Once upon a time, I decided I was tired of waiting for my dream role to fall at my feet so I collected some crazy talented friends and together we CREATED that dream role. Slowly, but surely, that dream is starting to become a reality. Just last week we posted our first casting notice and the emails started rolling in. In fact, they're STILL rolling in. To tell the truth, it was a bit overwhelming at first, but it's proving to be an incredibly educational experience. Here are some things I've learned so far. Actors, take notice. These little tips could easily make you stand out the next time you submit for a project.
1) HAVE A WEBSITE. I can not stress enough how important this is. Your headshot and resume don't tell me anything about you. Yes, I kind of sort of see how you look and what you've done, but I need to know who you are. I need to know we'll work well together. I'd like to see some other pictures of you that are more than just your headshot! And speaking of more...
2) GET YOURSELF A REEL. I know, I know. You're just starting out, you haven't worked that much, you don't have anything that's good quality, the director of the student film you did never gave you a copy, excuses excuses excuses. Guess what! I don't care! Grab a friend with a camera and film a scene! I just need to see what you look like and what you can do. It doesn't need to be perfect and polished, it just needs to be.
3) WRITE A COVER LETTER. If your email is just blank with nothing but a headshot and resume, I'm gonna pass right over you. It goes back to the first point- I want to see something of your personality. Why do you think you're right for this role?
4) BE GOOGLEABLE. (shhh it's totally a word) Say I have a friend who says to me "Oh! I know an actor that would be perfect for this!" so I go to look you up and....nothing. No website. No IMDB. Maybe facebook, but it's completely protected. I want to know who you are before I reach out to you.
5) HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RESUME. To be honest, I was surprised how little looking at someone's resume meant to me. The first thing I looked at was the headshot. Then, if it was the right look (or on the fence) I checked out the website and reels. The last thing I looked at was the resume and for this particular project, only glanced to see if you had worked with anyone I knew. For the most part, I didn't care how much was on it or how important your roles were. Everyone has to start somewhere. That being said, please make it presentable. You would be surprised at how many resumes looked like they were slapped together at the last minute- things not lining up, weird fonts, etc. That equaled an almost immediate no for me.
6) LOOK AT THE BREAKDOWN. I'm not talking about JUST the physical requirements for the role. Obviously if you don't meet the characteristics described in the breakdown, chances are, you're not going to get called in, but that's your own business. No, what I"m talking about is looking at the dates and times of auditions. Please, don't submit for something if you know for a fact you are busy or out of town during those times! They're in the breakdown for a reason! If you see something you're right for but you can't make it, send your materials and write in your cover letter letting us know you are unable to make those particular auditions but would like to be considered if any dates/times change.
8) RESPOND ASAP. After finally agreeing on 18 lovely women to see...even MORE people submitted. Some of them we really liked and would have loved to have seen, but the emails had already gone out. Perhaps we'll have a second night of auditions, and if so, they'll be at the top of our list. But for now, unfortunately, we just don't have the time to see them. Which is a shame because they could've rocked our socks off!
That's all I've got for now. The auditions are on Wednesday and I can not WAIT. I've never been on this end of things!! I'm sure I will have plenty to share with you regarding my thoughts from the Other Side of the Table.
Have you had any Actor Ah-Ha moments in your life recently?
1) HAVE A WEBSITE. I can not stress enough how important this is. Your headshot and resume don't tell me anything about you. Yes, I kind of sort of see how you look and what you've done, but I need to know who you are. I need to know we'll work well together. I'd like to see some other pictures of you that are more than just your headshot! And speaking of more...
2) GET YOURSELF A REEL. I know, I know. You're just starting out, you haven't worked that much, you don't have anything that's good quality, the director of the student film you did never gave you a copy, excuses excuses excuses. Guess what! I don't care! Grab a friend with a camera and film a scene! I just need to see what you look like and what you can do. It doesn't need to be perfect and polished, it just needs to be.
3) WRITE A COVER LETTER. If your email is just blank with nothing but a headshot and resume, I'm gonna pass right over you. It goes back to the first point- I want to see something of your personality. Why do you think you're right for this role?
4) BE GOOGLEABLE. (shhh it's totally a word) Say I have a friend who says to me "Oh! I know an actor that would be perfect for this!" so I go to look you up and....nothing. No website. No IMDB. Maybe facebook, but it's completely protected. I want to know who you are before I reach out to you.
5) HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RESUME. To be honest, I was surprised how little looking at someone's resume meant to me. The first thing I looked at was the headshot. Then, if it was the right look (or on the fence) I checked out the website and reels. The last thing I looked at was the resume and for this particular project, only glanced to see if you had worked with anyone I knew. For the most part, I didn't care how much was on it or how important your roles were. Everyone has to start somewhere. That being said, please make it presentable. You would be surprised at how many resumes looked like they were slapped together at the last minute- things not lining up, weird fonts, etc. That equaled an almost immediate no for me.
6) LOOK AT THE BREAKDOWN. I'm not talking about JUST the physical requirements for the role. Obviously if you don't meet the characteristics described in the breakdown, chances are, you're not going to get called in, but that's your own business. No, what I"m talking about is looking at the dates and times of auditions. Please, don't submit for something if you know for a fact you are busy or out of town during those times! They're in the breakdown for a reason! If you see something you're right for but you can't make it, send your materials and write in your cover letter letting us know you are unable to make those particular auditions but would like to be considered if any dates/times change.
8) RESPOND ASAP. After finally agreeing on 18 lovely women to see...even MORE people submitted. Some of them we really liked and would have loved to have seen, but the emails had already gone out. Perhaps we'll have a second night of auditions, and if so, they'll be at the top of our list. But for now, unfortunately, we just don't have the time to see them. Which is a shame because they could've rocked our socks off!
That's all I've got for now. The auditions are on Wednesday and I can not WAIT. I've never been on this end of things!! I'm sure I will have plenty to share with you regarding my thoughts from the Other Side of the Table.
Have you had any Actor Ah-Ha moments in your life recently?
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