Casting the Light
This weekend I had the chance to participate in a wonderful conference: Jadar Entertainment's first ever LA IMIS (indie music and film industry summit). It was a marvelous event that had to compete with some other really great film events that were also happening downtown, but for those of us who had the chance to attend, it was a unique opportunity to see what collaboration and a passion for talent can really produce. And because the attendance was lower than expected, it made for a rare opportunity to get very intimate with some of Hollywood's most treasured 'behind the scene-ers'.
I appeared on a panel on breaking into Hollywood: Lights, Camera, Action Take Two with notable pillars of stardom actor Richard Lawson and TV director Oz Scott, as well as performer and now manager Sabina Cabe. There was a music panel which followed quickly after, a panel on marketing and publicity with Deborah Hayter of Deborah Hayter Publicity, Linda Jones of The Mass Appeal, and Gina Smith of SPMG Media. All were excellent panels with the panelists lovingly sharing as many tidbits as they could about how to break into the industry, but the panel which most stood out to me was the casting panel with casting director notables (gorgeous too) Robi Reed, Leah Daniels, and Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd who was deliciously bohemian and Brooklyn. With honesty that was more refreshing and direct than I'd heard in a long time, they shared a lot of great insights for actors that I wanted to share here.
Here are some great recommendations (and pet peeves) they shared for all the aspiring actors out there; and since many of these talented people are my friends, I thought I'd put this out there:
Do your Research - they all complained that many actors come in either unprepared, without having done their research or BOTH! One told a story about an actor (African American at that) who was working with Forrest Whitaker in a more recent film, and asked him if he had ever directed a film. SCRATCH @#!
Be Ready… To ask questions, to be thrown a curve ball, to do the scene differently, to answer questions about the scene, and to stop and start again. They all told stories about actors who show up with any number of excuses for not being prepared or familiar with the material
Bring a PIC - Even though everything is done online these days, they all liked to have a physical picture in hand. One even gave away a secret: send her a postcard with a picture as a way of getting an audition. Postcards are easy to keep on a desk if they see something they like
Don't Bring an IPAD - Come in with lines prepared and don't read from an IPAD. It's distracting and gets handled like a prop in the scene.
Don't Crash Auditions - At least one of the casting directors said that she disliked this
Be On TIME - which for at least one of the casting directors meant: BE EARLY
Don't Make Excuses - They all moaned woefully about the number of excuses they hear on a daily basis and claimed to have heard them all. If you have an excuse, forget about it--you've been scratched.
Don't Go to the End - If you mess up a line in the beginning or have a false start, stop and ask to start again. By the time you muddle through lines you've already messed up, you have used up the time you reserved for yourself and you've demonstrated nothing more than your capacity to plow through a bad take which in a film world means the loss of a lot of time and money.
Get a Harassing Agent - They all admitted that the persistent agent is the one who gets the actor in. If your agent isn't doing that for you, it's time to SCRATCH them!
Stand out - One of the casting directors desperately bemoaned how alike everyone in LA looks. Don't be afraid to stand out and go the extra mile.
Finally I want to add my small two cents as a writer/director to the actors that I love:
Don't be afraid to completely fill the room with who you are. Why be small when you can be big?
Don't be afraid to make a mistake or do something unexpected. That's the stuff of grand filmmaking!
And don't be afraid to take a risk. This is why we love actors. Because they are capable of taking the emotional risks that most of us would never dare to... and they do it ONSCREEN for all to see!
Jadar entertainment The Mass Appeal Deborah Hayter Publicist SPMG Media
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