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

Creating a cycle

I have been thinking about all of the skills that I would like to have as an actor. Not just the basics, but work which will help me grow and inspire me as well as giving me a leg up on the competition.

So, I decided to write it down.

Here is a partial list:

Parkour
improv
Gymnastics
dance
physical theater
horseback riding
accents
stunys
shakespeare
stage combat
acting meisner
acting adler
acting chekhov
acting uta hagen
clown
mask work
singing
fencing
camera technique

etc.

I don't know about you but this is kind of intimidating. The old studios used to "groom" actors into stars. creating them into these iconic images that we see on screen. Now on a budget and working a day job I don't \see how anyone could possibly work on these and more without losing their mind.

Hell, if you had all day free and unlimited financial reserves it would still be overwhelming and lead to burnout.

So I believe in learning in a cycle.

My personal curriculum looks something like this:

This Fall I will focus on physically prepping the body. For me that is primarily Michael Chekhov work: Finding your character's center, how they move, practicing different emotions, etc. The point being to make my body and emotions free and adaptable.These are my basics, I encourage you to use what works for you.

In Winter I will focus on text analysis, camera technique, and booking technique. Realism, keeping my business in order, some Uta Hagen and Stella Adler exercises.

In the Spring I will focus on learning new skills: Dance, gymnastics, horseback riding, etc. The purpose of this is not just to develop marketable skills but to expand my horizons beyond just acting. Interesting people make more interesting actors.

In the Summer I will focus on more avante garde acting: Clown, composition of performance, mask work. It is rare that you will use any of these primarily in a role, but I believe that doing innovative theater expands your talent.

This is my cycle, and my list, I suggest that you come up with your own.

To start:
Make a list of all of the things that you would like to learn or places and techniques that you would like to study as an actor. Catagorize them and then choose 1 or 2 from each list that is interesting to you and try to focus on them for a certain period of time. I chose seasons, but months would work as well. I personally wouldn't go shorter than that.

Also; this should not be too strict. If you have an audition for a gritty police pilot tomorrow and you are working on avante garde theater that month, please feel free to work on the text and go method or whatever you need to do your best. The whole point of this is to expand your skill set while alleviating boredom between jobs. If you get an acting gig which takes up all of your time, put the studying on hold if you need to. But get back to it when you can.

So, I'm starting school again. With a curriculum designed specially for this student body of 1.

E

The Emotional Side (And Toll) Of Acting

I am trying to separate the tools and skills necessary to be an actor from being emotionally ready to handle the stresses that an acting career can bring.

Being an actor will test your mental and emotional fortitude. You will go from cycles of constant rejection and unemployment to times of overwork, burnout, and being unable to handle the simple chores of daily life. And sometimes you may inexplicably get a combination of both, where you are  overworked, rejected, and broke. Simultaneously.

There is also good strees: The excitement of an early call on a TV show,rehearsing a scene and realizing that you have nailed the character, etc. but even these can take an emotional toll.

So...I can't very well ignore this aspect of acting. I deal with this daily. But, I also don't want an instructional blog to become a record of my personal triumphs, failures, and feelings.

So I have another blog:

www.edwardgusts.wordpress.com

which deals with the emotional side of acting.

In The Hollywood Cheat Sheet I will endeavor to make most of my posts useful, with practical, actionable advice. The Edward Gusts blog will deal with the ups and downs and the need for therapy that the acting career often provides.

Cheers!
E

A Quick List Of My Favorite Coaches

I've taken an awful lot of acting classes. Some I've loved, Some I've hated, and some were mediocre.

Now that is my opinion.

There are really only 3 criteria for taking an acting class:

1. It should feel right. I personally studied with a teacher that some of my friends strongly disliked. It didn't matter. That teaching method worked for me.

2. After you attend or audit the class, you should feel that you have learned or grown in some way.

3.The class must be enjoyable. Now I'm not saying that it should be laugh a minute, or that your teacher shouldn't give constructive criticism. But if you leave class every night feeling miserable and pathetic, the class probably is not a good fit for you.


And one more thing:

There is no "right" way to act. You get tools, you use them. Some tools work better for some people than others. If a teacher ever tells you that they have the "only" correct way to act, that you can't go on auditions until they approve you to, or they tell you that you can't study with them and someone else at the same time...Run. You are the customer, they are the business. You are asking for their advice and knowledge but you decide on what to do in your career.


So below are the websites of some of my personal favorites, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. See what works for you.

E

http://chekhovstudio.com/

http://kimberlyjentzen.com/

http://www.scr.org/education/professionalactortraining.aspx

http://billyoleary.com/

Actor First, Business Man Second

This is an odd first post for a blog about the business side of acting; but I feel that it is important.

All too often; actors (myself included) get so caught up in how their career is going that they forget about the joy of being an actor.

Because the truth is, that if you are an actor, you are an artist.

People can debate how good of an artist you are, if you are too commercial, etc. but the bottom line is that you have chosen a career where you create something unique and show it to the world.

And that is fantastic.

Throughout this blog and the book to follow, you will get many tips about treating your acting like a small business, dealing with marketing, incorporating, and so on. But none of that matters if you aren't artistically fulfilled.

I believe that if you are reading this, you did not decide to become an actor for the money. You want to create. You want to speak to the world. You are brave enough to show your soul to the world and let the cynics criticize you for all to see.

But maybe you wouldn't mind working fewer hours at your survival job, having more than 1 audition a month, or having your agent recognize you if you run into them at the store.


I believe that I can help you with that.


But all of the tips and tricks won't help if you don't love being an actor.


If you don't love it, or the industry has made you bitter,you have two options:

1. You can quit. Maybe you will return to it someday.

or

2. You can bring the romance back: Do your friend's play that you feel passionate about. Teach theater to kids. Hell, go to the movies. Do whatever works for you, because none of it is worth it without love.

So we can learn (or relearn) how to market ourselves. We can run our career like a business. But we can  never forget what we got into this for.

Happy Acting,

E