Find A Home

In my last post at edwardgusts.wordpress.com  I mentioned the need to find a home as an actor.

I would like to explain why.

If you are a professional actor; (which to me simply means that you are working on your career and are committed to it) you will possibly face some rejection.

People may try to disempower you, people may be rude, or they may just be busy.

It is very unlikely that they will be concerned about nurturing your talent.

They are just too busy.


Now, as an actor, your job is to be emotionally available. A thin skinned ball of emotion who must also arrive on time, behave professionally, and then not get emotional when kept waiting, yelled at, mocked, ignored,rejected, stood up, or treated like a moron.


I don't think that actors are the crazy ones.

But the industry is what it is, and it is very rare for us to get the validation tht we deserve for doing such a ridiculously difficult job.

The general rule on many sets is that if the director doesn't speak to you, they like what you are doing.

So, what do we do?

Therapy can get expensive, mom and dad may not be supportive, and eventually your significant other will get tired of you sobbing every time you arrive at their apartment.

I think that we need to find a home.

A place where you can be an artist. A place where talent matters. A place where you have comrades in arms who get it and have been through it themselves. A place where you feel validated.

Your acting home can be anywhere.

You can get together with a couple of friends and do scene study once a week.

Home can be a class. I would, however; recommend a class that is focused on artistic growth over booking technique and marketing. I would definitely avoid using a casting director workshop for an artistic home.

You can become part of a theater company. Make sure that it's one you love.

Hell, you can start your own theater company, or support group, or whatever. Just create a space where you can do your work, and realize that you are not alone.

I'm going house hunting today.

Edward

Create your own work

This will be short.

There is a catch 22 in Hollywood.

Basically, in order to work you need to be well known, and in order to be well known you need to work.

This is not 100% true, but it is true enough.

So here is my tip for the day:

Create your own projects.

I'm sure that you aren't the only actor that you know, so find someone from class, or your day job and shoot a scene once a month. Hell, make it a webseries and put it on Youtube.

Is it really that simple?

Well it can be.

Can you borrow a cheap camera? Does your computer have video editing software? Do you really have anything to lose?


SAG / AFTRA paperwork may slow you down if you are a member (although, I have heard rumor that you can't be penalized for performing in your own production without filing paperwork. But I don't know if that is true so check beforehand)

So can special effects and the like.

But if you think of it as practice, a chance to act once a month, with the option of publishing it if its good and the freedom to throw it away if it's bad; you will gain:

Reel footage
A knowledge of camera angles
An understanding about production and editing
And if you are lucky, perhaps a following.

So get out there and shoot something!

Edward

Google Alerts

The trouble with sending out postcards to casting directors is that for them to be effective they have to go out fairly often (every 2 weeks is ideal) and they have to give the casting director new information about you.

Now you can only send out so many postcards about your new class, new headshots, etc before you start to feel like you are reaching.

Here is where google alerts come in. Now You need a free gmail account for this service, so get one, if only for this service.

Go to www.google.com/alerts or google search the phrase "google alerts" and you will be taken to a free service that alerts you via email any new posts on the internet that contain your specific phrase.

So for example, I could list "Edward Gusts" or "Edward Gusts Actor" ( the quotes are so I don't get a notice every time there are wind GUSTS on Prince EDWARD Island) and google will let me know of any news items or videos that contain the phrase. This is especially helpful with small films you work on. Maybe you didn't know that your film "Dinosaur With Laryngitis" was accepted to the Rhode Island Dinosaur Film film festival; well now you do.

And you can postcard about it.

Edward