the nonworking actor

Make opportunities where failure presents itself.  Stop blaming others for your own shortcomings.  Set goals and figure out ways to attain them, then reach them.  Set more goals.

A perfect way to make progress with your dreams is to make lists; Yearly, Monthly and Daily.  Stick to them. Don’t ever give up  Adjust, reevaluate and try, try again.  

Read.  Stay informed.  Have opinions backed up in fact, otherwise silence.  

Spread love not hate.  

Train.  Mind. Body. Soul.  Mind, Body, Soul. Mind Body Soul.

Respect people.  Encourage your piers.  Be proud of other’s accomplishments. Wish success for all, even your competition.

Understand success.  Know your own successes.  You are successful.

Favor the positive.  Stop dwelling on the negative... acknowledge and dismiss.

Favoritism will always exists.  Become their favorite.

Most of all: Never forget,

John Holloway 2016 Film Reel 

Every convenience store in America sells the mini pronged cables that plug into that unique charger port on all iPhone 5 and above models.  They are cheap, last minute purchases, when desperate, because we inevitably forgot to charge our iPhone.

Apple doesn’t like that.

Sooooo, instead offering a cheap alternative for 7-Eleven, AMPM, and the likes, to sell to their clientele, Apple, instead, wrote some code that prevents any non licensed 3rd Party accessory to work when attempting to charge the phone.  Yeah, the convenience stores still sell the cheap cords, they just don’t work.  And we only discover this, after we spent 5 or 10 bucks on them.

It doesn’t stop there.  The USB outlet, which plugs into the power outlet, that receives the opposite end of the cord lodged in the bottom of the iPhone, if not licensed by apple, won’t work either.

So...

If you are stuck in the middle of Boon Town just outside of Bumblefuck, America without an iPhone cord, AND your car is broken down.., Apple would rather  your iPhone die and you be raped senseless before a 3rd party cord would power your device to call for help.

Apple is so threatened by your one-time purchase of a zebra patterned iPhone cord that they would rather see all their devices power down and never work again than allowing them stay active by cheap non licensed alternatives.

And ‘not certified’ means you probably spent under $30.00 for that chord.  While the typical charger for any other smart phone averages in the $8-$12 dollar range.  

It’s funny how the cord is not able to charge the phone, but it does have the ability to prompt the “not certified message...” Clearly proving that apple manipulates its software for these cables not to work.

Everyone needs a John... Take a gander.......

You got a self taped audition request, now what? 

Scott David, from The Actors Link & Scott David casting, recently shared extremely interesting advice on performing a self tape: 

"Sometimes, we (casting directors) don't want the "perfect" self-taped audition," Scott would say, "because we know that actors will do a self tape over and over and over to get it right. So who knows if that take took said actor 4 hours to shoot a 30 second audition?

 Why not prepare as if you were going into a casting office, THEN shoot it... once. If you flub a line or whatever, ask yourself... Would they have me do it again in the office?" 

Too many times have I taken waaaay too long on a self taped audition. I sometimes agonize over several takes on how I look, sound, blah blah blah. What I have begun to start doing is treat every self tape request like an actual audition. I set a time for my call, ONLY allow 5 to 10 minutes to shoot, and be confident with what I send in. 

Self tapes are becoming the norm. We all have gotten them, and I'm sure we've all spent more time on a few of them than the actual shoot we were auditioning for. That has to end. 

Prepare. Know the material. Trust the reader you choose to do the audition with. After that. Leave it up to the gods. 

 ***Self Taping is also referred to the Eco cast. I used to be against the Eco cast, but times change... As do my opinions. And at the end of the day, if you can't beat them, join them. *** 

Auditioning was a difficult thing for me to grasp.  I always hated the idea of having to market my talents and sell myself.  However I finally realized that all forms of entertainment is constant marketing.  If I didn’t convince the casting director that I was worth selling to the producer, how could that producer then convince the viewers that I was worth paying the price of an entry ticket?  Right?  It’s all marketing.

No actor wants to hear that they are branded.  That is: No one wants to hear they are branded until their brand is making them a living.  

As actors, we want to be recognized as diverse artists who are able to tackle any role.  We grow up with our favorite stars whose many films eventually showed us the wide range of their talents.  We also wanted all of that immediately failing to realize that most the stars we cherished had a body of work to look back on, but when they started out, they too were branded.  

Develop a brand for yourself. It sounds petty and you know you can achieve more than what you, at first, target yourself towards.  But right now, why not prove to this industry that you know how to work?  Listen to and accept what they see you as and then present the best that.  With a little convincing you will have a say on what your brand eventually becomes.  But until then be what they want you to be. You will work.  I promise (at least thats what I keep telling myself:-)

If you are having trouble knowing what your brand may be, look for the clues.  I had a a meeting with an agency early on in my career when I first left my conservatory.  I thought this was it, they want to sign me and the rest will be history… Well I sit typing, and the rest has still yet to be written, but anyway… In the meeting, the agent told me, “There is a bad-boy inside of you that you didn’t bring to this meeting.”  I was taken aback.  She could see that I carried a confidence in myself that some would have called cocky, or arrogant.  Unfortunately, I was making every attempt not to show these cards and to be extremely humble.  I was acting.”  She saw through me and did not sign me.

Should I have been an asshole?  I don’t think so, but I know I could have been more confident with myself.  I didn’t know my own brand.  That’s what happened.  I am not necessarily a bad ass, but I don’t like bullshit.  So when I walk into a room, I can’t be bullshitting, I have to be as authentic as possible and my best work and self will emerge.  

Would that agent have signed me had I not acted so humbly? Maybe. Maybe not.  I can say that she would have signed me if I walked in there knowing what my brand was, and selling it.  

Thanks for recycling.  Fuck that.  

Good question. There are many different ways to approach a role as well as several different styles. Most will tell you that script analysis is a great start. I agree. 

Script analysis is essential to begin ones work. You have to know the tone and what the author is trying to say before anything else when you start your journey.   Why did Arthur Miller write “Death of a Salesman?”  If you can’t answer that then how can you begin to learn the role of Willy Loman?  

 Cold readings can be exciting and raw because it's the first time these words are escaping the page. Every time you repeat those words however, the excitement slowly fades. That is why we need to understand tone and theme, as actors; to tackle the task of making the lines our own, each and every time. 

Something we can never escape are lines. As Leonardo DiCaprio says, "You can't begin acting until you know your lines." And I can assure you that Leo means; REALLY KNOW YOUR LINES. Whatever it takes. Only you know before you speak if you really know your lines. Some of us need days to memorize, while others take minutes. Whatever it is for you, make sure you've put in the time. Because once you open your mouth, everyone will know no matter what the excuse is that you try to give. They will know whether you've learned the material or not. So do what you have to do. Coming off natural can be difficult task, but even when you achieve that you need more than just believability to elevate yourself from good to great. Know your highs and your lows (scripts mark these with beats some of the time, but it is at your own discretion on how that beat turns or changes the mood.) A great tip I have received in my years of training is not not to discredit physical move.  If you are playing cards and the scene calls for you to play cards.  I rehearse the way I hold the cards, when, where and on what specific line, I place the cards.  These actions have to be as instinctual as the words themselves, or the scene loses steam.

Create an urgency in what you set out to accomplish.  A way to do this is to have strong choices. Everyone always says,  “Make great choices.” Well what the hell does that mean? Right? It means that you have to have convictions and not to be wishy-washy.  If your choice is to simply get someone to leave, you must carry that choice through the scene.  Every word that utters from your mouth must carry the underlying intent that you do not want this person in front of you. The second you drop this intention and lose your choice, the scene is about nothing, you lose the attention of the audience.  Whatever it is you choose to do, carry it through the scene.