Your
special skills may get you the job! They may also rule you out of getting the
job, but that's better than being hired, then showing up on set and not able to
perform.
So
what are “Special Skills”? Quite simply it’s the life skills, physical
experiences and abilities you have acquired or developed in non-performance
areas that can and will enhance your performance. For example; if they need a juggler for a
circus scene, they don’t hire someone to act like a juggler, they hire someone
who can juggle, and juggle very well if in fact the character is supposed to be a good
juggler. If you don’t juggle, and the character your auditioning for is supposed
to be a bad juggler, then you might be perfect. Do you follow me?
List
your special skills. Do you play hockey? How well? Can you roller blade? Do you
juggle? Do magic tricks? Can you fence? Are you a competitive swimmer? Can you
cook? Are you’re a trained chef of a comfortable home cook? Can you and hand toss pizza dough? Have you waited
tables? Can you rock climb? Do you surf? Board or body surf? Are you a yodeler? Are you a professional dog walker? Have you run a
video camera? What kind? Have you supervised people? Can you drive a forklift?
List your allergies. You’re not going to be
happily biting into 50+ burgers for a fast food commercial if you’ve got a
gluten intolerance, playing the bee keeper if your allergic to a sting, or
selling the latest peanut butter if you have a peanut allergy.
List your fears and phobias. For example, I
list no “arachnoids or reptiles”… I’d freak! Unless of course that’s the real
reaction they want, but I certainly wouldn’t be calm or comfortable. But again, if
that’s the reaction they want my character to have, then I might be perfect (it would certainly be real!). You
might list a fear of heights or flying lest you be harnessed for a flying
scene or stunt effect.
Do you have a valid passport? List it (Just list "Valid Canadian Passport" and do not list the passport number). Why? If the shoot starts in
Do you have a work permit or visa
permitting you to work in another country? List it.
Can you drive standard? How well?
Regular cigarette smoker? Cigar smoker? Strict non smoker? Ex smoker, willing to smoke for the shoot? List it.
Do you have a Driver’s license? What class
is it? You may not be comfortable (or allowed) to play the “bus driver” or the
“18 wheeler truck driver” if you can’t drive the vehicle even a few yards for a
shot.
Do
you see where I’m going?
LTD!
Kev
I
know talent with next to no working credits on their résumé who have an agent.
I know talent with tons of working credits who can’t get seen by an agent. I know talent who have an agent, but have been
out on an audition for years (I’ve also no idea why people stay with these
agents or why agents hold onto them).
So
you’ve got credits. GREAT! Sure, there are agents who only want established
talent. But there are many agents who want new faces, new talents they can
nurture.
Always
list your training. Keep the freshest and most recent training on the resume.
If your training is old you need to be honest about it and seek current training. Now that said, I know as much as anybody, training costs money. So, just like a business (and you are a small, self employed business person - or you should be treating it this way) you have to come up with a budget and a training plan that
is reasonable within your financial resources and available time.
If
the last (and only) class you took was a year ago…good luck. There are thousands of actors who are continually polishing their craft, why wouldn't an agent choose them. (I know you're "gifted" or "special" and yes, a rare few of you will get agents).
But
if you’re last acting class was a year ago, and then you took a movement class
two months later, and then you took an improvisation class a month after that, and
then you took a training break but are now half way through a six week voice class , all over the course
of the last year…then you’ll have a better chance.
Working or not, the best actors are perpetually training in something related to the craft. It let’s the agents, and the Casting Directors know you’re sharp and ready to go. You commitment to staying on top of your game says as much if not more about you than your working credits.
However,
if all you have is a few high school or college productions under your belt and
a movement class that was three years ago, then list them and go for it. My
two cents, if this is you, I’d highly suggest you be enrolled in something related to the
craft, anything, during your agent search so that you show renewed commitment and
interest. And, so you have something to talk about with them should you get an
interview.
No matter how many credits you have or do not have, train. Then train some more. Training will put you ahead of the pack who does not train or keep their training up to date. Regardless of your working credits, By training you prove yourself interested in your craft, and that makes you interesting to an agent.
Remember how we we’re all taught first impressions
count? Well they count as much or more in this business.
So
what is your “hit”. Your “hit” is a combination of a number of things; your perceived
and believable age. No cares you’re really 26 if you look 18, and no one cares
you are 26 if your look 34; Your apparent or playable ethnicity (real or
perceived); Your apparent or playable class (lower/middle/upper;
educated/uneducated; working class white/blue collar) and your perceived geographic
origins (city/country, domestic/foreigner).
You
need to know your “hit” and an agent needs to have a hole in their roster for
your “hit” before they will consider taking you on. You may have a great “hit”,
but maybe they just don’t need your “hit” at this time. So, they may in fact
set your package aside for future reference. When someone leaves that agent, or
gets out of the business you could get a call, any time, even months after you
send your package out, to fill that “hit”.
Your mother cannot tell you your hit, nor can your lover or your best friends. The best people to tell you your “hit” are people with who you have a new relationship in the context of our craft as actors. In other words, I don’t suggest you ask your next blind date, but ask people the people you connect with in your next acting class, or your coarse instructors – but do it early on (1st or 2nd class) for the most pure interpretation, before the real and possibly contradictory truth about you permeates their knowledge about who and what you really are.
Here's what to ask...
1) Perceived upper and lower extremes of age range;
2) Perceived ethnicity;
3) Perceived social status (ie lower/middle/upper; educated/uneducated; working class white/blue collar);
4) Perceived Geographic Origins city/country, domestic/foreigner;
5) Roles you could play (ie pilot, thug, dancer etc)
6) Actor who's career you could emulate.
Understand,
accept
and embrace your “hit”. No matter how great you can act, if they want
"a Caucasian
male in his 20’s, to play a lower class, rural farmer type with a dark
side", they can find that guy. They’re not typically going to bring in
a buff, 30 year
old, metro-sexual, middle-upper class hipster for the role (unless,
maybe, he is a
celebrity already).
LTD!
Kev
Getting
an agent can be quite a process, but don’t be discouraged. There are many
factors involved. Not getting an agent often has less to do with you than you
think. Your “hit” and talent matter, but much has do with timing and space on
any one agent’s roster.
In
this post, I talk about timing.
There
used to be a fairly rigid season, and it still holds somewhat true that anytime
between January and March agents are slow, so they look for talent to add to
their roster for the “busy summer season” ahead.
Suffice
it to say, that is also when they purge talent from their rosters; the people
that have lost interest, haven’t kept up their training, are difficult, or just
aren’t being called in by the Casting Directors.
What
I’ve experienced is that while there is still a flurry of activity from
Jan-Mar, the season is now any time. I sent out 23 packages to select agents in
March. I had eight meetings, and eight offers of representation. Subsequent to
that, I’ve had two more agents call me this summer about the packages I sent in
the spring.
So,
don’t be afraid to send your package any time.
They may sit on it for a variety of reasons and you never know when the call will come.
LTD!,
Kev
I met some fantastic people recently taking an improvisation workshop at Second City here in Toronto (highly recommend it!). Many were new to TO and had questions about finding agents and finding casting notices. So here's a quick post of resources info I shared to help them out. If you have similar questions - please write! AACTION: Tons of local, non-union auditions for
commercials, film, print, voice over, theatre and FREE to join. http://www.aactionauditions.com CASTING
WORKBOK: “THE”
premier casting site in Toronto used by every serious agent and casting
director for film, commercials, theatre, TV, both union and tons of non union.
Basic mebership costs $54 but worth it if you’re play’n the game in this town! http://www.castingworkbook.com NOW CASTING: Is the US version of Casting
Workbook, but is used by US producers and casting agents looking for talent in
Toronto for their productions shooting here. Free to register for a basic package, $$ for added features. www.nowcasting.com/indexsplash.html BACKGROUND
AGENT: One of the
leading background/extras agents in TO is the Morgan Rickman Agency, good people, FREE to join. What’s
Shooting in T.O: If
you’re bold enough, call the production offices, ask if they need office help,
or ask who’s casting principles and extras, then follow up accordingly from there! www.toronto.ca/tfto/pdf/currentlist.pdf Other resources
on my website at dramadepartment.ca, or just ask! Good luck & LTD! Kev
