i want to be happy, not famous
Fri, 23 Jan 2004, 11:34 pmLisa7 posts in thread
i want to be happy, not famous
Fri, 23 Jan 2004, 11:34 pmI have only just come to this website and already my jaw has hit the floor. I'm sorry, but so many teenagers don't realise how hard this industry is. I'm 16 and I've come to terms that I'll probably be spending my days with an apartment void of furniture eating stale crackers and vegimite. Okay, a little dramatic, but I'm an actor. Actors have the hardest job in that they're a nobody until they get somewhere and become a somebody but nobody will look at them until they're a somebody. So thats when you slowly squeeze up through the ranks.
It really annoys me when people say they want to be an actress and go to hollywood and be famous. But hey, I cant judge, I wanted that too... for about 5 minutes. If you do, well then good luck. Heres what you're going to need:
1. an agent. A good agent. Audition, get on their books and make sure they remember who you are.
2. contacts. If you live in Sydney or Melbourne, you're probably going to have to spend a bit of cash so you get into all the best bars/ get the best training etc to make contacts who will remember you and hopefully in the future you can score work off. If you live in Brisbane especially, you have the harder job. Sydney especially is where you'll find really professional work, but they don't recognise any Brisbane training/ experience etc due to our bad past. So you'll have to start from scratch. Also get contacts with people you work with.
3. Training. If you want to land an agent and land work in film you'll need training. Not just on improving your acting ability but also on learning all you can about film. Shot sizes and how to act in them, where you look, what everyone does on set. Don't be naieve- learn what assistant derectors, lighting technician and boom operator etc do. When you forst start out, these people will be ordering you around.
4. An american accent. If you want to work in america, you'll need this. GET TRAINED in this. You'll be laughed oout of the room when you turn up to a casting with a way dodgy accent. You think you can do an American accent but trust me, you probably cant without the training.
5. An easygoing nature. Most people start out as an extra, not the main star. Don't hassel the director, stay out of Tom Cruises way (be sure not to make eye contact with him) and listen and do everything to the best of your avaliability. You're an extra, they can fire you if they want. People who are easygoing, the director remembers in the future.
6. Luck. With a 98-99% unemployment rate, the chances for you to become famous are slim.
It really annoys me when people say they want to be an actress and go to hollywood and be famous. But hey, I cant judge, I wanted that too... for about 5 minutes. If you do, well then good luck. Heres what you're going to need:
1. an agent. A good agent. Audition, get on their books and make sure they remember who you are.
2. contacts. If you live in Sydney or Melbourne, you're probably going to have to spend a bit of cash so you get into all the best bars/ get the best training etc to make contacts who will remember you and hopefully in the future you can score work off. If you live in Brisbane especially, you have the harder job. Sydney especially is where you'll find really professional work, but they don't recognise any Brisbane training/ experience etc due to our bad past. So you'll have to start from scratch. Also get contacts with people you work with.
3. Training. If you want to land an agent and land work in film you'll need training. Not just on improving your acting ability but also on learning all you can about film. Shot sizes and how to act in them, where you look, what everyone does on set. Don't be naieve- learn what assistant derectors, lighting technician and boom operator etc do. When you forst start out, these people will be ordering you around.
4. An american accent. If you want to work in america, you'll need this. GET TRAINED in this. You'll be laughed oout of the room when you turn up to a casting with a way dodgy accent. You think you can do an American accent but trust me, you probably cant without the training.
5. An easygoing nature. Most people start out as an extra, not the main star. Don't hassel the director, stay out of Tom Cruises way (be sure not to make eye contact with him) and listen and do everything to the best of your avaliability. You're an extra, they can fire you if they want. People who are easygoing, the director remembers in the future.
6. Luck. With a 98-99% unemployment rate, the chances for you to become famous are slim.
Re: i want to be happy, not famous
Sun, 25 Jan 2004, 10:38 pmYou forgot one other thing...
Learn tech stuff!
By learning all the backstage work (or front of stage work, front of house, etc) actors can gain more theatre experience - if you think about it, for every actor on stage, there will be at least ten technical people, getting them there and keeping them there! - learn new ways of working in this industry, and be more appreciative of those who work around them.
Many professional actors that I work with find that having technical experience helps them when they produce their own work (which is a must in this industry) and it also helps them get more work in the industry, than they normally would.
It also helps you realise how to promote a show you're acting in, how lighting is so important (if you've ever had a director or technician ask you to find the light, you'll understand what I mean), how to understand blocking better, how to write your own scripts, how to direct, and so on.
While actors perform because they're interested in acting, having actors who are also technicians (or at least have done some technical training), makes it more fun for everybody. Instead of an actor getting bored during technical rehearsal, or setting up a scene for filming, an actor will be more appreciative of the problems that arise, and will be less likely to cause trouble to people around them.
Red Stitch Actors Company in Melbourne consist of the top Melbournian actors (professional, and can be seen in many guest spots on local TV shows), and do all the technical jobs themselves, with the exception of a lighting designer and a set designer, and relevant operators. They run front of house, do their own fundraising, organise and maintain their own venue, and because of it, they have the ability to be in the works that they want to be in, get more work (the first year they opened they performed 1 play every month for the whole year, no breaks!) and they are providing themselves an opportunity to learn new things, and to be seen by the public, and other industry professionals.
As a professional technician, I enjoy working with most actors. But the shows that I do are mainly fringe, and are in the same position as the actors - little to no work - and having actors who can rig a light for me, or get the sound organised, while I do something else just as necessary, is a huge help.
Now, I'm not saying you have to learn lighting or sound, but in my opinion, actors should at least have a go at assistant stage management, setting props in scene changes, or even just helping out in front of house. It makes a major impact on your understanding of theatre, and also on the way you behave in the future towards your fellow actors and technicians.
Learn tech stuff!
By learning all the backstage work (or front of stage work, front of house, etc) actors can gain more theatre experience - if you think about it, for every actor on stage, there will be at least ten technical people, getting them there and keeping them there! - learn new ways of working in this industry, and be more appreciative of those who work around them.
Many professional actors that I work with find that having technical experience helps them when they produce their own work (which is a must in this industry) and it also helps them get more work in the industry, than they normally would.
It also helps you realise how to promote a show you're acting in, how lighting is so important (if you've ever had a director or technician ask you to find the light, you'll understand what I mean), how to understand blocking better, how to write your own scripts, how to direct, and so on.
While actors perform because they're interested in acting, having actors who are also technicians (or at least have done some technical training), makes it more fun for everybody. Instead of an actor getting bored during technical rehearsal, or setting up a scene for filming, an actor will be more appreciative of the problems that arise, and will be less likely to cause trouble to people around them.
Red Stitch Actors Company in Melbourne consist of the top Melbournian actors (professional, and can be seen in many guest spots on local TV shows), and do all the technical jobs themselves, with the exception of a lighting designer and a set designer, and relevant operators. They run front of house, do their own fundraising, organise and maintain their own venue, and because of it, they have the ability to be in the works that they want to be in, get more work (the first year they opened they performed 1 play every month for the whole year, no breaks!) and they are providing themselves an opportunity to learn new things, and to be seen by the public, and other industry professionals.
As a professional technician, I enjoy working with most actors. But the shows that I do are mainly fringe, and are in the same position as the actors - little to no work - and having actors who can rig a light for me, or get the sound organised, while I do something else just as necessary, is a huge help.
Now, I'm not saying you have to learn lighting or sound, but in my opinion, actors should at least have a go at assistant stage management, setting props in scene changes, or even just helping out in front of house. It makes a major impact on your understanding of theatre, and also on the way you behave in the future towards your fellow actors and technicians.