Acting is a Business within a Business

Welcome to my new newsletter! The world is a mixed up crazy place where the artist has the duty to inject beauty for the mind, the soul and the body. It’s an effective and powerful counter to the cooky things we see going on. This newsletter is designed to assist you in the mission.

So You Want to be a Star

How can you increase your audience (fans) as an actor when the box office is ruled by studio productions and you aren’t a “name” actor?

If you have not asked yourself this question, you haven’t quite come to the understanding that acting is a business. It’s a business within a business, the business of movies and television or series.

THE ROUTE TO STARDOM

The traditional and time-honoured route of making your way up to stardom has been; the actor gets an agent, agent arranges auditions with casting directors, casting directors present talent to the directors and producers of the movie or series, the actor gets booked. And it’s true, some actors break through this way.

Working within this framework and tradition, is the idea that your acting skills and looks will get you the job and continue to move you up the ladder of success to the ultimate goal where you are an A-list, name actor who is sent scripts via your agent or manager.

This, then, is passed down to new actors as The Way. And, as I have already said, for some this is true. And part of the thinking that goes along with this viewpoint is that it is your acting skill alone that will rocket you to stardom. So what should you do? Focus on your skill set as an actor and it will surely come to pass.

Unfortunately, that is not a law of the universe that works every time you apply it, you know, like the law of gravity. It has a tiny bit of truth in it. Enough to make you believe it. Notice the word “tiny.”

THE WISDOM OF BOB FRASER

Real life stories can guide you

I was mentored by an actor, writer, director, producer named Bob Fraser.  Bob had some impressive credits. Some of his more standout ones were the TV series Benson, the series Marblehead Manor and the series Full House. Some of you younger actors may have heard of Fuller House which was a revitalization of the original Full House.

Bob told me this story.  He said that the best actor he ever saw in his entire life was actually a postman.  That’s right.  He delivered mail.  Bob saw his acting skills at a community theatre.

Bob obviously witnessed a lot of good actors in his time.  Him telling me this had a point and that was, at least my interpretation of it, being the greatest actor ever is not going to make your career.  You must view this business as a business.  You must understand how it works and how to make it work for you.  So let’s break this down.

A business has a product or service that they exchange with customers or clients for something valuable in return.  Actors deliver believable performances of characters in a story. Not all actors can play all characters.  An individual actor, in order to be believable, must play characters that the filmmakers and the public believe they could be.

Okay, so that is your service as an actor.  What so many actors don’t get is that they should specialize in what character types they can best play.  This is a bit of a process actually that could take some time and that over time gets re-evaluated.  It’s a combination of visual first impressions and the essence or energy of the actor and how it aligns to various characters we often see in movies.

When an actor first starts on the road to working as a professional, some may tell them they’re presence reminds them of some famous actor.  It could be a look-a-like thing or not.  It could be an energy thing. Or a combination of both.  Either way it is a short cut description of what that person perceives. They see you playing the type of characters that that famous actor plays./

DON’T LEAVE IT TO CASTING

It’s Not the Only Route

I highly advise you not leave this up to casting directors to figure out for you.  Why?  Here’s a real, life conversation I had with a very busy casting director in Vancouver.  It was more of a one-way conversation from her to me.  She said, “There is a new actor in town who is very good. (I believe he came from Toronto.) He’s excellent and I have been bringing him in as often as I can but he just isn’t booking.  You know, I just don’t know where to put him.”

My analysis of this?  The actor didn’t know where he fit either.  And so his headshot and the roles he would audition for and hopefully book were not aligned.  He didn’t know how to promote his strengths so he could read for roles that suited him.  That he could uniquely play and bring his own essence to that would fit that character.

Why leave it up to casting to figure this out?  Sure, some people get lucky and serendipity aligns the right role to what the actor really plays well and, voila, booked it! There is a lot of chance in our business but that’s true for any entrepreneurial creative industry.  Why not take matters into your own hands and figure out what you play well and suit that is a type of character found in stories - you know, the archetypes. You do that and apply your uniqueness to that character and you have a powerful combination.

TIME TO TAKE CONTROL

You’re Creative, Start Creating

I am talking about you delving into producing a short film that you own, is written for you and the character you play best and has the potential to be developed into something much bigger like a series or a movie.

Imagine you playing a role you’re great at that demands the best of your acting skills made to professional, international standards.  You own the IP (Intellectual Property) so you can get that story developed into a feature you star in or a series you star in and you have demo reel footage to die for.  You send your movie out to festivals of import so that the character type you play so well is seen in far off or even local places while other actors wait by their computer or phone.

What a brilliantly smart investment in your career and calling!

I am not talking about those guys who do demo reel footage for you.  I am talking about a well developed, well written, professionally shot and completed through post short film that can travel world wide.

I have been commissioned several times by very smart actors to either direct, write and direct or write, direct and consult with the producing of their short film.  Each one of them experienced a bump up in their careers that opened the door to better auditions and respect within the filmmaking industry.  Their confidence soared.  Their films won awards. They made new relationships in the industry that have significant potential.

And, I can assure you, you never know who is watching your film online.  Usually those who can help you develop your IP don’t even comment or “like” your post.  Believe me, new ideas and concepts and good actors who are competent are being looked for all the time.

The films I helped on were made fairly recently and if you know anything about how series and movies get developed, it can, and often does, take a good amount of time. All of these actors who did make a short film are actively developing their short films to the next level.

You can do that.  Or you can wait by your computer or your phone.

I have a comprehensive consulting package I offer to actors who want to invest in their careers and take control of their futures.  Contact me and we can discuss the details.  Go to this link and find out more.

https://neilschellfilmschool.heightsplatform.com/products/boost-your-acting-business-complete-package/preview