Tips for Talent: Play Nice, Actors.

by Jenny O'Haver

"What a jerk!"

I find that the most talented (and famous) actors are often the kindest people.... and yet sometimes there is an exception.

A producer friend shared an experience he had recently. Apparently, while on set, an amazingly talented actor was very gracious with the director and executive producers but then treated the PAs, wardrobe and makeup folks poorly.

Remember actors, your career grows like a pebble hitting water; one concentric circle leads to the next.  Each audition you have is a chance to grow your circle of contacts, whether you book the job or not.  Each day booked on a set is a chance to establish lasting relationships.  It doesn't matter how talented or experienced you are, you need to treat everyone with respect and genuine kindness.   In addition to the basic manners we should all extend to each other, you should be aware that the PA, casting assistant or craft service person you just spoke to rudely today, may be the producer, casting director or director who could hire you tomorrow.

Tips for Talent: Slow Down and Check The Mirror

by Jenny O'Haver

For entertainment purposes only.  Does not represent talent referenced in this blog, I promise!

One of my favorite actors came in for a callback.  She was quite late.  It happens to us all;  you can't find parking, the sitter doesn't show, an accident on the freeway.  Life.  The key is how to make the best of it.

She must have rushed through the lobby.  My assistant brought her into the studio where the clients and I waited.  She stepped in looking spot-on...except her hair.  It was windblown and messy.  I wanted to see her do well so I whispered that she should fix it before we rolled camera.  She thanked me and stepped out of the studio.  Minutes later she came back, apologized, and went on to give a solid reading of the copy.  But I could tell she was off.  Later, as clients reviewed the footage of talent they liked, someone asked to revisit the 'one with the hair'.   She did fine but didn't book the job.

I imagine it doesn't matter what business you are in.  Sometimes the best way to hurry up is to slow down, take a breath and if you're an actor, be sure to check the mirror.  Better to be another minute late and bring your best self into the room.  

Photo credit: "Young Lady Cupping Her Face" by adamr

  

Casting Trends: Callbacks In The Internet Age

by Jenny O'Haver

Have you ever walked into a callback and wondered what those unnamed and seemingly uninterested execs are doing in the back of the room focused on their laptops?  Well, let me tell you, besides reviewing location pictures, wardrobe samples and revisions of the script (among other things), at least one of them is probably googling you. Yes you.  The actor they may possibly hire.  In this digital age, your on-line presence plays an unspoken part in being booked on a project.  From the contents of your blog to any 'icky' legal issue you may have, be aware that your personal life and your professional life are linked on-line.  Know that clients may be wary of hiring anyone that could cast a shadow on their company...or their client's company.  Consider yourself warned!

For more information about breaking into the industry, check out Terry Berland's Book: Breaking Into Commercials, The Complete Guide. 

Photo by stockimages.

Tips For Talent: Improve Your Improv

by Jenny O'Haver

There are certain things I look for on the resume of an actor I'm considering.  Improv is one of them.  Improv is not just for comedy.  An actor who's had solid improv training and performance experience will often do well in an audition.  It helps improve an actor's ability to think on their feet.  It helps them to be present and 'real' in a scene, with or without dialogue.

Now, any improv experience is good but the current 'hot' improv training is that of Upright Citizen's Brigade.   We've had directors specifically ask to see talent from UCB.

As actors, you should constantly be 'honing your craft'.  No matter how experienced an actor is, I find the best actors are the ones who continue to work on their art.   When looking for classes or performance opportunities, be sure to find one that will improve your improv.  It will serve you well!

There are plenty of good books on improv acting.  One of them is The Improv Handbook by Tom Salinsky.

Have you taken any great improv classes?  I'd be interested to hear about them.

Photo by moggara12

Tips for Talent: Look Like Your Headshot!

by Jenny O'Haver

OK actors, I think I speak for most Casting Directors when I say that bad headshots are just about our biggest pet peeve.  Now, I don't mean poor quality shots - I can see past that.... I'm talking about headshots that don't honestly represent what you look like. Young or old. Thin or fat.  Keep it real folks or you're wasting your time and mine!

Here's an example:  I just finished casting a very big budget, national network commercial.  A lot of the heavy hitters were submitted on it.  You'd recognize them... those great, dependable actors we've all come to know and love from our favorite episodic television shows and soap operas.  These are actors with real chops.  Wonderful resumes, wonderful talent.  Yet a surprising number of them had headshots that were airbrushed, purposely over lit or decades old...all with the seeming intention of making them look years younger than they really are.  The women's pictures were the biggest offenders.  In this culture of "youth equals beauty" we women feel compelled to misrepresent ourselves.  I do it myself. (Yikes! Did I just say that out loud?) I have to admit that the picture I use for this blog is a shot I think blurs my wrinkles. But ladies (and gentleman) I suggest we embrace our age with pride.  Not only have we grown wiser and hopefully kinder through the years, the current trend in casting has opened up more roles for the over 40 and over 50 crowd.  (Read more about that in Casting Trends: Over 40.)

In my opinion airbrushing should be saved for those blemishes or dark circles that aren't usually there.   Sure, touching up your headshot makes for a pretty picture but let's face it, if you don't look like that picture anymore when you walk through the casting studio door, you're doing yourself a disservice.  And you may be missing out on auditions that you are right for. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that commercials often call for a more natural look in talent.  More 'real'.  Rather than having a picture of you totally 'done' with perfect hair and makeup, I'd rather see an honest looking headshot that has captured you with a thought going through your mind.  A picture that shows me you have a personality.  That's much more interesting.

My suggestion, make sure your picture really looks like you and that your agent is submitting you for the proper age ranges and character types.  Actors are not usually a good judge of their own headshots.  They are often too attached to their looks.  When picking headshots, try to get a second or third opinion.   Good luck!

Photo by Stuart Miles

Oh The People You Meet: Bruce Hulse

by Jenny O'Haver

Bruce Hulse, Actor/Model

Actors often surprise me.  Like Bruce Hulse.  I brought him in for an audition and then subsequently booked him on a big budget project.  During the audition process he was rather quiet, unassuming and pleasant.  He carried himself with a confidence and self-awareness that really translated to camera.  I knew that he had a career as a model but it wasn't until I booked him that I learned more.  Besides being a very well educated and multi-talented man, Bruce is considered one of the top ten male models of all time.  He wrote a must-read tell all book about his experiences as a heterosexual male model in the high end fashion world.  It's called Sex, Love and Fashion: A Memoir of a Male Model.   Beware...it might make you blush!  But if you want the inside scoop on the fashion industry, definitely check it out.  And let me know what you think. :-)

Casting Kids: Acting Should Be Fun!

by Jenny O'Haver

Stage parents are really great.  Well, most of them anyway.

Recently I cast several spots for a national restaurant chain.  Among other roles, the casting specs included a 5-7 year old boy. 

Now, whenever we cast kids the lobby tends to get overfull.  It happens because with each child you schedule there is at least one adult who accompanies the little actor, and often their brothers and sisters (or cousins, neighbors, etc) who, for various reasons, have to come along for the ride.  So for the one child you have scheduled to audition, you may get anywhere from 2 - 5 people in the waiting room.   This inherent lobby pandemonium can add to everyone's stress, especially the kids who are there to audition. 

During this particular session, in between auditioning the children, I stepped out of the sound proofed studio and waded through the mass of loud, waist high humanity, in search of a much needed cup of coffee with cream (not milk) and honey.  As I made my way back through the lobby, warm elixir in hand, I overheard one mother talking to her young son. "I'm taking time off work to bring you here.  If you mess up again, you're in big trouble!" The boy stood with bent shoulders in front of her.  I could barely see his face underneath the dark curly mop of hair.  I hated hearing that kind of comment but unfortunately it happens more than it should.

Back in the studio, the session was going smoothly.  My assistant kept the auditions flowing by bringing the kids in one at a time to audition for me.  After a few had come and gone, she opened the door to bring in the next little actor but then turned around to see that the child she thought was behind her had disappeared.  She stepped back out into the lobby looking for the boy who should have followed her in.  A couple minutes later she came back, then several beats later the boy with the dark curly hair ambled slowly through the door.  He seemed to want to take as long as possible getting into the studio.

I greeted him in my normal friendly way.  Seeing that he was uncomfortable I knelt down on one knee to get at his eye level and reached out my hand to introduce myself.  Almost immediately he wet his pants.  Literally.  A puddle formed on the wooden floor around his feet and he started to cry.

"Don't worry, honey." I said. "Let me get your mom," and I started to stand.

"No!" he said. "She'll be so mad."

"It's OK."  I tried to reassure him. "Accidents happen.  You can get cleaned up and come back in when you're ready."

He shook his head. "I don't want to."

"You don't want to audition?"  I asked.

"No, but my mommy makes me." He answered.

That was no surprise.

This was the first and only time a child wet his pants in my studio but many kids come in dragging their feet.  Clearly, they don't want to be there and their performance shows it.  The kids that love it, do well.  Those that are being pressured to audition by their parents rarely give a good performance.  When I ask them if they like auditioning, so often they say they'd rather be outside playing soccer or with their friends.

My advice?  Let acting be child led.  If your little one has a passion for it, great!  Support them.  But parents, don't live vicariously through your kids.  And if they once wanted to act but have lost their interest in it, don't make them keep it up.  It'll end up being a waste of their time, your time and my time.

Any stage parents out their have thoughts on this?  I welcome your comments!

Photo by David Castillo Dominici

Casting Trends: Drugs Are The New Beer

by Jenny O'Haver

Beer commercials used to be the 'cherry' jobs in the commercial acting world.  They almost always run nationally and often pay the actors terrific residuals.  You can practically put a deposit down on a house for what you'd make if you booked just one!  While beer spots are still a big score, there just aren't as many being made anymore.

Nowadays, the pharmaceutical industry is where the residuals are.   Where once the big cha-ching jobs were going to the younger good-looking talent that often dominate the beer spots (though you have to be legally 25 years old to appear in any alcohol commercial), now the big residuals seem to be leaning toward the aging baby boomers.  Many of the pharmaceutical spots feature actors over 50 years old...but they are still darn good looking!

Photo by Voraorn

Your Questions

I often get emails from actors or parents of child actors asking for advice and it's difficult to respond to every one of them... So here's your chance.  Feel free to submit a question on this page.   I'll answer them as they come in and update this page regularly...so check back often.

QUESTIONS

How do I get listed with your casting company?
As with most casting companies, we don't keep a data base of talent.  We review submissions for specific projects that come to us from agents or actors submitting themselves through Casting Networks (castingnetworks.com) and Breakdown Services (breakdownexpress.com).  We do, however, keep a list of 'favorites' on those websites.  If you don't already have an account with Casting Networks and Breakdown Services, I suggest you get one. 

How do I get into commercials?
There is no one set way to break into commercial acting.   If you aren't already,  start taking on-camera acting classes.  While you work on honing your skills, make connections with the other actors in your class.  They can often be a great resource in finding out about auditions.  Ultimately you need to get an agent but you can submit yourself on a limited number of projects using websites like Casting Networks or Breakdown Services.  A common way that newbies get hired is through their special skills... so if you have a marketable skill like skateboarding, playing a musical instrument, speaking a foreign language or anything that you do well, make sure to have that clearly listed on your resume under 'Skills'.  You never know how that might help.  There's a great book that Terry Berland, a Casting Director friend of my wrote called Breaking Into Commercials.  Pick it up.  It's filled with great stuff!

Photo by Danilo Rizzuti