Los Angeles Acting blog by David August

AFTRA Has a Prescription Discount Card Program

2010-08-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

If you are a member of AFTRA, there now seems to be an AFTRA Prescription Discount Card Program open to all AFTRA members, independent from the AFTRA health insurance. It gives a discount of 13% to 65% on drug prices through the nationwide network of over 50,000 pharmacies. It seems many pharmacies in the LA area may accept it (e.g., Walgreens, Costco). I haven't used it myself, so caveat actor.

AFTRA Ratifies Network TV Code 'Front of the Book'

2010-07-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

AFTRA members have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a one-year extension...by a margin of 98% in favor to 2% against

(from AFTRA.com).

Your Nudity Policy

2010-07-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Think through in advance what you want to respond if/when you are asked to take off some or all of your clothes for a role.

...acting is about living within the circumstances and people get naked from time to time, so in some cases, where it enhances the movie, it's definitely warranted

(from Zurit Zuriel Horowitz's Fairy Tales). King Lear comes to mind as a piece that may validly call for male nudity. Warranted or not, each actor needs to decide for themselves what they are comfortable doing, how naked they are willing to be in public. Once it's captured on camera, it is forever. What are you thoughts on nudity? Please leave a comment.

Good idea: have a nudity clause (rider) in your contracts that specifies what the production can and can not request you reveal on camera or on stage. Otherwise you may be asked to reveal more than you expected.

Retouching Photos

2010-06-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Actors may photoshop their pictures sometimes, but casting expects actors to arrive looking like their pictures. While some retouching may cover things that only happened on the day of the photo-shoot, actors who cannot reproduce what the computer makes them look like will disappoint casting, who expects what the picture shows them. I've never retouched my pictures. Have you, will you? Please comment with your thoughts.

Slow and Steady Wins

2010-06-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly about finding a path and walking it one step at a time

(from Hope and the Magic Lottery).

Being Indispensable

2010-06-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

If another actor can replace you, you are a commodity, like lumber or steel. In the marketplace your only competitive edge will be the rate you charge. Charge less than other actors, you'll book, charge more, you won't.

Some actors do this, offering low price point acting and must do a lot of it to pay their own bills (often non-union work falls into this category). Some offer higher price point acting and can live a little more comfortably. Other actors offer high price point acting and get paid far more (sometimes millions).

The difference can seem subtle. Sometimes it's having a built in audience you bring with you to every project, sometimes it's being the only person with a given skill/attribute/etc. Being a commodity is not a path to financial security, but is not "wrong" in any absolute sense; I know actors who like having day jobs and don't want acting to take over their lives and time. The difference between highly paid and not-so-highly paid can be summed up as a difference in how much value an actor brings (or is perceived to bring).

I had a college professor who did engineering consulting. A brand new office tower in Boston had a serious problem-there was a brown stain coming through the drywall, (all of the drywall) no matter how much stain killer they used. In a forty story building, if you have to rip out all the drywall, this is a multi-million dollar disaster. They had exhausted all possibilities and were a day away from tearing out everything and taking a loss. They hired Henry in a last-ditch effort to solve the problem. He looked at the walls and said, "I think I can work out a solution, but it will cost you $45,000 if I succeed." They instantly signed on, because if he succeeded, the project would be saved.

Henry asked for a pencil and paper and wrote the name of a common hardware store chemical and handed it to them. "Here, this will work." And then he billed them $45,000. That's quite an hourly wage. It's also quite a bargain

(quote from Seth Godin).

SAG and AFTRA Meet Together to Plan TV/Theatrical Contract

2010-06-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Joint Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Wages & Working Conditions meetings have been scheduled in preparation for negotiation of the SAG TV/Theatrical and AFTRA Exhibit A Contract that expires June 30, 2011. All members who work this contract are invited to attend and participate

(from sag.org).

Casting Director Workshops and Fairness

2010-05-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

...if anyone in a field is allowed to PAY for a job interview, the playing field suddenly becomes very lopsided, and unfairly so. Should Rich Kid Sally have a better shot at that coveted office job with flexible hours, high pay, and an understanding that you’re going to need to leave for auditions over Poor Kid Joe merely because she could pay for a job interview? At that point, we are no longer looking at merit (or even connections, social intelligence, whatever) as a reason for hire. Suddenly the well-to-do are able to (ostensibly) move to the front of the line simply because of money. Restricting this practice does not come from a motivation of restricting choice, but rather to protect large portions of the population as well as attempting to have as level a playing field as possible

(Ben Whitehair's post about Casting Director Workshops).

Commitment and Courage

2010-05-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Commitment is healthiest when it's not without doubt but in spite of doubt.

-Dr. Rollo May

And I paraphrase David Mamet in saying that acting is in part facing the unknown with courage.

Actors as Animals

2010-05-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

An actor is never so great as when he reminds you of an animal - falling like a cat, lying like a dog, moving like a fox.

- Francois Truffaut

This Industry is Random

2010-05-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Rob Long's most recent Martini Shot podcast episode The List is more than entertaining, it elucidates how progress and opportunities are often random in this business (listen to the mp3).

How to Self-Tape Your Audition

2010-05-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Marci Liroff wrote a note about How to Self-Tape Your Audition from that I found a video about 3 point lighting.

Sartre on Acting

2010-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Acting is a question of absorbing other people's personalities and adding some of your own experience.

- Jean-Paul Sartre

MBAs Running Show Business

2010-05-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

I blog for Vicious Concepts and wrote a post about our industry:

MBAs running showbiz is like having a doctor hang ceiling tiles: they might get it right, but why would you ask them to try in the first place? To have MBAs, general business people, in charge of entertainment companies makes little sense in the final analysis. Sure they might know about allocating money and saying what stockholders, the board and colleagues want to hear, but they aren't showman (and show-women; show people) [read more]

(from Details - Video, Social Media and the Internet).

Live Well Now

2010-04-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.

-Seneca

Top 5 Things to Ask an Agent

2010-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

@agentadvice, a theatrical agent (film/tv), earlier today posted this answer to "What are the top 5 things to ask when meeting with a potential agent?"

Background of the agent & agency- Know who is representing you. Sometimes an internet search can answer some of these, but always good to hear firsthand the history of the company, the agent's resume (hey- they're evaluating yours! why not do the same in return!). What other agencies they've worked for? What companies the agency has strong relationships with?
What's their roster look like? Who do they have on a series, what projects are their clients currently doing? What's in the woodwork? If no client on a series, is there a steady stream of recurring & guest stars? Is the bulk of their clients working actors or development? Where do you fit in to the roster? Are there others that fit your type? Size up the competition within the agency. You're competing against them just to be submitted/pitched! What's the frequency of taking actors to the next level?
How does the agent see you? Ask them what they think your age range is, what ethnicities you can play, etc. They're the ones that will be submitting & pitching you, so you should know what they're going to see you as!! Also, be prepared 2 hear what age someone else believes you as, and not what you think you can play.
As an agency, what sets them apart from the others? Just as they will ask to know what casting directors know you, feel free to ask what CDs know them! Do they regularly pitch directly to CDs or to their associates? DO THEY CALL & PITCH!
What is the game plan with me? Ask for realistic goals & be ready for truthful and honest answers. Now, keep in mind, the delivery of these questions & reception to the answers they give are important as well. If I'm sitting down with a client who clearly is going to be developmental, I'm gonna scoff to myself if they honestly expect to get generals w/ studio casting execs. Just remember- they are interviewing you & you are interviewing them. The weight of your & their name value depends on how the scales tip.

Reposted with permission.

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2010-04-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

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Health Fair May 5th

2010-04-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Healthcare Safetynet Health Fair, James Cagney Board Room and Museum Square Promenade - Wednesday, May 5 [at SAG, 5757 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 - map]

(from sag.org).

Playing One Note

2010-04-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

You find a demeanour or character or side of yourself that's appealing - and then you keep doing it. Versatility kills most careers

(from The unstoppable rise of Russell Brand).

Staying Sane

2010-04-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk about nurturing creativity includes great insight and addresses the challenge of reconciling creative glimer-of-the-divine success with our lives post inspiration.

Many an actor has between project thoughts of "I'll never act again, I fooled everone into thinking I could act in the first place, I'll never reach that height of success again" and such anguish can exact a high price. The Greeks and Romans had an idea of a daemon or genuis outside ourselves as the source of creativity, and this can work as psychological protection from the anguish in coping with the aftermath of creativity and success.

SAG Leadership Mixed on AFTRA's call to merge

2010-04-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

AFTRA's top officers are making a renewed push for a merger with SAG to create a single performers union with national scope.

In a two-page letter to members in the spring edition of AFTRA Magazine, the union's five top officers lay out a case for why SAG and AFTRA need to join forces to deal with dramatic marketplace changes and to better serve their respective members. Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have made attempts to merge in the past, most recently in 2003, but SAG members ultimately rejected the idea [back then] in a referendum vote [by a very narrow margin]

(from Variety).

An open letter from AFTRA's top brass calling for 'one media and entertainment union for all actors, performers and broadcast journalists' has met with mixed reaction from SAG leaders, with moderates hailing it as an important step and hard-liners sounding a note of caution

(from The Hollywood Reporter).

Thrill of Booking

2010-04-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's not a hard and fast truth, but the realities of a new job are sometimes a let-down as the complication and stress compete with the excitement. I find it important to hold on to the "I just booked!" joy and try to celebrate and remember it.

Sometimes I think the best part about booking an on-camera job is the initial phone call and the days leading up to the shoot, and that the rest is all downhill

(from Stacey Jackson).

Pursue Your Career and No One Else's

2010-03-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Pursue your career, not your competitions' career.

...any market you're in, if you're in a good market, they're gonna be competitors and if you don't have any competitors you need to question your product, like where are you at? And that's just business. What it is, my philosophy is you just run your race, you know? You just look forward and you run your race. And you worry about providing the best product you can to your users, you know? And you let everything else take care of itself

(emphasis added, from Noah Everett interview).

Allow the Fear

2010-03-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

This isn't the same as feeling the fear. This is where you just let it get on with making a mess everywhere else, while you focus on enjoying yourself in another part of the room. You're not running into another room, you're not talking about it with anyone, and you're not hovering nearby it to make sure it doesn't throw up all over the carpet. Eventually even the most hardened life-crashing fear will bore of being starved of attention and will slink away in search of a more attentive audience. Fear lives off resistance. So humour it. When you stop resisting, it zaps away the power of the fear leaving it all floppy and impotent. And in this case, that really is a good thing

(from Natalie Christie).

Unknown Shakespeare Play Published

2010-03-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

A play which was first discovered nearly 300 years ago has been credited to William Shakespeare.

The work, titled Double Falsehood, was written by the playwright and another dramatist, John Fletcher.

(from BBC news).