NYCastings – DirectSubmit

Union Facts & Advantages

Listen up! The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFTRA) represents over 70,000 artists. It covers broadcast, public and cable television, radio, sound recordings, non-broadcast” and industrial material as well as Internet and digital programming.

If you are looking to sound serious about the entertainment industry, take note of these very important AFTRA details…

Q. More and more productions are choosing AFTRA. Why is this?

More and more programs are being shot on a digital format.

Q: Will AFTRA expand to cover film?

No, film is SAG’s jurisdiction.

Q: Why is AFTRA more TV focused while SAG is film?

Since AFTRA (the American Federation of Radio Artists) merged with the TVA (the Television Authority) in 1952, AFTRA has had jurisdiction in both television and radio, when they were live. Since then, programs on videotape have also fallen under AFTRA’s jurisdiction. SAG has always covered film.

Q. Why is the only way to join… to pay – not to get waivers or another ‘earning’ way?

AFTRA is an open union, which means anyone can apply for membership. Otherwise, we look at work dates, not earnings. When a non-member, who has worked an AFTRA job – i.e., like a waiver – is then booked on another AFTRA job beyond the 30-day Taft-Hartley period, we will ask that performer to join.

Q. After being an AFTRA member for a year, an artist can join SAG. Why? What is the connection between the two unions that allows this?

The connection is a longstanding relationship with a common interest: professional performers who work in front of a camera, or as voiceovers. Also, we have a similar arrangement with Equity.

Q. There is a significant cost to joining AFTRA (as with SAG) – do you see this increasing steadily and what are the benefits?

The initiation fee is currently $1600. Since it was only just increased this past November (from $1300, which was in place for several years), I doubt there will be another increase again soon. The benefits of joining range from the service we provide in negotiating and enforcing the contracts, to qualifying for health coverage and a pension, to workshops, seminars, access to casting and agents.

Q. In SAG there is a percentage of actors on-set who must be SAG – is this true for AFTRA as well? If so, is there a difference between NY and LA?

In primetime dramas, AFTRA and SAG have the same terms, i.e., the company must hire a set number of union background performers before going with non-union. In other types of programs – e.g., variety shows, soap operas, talk shows – all performers, including all background performers, are covered by the AFTRA contract.

Q: If you are a member of AFTRA, do you think there is a better chance of getting representation / an AFTRA franchised agent?

You might get a better read from the agents on how they feel about that, but we do provide access to agents by setting up individual appointments every year through our Open Door program.

Q: Can an AFTRA person create their own content with non-union people? – (i.e. in SAG you cannot act in any non-union project even if YOU are the one at the helm of it)

I think it would depend on the nature of the project. We would need more information on a case-by-case basis.

Q: Will there be a cap on the number of actors allowed to join AFTRA at any given time?

No.

Q: Is there an AFTRA name limit – like the SAG CARD name – on a first come basis?

Yes, same thing. Can’t have two performers with the same professional name.

Q. Can an actor do an AFTRA job if they are not AFTRA – as long as they join by a certain time/point?

Yes, an actor who has never worked an AFTRA job, or has worked an AFTRA job(s) only within the past 30 days of the anticipated employment, may work the job without having to join. Upon the next booking, after the 30 days from the individual’s first job, he/she will be asked to file an application for membership and make a down payment toward the $1600 initiation fee, prior to working.

Q. Can an AFTRA person do non-union films? Commercials? What are the union versus non-union rules and boundaries?

No. Members of any of the 4As unions should not accept non-union performing work that falls within any of the sister unions’ jurisdictions. Student films or programs (e.g., NYU or Columbia Graduate) are an exception.

Q. Does online work / webisodes fall under AFTRA rules?

Yes, AFTRA has contracts covering work for online content.

Q: Are there events / free or otherwise – in New York which NYCastings members can go to?

We have weekly seminars for our members. Speakers from all walks of the business come to talk about their area of expertise. Also, every year we schedule an introductory, New Members Meeting.

To find out more about becoming an AFTRA member visit http://www.aftra.com/

Thank you so much ~ Michel Kinter at AFTRA ~ for your help with this article!

6 Steps to a Successful Acting Career helps connect everyone.

Get ready to feel footloose and have your dreams come true because 6 Steps to a Successful Acting Career just rolled into town spreading simple yet strategic moves.

Educational and entertaining, this DVD begins by identifying the spark, says writer/director Aaron Seals, who is also the founder & owner of NYCastings.com in New York, which has been one of the leading casting companies for the last 10 years. Aspiring actors discover what ignites their passion for the entertainment industry and then journeys to every key career point; taking the trip of a lifetime over the course of just a couple hours.

To find out what sparked the idea for this DVD, I journeyed to the NYCastings office for a conversation with the creator of 6 Steps to a Successful Acting Career, writer/director Aaron Seals…

Q: Why did you decide on 6 steps?

Well, as I started out creating this video, all the information that I wanted to talk about just ended up nicely fitting into 6 easy-to-understand chapters. The other important words in the title are SUCCESSFUL and CAREER – And Successful meaning that your consistently working, and Career meaning that it’s a business plan that you peruse for years of your life.

The whole video lays out all the things you need to think about and plan out ahead of time so you can make all the right choices in the beginning.

Also given that this video was made for the person who is just starting to look into acting, the 6 steps make it easy to start thinking about the different elements that go into creating an acting career.

Q: Large Chunk of info all at once – what made you decide to offer so much?

I think it’s all the information that a person needs to hear, so they can completely understand how to start and then move on to competing with thousands of other actors in the major markets. For instance lets look at what’s covered:

Chapter 1
In the Beginning
These are the first steps that you may take from wherever you live. From starting in school plays, church organizations, community theatre, to producing your own productions at home with your home video camera. Basically getting the spark started and trying to get any kind of experience possible. Then we move on to discovering the “Major Markets’ like Hollywood and New York where most of the acting work happens.

Chapter 2
Types of Work
In this chapter the types of work are explored such as: Film, Television, Theatre, Commercials, Voice-Overs & Print Ads and how real working actors make their livings in these various forms of the media. Also what’s coverd are the actors unions, which regulate the actors pay scales and conditions.

Chapter 3
Skills Needed
In this chapter our experts talk about the skills you need to compete in the business. This is broken into 2 parts. The first are the Acting Skills you need, why you need great skills to compete and how actors train for these skills. The second part is the Business Skills you need. Business skills include researching the right people to know in the industry, understanding and following industry standards, and the basic business how-to’s that will help get you from one level to the next in your journey.

Chapter 4
Marketing
Marketing covers the materials and tools of the trade that actors use like: Headshots, Resumes, the actors’ Video Reel, the Internet and more. To properly utilize these tools, it is also important to understand the Who’s Who in the business like: The Agent, The Manager & The Casting Director – What do they do, What do they look for and How to best attract them to a working relationship with you. 

Chapter 5
Day to Day Business
This chapter explores what working actors do every day to keep working – like the hectic lifestyle of auditioning, preparing for auditions, finding projects to audition for, rehearsing, communicating with your agents & manager and balancing this all with your personal life and day jobs.

Chapter 6
Levels
Levels is all about the beginning steps to moving up the ladder of success to better acting roles, better paying jobs, getting better representation; then over to the do-it-yourself approach of producing your own productions and really creating the career you want.

So you can see by the end of the 6th chapter, there is quite a bit that goes into managing an acting career. However, learning how show business operates and what working actors do really isn’t too complicated, it’s more about developing yourself in your art, your life and equally in business.

Q: What do the guest speakers have to offer that’s not been heard before?

Well to start, who knows what someone’s heard or read before? It could be great information or it could be awful and/or out of date. Or maybe they’ve heard nothing before, which is why this is perfect for the aspiring actor.

Now, what people will really appreciate with our experts is not only have they been working in show business for years and they are SUCCESSFUL at it (you can read their bios on 6StepstoActing.com), but the way they talk about their experiences is very easy to understand for anybody, and also many viewers can relate to the same situations and experiences that our actors have had, such as growing up in a small town with no acting scene available. It’s much like you’re sitting down with 13 showbiz vets and having a conversation about the acting business.

And actually one of my favorite chapters is the special section for kids and their parents. This is interesting and unique because this is a team effort, where the child has to develop their acting skills, and the parent must learn all about the business of acting, and both parties must make it work harmoniously between them.

Also as we’re talking to our experts, we have text pop up on the screen explaining terms and giving information of what to research on the companion website 6StepstoActing.com. I don’t feel it’s enough to just listen to someone talk. A person must do research on the business to understand the how’s and who’s to make their first steps.

Q: How would you describe the direct benefit of this DVD to aspiring actors?

Easy, it’s first hand experience from people you will eventually have contact with, like a Talent Agent, a Personal Manager, the Casting Director, the Acting Teacher, etc. That provides the foundation for you to then research what’s right for you.

For example, lets say a kid in high school wanted to become an actor, they tell their parents and they get this video, start learning about the industry – how to start, the types of work, actor unions, how to find auditions, how to find out about who’s who and on and on. Then the website can point them in the directions of where to study, what publications working actors read and use to get auditions, etc. All in the different parts of the country. Be it New York, LA, Chicago or anything else. All the rules are the same, it’s just the who’s who, and where to find auditions will change.

Q: Do you think that any actor, at any level, can get something out of this DVD or is it more of a beginning 6 steps?

An actor who has some or a lot of experience could appreciate this video’s content, especially the last few chapters, but this video was made for someone who has no idea what to do or where to start, young or older.

Q: This DVD touches on so many factors – is it too much info for a beginning actor?

That’s the beauty of a DVD, you can watch it over and over again, and as you do your research you can refer back to it. Not to mention, aspiring actors can communicate with other people across the country on the same topics of interest on the related WebPages for the DVD – facebook, twitter, etc.

Q: Seems as if this DVD brings an LA style industry education to anyone living anywhere. Say someone in the Midwest buys this and gets the acting bug… then what?

Then they can just follow the video and start seeking out opportunities near them, such as: school plays, church plays, local community theatre. Also many people start by making home movies, and getting things going online. Once you get the acting bug, it’s time to take things more serious. You start researching acting schools and programs (short term and degree) and you can also start reading the same trade papers and websites that working actors read. All these steps eventually lead an aspiring actor to the same place, which is going to the cities where acting work is plentiful and competing with the local pool of talent from around the world.

Q: The style of the DVD seems very sharing focused versus straightforward teaching and instruction. Was this on purpose?

Yes for sure, because there aren’t many givens in this business, everything is theory, and situations like ‘this work for this person, and that worked for that person,’ but no two people are the same, and no two acting careers are the same or happen in the same amount of time or in the same way.

The things we can look at in text book form are things like, where to find auditions, who the top agents are, what jobs pay, who’s casting the show you want to be in, contracts, memorizing lines, showing up on time, hitting all the right notes in a song, etc., but there are no golden rules for things like what talent is, how will people respond to you, what will happen to the production you just finished, how many years before this or that happens. And not to mention how you will deal with the situations that come your way, like your ‘Big Break’ or the opposite, not getting the roles you want.

So in all, an actor just has to be well educated on how the industry works, and how to roll with the situations that come your way.

Q: What are some of the underlying learning tid bits that one can get from this DVD that are not directly said?

I think they probably were said, but basically the more serious you take this business the better it will pay off, both in self-fulfillment and in hard cash. Also once you step into acting as a profession, you’re doing the same things that the biggest stars are doing – being either looking for work or creating your own opportunities.

Q: The 6 steps title makes me think of a self-help process. In what ways does this DVD help an actor, or aspiring actor, self-evaluate and learn more about themselves?

Well, in the first chapter, or step, we talk a lot about getting ‘the spark’ started, as in finding out what you love to do. For example, if you loved being in your first school play, then you know your onto something real, and you should continue to seek out these types of situations of being an entertainer. Once you know you love it, then you can look into the next step, which is, what kind of work you really want, then where to go to get those jobs, and so on. So this video teaches us to seek out what brings us the most joy, and how to look at a whole business and dissect it into smaller parts so you can peruse it 1 easy step at a time.

Q; How can actors get the DVD?
Currently it is sold for $19.95 at Amazon.com, on the 6StepstoActing.com website, the NYCastings office, and to a retail store near you soon. Ask for it if you don’t see it.

To receive more information about 6 Steps to a Successful Acting Career become a fan on facebook, youtube, and twitter.

Talent Manager Henry Ravelo Reveals the Origin of Opportunity

Grab hold of your acting chops and get ready to travel to the ultimate break through dimension. In parts 1-4 of this story (link), Henry shared his theory on being unique, prepared, magnetic and current. But all that jazz may only get you so far…

Key Element #5 to the Big Break Theory = TALENT MANAGEMENT

It has been my experience that having a manager has been invaluable to having an actor work, Henry shares.

Like this came up the other day… when you are a singer and you go to an open call you are only allowed 8 to 16 bars. But when you are represented, you get to sing your whole song. Some people don’t know that. And guess what? If they like you they may ask you to sing another song and they may even give you one or two new songs to learn that afternoon and come back.

None of this stuff is easy, Henry admits. All your training is going to come into question and there is no time to freak out at an audition. This is time to deliver. Little things like that can throw you and the audition is a bad time to find out because you can only make a first impression once.

So how does Henry help the talent he represents? It depends on the individual. They are not processed like a factory. Each individual has their own needs. I look for the person. I focus on the career. Whether you have had three TV shows or are just hoping to watch TV… if I’m taking you on, you have the potential to achieve that which you say you want.

Henry enjoys molding people. I always look for the human being, that’s what I represent, Henry says. An agent just gets you work, that’s their job, but a manager can develop and groom you. I look for the obstacles that I need to fix. It could be your attitude, that you don’t know something, your presentation. In other words the business and the rest of the country need to know you the way your best friend who has known you all your life does.

I’m not saying that we know everything about Hugh Jackman, but we like him, Henry shares as an example. What we are exposed to we like. We are exposed to his humanity his kindness all this stuff and even if his characters are dark and unappealing at time we like him and his characters take us on an adventure.

Wondering how to become a part of Henry’s adventure? He looks for new talent in order to not be extinct in the industry, but does it as often as needed because if someone is new they need a lot of work, Henry says. If you are Brad Pitt I’ll sign you right away. If you are a seasoned actor and recognizable, I will see you right away. For the newer actors I see them when I need them. If breakdowns come in and I keep thinking I wish I had that actor’… I will look for them.

If you are looking for that big break, Henry believes it helps to have a manager, a magnetic personality, relevance, experience, and uniqueness. But, the main thing is… instead of looking for opportunity, an agent, or a manager… work on being good and market that wisely, Henry says. If you build it they will come because luck favors the prepared mind.

– Thanks for preparing your mind by reading The Big Break Theory series! For more information on Henry Ravelo visit RAM Talent (http://www.ramtalent.com/). Henry offers private coaching, targeted classes, and a Meisner technique class is on the horizon.

Also check out NYCastings.com business directory for a full list of East Coast Talent Managers.

Ever wish that you could spend money and have it boomerang right back to you? Sure, it sounds like a dream but NYCastings.com helps turn that dream into a reality. By offering so many sweet extras listings, members tend to make their dough back in no time.

The Top Booker of 2014, Ashely Blankenship, earned $36,559 through NYCastings. She landed solid gigs, including background work, and many members share similar success stories.

Tiffany Bank who says, thanks to NYCastings I was able to work 6 days on Sex and the City 2! It was a dream of mine to be able to be apart of that movie and I am so thankful to have had that amazing experience! Thank you NYCastings!

And David Strauss shares that he, signed on with NYCastings about a yr ago andIt’s been crazy for me. First job I was featured background in the movie Salt, did a music video, a Z-Rock episode, a PC Richards Commercial, two movies that I was featured in that are coming out in dvd this year. I met somebody thru NY Castings that led to me doing a play in the Strawberry 1 Act festival, was featured background in many shows. It seems like every week I’m going for an audition for some role. NYCastings has been great for me!!!

The success stories go on and on… (you can read over 1,000 more here)

However, you only need to land one background gig in order to earn your membership fee back. To help you get the most out of your investment, NYCastings asked a couple of background companies to give advice on landing that Extra paycheck…

Central Casting (CC) – currently casting Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Gossip Girl,” “Mercy,” How to Make it in America, “Nurse Jackie,” Louie, and White Collar

Sylvia Fay / Lee Genick Casting (SFC) – currently casting Bored to Death,  Damages, “Sherri” and “Delocated”

Q: Who gets background work? Is it about the speed of response? Being at your phone?

CC: Combination of who is appropriate and who gets back to you first.

SFC: The speed does not count as much as the actor being right for the part. The most important aspect of an actor being chosen and cast is the actor fitting the vision of the film dictated by the director. During the meetings that lead up to the filming of a movie and at times hours before the scenes are to be shot, we at casting are told what the director would like to see in specific scenes. It is imperative we maintain that artistic vision and try and cast the correct people for the specific scene.

Q: What do you look for in submitted pictures/ Do you want headshots or full lengths?

CC: We take them all – if appropriate for scene even better: model shots, cops, easier for you to imagine if you see them in that picture.

SFC: The more diverse the pictures the better. We are able to see the different looks an actor possesses and be confident he is right for the part.

Q: Should actors postcard you to stay top of mind?

CC: Once in a blue moon. It’s best to submit.

SFC: Postcards are the best way for actors to communicate with us. Fleet at our office treats the mail with the care that one would have for precious jewels and family heirlooms. We read each letter or postcard and make updates to the sender’s info on our database if needed. It is also a great way for us to know if an actor is leaving town for a prolonged time or has changed his look or headshot.

Q: Do you tend to invite the same crew back?

CC: We try to use different people all the time but if someone has a really good look we’ll use them again.

SFC: Unless an actor is established in a reoccurring role in the film, to maintain the continuity of the film we can not re-cast an actor that has worked a certain film.

Q: Is there a shortage of SAG versus non-union?

CC: Right now casting mostly AFTRA

SFC: We are currently doing 3 AFTRA shows and due to rise of AFTRA shows there does seem to be a slight lack of AFTRA actors, a trend I see leveling off if AFTRA projects continue to come in and actors make a decision to join.

Q: Do directors, ADs (Assistant Directors), etc report back from the set about people?

CC: Of course if someone does something wrong they’re going to hear about it.

SFC: We get that a lot, the background PA will let us know if someone is late and the DA will call us after they are warped to either rave about an actor or mention that he does not take direction well.

Q: Do you ever visit a set?

CC: Sure. We go down especially if problem. If it’s a big day, special, mtgs. Sometimes actors don’t even know where are there.

SFC: We visit set often and are on set on the large days helping to check everyone in and then inevitably tracking down the ones who are tardy. I can not stress enough how important it to be on time, on many sets the AD’s will start asking the Background PA if everyone is there at call, just like any other job, being on time in the min. an actor can do.

Q: Advice on what actors should say in submissions

CC: Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

SFC: The best way is to be a professional. Though it is the entertainment business, one must remember that afilm set is still a work place, and should always be treated that way.

~Thank you very much to Ali Merhi from Central Casting and Ronen Gevint from Sylvia Fay / Lee Genick Casting for contributing to this article!

Casting Associate Philip Huffman helps actors drum up street cred…

Oohh, New York. It’s a place where three Law & Order episodics film and countless actors strive to add that signature sound to their reel.

It’s like a New York right of passage, says Casting Associate Philip Huffman who works on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Yet, getting on the episodic takes a lot more work than it appears at street level. It’s not that easy. There are plenty of established actors who have never been on the show, Phil shares.

For over three years, Phil has worked on L&O SVU, alongside Casting Director Jonathan Strauss.

Jonathan and I have a great relationship, Phil shares. I do a lot of the grunt work. I put out the appointments, check avails, and pull the sides. Between him and me we do deals and he always includes me when we do the big stars. If I come up to him with people I’ve met and say you should meet this person’ he trusts my taste. We both come from the same school of thought and work well together.

Working for the entertainment industry comes naturally for Phil. He comes from a family of casting directors and actors, which helps fuel his passion for the industry. It feels good to be a solid source of work for New York actors, Phil says. A lot of people get their first start here and I take pride in that.

To help more actors become part of the Law & Order prideful passage, Phil tuned NYCastings in to the SVU process.

Casting

On average, Law & Order SVU casts twenty SAG principles per episode, from July through April – give or take a day or two.

We have a smaller count than the other two Law & Orders, Phil says. The original Law & Order sometimes has more people in the first twenty minutes than we have in our entire show. But we average 20 per episode, 22 episodes about per season.

Twenty roles per episode sounds like a lot, but multiply that by how many people are out there that are right for a part and it’s a lot of people, Phil says.

The constant battle for me is that there is not enough time in the day to see everyone that we want to. We only have a day or two to pre-screen everyone before they see our producers. There’s not enough time in the day and there’s not enough parts.

For the twenty or so available roles, casting mostly starts with agents and then our personal files, Phil shares. We do get general mailings and I look at everything. But if I haven’t met you, if I haven’t seen something you’ve done, then it’s going to be tough for me to bring you in because if I bring in bad actors it will reflect poorly on my taste. That’s also why the classes I teach are good.

L&O Classes

Phil teaches several Law & Order classes in New York City.

The classes help actors for numerous reasons, Phil says. You get to see the kinds of roles we cast from the rapist, to the social worker, to the random person on the street. I try and give a smorgasbord of all the roles we look for.

Also it’s a good way to get your foot in the door. I find a lot of people for Under 5’s, or to do a scene or two, depending on the impression they make on me.

It’s important to realize that Phil may meet someone great and not have a part for them until a year later.

So, I don’t think people should go into these classes thinking I’m going to get an audition,’ Phil shares. The classes are exercises, ways of teaching people, and to give adjustments based on certain scenes.

The side project is that if I meet people I will bring them in if I can. For that reason, I try to keep classes at a certain number and not do too many, Phil says.

Pre-Screening

For the lucky actors who do get an audition, when you come in for a pre-screen, Jonathan reads with you. We don’t use readers, Phil shares.

It’s casual. I think Jonathan and I are not very intimidating. We have an ease that is comforting. You get a few times to do it and we will take you in a different direction if you need to because we have an idea what our producers are looking for.

We try to be honest with people but we don’t dig or be nasty about it. Any questions you have will get answered.

After the pre-screening, if we think someone is right we bring them back in for a call back. They get the sides beforehand and the character breakdowns. The most a person will have is a couple days. If it’s a big role we get that to people as early as we can. We want people to have time to prepare.

Along with the sides, you also get the shoot dates. Availability is a big thing, Phil points out, because I’m not going to know when that part shoots until a couple days out. I’ll know our broad dates, when we are going to start and finish. So, this is when people should tell me what they’ve got going on.

Being honest about your availability is key because we are excited to have you, our producers are excited to have you, and if suddenly you’re not available that’s really frustrating for everyone. We’ve got to scramble. Just be upfront, Phil says.

Call Backs

Once you get a call back, you go into a producer’s session. The process, depends on the director, but usually it’s just one take.

Along with the actor, there can be a lot of people there, Phil says. There’s definitely going to be our executive producers, our director, another producer, writer, someone working the cameras. Could be five people in there and it can be a little intimidating. But we want you to get the job.

We are in the business of getting people employment, Phil says. We want the actor to do well because then it makes everyone happy. But it can be a little intimidating and I’ve seen a couple people freeze.

Just think, what’s going to be harder… a room with five people or when you get on set and you have the lights and the crew of however many people. You just have to dive in head first with confidence and know how to play the part. Just go for it and don’t worry about the intimidation factor.

Finding the L&O Type

All three Law & Order brands have different crews and I would not say there is one type, Phil shares. In general, I’d say real.

Sometimes you find a landlord and we’ve all seen this landlord. So we don’t go for the prettiest person, the most TV ready. We go for the best actor first and foremost that’s our motto.

Getting the best actor is vital because it is a very serious subject matter, and sometimes casting gets tricky because we cast a lot of minors.

Understandably parents don’t want their kids dealing with some subject matters, so the search gets more complicated. For example we had an episode where we had to find a thirteen year old boy who wanted to be a girl. We put out 100 calls and 50% flat out passed due to subject matter, 30% were too old and then from the 20% remaining we got a handful of people to go forward with. But no matter how daunting a role may seem there is always someone out there.

Sometimes Law & Order brands do share actor info. There is no weekly meeting, Phil says, but if we are looking for something particular, say a seven foot tall man covered in tattoos, then we do reach out. But usually we are focused so much on our own episodes.

L&O Specific Acting Advice

There might be this idea that Law & Order is flat and fast – get it out, Phil says. And I think that holds true for some characters, some of the more informational characters that get you from point A to point B. If you are doing a waitress you don’t want to be huge but you also don’t want to make it boring.

You do need to get the information out there in a timely fashion because information is big, but people have personalities. You don’t want to be flat.

People sometimes have the hardest time with the casualness, the ease, the conversational tone. The social workers are used to dealing with cops. It’s going to be more of a back-and-forth conversation.

Also, for SVU we have more creepy characters, we have more emotional mothers. For those definitely don’t be afraid to sink your teeth into them, Phil says. There are sessions where people come in and they play a really intense character in the same way as a social worker or a waitress and it doesn’t make sense. I know our show has a pacing, but we allow time for more depth and darkness. For the more intense characters don’t be afraid to go there.

We keep a tissue box in the audition room for a reason. There’s a lot of crying, a lot of emotion and people want to see that.

Following Up

The best way to keep in touch with me is with postcards, Phil says. Also if you see something you think you’re right for I would say to submit again because you will get to me a lot quicker. But postcards mainly; if you got a call back, a commercial, or are in a play. Remind me that you are working.

Because after all, working in this city, is the stuff dreams are made of.

Let’s hear it for New York! And continued success for the Law & Order brand.

The cast and crew of Daddy Longlegs confess their movie making methods.

With an unprecedented way of casting and filmmaking, the crew of Daddy Longlegs set out to create a fairytale style story based on events from the directors’ lives.

The directors, Josh and Benny Safdie, as well as lead actor Ronnie Bronstein, sat down with NYCastings at Sundance 2010 to reveal how their past, New York City, and Craig’s list helped shape their latest movie.

Inspired emotionally by true events, Daddy Longlegs delves into the lives of a father and two young boys who only get together a couple of weeks a year. When the going gets tough, the father uses some unusual techniques to keep the kids safe from the world.

Though this film did stem from Josh and Benny’s past, I feel like every movie is based on real events, Benny shares. Some skewed perspective of something that really happened to you that inspired some idea.

To keep it real, the film shot in New York because the directors grew up there. It’s our vocabulary, Josh Safdie says.

Filming a scene in NY is not a glamorous thing, Josh says. Most time you wouldn’t even notice we are filming because my goal is to trick people to go home and say I saw this man running as fast as he could with one child half on his back and another trying to keep up with him.’ I kinda get a little snobby when it comes to the idea of perpetuating the fact that this is really something happening within the fabric of the city. I don’t believe in shutting down streets we don’t have money for that anyway.

The idea is to either shut the street down and rebuild it with people who are affecting naturalism on the street where everything was already flowing naturally an hour before. So instead, you shift the aesthetics around so you can sneak the shots and get the real naturalism. In order to be a filmmaker you have to have a criminal mind. You have to be willing to lie, cheat and steal.

As their lead actor, Ronnie Bronstein used this guerilla style of filmmaking to tighten his character.

If you’re forced to interact with people who don’t know you’re acting you can’t break at any point, Ronnie says. Especially the character I’m playing. He’s so hostile. If he breaks he’ll get beat up. If you’re playing a practical joke on a friend you can stop at any time. Once you start playing it on the world, on strangers, you’ve got to go all the way.

Having the characters commit fully led to some unexpected moments. There were learning experiences based on events we were not expecting, Benny says. We had this stimulus we were using to get the reactions from the actors that we wanted. But in one scene the father has this girlfriend and we thought she’d come over and the kids would accept her. What we didn’t realize, was that the bond that was created between Ronnie and the kid was so strong it was like trying to break up a relationship.

Ronnie adds on that this movie was very scripted, it’s not a free for all, but the characters are monsters and once you commit to a specific character, with specific traits, and specific ways of thinking, you’re limiting the direction a movie can go in because we are all limited by the nature of who we are.

To keep the believability strong, Josh and Benny had the acting begin as soon as the cast showed up. They would meet the day before filming and discuss the importance of the film and the emotions so that there was nothing to speak about while filming except for minor details.

Josh believes that it takes a load of stimuli to jolt a self conscious person them from the pedestal of awareness, so they limited interruptions in order to get the deepest truth from their actors.

In the end, the cast and crew believes that this free flowing style of filmmaking helped the film come out better. Not in an improv way, but in a broader picture way.

Having a broad, unique view, of filmmaking also trickled over to the casting process. For this film, Josh found the two lead children on the streets of New York City, rather than at a typical audition.

I saw the younger ones face, Josh says, He was being dragged by his mother, and the older one was by her side, but the younger one was being dragged and his eyes were just like Benny’s.

And their mother plays the real mother in the movie. When she was younger she had aspirations to be an actor, but that’s not why we cast her. The casting process was a documentary type of thing. A glance of dances, Josh says.

As another unconventional casting method the brothers placed very obscure and weird Craig’s list postings, Benny says. If you write it properly you’ll get hundreds of responses. We posted under babysitter and that’s how we got the babysitter. I went to meet her and said this is going to sound weird but we want you to play a babysitter.’

This alternate approach to casting stems from the fact that many actors submit for roles they aren’t right for.

I understand from the point of view of the actor, Ronnie says, they are subservient to getting cast, they are at the mercy of other people’s discrimination. But they send out blindly even if they didn’t want that type of person and I think you chip away at your craft, at your soul, when you do that and you don’t endear yourself to the directors.

The cast and crew of Daddy Longlegs certainly have a strong take on movie making, but does it succeed in preserving the soul, craft, and naturalism it sets out to?

You can form your own opinion by breaking open your Video-On-Demand schedule. Daddy Longlegs will play on national Cable systems, until February 26^th, as part of Sundance’s new video-on-demand label.

http://www.redbucketfilms.com/daddylonglegs/home.html

http://www.sundanceselects.com/

Talent Manager Henry Ravelo Reveals the Origin of Opportunity

Even the brightest stars may one-day burn out. Just as many talented actors stop appearing in theatres, films and TV shows. An actor has to have a plan, a way to stay on top once they get their shot, and Talent Manager Henry Ravelo knows how to keep that energy up…

Key Element #4 to the Big Break Theory = REMAIN RELEVANT

The world evolves. New fads come up. The answer is to remain current, Henry shares.

One way to stay current revolves around the celestial body. This sounds shallow, Henry admits, but body type has changed. Back in the 80’s, 90’s men were built differently. Women were built differently. In order to compete, unfortunately you have to shape up. Many women will hear from their potential agencies you have to either lose 10 pounds or gain 20. If you’re in between, if you’re normal looking, you won’t work.

It used to be that those doing theatre could be any body type but these days you usually have a TV show if you’re in theatre. Because of the economics of theatre, people will only spend $100 to see Hugh Jackman because you can’t see Hugh Jackman in the movie house. So, if you want to do theatre you gotta do TV – if you want to do TV you better get in shape.

Also, currently everyone is singing and dancing. If you have a little voice in you get to a voice coach and make it sharp because that will come in handy, Henry says. Realize what everyone is hiring and try to figure out how you can incorporate that into your repertoire. It’s just like if you go to the grocery store and everyone’s buying whole wheat pasta… well then your company better start making whole wheat pasta. It’s that simple. Otherwise you are just going to become extinct.

Some may say that becoming part of a trend means selling out but Henry believes that being the most talented person in the world isn’t going to do you any good if no one wants to see you.

Actors tell stories and you need a listener to your story otherwise the circle is not complete. The most untalented person will be working – like Kate Gosselin will be doing Lady Macbeth or something. Not to put people like that down, because their talent is wanting to be in the limelight and you can’t knock them down for that because they make a whole lot of money.

I’m saying that’s what success is, Henry clarifies, being in the limelight and making a whole lot of money… unless that is what you want. Success is achieving your goal regardless of what anyone else thinks. If being a working actor is your goal, you’re successful. If doing a TV show is your goal, you’re successful. If being a star is your goal, you’re successful. As long as you achieve what you set out to do, that is success.

If you put on a wall and say I’m not going to play because I’m better than you, it won’t work. Auditioning doesn’t stop because you become big. You still have to prove yourself. It doesn’t stop because you become Brad Pitt. Whoopi Goldberg wanted to be in Ghost but they didn’t want her because she was a star. Companies still have to prove that their product is good for the consumer or else they become obsolete.

To break out and succeed you need to remain current, unique, prepared, and magnetic. If you have all that energy going it will naturally, through Physics, find its place. Metaphysically speaking all that energy will find its outlet, Henry believes.

Henry knows a great deal about preparing actors for success and he shares some of his talent management secrets in the last part of The Big Break Theory. Read Part 5 now>>>

Directors Brad and Todd Barnes help actors break into themselves

Acting, when it’s good, seems to be about self revelation, says New York based writer/director Brad Barnes who co-helmed the movie Homewrecker alongside his brother Todd Barnes.

Homewrecker marks the first feature for the Barnes brothers, who also co-wrote the script with Sophie Goodhart. The film stars New York actors Ana Reeder and Anslem Richardson and it just enjoyed its world premiered at Sundance 2010 as part of the new NEXT category devoted to lower budget filmmaking.

Even with a low budget, Todd and Brad Barnes made sure to not skimp on any emotional level. They got very rich, very layered performances by encouraging their actors to access something very personal and bring it out.

That kind of happens on its own if you make it incredibly safe for them, Brad says, We want actors to feel very protected.

And we want our actors to feel listened to, Todd adds. If they have feelings, we want to go with that because that’s going to be the realest emotion they have. And if they feel protected, people want to push, get outside of their box. Especially creative people; like actors. If you create the space for them, and allow it, they get there on their own.

On its own, Homewrecker tells a story about an ex-con turned locksmith and a feisty femme fatale who take an unlikely road trip, breaking into homes together. But with the added layer of real, outside of the box, creative choices, the characters actively veer the film into a comically honest journey, taking the audience along for the ride with them.

Surprisingly, this unique road trip took only thirteen days to shoot. The cast came together through personal connections, Brad says. Todd and I are both teachers in New York. I teach at Columbia and Todd teaches at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. We are constantly coming across actors but these actors just happened to be friends. I don’t think there are any better actors we could cast, but the friendship allowed us to shoot in thirteen days and have the trust that might have taken weeks to build up.

In those thirteen days, Todd and Brad relied on their cast’s ability to give various takes, stay connected to their scene partners and make it look real over and over again; even under less than perfect conditions.

I think it was shocking what we got out of the actors every day, Brad reflects. We were astonished that the actors were able to bring 10-11 pages of dialogue to life in a 12 hour schedule and do that with variations, with honesty, and under conditions that were hot and humid. There was nowhere to hide. There was no holding bin for actors or trailers. It was shock to see that they could keep recharging their batteries and keep putting out that energy.

Todd and Brad further fueled the energy by letting the actors work out scenes, Todd says. We would do long takes and keep it rolling. Sometimes we would have the actors do the scene in spoken subtext rather than the script, then keep it rolling back to one and do it with the lines. We would get a completely different reading by doing that; by directing without interrupting anything.

Their method of letting the actors roll in the moment, allowed the cast to connect with something outside of the script. They’d go through the same scene again, being reminded of their subtext and their active thought, but were suddenly freed from the script, Todd says.

For their feature debut, the Barnes brothers also freed themselves from traditional ways of filmmaking. We tried something we really weren’t sure was going to work, Brad says. We allowed scenes to unfurl. Some of our scenes are quite long for conventional cutting but it meant that our actors could find moments at the end of where we thought our scene would end. There would be two or three more beats and that was fun. Actors on a film aren’t often allowed that freedom because you are under the gun. We let the scenes breathe.

In creating this breath of fresh filmmaking air, we didn’t go into the movie with a perfect movie in our head and try to inch our actors toward that in every scene, Todd says. We take collaboration super seriously. We really trust our actors to know as much, or more, about what’s going on then we do. And then they just give us choices based on how they felt in the moment, which allows us to discover the scene on set and further discover it in the editing process. That very exciting versus I dreamed this movie lets get as close to it as we can’. We have a vision, pull all these incredibly talented people together, and know it’s just going to get better and better.

Outside of the film, Todd and Brad Barnes help both directors and actors get better and better. They teach their belief that quantity leads to success.

So many people wait for the perfect role or wait to make the perfect movie and their not working. Get out and do as many parts as you can, Brad says. Act in everything. And if there’s not part, make a part for yourself. Get your friend to show up with a camera. Create scenes. Act in workshops. That’s how I met Anslem Richardson, in an acting workshop. We were just putting up scenes pulled from a screenplay. So I would say quantity, quantity, quantity. Just go out and keep doing it. That’s the only way to make those discoveries.

In the future Todd and Brad would like to discover bigger budget projects. But in the meantime they’re taking their own advice. We don’t want to sit around and wait two years. We have smaller scripts and bigger scripts. We’ll go out and make another one while we are working on the bigger one. Todd shares.

Having both quantity and quality takes skill, which Brad and Todd Barnes obviously have. Homewrecker took home the Best of NEXT award at Sundance. And as an immediate next step, the Barnes Brothers hope this award winning film will unlock more industry recognition for Anslem Richardson.

Currently Anslem has a regular day job and he shouldn’t, Todd says. He’s a leading man. He can do comedy. He can do drama. And he works his butt off like no other actor.

Hopefully Homewrecker will work its way into movie theaters so we can all sit our butts down and enjoy this quirky ride that breaks into minds.

For a sneak peek, check out it’s trailer on YouTube…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MWgDSY5FwQ

On a mission to clear up Union vs. Non-Union rumors… NYCastings tapped directly into the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and got them to reveal details about rules, leniencies, and those coveted three waivers…

Q. Any expiration date to waivers?

A. There is no expiration for Taft-Hartley waivers, but remember – it is the work and not the waiver that counts towards eligibility, so be sure to retain a copy of your paystub along with your waiver (voucher). The producer is supposed to report your employment to the Guild within three weeks and once we enter that information, it never expires. You can always check your eligibility on the SAG 24/7 website under “eligibility checker.”

Q. If an actor gets upgraded on set and they are non-union – do they become a must join?

A. No, more like a “may join!” The upgrade to principal would make them eligible to join Screen Actors Guild (if they are not already eligible) and upon booking their next SAG must join.

Q. If a director gives any person… SAG or NON SAG a direct acting instruction (not a line, just instruction) does it count as an upgrade?

A. This is probably the biggest myth out there. It is the director’s job to direct. Some are more hands on than others. Just because the direction came from the director (instead of an AD), doesn’t make it principal work.

Q. You can join SAG through waivers and after being part of AFTRA for a year. Any other ways to join SAG?

A. Performers are eligible to join Screen Actors Guild after working on a SAG film in a principal role, gaining Taft Hartley status 15 days after the first day of work or meeting background entry requirements.

Q. Can a SAG person do non union TV if it is an AFTRA project and they are Non-AFTRA?

A. No. SAG Rule One states No member shall work as a performer or make an agreement to work as a performer for any producer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the Guild which is in full force and effect. This provision applies worldwide.

Q. The cost to join SAG has increased. Any new benefits added on?

A. The initiation fee is $2277.00 and membership provides a number of benefits under the following…

1. Contracts/collective bargaining. SAG negotiates wages and working conditions in order to maintain minimum standards for its members.

2. Pension & Health. SAG members earn credits toward retirement and health care each time they work.

3. The SAG Conservatory offers a variety of workshops taught by industry pros. Casting workshops. Cold reading and scene showcases with working casting directors.

4. The SAG Foundation is an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which serves members of Screen Actors Guild, their families and the greater community.

5. iActor. SAG’s free, members-only online casting directory.

6. Deals & Discounts. SAG members are eligible for outstanding deals on entertainment, car rentals, insurance, medical visits, prescriptions, real estate, legal services and more.

7. Resources to Organize Non-Union Work.

8. Contracts to Cover a member when Working in a Low Budget/Student Film. SAGIndie at http://www.sagindie.org/.

9. Discount Films. The SAG Film Society offers members and a guest opportunities to view the latest releases at a great discount off theatre prices. Also, members can purchase discounted movie tickets to various public theatres.

10. Tools for Young Performers. SAG offers Young Performers orientation meetings, a handbook containing detailed information to help young performers, an online database consisting of laws pertaining to young performers across the country, and many more resources for young actors and their parents

11. Publications for Guild Members. Screen Actor Magazine, SAG’s quarterly members-only publication is filled with useful information for members. There are also regular branch newsletters and eblasts.

12. Involvement in the decision-making process at SAG. SAG is a representative democracy run by members for the benefit of members. We encourage members to actively participate in SAG governance <http://www.sag.org/about-us/governance> by voting on referenda, joining committees or serving on the National or Division Board of Directors or Branch Council.

13. SAG Awards Voting Privileges. Only active, paid-up Guild members are given the opportunity to vote for the recipients of the Screen Actors Guild Awards coveted bronze Actor statuette. Also, “For Your Consideration” and nomination screenings are only available to active, paid-up Screen Actors Guild members.

14. Check if you are signing a SAG contract online. Use SAG’s convenient online signatory database <http://www.sag.org/content/search-signatory-database> to check the signatory status of any project at any time.

Q. What is the percentage of SAG that must be on set in NY? In LA? Any difference?

A. West Coast – Minimum number of covered Background Actors (excluding swimmers, skaters and dancers, but including stand-ins) shall be: Features 53 (6/10/09), Features 55 (6/10/10). Television 20

East Coast – Minimum number of covered Background Actors (excluding swimmers, skaters, dancers and Stand-Ins
shall be: Features 85, Television 25

Q. Can a SAG person turn down pay for a SAG indie film?

A. Payment can be waived under certain extremely rigid circumstances. Such waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis by SAG and only after careful analysis of a particular production. Again, SAG Rule One always applies.

Q. Can a SAG person create their own content with NON SAG people or must it have a SAG agreement

A.If the question is Can a SAG member produce a project non-union, the answer is Yes provided that the SAG member is not providing any acting services in the project and none of the other performers are members.

Q. Does hosting a webisode fall under SAG rules?

A. Yes.

Q. Can a SAG person host their own webisode show or must there be a SAG agreement?

A. Members must become signatory and must be covered under and protected by the provisions of a SAG agreement.

Q. If a person is SAG eligible – what are the benefits of joining sooner rather than later?

A. Screen Actors Guild membership is a significant rite of passage for every working actor. However, SAG encourages prospective members to really think about joining and to take their time join unless they are sure they are ready to compete as a professional. SAG encourages joining when offered a first principal union job, but understand it is a commitment. Members must abide by the rules of membership, starting with Global Rule One.

Q. If a person is SAG eligible at what point do they become a must join?

A. An individual must join when they accept their next SAG job.

Q. Can you get a speaking role in on a film covered by a SAG agreement if they are non union?

A. Yes, but non-members will be Taft-Hartley’d to become members.

This concludes our inside info from the Screen Actors Guild.

Talent Manager Henry Ravelo Reveals the Origin of Opportunity

To stand out in the acting universe, Talent Manager Henry Ravelo suggests shining like a star… creating a light force that draws people toward you.

Key Element #3 to the Big Break Theory = A MAGNETIC PERSONALITY

Henry is fascinated by why actors work and why they don’t work. Often times if I see an actor with all the right ingredients who isn’t working and I will call them in because I want to know why not. Usually within 5 minutes, I will know why, Henry says. Often it comes down to having a magnetic personality.

A magnetic personality is important because the audience goes to them. Actors in our society right now are not actors they are role models; they are people we connect with, even if it’s Kate Gosselin. The people who are into Kate Gosselin are people who relate to her. Either we like her or we like to hate her but it all goes back to being liked.

So how are you likeable? Henry asks. There are certain attributes in our human culture that are deemed to be positive attributes: taking chances, confidence, all those things. Anything we aspire to be is a positive thing so you want to share more of the positive in our brief 30 sec or 5 min of our meeting.

One way to stand out is through eye contact. Most people don’t look at the other person. Don’t stare. But you want to look at the person, look at them often. It lets them know that you care and makes you appealing right there.

Humor also makes you appealing; anyone who can laugh at themselves without being self deprecating, anyone who has humor.

Henry teaches a class called Find the Funny and says, I can take a simple scene… like when I was in a play delivering mail to someone and in rehearsals I asked if I could try something. Then when the woman went for the mail, I grabbed it away. The way I did it brought down the house. It always made everyone laugh. Logically I didn’t know why it was funny. It’s like Matthew Perry from Friends says shower curtain.’ It’s not written but he finds the funny.

What makes things funny is truth, Henry says. Don’t barrel through it. Uncover humor, learn how to play with humor, enhance it and be comfortable with it so when you have a script and have to find the humor in it you feel comfortable and at ease. If you have a good sense of humor, you can figure out a way to deliver a line so it’s entertaining to the audience. What makes people laugh is somewhat a mystery but if you create the environment, you will most likely achieve the results.

In addition to a good sense of humor, it’s important to have insight in you, Henry says. A good thing is if you go to a meeting and if you see they have a poster – say something about the poster because it opens up conversation. That poster is in their office for a reason.

Share your thoughts and while speaking eliminate your ums. Practice the things you want to say. Practice the answer to tell me a little about yourself.

In order to get work, the buyers, America, and casting directors need to like you. They need to have that intimacy; that familiarity, that comfort. Because you need the industry to fight for you and you need people to pay to see you. You are asking an audience in theatre to get out of their house and pay $100 to see you. If you are on TV, you are asking an audience to stay one the channel and to tune in each week. That’s a lot because they can watch anything else. If you do movies you are asking people to go on a Friday Night to stand in line and go see a movie because if a movie doesn’t make it big on a Friday night then it doesn’t make it.

We are asking a lot of an audience so you have to be willing to give, Henry shares. And giving of yourself doesn’t stop at any point of a career. When you get your big break out role… you still need to maintain that energy and stay relevant.

Part 4 of The Big Break Theory will break down how to stay on top of your game. Click here to read now!

In his gently, soul rocking, directorial debut titled Jack Goes Boating, Philip Seymour Hoffman shares a story about the silence, strain, and sometimes magically secure sides of long-term relationships.

It’s a gut movie, Philip Seymour Hoffman says about the film, which he also stared in along side acting mavericks Amy Ryan, John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega.

The movie started as a play that myself, John and Daphne were in, says Philip. People talked about it being very cinematic and the group of us decided to take it on as a film.

The entire cast has known each other a while, Philip shares. My relationship goes back with Amy twelve years. We did one act plays together. John and I have known each other since I was twenty-five. Daphne and I have known each other almost that long.

Having a long-term relationship with the cast helped Philip transform this film into something compellingly fresh and different from the play that ran at the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City.

We rehearsed a lot but the history helps, says Philip. I honestly did think let us be us around each other’ and we were. You see that in the movie. The things that are happening in the movie are real. A lot of things we say to each other in the film we mean. That’s why when Daphne lets loose the demon of resentment it was so hard. There is a lot of history but it’s good to let the history be and not let it get in the way.

After all, this is really not a play, this is a film. We worked really hard to make it that way, and I’m happy about where we got. Philip says. What came out of it was a whole use of visualization. If you can see it, there is a possibility you can do it. That influenced a lot of what you see in the film.

Under the influence of Philip’s direction, Daphne Rubin-Vega says, we trusted him implicitly. It came easily to know that he could see what I couldn’t see.I was too busy trying to be, I couldn’t judge it, and he was the best dude that could make that happen.

Philip Seymour Hoffman helped make the film happen but he, didn’t direct the play, John Ortiz explains. Having a new director helped John with making it new, being in the moment, not in a rhythm, trusting and being specific.

I couldn’t coast on something I fell in love with in the play, John says. I had to do something different. And Philip is in my face. He’s acting with me so he could see the difference.

Though the cast benefited from Philip’s keen eye, he had no direction other than himself. Where was my input? Where as my director? Philip reflects. He wasn’t there. I’m not very good at directing myself. No one should be. Acting is much more difficult than directing. Acting is a very vulnerable thing and it’s illusive because it’s subjective. You can’t watch yourself. You have to have someone outside. So, I basically drove everyone crazy. I would walk back and ask… anything? Any money? I did rely on everyone and their input.

Philip also relied on his tried and true acting instincts. To create his character he tapped into normal fears and insecurities, the overwhelming life that everyone kind of knows.

I just had to be honest about what those things were, Philips says, and bring them forth in a way that I don’t bring them forth in life but the character does.

Bringing forth his vulnerable side posed a challenge for Philip in the scenes with Amy where his character, Jack, was most helpless, powerless to what was happening to him. Because, as a director you’re in control, you’re a leader, you’re trying to be strong. To go from that to a place of helplessness, took added focus.

There were days when I was more agitated and thank god it was with Amy, Philip admits. Because literally she is beautiful and I would just sit there and just look at her, listen to her, take that in, and think what is this?’ Then the powerless would start to come. I would forget that I had to watch anything. But those things were difficult. Definitely the trickiest.

Trickiness aside, Jack Goes Boating succeeds at plotting a course through both heart and mind. It received a standing ovation at the Eccles Theatre in Park City, Utah, making the directorial debut another solid testament to the talented vessel that is… Philip Seymour Hoffman.

I liken performance to athletics, says casting director Judy Bowman. You have to trust that you’ve practiced enough. Trust your preparation, your technique, your experience, your instincts, and just do it.

For nearly 18 years, Judy Bowman has been casting theatre, film and commercials. She prides herself on doing good work and being an advocate for actors. To get in peak performance shape, Judy recommends…

Preparation

Talent can come from anywhere but the development is important, Judy says. If I am casting a Shakespeare play I need people who can handle that text and that comes with training.

To get the training, some people go to grad school for the showcase; use three years as a networking opportunity. If you don’t go to a conservatory it’s about asking friends in New York what are the good classes to take, who is teaching what directors and casting directors want to see in an audition, Judy advises. The audition is the key. Auditioning is what gets you jobs.

To get the audition you have to network. I open all my mail, Judy says. I read it, take it in. Then I get an invitation to a show, I see your show, get to know your work, and I bring you in for an audition.

If you have an agent who submits you, also make a list of the casting directors who have never seen you, Judy shares. Volunteer to be a reader, meet them at the one night seminars. Pick the people you know are going to be hard to meet and then follow up and nurture the relationship.

Technique

Most people are really good actors, Judy says but have trouble auditioning or trouble when they get to the callback of stepping it up, of expanding what they are doing or knowing what to do.

Actors need to know how to listen to the adjustment given in the audition, take the adjustment and integrate it. It’s not about pushing or being bigger or being more theatrical or less theatrical. It’s about listening.

Especially in callbacks, It’s about expanding what you did. Hitting the beats you missed the first time around. And that comes from experience.

Experience

Everything is a building block, Judy shares. You have to figure out what your goals are. Know your age range, your experience level, and continue to look for opportunities. Don’t apologize for where you are in your career. You could start at thirty-five and in ten years have a career. Everyone has a different path.

One way to get experience in theatre is to write to the theatre directly, to the resident person who does all the casting coordination. Go right to the source, sometimes that works. When you are trying to audition, write the theatre companies and find out how you can get involved.

I learned a valuable lesson from an actor whose father was a well know talent, Judy shares. She didn’t use her connections but was very pro-active about going to see theatre and writing to those companies. She got a lot of work on her your own.

Also, some actors go out to the regionals and get major credits with directors who work all over the country and that opens doors for them.

Instincts

Show us how you think, Judy says. If you read a scene and I read a scene it will be different because of the choices we both make. Certainly, the relationships you want to honor, and what’s happening in the scene, but the choices you make are always creative choices.

If you don’t make a choice, the dialogue makes sense but there’s nothing interesting about the person who is talking. When we say make a choice’, or make an interesting choice’, it means reading and thinking… how would I like this to be?

Just make sure to keep all of the breakdowns and relationships in tact, Judy says. A lot of times actors make a bizarre choice, a choice that doesn’t make sense because they feel they have to stand out. That is not what it’s about. It’s about having the confidence to say…I think this would be funny, this is my hotel manager. Take your personality and inject it.

Instead of saying be yourself, Judy says do your job and let the audience or whoever is watching you decide if it is working for them. In the end, if it’s a job interview, they are either going to hire you or not. Do what you prepared and then go home.

Just like in sports, when I get on a bicycle I don’t exaggerate pushing the pedals and squeezing the handbrakes, Judy shares as an example. I just get on the bike and ride. Someone might ride a bike better then me. Someone may look different riding the bike then me. But I know how to ride a bike.

To get in peak performance shape you need to prepare, have a technique, get experience, trust your instincts and then when the gun goes off… just run.

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Upcoming casting projects include… I Never Sang For My Father with Keen Company, projects at the Hanger Theatre this summer, and two feature films Last Rights and American Jubilee.

For more information, visit… www.judybowmancasting.com

Talent Manager Henry Ravelo reveals the Origin of Opportunity.

Break out roles require strong actors and Talent Manager Henry Ravelo believes that uniqueness plays an essential role in landing jobs. He described how to make the most of your attributes in Part 1 of this Big Break Theory. Now, Henry takes the individual and pushes them out into the universe! To prepare for anything that might happen at an audition…

Key Element #2 of The Big Break Theory = WORK HARD

Chance favors the prepared mind. If you look at everyone who as made it… Madonna is very good but she’s not the best singer in the planet, she’s not the prettiest, she’s not all that. What she had going was talent, she is talented, and she had a passionate desire and an unrelenting focus to own the world; and look she does. She was prepared to step into that life she was imagining, Henry says.

Just like Brad Pitt is a good looking person but not the best looking person in the world. Not all these people are what they’re marketed as. They are human beings. It starts with a desire and is followed up by a whole lot of hard work.

How do you get there? Henry says, Through class, through practice. You don’t even need to take a class. Get your friends and do a scene. Watch bad actors, watch good actors. Put yourself in that situation and visualize. I’m not saying you have to spend a whole lot of money, but get prepared so when you have your shot you can deliver. Or if you get your foot in the door you can fight for a shot.

A casting director’s job is to get you work but it is your job to make sure they have a positive impression of you. You need to be on top of your game and the more you are on top of your game the more opportunities that will come your way if you are persistent.

Artists always need to learn. The older you are the more texture you have. As far as being able to take care of yourself, some people can do that with no training and shear spunk. Some people played roles when they were a kid, in their head or whatever, and when they had an opportunity to do it in an audition they were fine. But they are still inexperienced, which can be a problem, Henry advises.

Henry teaches a class called No One Hires a Green Actor. He helps talent present themselves better and shares the raw truth that most people don’t want to take chances on someone who might screw it up because getting a pitch meeting is next to impossible, getting the person whose job it is to listen to pitches to listen is next to impossible, getting a job to be green lit is next to impossible, getting someone to invest millions of dollars in a pilot is next to impossible, ordering 13 episodes of that pilot is next to impossible, and getting America to tune in and watch you every week is next to impossible. You don’t want risk anything by giving a chance to an actor who doesn’t know what they are doing.

The more you know the better off you’ll be. The more you can handle yourself and rise above that pressure, and it’s a lot of pressure, the more you can deliver.

To get this experience Henry suggests theatre. It has gone back to that, Henry says. I mean look at Glee. Yes, there are some people in there that are new but people who have done things carry the brunt of the show; they’ve been around. Theatre tells that you have discipline because doing eight shows a week isn’t easy and it shows that your talents are strong because that’s a live audience and you could get a bad review. If you are doing TV and you have a line can I take your order you don’t necessarily get a review but if you’re in a show and you say can I take your order you could get mentioned. Marlon Brando started with one or two lines and then he went on from there.

Once you have experience and feel ready for your shot, Henry reminds actors being talented and being trained is not enough. You have to find a buyer. If you are a salad that’s great but no one is going to eat the salad if you don’t dress it up right. You have to make yourself marketable or it doesn’t matter how much talent you have. You will be the most talented person on the unemployment line, Henry says.

How do yourself attractive to buyers (aka casting directors, producers, directors, etc)… one way is by having a magnetic personality. Learn how to draw people to you…

Part 3 of The Big Break Theory reveals how to how to draw people to you Check it out now!

If only it were a straight and narrow path, says Erica who has placed actors in TV, Film, and Theatre for over ten years. Currently casting for Army Wives, as well as several prestigious theatres, Erica believes that many actors still have to get the basic steps down.

Step One

The basic things an actor needs are a really good headshot that represents them well and a resume that shows they have training. When actors are first starting out, they haven’t booked a lot of roles so training is very important. It lets people know you are serious about what you do, that you’ve taken classes, you meet people, and you get yourself out there, Erica says.

You have to get your learning groove on and then keep that momentum going. Don’t let it fade after one or two classes, Erica says. If an actor wants to audition for television, it’s great to take the on camera class but it’s also great to take an improv class or another type that builds your technique. Classes help you learn who you are and how to market yourself.

Especially for film and TV work, it’s important to get a lot of practice learning that on camera technique. It feels different in your body. You have to be able to communicate by doing very little. It’s about stillness, intimacy, playing to one person and having a conversation versus projecting out to an audience of 150. That stillness and knowing how it should feel and it can be tricky if you’re not accustomed to it.

Step Two

Once you have the basic moves down, it’s time to partner up with those who cast co-star or guest star roles.

I really encourage actors to network, Erica says. Get a copy of the Ross Reports, or any publications that lists who is casting which shows, and find out how to meet those people in a professional way. Don’t stalk. Don’t drop in. But find ways to meet casting directors and show them your work at places such as Actors Connection and OneonOne.

Particularly those who don’t have representation, I encourage them to go down the line… here are the CDs for Law and Order, 30 Rock, the new shows filming in New York. We have a lot of new shows filming in New York, confirms Erica. Make it your business to know who these people are, the names of the shows, the networks they are on and find out how to meet them because networking pays off.

I always bring in people I meet from those places, Erica shares. Any time I work on a TV show I immediately look at the people I met and bring them in to audition.

Having a casting director call you in is helpful because it’s about getting the audition at first, not just booking the role. If you have casting directors who like your work and call you in, you can tell agents about it. And eventually you will book a role and that will lead to an agent.

Erica admits, An agent gives an actor a certain amount of legitimacy because you have someone who can call a casting director for you. But you should not stop working for yourself even if you have an agent. You should work for yourself always, always, always, Erica believes.

Step Three

Mastering the art of networking can spin you in the right direction for an audition and when you come into the room for a co-star role, casting directors expect to see an actor who understands they are coming in for the smaller parts, Erica explains.

First and foremost… the scene is not about the co-star (Under 5). That’s the biggest mistake that many actors make. They want to show off everything they can do in three lines and it’s not what we want to see at all. We just want to see that you can deliver a few lines, in a real way, which suits the show you are auditioning for. And we want to see that you can convincingly play the role of a nurse, lawyer, police office, witness who saw something.

To book a job it takes keeping it simple, straightforward, making it easy on yourself, and not over thinking it, Erica says. Because those roles are not necessarily the hardest thing to get an audition for but they are tricky to book because sometimes an actor feels overzealous and excited and it becomes gone with the wind when it’s not supposed to be.

Step Four

A body is in motion has to stay in motion. Once you land a co-star role, then it’s all about the next audition, Erica says. Let people know that you booked that part. Have the post cards ready to go. And then…it starts all over again. Most of an actor’s job is communication; networking, letting people know what you are up to.

All this constant energy sounds exhausting, but Erica has many examples of why actors shouldn’t give up on their legit careers. She mentions actor Paul Dano. He has been acting for a very long time. He auditioned for me as a little kid, Erica reflects. I watched him not get roles and then he did get roles. After a couple small parts along the way in TV and theatre, the next thing you know he has some real TV spots, some real theatre, and then he’s in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood.

Erica also shares a success story about Matt Lauria who she saw at a showcase. He came in and was a reader for us, we really liked him and we started casting Lipstick Jungle so we brought him in for a recurring role. He ended up booking it and then the next thing you know Lipstick Jungle is done, he gets sent out to LA for Pilot Season and come January he will be a regular on Friday Night lights.

One more thing that’s very important is theatre, Erica notes. If you can get in a good play it helps. Tracee Chimo just did a play at Playwright’s Horizon called Circle Mirror Transformation’ and it got fantastic reviews. This actor has been around for a long time, doing good work. But getting a gig at Playwrights is a huge deal. She got written up in New York Times and everyone wants to audition her.

As a final refrain, Erica explains, it’s about believing in yourself. You can’t listen to people telling you how hard it is. You have to be able to rise above all that, love what you do, love being an actor.

Hard work pays off.

Talent Manager Henry Ravelo reveals the Origin of Opportunity.

Bursting onto the acting scene can feel chaotic and random, but you do have control of what happens. You can create a long lasting career and Talent Manager Henry Ravelo shares his expert theories with NYCastings.

With over 30 years of professional experience, Henry began as an actor working alongside talent such as Rob Lowe (in Masquerade). Then he moved on to managing careers for actors such as Diane Neal, who plays Casey Novak on Law & Order-SVU and Forbes March, who plays Mason on As the World Turns.

Henry’s unrelenting passion and a keen understanding of the industry’s elements can help all actors catch a break and then keep working.

As a first step, Henry suggests journeying to the heart of yourself.

Key Element #1 of The Big Break Theory = YOU.

For me, Henry shares, I was born in the Philippians and raised in Wisconsin. I was the least likely person in the planet to end up in New York being a working actor. Having an acting career, I was always taken aback by how my peers, who I felt more good looking and more talented then me, weren’t working. So in an attempt to keep working, I decided to focus on what made me get employed and what made them not get employed. Which, in turn, is very invaluable as a manager.

The main thing is, instead of looking for opportunity, an agent, or a manager… work on being good and market that wisely. Make the product good and the marketing appealing to the buyer. Then the opportunities will come to you.

To heighten market appeal Henry believes we need to reveal our flaws. I learned to accept my flaws and use them to my advantage, Henry says. I looked at my qualities as advantages over other people. Actors have a lot of insecurities and people who are successful, use insecurities as an advantage.

For example, I have an insecurity about being rejected so I go fully prepared, Henry shares. If it is a film about soccer, I learn everything there is to know about soccer even though that question will never come up. I don’t leave anything up to chance. I inform myself, I’m prepared, and then I play. I am not scared. I contribute to their day so my 5 min, 15 min, 1 hour in the audition is enjoyable for them as well as me.

The more you know about yourself the more people will want to work with you. I, as well as many people I know, meet someone and think wow they are wonderful but they have no clue as to who they are. We perceive that they have no clue and so they don’t get hired, Henry says.

By working on my acting through class, through scenes, through my work, it helped me learn that acting is a celebration of a human being. As an actor, I had that vehicle in an imaginary situation to celebrate my flaws. I could be neurotic, wallow, and in many ways feel like I was healthier as a result. It is therapeutic on top of everything else.

Once you feel comfortable in your skin, you need to prepare by learning your craft.

Part 2 of The Big Break Theory reveals how to gain solid acting chops. Check it out now!

In the meantime visit www.RAMtalent.com to learn more about Henry Ravelo; his management, clients, and classes.

Comical insight from Cheryl Hines, director of Serious Moonlight

From broken zippers to keeping Timothy Hutton’s pants pulled down to the same level around his ankles… at every turn something’s going on, as a director you are in the trenches reflects Cheryl Hines, who got behind the camera for Adrienne Shelly’s screenplay, Serious Moonlight about a high powered attorney (played by Meg Ryan) who gets caught in a love triangle and goes completely bonkers.

Cheryl dug deep into this directorial role, learning to embrace the challenges and see the comedy in everything, including the short amount of prep time between signing on and pre-production.

Funny to think about it now, Cheryl says. From the time I said yes to pre-production I had 2-3 months. I used all the resources I had. Asked friends questions about specific challenges for the film. Even texted from the set.

As a first time director, Cheryl felt honored to take on the project. I worked with Adrienne Shelly on Waitress and got an invite to direct Serious Moonlight. What are the odds on that? Like a bazillion to one? Cheryl laments. I wondered… Should I do it? Could I do it? Then I read the script and loved it so much I had to direct it. It was one of those moments in life I had to take a step back and look at the big picture. Two intelligent men were asking me to direct it. I figured it must be what’s supposed to happen.

In casting the roles I went for gold, Cheryl says. I sent the script to Tim and Meg to see if they liked it and they did. Tim is such a gifted actor. He gets comedy. You see a 180 in his monologue and you believe women would fall for him. And it was the first time I met Meg, on the phone, even though we have friends in common. I convinced her to do this film with me as a first time director.

As for Justin Long, Cheryl knows Justin personally and thought it would be an interesting change to see him as this young person whose adrenalin goes and you’re not sure what he’s going to do next.

Once on set, the biggest surprise in transitioning from actor to behind the camera came from all the unexpected challenges, Cheryl says. At the end of the day you hope nothing will go wrong tomorrow but by 6am everything does. The flowers don’t show up. People are late. Someone took home a prop that we need. I learned to embrace the challenges and not spend too much time worrying about what can go wrong because I got to the point that I would go home at night and worry… What if my appendix broke? What if Meg’s appendix broke? Does she still have her appendix? Maybe I should find out who still has their appendix.

One could burst an appendix laughing at Cheryl’s hilarious candor, a humor which she mastered at The Groundlings. Learning improv secured her a role on Curb Your Enthusiasm and her Groundlings background was very helpful on set as a director, to be able to go with what’s happening.

As a director you’ve got to go to plan A, move on. Plan B, move on. Embrace the next idea and know what ends up happening will be great, Cheryl says. And I learned that even though something is agreed on in pre-production you still have to check everything. There was a scene when Justin has to steal a TV. It’s in the script that Justin steals it, Cheryl shares, but we get to the set and the TV is too heavy for Justin to pick up. It was made of lead or something, No one person could pick it up. So we had to shoot it like he was just starting to pick it up and then cut away.

Apart from the comical challenges, Cheryl found many seriously rewarding moments in directing. She brought her comedic chops to the table, found all the funny moments in the lines and captured the comedy when shooting.

I am very proud of the timing in the film, Cheryl shares. I like the comedy and the drama and I like the suspense in the film. I felt very proud of the funny moments and when you’re sitting in a theatre and Justin takes the toilet cover over Tim’s head and you hear 1500 people gasping – it’s powerful, it’s exciting.

Cheryl’s enthusiasm helped her plunge into her first directorial role, wade through the unexpected moments, and emerge ready to direct again. Currently she’s looking for potential scripts while awaiting news on whether there will be another season of Curb – we hope so!

One thing is for sure, Cheryl will continue to moonlight as an every day, gifted comedian; a talent that rises out of being true to every moment. Here’s what I learned at the groundlings, Cheryl says. I learned to not try and be funny. A lot of times comedy comes from playing the reality of the moment. When you think of Will Ferrell who does it really well, Will Ferrell will get really angry even though he’s standing in his underwear in the middle of the street and it’s really funny because he really is angry. If he wasn’t committed 100% to what he’s doing it wouldn’t be funny, it would be someone trying to be funny. You have to be in the scene, in the moment, and play the reality of the scene.

To see what’s really happening in Cheryl Hines’s directorial debut, check out Serious Moonlight – staring Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristin Bell, and Justin Long. Released by Magnolia Pictures. www.seriousmoonlightfilm.com

Need your acting resume printed out fast? NYCastings has an app for that!

NYCastings.com organizes your profile information into a PDF format so you can print it from anywhere. To best use this tool, here’s a quick overview on how it works as well as insight into how casting directors view your resume and headshot.

Going to an audition and don’t have your headshot? You can go to your NYCastings page while at the audition, or your house, go to View Resume and hit the print PDF button. It prints out perfectly, the day has been saved, says President of NYCastings Aaron Seals who added this feature to help make auditioning prep easier for the site’s members.

These 3 steps are…

1. Go to View Resume on your profile page
2. Click on the PDF file
3. Print – that’s it, you’re done!

Even if you are not in a jam, this PDF resume is a clean, well-formatted presentation of your acting experience that also includes a picture and your personal / contact details. You can use it in place of your current format and even print directly on your headshot.

It also provides a link to your profile page so casting directors, agents, etc can see you have a web presence.

Another helpful feature of this PDF resume is that you can custom choose which picture you want based on the role you are auditioning for. To change the picture just click on View Resume and choose which photo you want from the scrolling bar. The new photo will replace the current one on-screen. Then click on the PDF logo and print out on your resume. The new picture will appear in the top left-hand corner.

This PDF resume also has A 2^nd use; for the casting director, says Aaron. If they don’t have your resume, they can go to your page and print it out directly.

Since casting directors have access to your profile, it’s important to keep the details up-to-date. If you want to see examples of how fellow, NYCastings.com members format their resumes you can view samples here… (LINK).

And for advice on what casting directors hope to see on your headshot, here are some words of advice from 3 industry experts:

Angela Mickey, Senior Casting Director at Liz Lewis Casting:

Headshots should really represent who you are. If you look too vanilla, I don’t know anything.

Jodi Collins, Jodi Collins Casting and Coaching:

A good headshot looks like you and the eyes are clear. It should capture your essence so that I feel you.

Brooke Thomas and Mary Egan, Casting Directors at HOUSE:

We like smiles in headshots. It should look like you on a great day. With no hands in the shot.

For more resources on headshots and resumes check out the NYCastings Resources directory (LINK here).

At The New York Horror Film Festival, I had killer conversations with several directors and got to speak face to face with a man who played Jason Voorhees! Straight from their twisted minds, I got secret advice on how actors can rise to scream king/queen level and become masters of horror…

They want you to die…

The horrifying truth from Frank Sabatella, director of Blood Night

Immediately you see vulnerability in a hero and an underlying menace in the killer. Something unique. Something stimulating. Horror films are very physical so there has to be something physically stimulating about the characters. It’s a tough act to pull off, to adapt to the circumstances and react as themselves would. To help, as a director, I made it as real and surprising as possible. We shot in an abandoned, haunted sanitarium. Everyone was on edge and frightened. We shot at night and actors got hit with blood. So much blood that they weren’t prepared and they really screamed. The best kinds of chilling horror scream, come from the throat, very shrill. It breaks up and jags people. Then the actor’s eyes sell the scene. You see sincerity, despair. Actors in horror films are meat for the killer and the audience wants them to live or they want them to die.

Boobs sell…

The candid and comical POV of Stacy Davidson, director of Sweat Shop

Don’t be timid. In many kinds of films you can give a little of yourself, but in horror you have to leave it all on stage, every drop, in order to be believable. There is a school of thought in horror that boobs sell. It’s true, hard bodies sell whether a guys or girls, or interesting people who may not be considered pretty in other films. And then horror actors need to find something that terrifies them or makes them sad and feel real terror, real sadness and pull it out at a moments notice. Because blood and guts can be hysterical in person. Heads are rolling around. You’ve got to be really good at turning the intensity back on, bringing yourself into the moment. And when it comes time to scream, many women can not produce a feminine scream. But the best screams are feminine, high-pitched, ear piercing, and shrill.

You don’t know it, but a zombies coming after you…

Heed the words of Nathan Cox, director of Resurrection of Officer Rollins.

Quickly, you have to convey an emotion or idea. You have to be smart. Fearless. There’s definitely a fearlessness needed because what’s expected isn’t something that happens on a day to day basis so there has to be a trust, a commitment. Great actors are courageous. And their scream is visceral, guttural. It comes from that scary place that doesn’t happen every day. You only have a certain amount of time to grab people and in horror its all about the sounds and noises. In a good horror or zombie film, the actors have to play it as straight as possible. The audience is in on the joke but the actor can’t be. The actor doesn’t know a zombie’s coming after them; they don’t know what a zombie is. That’s what makes it scary to them and believable.

Terror grows…

Cutting right to the point with Ron Millkie who played Officer Dorf in Friday 13^th

The inner truth, finding it and intensifying it makes a horror actor believable. Before you start the scene, if its terror, get yourself in an intense state, get yourself revved up. And when the most horrifying moment comes, don’t scream. Think like your body has been shot with Novocain, as if you’re in shock. And as the horror sets in… let the terror grow.

Come up with some sick things in your head…

A legend speaks… Steve Daskawisz who played Jason Voorhees in Friday 13^th II

You have to have a sinister mind when you approach horror. When killings are going on, in my mind, it’s happening. An actor isn’t supposed to know its horror; that someone’s hiding behind the door. You have to be afraid. And if you are supposed to be mean reach back to a situation when someone really pissed you off. Listen to the dialogue and then react. You are the character. In my mind, I created a lope. I didn’t run. I loped. When playing a character that’s a monster you have to come up with some sick things in your head to make it work.

For more information on The New York City Horror Festival, visit www.nychorrorfest.com

Keeping it real with casting directors Brooke Thomas and Mary Egan

In a chic Hell’s Kitchen loft, I sat down with the dynamic duo known as Brooke and Mary within the commercial industry… to chat about their opinions as casting directors, teachers and fun-loving women.

Brooke Thomas and Mary Egan have built a lifestyle out of casting and teaching NYC actors. Their casting office, HOUSE, is literally a warm, welcoming living room and their classes often integrate wine, cheese, and conversation into the agent/CD/manager meet & greets they offer students. As a team, Brook and Mary have a motto of why do it if you’re not having fun, and they believe that anyone can do commercials, if they are relaxing, enjoying and being honestly themselves.

Speaking honestly, Brooke and Mary shared a lot of straightforward advice about commercial auditioning. And in line with their fun style, they scripted an on-the-spot… 30sec commercial bit that gives an inside look into the mind of casting director during audition experience! Stay tuned for that improv commercial piece, after the main show of questions (Q) and answers with Brooke (B) and Mary (M). Take one…

Q: To break into commercials, why are classes important?

M: Commercial training is different. There is a method to it. There are people who have won Tony Awards who can’t do commercial copy.

Q: Why can’t you just practice commercial copy on your own?

B: You are your own worst enemy. You can’t really judge if you are doing well.

Q: When it comes to improv at auditions, I know you are fans of it… but should you stick to a minimum?

B: Anything goes. It’s your audition. Don’t get too far off that you’re not making the points. But it’s about making it your own. If you get into your head about how far you can go then you’re not being you. You should not be judging yourself.

M: Also realize that improv doesn’t always mean being funny.

Q: Is there a commercial ‘type’ ?

M: There are no types anymore.

B: Anyone can do a commercial if they can capture that honest you. It’s about real looking, every day people.

Q: Any networking advice?

B: Do one thing every day to market yourself.

Q: How important are agents to getting work?

B: It’s important but…

M: …it doesn’t seal the deal.

B: The goal should not be to get an agent. The goal is to get work. If you go out and get work agents will come.

M: Well said.

Q: After you meet with an agent, should you keep in touch? See them again after it’s been a while?

M: It’s about the vibe. If someone said keep in touch then keep in touch. If they didn’t – don’t.

B: Some agents are sign only. We had a student who got signed after a year and a half because she kept in touch. But, you have to follow social norms.

Q: Once you get work, if you are not represented should you reach out to an agent immediately to handle to contract?

M: If it’s an agent you connected with sure.

B: But you shouldn’t just hand an agent a job. It can appear desperate. It happened before that a student gets a big job and then an agent wants to take them on. It’s discrediting. If an agent says, they won’t take the commission for that job, that’s integrity.

M: Agents like Carole Ingber and Phil Cassese have said they won’t take the commission in those situations.

Q: What are your thoughts on actors joining unions?

B: Join a union when you have to. When you can’t do a job unless you join. You are not going to be turned away because you’re not in a union, commercial speaking that is.

Q: I’ve heard you say that when an audition feels wrong to an actor, sometimes that’s when they book the job. Why?

M: It’s not about thinking you did it right. Actors want to think they nailed it. But if they were being themselves they didn’t perform it. Then they get the job.

Q: As teachers, what do you offer in your classes, specifically?

B: Our class deals with who the person is and getting them to be honestlythemselves.

M: That’s a great answer.

B: Thank you dear.

Q: In your class, you tell students to speak like their saying the commercial copy to a friend. Did you come up with that? How did it originate?

M: I think that is ours. We just started saying it in our teaching.

B: It creates believability.

Q: Long after a student takes a class with you, they still get emails from you about commercial audition opportunities. Why do you offer this?

M: We have great students.

B: As casting directors, we are always looking for new talent. Why not take advantage.

M: And if a student books the job we get to tell them, they got it.

Q: What has changed with your teaching methods over the years?

B: We started with four-hour classes, with ten students, putting everyone on camera and having them watch it. We don’t do any more recording. It’s about getting out of your head.

M: We put the camera on so everyone can see how it’s working on screen but we don’t tape it. Once you see everyone in class getting it, you get it.

B: That’s a good one. I liked it.

M: Thanks.

Thanks to Brooke and Mary’s belief in fun, they agreed to put together an impromptu 30-second commercial that represents an ideal audition. This quick glance through the eye of a casting director gives a straightforward example of why one person books a job over another…

INT. WAITING ROOM — DAY.

30 people sitting. A red head girl gets up and walks into the casting room.

INT. CASTING ROOM

RED HEADED GIRL

At Mickey D’s @#!

(she swears during her audition)

CUT TO:

Another person saying the same copy being happy, another sad, another angry,

etc. Make it funny. Put a rabbit in doing the copy at one point. A man bringing in

a baby.

END WITH:

One person coming in and saying the same copy as themselves. We see why

that person gets the job.

When it comes to booking a job, a waiting room full of people might be all the same type, but they’re not the same read, says Brooke and Mary. They believe that being natural is the best choice for commercials because… the talent’s in you.

From the inside, out, Angela Mickey knows the art of acting. She studied drama at NYU and went through the auditioning process before shifting roles to work at Liz Lewis Casting as their receptionist. Swiftly, Angela built a career at Liz Lewis and today she is their Senior Casting Director placing actors in commercials for major brands (such as Walmart, GAP, American Heart Association, and CHASE), as well as in Broadway shows, short films, and some indie features.

With a multilayered perspective of the business, Angela offered up her insight to NYCastings.com on how actors can make the most of every audition…

Since auditions can be nerve rattling, Angela recommends you give yourself time to breathe, give yourself space. Arrive early, get the script. Take that moment. And then walk into the room knowing that some CDs may not seem warm but they need you to do well, they want you to do well.

It’s empowering for an actor to say to themselves this room is mine, Angela says. Those are your five minutes. Have a nice smile with a little bit of mystery to keep them wanting more, wanting to ask you that next question.

When it comes to the question of how to best present yourself, Angela suggests to know who you are. Bring your own self in. We are all more quirky and weird than we like to admit. Same as when we see someone acting odd in the subway but in their business life they’re totally normal. Be aware of your oddities. Especially comedic actors.

Most importantly, You have to have fun with this stuff. If you are a Barbie, in a mold, you are selling yourself short and not embracing your individuality. Successful actor Kevin Sussman accepted he was always going to be the nerd. Establish what you are and then people will let you grow.

As Angela grew from actor to a newbie at Liz Lewis, she got an even deeper understanding of how hard, yet comfortingly predictable the audition process can be. She recalls being most surprised at how many people are seen a day for a job. And she also found it amazing the confidence people did have when they walked in. How some can make a lobby feel like their 2^nd living room.

There are so many actors out there and it’s hard, that constant shilling of yourself, Angela acknowledges. As helpful advice, she recommends these empowering steps…

• To a certain extent realizing you’re not in control helps. Do the best you can on that day. Sometimes you’re given a lot at an audition and sometimes not. It’s also a numbers game. If you audition 90 times and book one it’s considered good.
• Listen to what is said and if you don’t understand ask. If something isn’t clear these are your 5 minutes. Could be that the CD was clear to the last 5 people and forgot to mention something this time around.
• If not given any direction you have to take a chance on where to go. If you are a good actor, with training, any choice will be interesting.
• Be proud of call backs! It shows your ability. Booking depends on so many things; demographics, who looks like who.
• Be aware, keep a log of people you meet; their temperament, if they are open to chatting or not, and the environment. If you know the environment wasn’t conducive for you last time take more moments to prepare so there are no surprises.
• Don’t under estimate special skills as a way of getting work. Like languages. If you are conversational become fluent. Or sports if you are really good at it.
• Create your own work. Its one reason improv/sketch blew up. People were getting together and making themselves laugh and now they are staples, writing in LA. There’s a power in presenting yourself how you want to be seen.
• If direct submitting via mail – write a letter on why you should be seen specifically like I perform every night at…
• Remember it’s a small business once you really get down to it. You may be working with someone who has representation that will come to your show. Ask the people in your cast if they have agents or managers.
• Get to know Casting Directors because agents are hampered with what they have.

Having the best audition also includes making the right first impression. As a Casting Director Angela Mickey wishes actors would take more responsibility. Is there a script? Find it and read it without needing to be walked through everything.

Other behavior pitfalls to avoid…

• The inability to adjust to an idea. Directors say to actors at a call back lets do it another way’ and the actor says this is how I did it before.’

• Not memorizing a script when you are supposed to.

• Being mean to another at auditions, that one upmanship. It’s apparent and awful.

• Calling people the wrong name.

• Speaking about acting when interviewing. You need to speak about what’s not on your resume.

• Submitting for things that are wrong for you. Like it says speaks fluent Spanish and you don’t. Or submitting for an Asian male when you are clearly not.

• Also with beauty submissions – there’s a difference between model pretty and normal pretty.

The pretty sweet part of being able to learn Angela’s perspective is that she’s been on both sides of the casting desk and she cares. With a warm smile she reminds us that you can’t do anything about someone else’s bad mood. If someone has a chip on their shoulder it existed long before you and it’s not about you. – very empowering and true!

If you want to learn more from Angela Mickey, check back with NYCastings.com for info on her future classes.