Maybe.

Just be yourself.

So I went to get some new headshots done a week ago. I had currently been using my American style headshots in the UK, but UK style headshots are different.  Although I was getting a lot of interest, and some work, I wasn’t getting enough of the work I wanted. Paid work. I knew that part of the problem was that the headshots I had were not great. A friend of mine in Canada offered to do some ‘professional’ headshots for $100. They did not have any experience with doing headshots and their photography business was fairly new. However, as I was new and naive to this acting thing I snapped up his offer and did a shot with him. Professional headshots in Canada normally cost around $400.

I did my own make up and styling, and did not really do any research. I did however check out a friend’s headshots and decided that I would model my facial expressions on that person’s expressions. I thought he looked hot in his photos and I noticed that he was getting a lot of work and castings. His expressions in his headshots ranged from sexy, but intense to vulnerable and coy. I really liked what I saw.

The day of the shoot arrived and I was tired from going out the night before, dehydrated from drinking lots of coffee and no water. Nonetheless, I did do a good job with the make-up so the bags and dark circles were well hidden. So away I went! I started with a general smile, laughed a bit for a commercial shot, and then I tried the sexy but intense look….a few times.

A few days later I got my photos sent to me, and I picked a few to be retouched. Did I like them? Some of them, but the ones where I did the ‘sexy, but intense’ expression looked more like an ‘I’m going to kill you’ look. Not pretty. I picked the two best photos (and one of the ‘I’m going to kill you’ photos) and started using them. They were not the best headshots on the market, but they got me lots of unpaid work, and the odd paid job.

Now, here I am, back in the UK, and I had to repeat this process again. However, doing the process over again has taught me a few valuable and important lessons. Being yourself and being true to you gets you the best results. You are the best you and that will always come through.

How did I come to this conclusion? Well, this time I did some research on getting a good headshot. I made sure that I got plenty of sleep and drank lots of water before the day of the shoot. Nevertheless, I really wanted that ‘sexy but intense’ face as my main headshot.  “I’m a sexy lady”, is what I told myself every day before the shoot.

So the day of the shoot came, and I meet my awesome professional headshot photographer. I learnt that it’s better to spend more money on a good and professional photographer with experience. Once again, I started with a few smiles to get my commercial shot. Now, I’m normally a happy person. I always smiling, even when I’m upset, for some reason I smile. I’m also pretty fun to hang with, so I laughed a lot in my session, and it was captured on film. I couldn’t resist attempting the ‘sexy but intense’ expression again, so I did it for a few shots.

Now, I received my disk with my shots within two days after the shot, and that’s when I realised that it is better to just be yourself. There were a mixture of some really good shots, and awful ones. The worst shots were the ones where I was doing the ‘sexy, but intense look’. It really didn’t work for me. Maybe it’s my almond shaped eyes? Or more likely, it doesn’t work for me, because it’s not me. I can be intense, and I can be sexy, but for some reason not together, and definitely not in a photo. My best shots were the ones where I was keeping it real. The ones that looked natural and not forced. I can’t wait to show my agent.

Life as an Actor

Yesterday I decided to attend a singing lesson. I love singing, but am a lot more talented at acting than at singing. Even then, I’m still attending acting classes to improve my skills. I also know that it’s a good idea to know how to sing and dance as an actor, although not essential…some might say.
During this lesson I met two beautiful women who told me their reasons for attending the lesson:

1. For fun
2. To see where it leads to…

As I started attending acting classes three years ago for the similar reasons, I decided to give them both a motivational talk about following their dreams and if they want to be singers then they should sing. I couldn’t help myself. Firstly I like to talk, and secondly I decided to leave the 9-5 to pursue what I love doing. Acting. I had been in their shoes.

I was really taken aback with the negativity and pessimism I received from one of the women. She was an architect and didn’t seem to think that she had anything special to help her stand out from the competition. She was pretty certain that she was doomed as an artist, before she even had her first singing lesson.

So what has this got to do with the title? Well, life as an actor isn’t easy. Not everyone knows a top producer, or director to help propel their career into orbit quickly. Life as an actor is hard sometimes. If you haven’t got an agent you’re working to get one and find work independently. At the beginning stages, you’re doing a lot of work for free, just so that you have work to put on your résumé. On top of all of this, you have to fork out money for headshots, casting sites, showreels etc, while working for free on some projects. When you finally get paid work, it’s exciting, but then the tax man comes along and takes some of that long awaited pay cheque. Occasionally, it gets tiring.
However, if there is one thing that I’ve learnt, it is essential to be positive, and have self belief. Persistence and perseverance are an actor’s best friend. Even on those days when you are fed up with applying for unpaid work. At least you’re getting work, and if you’re not, keep going. I know a lot of actors who make work for themselves and get paid too.
Unfortunately, the lady at the singing lesson was right about her chances of standing out as a singer, but it wasn’t for the reasons she outlined.

Back in London! Time for ACT-ion.

So, now I’ve been back in London for seven weeks, but I’ve gotten a taste of what’s its like being a ‘real’ actor, and getting paid for doing what I like. Moreover, I now know that I love being on film sets, and just like Oliver Twist, I want more.

What have I done within those seven weeks? Well, I signed up to more popular casting websites (Casting Call Pro, and Talent Talks). I have now found out the hard way, that the headshots I got done in Canada cannot be used in the UK. The UK style of headshot is different and not only will some casting sites reject them, but acting agents will reject them too.

Nevertheless, once again, I quickly managed to get unpaid work through Star Now, which I am grateful for as it still goes on my resume. I do however want paid work, so had been applying frantically for multiple roles through Casting Call Pro (this site has loads of paid roles). This is where I found out the importance of a good and valid headshot. That’s now going to cost me around £200 for good ones.

I also need a show reel. Those are going for about £300. Next, acting classes to freshen my skills, these are £200 for 6-8 weeks. Singing lessons…well you get the picture. This has meant that I’m now back in the classroom as a supply teacher. I refuse to commit to teaching. I’m also working for a theatre in order to keep my eye on the prize.

What about acting agents? There are lots out here in the UK. Within the seven weeks I have been in the UK I have applied to about five agencies. Two of those I have auditions/ interviews with later in the summer, but I found out that three of those agencies so far have been scam agencies.

I’ve always known that if an agent or agency asks you for money up front for joining them than it’s a scam. However, these scam agencies have become more sophisticated with how they get money from people. Obviously, I cannot name these small London based agencies, YET, as a small number of clients on their books do get work, but the vast majority do not.

So how does it work? How do they suck you in? I’ll tell you about my experiences.

1. Agency number one and two

I sent my acting resume, Canadian headshots, and Star Now profile page to both these agencies on the same day. I got a response from both agencies on the same day saying that their casting directors were really interested in meeting me. Both agencies made appointments with me on different days. Appointment with agency number one was for a general meeting to discuss my experience and goals, and my appointment with agency number two was to see how I looked on camera. They told me that if I looked good enough they would contact me and we would have a meeting. Apparently I looked good enough.

Both meetings with these agencies led to discussions about portfolios. I found this confusing, as I wanted to join their agencies as an actor and actors have headshots not modelling portfolios. However, both agencies told me that I would earn a great deal of money doing some modelling as well as acting so getting a portfolio was the best option. They discussed commercial work, music videos and high street print work. These options made sense at the time as actors get paid to do these things.

Agent number two even told me that he managed to get me a casting for catalogue work with a company, but I had to get my portfolio done ASAP, as the casting was in four days! Both portfolios were around £300, and agent number one even took £100 deposit to ensure that I attended a photo session with her photographers.

Agent number two asked me to leave my handbag behind to ensure that I returned to the agency and paid for my portfolio. Needless to say that neither story ends well. I pulled out of both agencies before I paid or lost anything more. Nonetheless, even though I’ve made it clear that I’m not interested in doing any type of business with them, they both insist on bothering me. I’m still dealing with getting my bag back from agency number two and there have been other issues…

2. Agency number three advertised on one of casting websites. This agency set up an audition time and gave me a location to attend the audition. Problem with this agency is that they don’t have a website and wouldn’t tell me the name of the agency when I asked. I therefore had to pull out of the audition.

Interestingly, when I was in Canada the first two agencies I applied to were both legitimate agencies. I never had an issue with scam agents over there. Not sure why I’ve come across three in London.