Tag Archives: casting call pro

How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur Book Review

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The daughter of a friend of mine is in her second year at drama school. She’s good: can sing, can dance, can act – particularly in comedy. So, she has it all? Trouble is, so do so many of the rest of her year group. And so do all of those other aspiring actors in all those drama schools across the country. She’s beginning to ask how she can show she’s different, that she deserves to be remembered from one audition to the next. How she can avoid annoying someone whose off hand influence can close as well as open doors for her?

howtobeasuccessful_actor_book become How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an ActorpreneurI’m going to give her a copy of this book. It may be the single most useful thing I ever do for her. How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur by Catherine Balavage is one of those practical, down-to-earth guides which doesn’t try to hide the obstacles and difficulties of choosing an actor’s life but does give solid and sensible, practical, advice on making the best impression and avoiding the worst pitfalls. Equally valuably, Balavage makes suggestions for networking, for working with others to help each other through teamwork (e.g. helping film each other’s showreels), working for nothing except getting your name out there, remembering names, and never, never, never forgetting to say thank you – even when you don’t land the part. She is upfront about the chances of success in acting: ‘Only act if you cannot do anything else. It is the hardest and most competitive industry you can go into. Your chances of success at making a full-time living for the rest of your life are small.’ And then she offers clear and straightforward, practical advice about how to shift the odds just slightly in your favour.

 

This book seems, at first glance, rather plain, with no images and most chapters simply divided into paragraphs with explanatory headings, or questions followed by responses. I like this format. It’s no-frills and underlines the fact that this is a handbook. A ready reference tool which will be highlighted and annotated by anyone who uses it regularly. The pages of useful contacts and Top Tips are invaluable. I also liked the interviews with others in the profession: the replies to questions overlap with each other in ways which reinforce what Balavage has already said. This reinforces my conviction that this author really is writing from experience and passing on advice distilled from her own hard work. Which I really hope my young friend will take.

 

[Editorial note: Catherine Balavage is an editor of this magazine]

 

Frost’s Editor Catherine Balavage Writes How To Be A Successful Actor Book

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Frost’s Editor, Catherine Balavage, has written a book on How To Be A Successful Actor. It is called How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It has gotten as high as number 5 on the Kindle charts under Stage & Theatre. It will also be released on paperback and Smashwords soon. Handpicked Future did a great piece on it and Catherine was on the front page of the Entertainment section in The Huffington Post with her Actors Who Make Their Own Work article. You can also read an article by Catherine written on her own blog.

howtobeasuccessful_actor_book_cover The book is available here for UK readers and here for US readers. It is also available worldwide.

Cover art by Steve McAleavy

 

 

Jonathan Hansler on Goodbye: The Afterlife of Cook & Moore. {Acting}

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Tell me about GOODBYE: THE AFTERLIFE OF COOK & MOORE

Goodbye: The Afterlife of Cook & Moore started off life at the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, and was on Mervyn Stutters’ Pick of the Fringe. A couple of years later in 2009, it gained rave reviews at the Leicester Square Theatre.

In the original play, Dudley Moore dies and finds himself in a bar in a comedians’ limbo run by his old sparring partner Peter Cook They need to resolve their differences, and are up for judgment for blasphemy for Derek & Clive. It features a cast of eight. Peter Cook & Dudley Moore leading Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Leonard Rossiter, Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams & Charles Hawtrey (all six played by one actor, Clive)

In the movie there is a cast of 50-odd, but apart from five leads, these are mainly small cameos, and we are looking for names for a lot of these. We have a lot of people we know and can call on as does the Director, Martin Gooch, who knows the world.

Clive will play Leonard Rossiter and I will play Peter Cook. The play is much enlarged in the film and there are The Great Programmer, Angels, Demons, Mary Whitehouse, Bill Hicks, Lenny Bruce, John Belushi, Princess Persephone, Queen of Hades and many more. Basically, Alice in Wonderland meets Bedazzled – with the tagline: “You cant escape your comedic fate.”

How did you two meet?

Clive and I met many moons ago, probably doing murder mysteries.

How do you collaborate?

Clive sits at the laptop, I make tea and pace around the room. We tend to have a good creative crossover as writers.

How did you get into acting?

Wandering round the garden at three years old dressed in a towel thinking I was Julius Caesar may have been a clue. It was all I was good at. I was crap academically.  I went to a drama school which when I was there was very good, but due to two deaths a year later closed. Maybe I should have retrained.

What advice would you give to actors who are not as established as you?

Unless you are serious about this business and would kill a relative to do it, get out. It is tough. On the lower rungs, it can be full of the biggest egotistical, untalented two-faced people. It gets a lot better as you get higher up. People are good at what they do and are generally nicer.

It is an industry that is not well policed, although generally we have a good union. If you are serious and have just murdered your uncle, network, meet people, go to festivals like Cannes, and blag it. Find a good agent, ask people about theirs, be versatile – although that may be a curse. Being excellent, and versatile at what you do, scares people off sometimes.

How do you think the industry has changed?

It’s changed because films are made so incredibly cheaply today.. Fifteen years ago, hundreds of people were queuing up to do one student film, for no money. It would cost a minimum of £250 an hour to edit a movie. Showreels were hugely costly. With the advent of technology and tiny broadcast quality cameras today, people can make a movie cheaply and quickly.. There were of course no Casting Call Pro’s or any other online services. There were just casting directors and answerphones.

If you did a show you would mail 10 x 8 photos with CV, SAE and flyer in a hard backed envelope. I did 97 fringe shows and spent 20 years before getting my first TV break via a play I blagged the auditions for (they wanted names) playing Peter Cook, so you can imagine what that cost me. Nowadays there are many ways of attracting attention via the internet.

What’s next?

Well, we want to push Cook & Moore the movie and the play, and are probably going to do a reading of the film in front of an invited audience, including mates in the film industry. I have a couple of leads in features screening soon, and am shooting a feature a mate is directing in Jan as well as another in Malta in April/May.  I am currently in Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh playing Dr Fagan, an eccentric headmaster, at the Old Red Lion with Sylvester McCoy til 29th Jan.

Thank you Jonathan.

If you are interested in investing in the film. Jonathan Hansler would love to hear from you. Get in touch via Frost.

Click and Submit Services for UK Actors {The Film Set}

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We’re constantly being told that 90% of an actors job is looking for work. While that’s a massive sweeping generalisation, it is in most ways true. Some of that 90% counts for marketing yourself and going towards making you a more appealing “brand” (so I’m counting going to the gym as work…certainly feels like it). A large proportion of the active looking for work involves click and submit websites. All of these suit different Actors at different stages in their careers but are valid in their own ways…but here’s what we’ve found out.

Starnow

{ Genevieve } Suits people beginning their career or with a really unusual look. Starnow doesn’t have any minimum requirements to join and because of this, there are always loads of people willing to work for free on the site trying to gain experience. It attracts low budget productions or small independant production companies trying to maximise their margins. There’s a huge number of irrelevant jobs on there but it’s usually the first point of call for producers looking for people with very unusual (character) or glamour model looks.

Occasionally there’s a gem of a job in amongst the hubub and I’ve been told that producers post jobs on there because they like the easy user interface.

{ Catherine }  I have been on Star Now for years and people wonder why sometimes as I am no longer a beginner. The answer is above. Occasionally, it has a gem of a job. In my case, a Placebo musiv video I did that has had millions of views. I get recognised a lot from it.

£35.94 for 6 Months

Shooting People

{ Catherine } Shooting people is amazing. Relatively cheap, a hubbub of film making. A lot of the castings are unpaid but you will be in contact with the next Spielberg or Scorsese. It has a good community and some good castings. You can also put up your showreel and films and share with other film makers. Well worth it and affordable. They also do monthly meet ups.

£30 per year

Spotlight

{ Genevieve } The huge majority of professional Actors are on Spotlight’s database. Your page can be viewed by anyone you give the link to or by casting professionals. It’s also published in book form yearly. The book deadline is such a massive event that photographers create special discounts before the deadline to give themselves a competitive edge. The criteria for being listed on the database are fairly strict, it’s limited to professionaly trained or experienced performers. If you have have an agent on your Spotlight profile you won’t even need to submit yourself for breakdowns. They already do that for you. A chat recently with someone in the Spotlight offices recently revealed that unrepresented actors only get 5% of the breakdowns sent. A represented actor will get an additional 75% of the breakdowns sent and there are a few Producers or Casting Directors that prefer to work with Agencies they have established a business relationship with so they choose who to send their breakdowns to…you might think this is unfair considering all the Performers pay the same subscription rate but this selectiveness ensures Spotlight retains the custom of the most productive Casting professionals. Casting professionals pay a subscription too and it’s this level of flexibility and vetting that means Spotlight breakdowns are always from the higher end of the market. If you don’t have an agent then Spotlight can act as a forwarding service for you, giving you some distance from crazed fans. Having a Spotlight card also gets you discounts from a number if retailers and services.

{ Catherine } Spotlight is invaluable. If you are not in it, you are invisible.

Cost varies depending on what time of year you join and what book you want to be listed in but roughly around £177 for one year for Actors and Actresses.

PCR – Production and Casting Report

{ Catherine } Every actor has had PCR at some point in their life. It used to have the hold of Spotlight and be essential. A rite of passage. Again, your agent will get this. It is posted to you and then you post off your CV and headshot or email. Depending on the casting directors preference. It comes on red paper and a lot of the castings will not be happening for a while. It is great for building up contacts. If you can afford it, get it.

£22.46 per month

Casting Call Pro

{ Genevieve } Easy to use website for Actors where you can have your profile online and submit yourself to acting jobs. The membership options are clear and upfront. It’s free to have a profile on the site and apply to unpaid jobs. To register on the site you need to have professional experience or training. Premium membership will allow you to apply for paid jobs, have more photos online and more attachments (Showreels, voicereels etc.) The database is searchable and employers do and will search for you. You can chose to be listed in Google searches or hidden from it and they provides statistics so you can see who’s searching for you online and viewed your profile. There’s a huge mix of jobs on the site, mainly as it’s free to post a casting call and easy to use.

The site also has a huge resource section with details of agents, photographers and services and makes it really easy to find a headshot photographer you like by automatically linking actors headshots with the photographers profile page. There’s an active forum which makes you feel like part of a community, constantly looking for work can be a bit isolating. The yearly socials are good fun and the team behind the website are really friendly.

{ Catherine } Been on it since the beginning. Good for a sense of community and gets good castings.

£117.50 a year for premium membership, free for basic membership.

CastWeb

{ Catherine } Castweb is different from the other services as you get emails about castings,’breakdowns as we call them, and then email the casting director your CV and headshot. It is mostly for agents but I have had a lot of luck with it. It is quite expensive. However, one good job will pay that off. If you can afford it, get it. Your agent will already have it. So ask them if it is needed if money is very short.

£139.95 for 12 Months

Mandy.com

{ Genevieve } A TV and Film production website with a casting section. Free to register as an Actor and upload your photo and CV and also to apply to all the casting calls. Anyone can register but there are few paid opportunities. Fantastic if you are looking to build a showreel. The profile’s arn’t searchable but it’s really easy to submit your details to a job if you’re interested in it.

{ Catherine } Definitely worth it. Free and has the occasional amazing job.

Free

Talent Circle

{ Genevieve } Another free site that allows you to submit yourself for jobs. The site mainly has unpaid student productions of the odd researcher looking for something obscure and has already tried everywhere else. You can choose to receive notifications of new jobs daily via email which makes it really easy to stay on the ball. Sadly though it never saves any of your details which makes applying for jobs an enormous chore. When you’re applying for hundreds of jobs a week you want it to be as painless as possible. However…it is free.

{ Catherine } Also worth it if you have the time. At the beginning of my career I got some very good jobs from it.

Free

Gumtree/Craigslist/Buying a role on eBay…Don’t do it kids.

Ciao for now! Genevieve and Catherine

If you have a topic you’d like covered or something to contribute then send it to info@frostmagazine.com.

Acting Advice. { The Film Set | Catherine Balavage }

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I started my acting career when I was 14, doing a play with the youth theater. I have since gone on to work with Martin Scorsese, Madonna, Stephen Poliakoff and Gurinda Chadra. After the 2000th person -or so it feels- asked me for acting advice I thought I should write this article and then I decided to write a book. The book on how to be a successful actor, How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur, is out now.

Well, that and the dawning realisation that I have been doing this for years. Here it is. Hope it helps you along in an incredibly difficult career.

1) A good headshot. I recommend Diego Indraccolo. He is amazing and does mine. Find him here: http://www.diego.indraccolo.com/

2) A Spotlight entry. Essential. You are invisible without it.

3) A good response to the question ‘What have you been doing lately?’ Not ‘temping’ or ‘watching TV’ something interesting that makes your life sound exciting. Even if the only thing you have been doing is watching daytime TV.

4a) Joining acting sites like Casting Call Pro, Mandy.com, Shooting People and Castweb. http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/view.php?uid=44261

I am on all of them and not only do I get jobs but I can also ask for advice and it gives me a sense of community. Essential for an actor as our job can be very isolating.

4b) A good clear, concise covering letter that is not generic.

5) A good CV. Leave out damaging information like your age and put playing range instead. DO NOT LIE. The industry is tiny.

6) Being Pro-active. Do your own work. Write. Get seen.

7) Networking. Do this as much as possible. Not just to get jobs but so you know people in the same business.

8 ) An Agent. Not easy but they can get you castings you will not be able to. It is possible to have a career without one but you will need one eventually. I love mine.

9) Be well groomed at all times. You are a business. No one wants to work with an actor who smells or who can not look after themselves. Also: be nice or you will probably never work again.

10) Only do it if you can not do anything else. It is the hardest, most competitive industry you can go into. Your chances of success are tiny. If that has not deterred you then go for it!

11) Equity membership. It validates you. You will get insurance and discounts. If someone does not pay you – which keeps happening to me! – they will sue them for you. http://www.equity.org.uk/

12) Don’t be an a**hole. Nobody wants to work with an a**hole.

13) Turn up, be on time, be professional. Know your lines. All of this matters. Work begets work. I always see someone I have previously worked with on jobs now.

14) Keep training. Learn different accents. Read plays. Do pilates. You have to keep yourself in tip-top condition.

To read more on my adventures go to http://balavage.wordpress.com/

Break a leg!

Casting Call Pro Interview. Advice for actors and businesspeople.

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Catherine Balavage interviews Simon Dale from Casting Call Pro.

1) What was the idea behind the business?
We’d worked together in online recruitment for the film & tv industry for four years, working at The Production Base, a service for all those behind the camera (e.g. editors, camera operators, sound recordists, runners etc.), so we knew the industry. Chris’s sister was graduating from Mountview and was paying substantial subscriptions to a number of casting breakdown services. We realised that with our background and technical expertise this was an arena we could enter.
2) How did you make it a success
Crucially, we wanted to offer members more than a simple directory listing. With this in mind we built community elements in addition to the casting breakdowns – we wanted to bring the actors tools to help develop their career. Hence the directories of agencies, photographers, theatres, schools… and the community aspect to the site. Individuals, schools and companies are now using it to track and stay in touch with friends, alumni and old colleagues. We also offered a very different model to the other services out there in that we offer a completely free profile listing in the directory – which has helped us grow to our current size of 25,000+ members. We do have a premium subscription, but the profile listing is entirely free.
3) What mistakes do actors make?
Some have an inflated sense of their ‘right to perform’, perhaps down to ego, perhaps thinking that the mere fact of undergoing training entitles them to a lifetime of work. The harsh reality is that it’s a very competitive field whose daily currency is rejection. It’s hard to be seen for parts, harder still to be cast – that’s simple mathematics, there will always be a huge number of people up for the same part, many of whom will be talented. And so often (especially for commercials) it’s less about the depth of the acting talent and more about the surface look.
We hear about actors who breeze into an audition having done no preparation, no background research, not even having learned the lines they’ve been given. Sure, there will always be stories about people who stroll in, shoot from the hip and land the role. But you’re taking a huge risk if that’s your general modus operandi.
4) What advice can you give to actors?
Be proactive – don’t expect work to come to you. Try and find an agent if you don’t already have one. Network with people, attend industry events. Go to as many auditions as you can – it will help your technique and even if you’re not cast you are still in front of the casting directors. I have a friend who was up for a part two years ago – she didn’t get it, but the Casting Director contacted her eighteen months later with a role she thought she’d be perfect for. Difficult as it is, try and remain positive. Rejection day in day out is, inevitably, going to wear you down at some stage. Remember that you’ve chosen to enter an incredibly difficult profession, and that you might not be landing the roles may not be down to your acting talent. Keep the faith!
5) What advice can you give to other businesspeople?
Plan ahead. And plan ahead some more. Prepare your budget, make realistic forecasts. Bed yourself down for some lean times at the outset. We left well paid jobs to set up Casting Call Pro. We took huge risks and made personal sacrifices. We worked without salary and had to put in an awful lot of time and effort, not knowing if, further down the line, we would have a successful service (though of course we believed that we would, or we wouldn’t have taken the risks!). Look at the business holistically. As you grow, operating a business becomes so much more than running the core service that you set out with. You’ll need to learn about finances, PAYE, VAT, Corporation Tax… you’ll be interviewing and employing staff, running an office – all the while trying to run and expand your original business idea. For small companies (less than twenty employees) it probably won’t be feasible or necessary for you to hire HR staff or in-house accountants and lawyers – so you’ll be wearing many hats, office manager, bookkeeper, HR…
It’s likely that at some point in the first two years you will hit a low – financially or emotionally. You’re putting in all the work but not seeing the returns. These are absolutely pivotal times – most businesses fold within the first two years. If you retain your belief then you might turn the corner. We had to get different jobs to pay the bills, but we didn’t give up. And then we turned the corner and have never looked back.
6) What it the best thing an actor can do for their career?
Find an agent. Be proactive in trying to independently find and put themselves up for auditions (though do keep your agent informed). Train. See as much theatre, film and television as possible. Periodically reassess their career and drive – and, if necessary, give themselves a metaphoric shot in the arm to keep their spirits up. (Remember all the positives, your ambition, your passion – those things that first inspired you to get into acting.

7) What is the funniest casting you have ever had?
Among the strangest we’ve had are requests for actors to play pranks on bosses and ex-partners, as well as a over-zealous salesman who was offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Helsinki for anyone who was willing to impersonate his CEO at a client meeting the the real CEO couldn’t attend.
8 ) What do you thing of actor’s paying for casting director workshops?
It’s entirely up to the individual. Sessions with CDs seem to be on the increase. Research the company providing them, and the CD(s) themselves. What have they cast? These seminars and workshops can vary enormously – some being straightforward talks, panel discussions, Q&A, and even interactive sessions at which the actors perform a piece and receive feedback from the CDs. As with all these things (casting services included), ask friends and peers – what do others think of them?

9)  What is next for Casting Call Pro?
As ever, we’ll keep developing the service, building new features and adding new tools to try and help the actor and to better our service. Already we have expanded out from actors to create allied sites for dancers, stage crew, film crew etc. Watch this space!

Casting Call Pro is an excellent website for actors. Both of Frost Magazines editor are on it. To find out more and to join follow the link http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/