When I got to the Hammerstein Ballroom the sidewalks surrounding the place were packed with people. At first we were told that the larger line was just for those that were waiting for the open casting call (Nickelodeon, NBC/Universial & Telmundo). I passed on this simply because I didn't want to miss the classes I'd paid for because I was auditioning and if you weren't signed up in advance for an audition it was hard to tell when you'd be seen. I did however toss my head shot into the massive pile for the companies. I'm totally sure I'll be getting a call any day! ;)
After standing in a non-casting line for a half hour those that weren't in a 9am class were told to join the casting line. It didn't matter if you were registered or if you didn't plan on auditioning. Uh....
Me and a couple others started to journey back to the end of the line that would never end and thankfully a fellow actor that was in line heard our grumblings and waved us over to join her line. Not much movement happened so I just bid my time until 11am rolled around as that was when my class started. Shortly before that time they started letting those people in so once again I had to journey back to where I had started my morning. Durr.
According to one of the people standing with me, this was the first year they had Actorfest at this location and at the previous location it had run much more smoothly.
I got my "Actorfest" canvas bag full of misc. flyers and small freebies and my i.d. tag and journeyed in to discover that I probably could have just walked into any class I wanted without paying as they weren't checking badges when people went into classrooms. Doh!
I settled into the Head shot/Resume class where they had a photographer speak about Head shots and an Agent about resumes.
Here were some tips/insight they shared -
Your head shot is often referred to as the 2 second interview so it is important that your head shot grab the casting director/agent/etc's attention in the right way. What is right? Making sure the head shot's focus is actually on your face - not your jewelry, clothes, background, etc. V necks and clothes with earth tones were suggested.
This one makes sense but I've heard it said time and again - Make sure the head shot looks like you. Many casting agencies insist on taking a pic of you while you are in their office so they are sure to have an accurate pic of you.
Your head shot should show personality - no blank stares. It should be engaging and make whoever is looking at it want to talk to you.
The photographer said that he doesn't mind borders around photos but thinks that a full bleed photo makes more sense because once again - you want it to be about your face and not the white space. Same for the font used for your name - it should be simple and no bigger than 36/48 pt type.
A vertical head shot is preferred over a horizontal as the time it takes to turn the horizontal may take up the 2 seconds and an extra pause of seconds will only be given if the pic is really good.
Your resume should be formatted so the page breaks down into "word blocks" when you squint.
The 1st column should list the production, 2nd column defines the role and last column is where it was performed or what network/director.
The agent said he HATES it when people list background work as credits. He says it doesn't tell him anything so he prefers that people leave it off of there. (However, this is an agent's opinion - a casting director would be interested in your previous background work if you were contacting them to do more background work.) He also said that putting a music video credit on your resume means nothing to him as well.
He suggested putting links to any footage of films that may be online. (i.e. youtube)
His biggest pet peeve on cover letters is when it starts with...I'm looking for representation. He said, that's a given when you are writing the letter to an agent! He suggested that you focus on what you have recently done and how you would like to set up a meeting. Then follow that letter with postcard updates.
He said that more often than not he will give a person with less credits a chance based on their head shot. However, if a head shot is bad but a person has awesome credits - he will consider it but chances are less.
Unfortunately, part of the time was taking up with people raising their hands to ask questions like - Would these earrings work in my head shot?! Or those that came in late asking the same questions that had been asked earlier. And NO one on one was had with head shots & resumes. I wasn't happy and you could tell others weren't either as we crowded around the photographer afterwards to at least get some personal feedback.
He looked at my head shot and said that it didn't do me justice. He thought that it was very specific and was aimed at only certain roles. (In other words I need something more well-rounded?) He ended his observations with - but that's merely my opinion.
I had a few hours to kill before my next class so I weaved my way thru the many booths on the main floor. Mixed in with Photographers,Acting Class and Gym membership offers were reps from churches (including Scientology). I was a bit surprised to see churches among the mix - I'm not sure what the cost of a booth was but apparently targeting actors seemed like an investment worth making...?
Still had more time to kill so I ventured out for lunch (the massive line was no longer), talked to my bro about the state of NE football - I asked him if it was the coaches or quality of players and he said that good coaches could make chicken salad out of chicken shit. (A new spin on lemons into lemonade - had to share it! ;)) and then came back for my afternoon class.
This is the info/quotes I picked up in the Voice Over class -
A voice over is defined as anything where you hear a person but don't see them. There are 2 types - AVO, where the announcer is removed from the action and VO where the voice is part of the action. When you get copy, the first thing you should do is determine whether your part is AVO or VO.
A general rule - When you are recording a voice over, you shouldn't worry about how it sounds but more about what you are saying - Do you believe? Show enthusiasm? Care? (Of course there are exceptions.)
"Another word for agent is pimp." He promotes using casting directors until you get so well established that you NEED an agent to manage your gigs and schedule.
"Success is revenge." He told of one of his first auditions and how the casting director told him to keep his day job. He let that fuel him to success rather than let him get down and forget it.
One way to success? Think outside the box. Make what time you have memorable - your voice is your head shot.
Judgment is made in the first 10 seconds of a demo reel. Spots should show range and if starting from scratch you should never record several spots in one day - a veteran ear will notice that there is no clear change of sound.
"Butterflies will always be there, it's up to you to make them fly in formation."
Never handwrite on your demo cd - print a label.
Practice, practice, practice - read printed copy over and over working on breath control and getting a nimble/limber tongue - no tripping.
How do you get experience when starting out? Contact small ad agencies (he suggested scanning the B2B phonebook) - many times their budgets are lower and the odds are more likely for you to get a shot.
When asked how much you charge, your answer should be - How much is your budget?
"No one's stopping you but yourself."
You can never have too much training.
The reverse of show biz is b.s.
Listen...don't say more than you have to.
Once again though questions asked would be specific to the individual rather than helpful to the whole group (at this point I couldn't help but wonder if those asking questions had actually spent money on the class, too) and there was only time for 2 people to do a cold reading. Which really wasn't a cold reading per say but rather a breathing exercise - How long of a sentence can you read before taking a breath?
And that was the day. Not a TOTAL waste but not sure I'll invest in classes next year. May just stand in the massive line for the open casting call...
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