The very best way of getting in front of casting directors and ultimately directors and producers more, is to be so alive, spontaneous, surprising and real when you do get an audition, that we, who hire you, can’t forget you. If you don’t get out on auditions enough – don’t squander the auditions you get!
If you hardly ever go out on auditions, get coached for the ones you do get! There are always excuses why actors don’t invest in themselves — but what career can you have without investing in it? When opportunity comes, get coached for it! At the very least you are making a new contact who will respect and remember your work. Yes, success can come quickly, but it’s best to think long term, that’s how careers are built. Also, stay in class so you are always at the top for your game. Money is the biggest excuse for not doing these two important things, but there are others as well, such as, time and even feeling discouraged, but to be successful you have to get out of that crap thinking and be on your own side and the side of succeeding.
In an actor’s life there are always going to be times when you are flush with success and down times. Staying on top of your game is essential. Actors don’t know when that big opportunity is going to come. An audition for a lead in a TV series, or a great role in a film can come when you least expect it. Actors will take an expensive 6 week course in cold reading for example and 10 months later they get the biggest audition of their lives and have an afternoon to prepare for it, but they are not at the top of their game the way they were 10 months earlier. It’s better to take an on-going class. It’s like acting yoga, it keeps you facile and ready all the time. (In the class I teach you are up and working all the time. Working four times per class and being in front of camera twice each and every class takes all the paralyzing nerves away.)
Human beings find lots of ways to sabotage themselves from success, but actors especially, do this unconsciously a lot. If you’re serious about making acting your career, yet you aren’t in a class and doing the other things necessary for whatever excuse, you may be a hobbyist. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you are honest with yourself about it.
Before I was writing and directing movies, I was acting and sabotaging myself. For example, I wouldn’t work a day job so that I had to book something, but if I wasn’t working, I couldn’t afford the class I loved that kept me spontaneous and flexible and I would freeze up on auditions.
You have to find a way to balance the focus on your career by doing the things that nurture it and at the same time putting a roof over your head & eating. Be honest with yourself, put money into the things that are going to get you into the room at the top of your game.
What are the basics? …
– Being on Actors Access & LA Casting
– Having and posting video that is so good, you won’t be forgotten. (Can be gotten in an on camera class)
– Having and posting 3-5 branded headshots, updating them regularly.
– Having great cold reading skills that you can call upon at a moment’s notice.
– Do your research on the shows that cast your type (Casting About) and then …
– Workshop in front of those casting directors who are currently casting (not on hiatus) BUT ONLY WHEN YOU’VE BEEN COACHED, ARE READY AND AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME.
– learn how to use social media.
– Always make sure you can be contacted.
There is much more you can do for your career to be seen and get in the room, but these are the basics. If you don’t squander your auditions when you do get them, and you make a fantastic impression, you will be on your way to getting more and more.
I know money is a big factor, so decide if you are a professional actor or a hobbyist. If you are a pro, coach for the auditions you do get and find an ongoing class that is affordable for you to stay in on a long term basis. You can find classes that are affordable so it can be worked into an actor’s budget.
I’d say good luck, but you won’t need so much luck when you are managing your career for real.