Answer: After an audition, you may get a phone call from your agent with the news that the casting office has “put a pin in you.” What this means is that the casting office has recommended you as a potential hire to the production team. This does not mean you’ve booked the job, just that you’re a finalist.

Being pinned should be considered an acting victory. You don’t have any control over what the final decision is, so take the time to celebrate getting this far in the process. What happens from here is entirely up to the producers, the studio, the network and the availability of the other actors that are also pinned.

Yes, there are other actors in the mix at this point, all pinned like you are. Think of it as a virtual array of headshots, “pinned” to an imaginary corkboard. Hence, the term “pinned.”

The equivalent phrase, most often used by commercial casting directors, is “being put on avail,” or being asked to keep a date open for a potential booking. Being pinned is similar in a couple of ways.

First, you’re not the only actor that’s pinned. The very reason they pin you (instead of just going ahead and offering you the role) is that the production team has a few choices in mind but want to make sure you’re available. This doesn’t mean you’re their first choice for the part, but you might be.

Second, you can’t let this distract you from other auditions or work. Being pinned is not a booking, so you can’t assume you can’t audition for other parts, or work other jobs while you’re waiting to hear if you get the job. Just go about your business, and let casting and the production office do their jobs.

And be sure to let the casting office know if your availability changes. If for some reason you can’t do the gig, you need to help casting make their eventual decision without you. Don’t make them do unnecessary work, only to find you’re out.

Pinning, as opposed to booking, can happen for any number of reasons, but a likely scenario is that production is not decided on ethnicity or body type for your role. The balance of the cast needs to meet network standards for diversity and creative standards for comedy and drama in an episode or film. This doesn’t mean that if they eventually pass on you that you weren’t the best actor in the audition room, just that you weren’t the right actor for this particular job.

It also very well may be that the show has an offer out to a name actor whose representatives haven’t yet responded to that offer, or they haven’t been able to close the booking for that name actor. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been pinned, only to be released, and then later seen the episode on the air with a celebrity in the role. Again, this doesn’t mean you aren’t great at your audition, just that a bigger name got the call. Someday, you’ll be that bigger name.

It’s important to relax and not get too crazy when you get a pin put in you. It’s the perfect time to practice restraint – don’t bug your agent or manager, and do not call casting to see if there’s “any updates.” Just let the process happen.

And remember, this is an indication that you’ve booked the room. It means that both casting and production see something in you, and that you might just get the part. You’ve gotten past every other auditioning actor to get that pin in you – be proud. And be ready to report to set should the pinning become a booking.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Getting paid acting work is a very satisfying accomplishment, especially when that paycheck shows up. Getting paid acting work where you have to wait anywhere from a few weeks to forever to get paid is slightly less satisfying, but producers have that option – under certain conditions.

Payment for doing an acting job can be effected with many different types of currency. I’m not talking about different countries and their money, I’m talking about what’s important to you in your career at the moment you take a job.

Often, early in an actor’s career, when you’re trying to build up your credits, thicken the resume with work that shows a casting director you can be trusted on the set or stage, you’re going to be attracted to anything that gets you near a camera. You not only want to build your resume, you also want to build your reel.

We talk in another article about compensation here on Acting Answers about what “copy/credit/meals” means, and as we noted, that doesn’t usually include money. The next higher level of compensation that might include cash in your pocket, is in a project where you’ll get paid when the project makes money. That’s called deferred pay.

In essence, when you take a role in a project offering deferred pay, you’re not only looking to get experience, another credit, networking with the cast and crew and potentially some nice footage for your reel, you’re also hoping that the project is successful, the producers make a profit, and you, at that point, receive a paycheck for your work.

To be blunt, that rarely comes to pass. Most attempts at putting together a production that is underfunded enough that the cast and crew can’t be paid, also lack the funds to properly advertise, promote and market the project. That spells disaster. And it also means that, in the end, no one gets paid.

But, on rare occasions, things do work out well. I once had a member of the cast of Napoleon Dynamite on my radio show. The actor, Shondrella Avery, who played Kip’s girlfriend, Lafawndu, in the film, related her absolute joy at getting the call from Jon Heder, the lead and producer, that they’d sold the film and she had a pretty hefty paycheck waiting for her. She said, “Usually, you just do these little projects and forget about them.”

Your union status will determine the rules for offering and accepting a role in a project where deferred pay is offered. SAG and AFTRA have language in their contracts that call for their members to get paid first when money starts coming in. Non-union projects have no such rules, so keen negotiation is important.

That same keen negotiation can be brought to bear when signing a union contract with deferred pay as well. Usually, there’s a nominal daily pay amount for low budget, indie and web-based projects, on the order of $100 a day or so. There’s nothing to stop you from making a change in your contract when you sign your paperwork, striking the $100 and inserting the current daily scale wage or more. I always ask if I can do that, and since it doesn’t cost the producer anything more at that moment, they usually say yes.

Just be clear that deferred pay doesn’t mean delayed pay – it means pay that will be yours should the project have appreciable income, make a profit and have a budget to pay you. Don’t count on it, but do watch the project’s progress – DVD sales, Netflix and other on-demand services and internet play all mean money for the producers, and potentially, you.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: When starting off your career as an actor, you might find it a bit difficult to get that series regular role right off the bat. It happens, but more likely, you’ll start with low- or no- budget indie, student and peer projects that promise a great time, but no pay. In money – they do usually offer copy, credit and meals. Here’s what that means.

Paid acting gigs are great, but often, you’re presented with non-paid gigs from friends, students and producers whose projects have little or no money behind them. Not only do you not get paid, you don’t have any of the niceties you’ll have when you get on a network set: a trailer, a PA, wardrobe and makeup and so on.

Often, early in an actor’s career, when you’re trying to build up your credits, thicken the resume with work that shows a casting director you can be trusted on the set or stage, you’re going to be attracted to anything that gets you near a camera. You not only want to build your resume, you also want to build your reel.

That’s where the value in a copy-credit-meals project is – a chance to build the tools you need to get acting jobs that pay you well. But those three words can mean different things to different producers. And sometimes, you have to do a bit of chasing to get all three.

Let’s start with “copy.” This doesn’t mean the same thing as voiceover or narration copy, as we discuss here. Rather, it means that part of the compensation for you performing in this project is that you’ll get a copy of the finished film or episode, on DVD or in a digital file, once the project has been completed.

This seems pretty straightforward, but it can end up being a very tedious process to actually accomplish: producers go AWOL with their projects and their addresses, students drop out of film school or never quite get around to finishing their projects (or getting them to you) and so on.

Most of the time, students and low-budget film producers get the copy to you, often before it screens or on the night of the premiere. In particular, if a student you’ve shot a film with isn’t prompt about getting you your copy, and you’ve tried being as nice as possible to make it happen, a call to the student’s advisor or the office of the Dean of the film school can be remarkably effective in getting that copy sent your way.

The “credit” part of copy-credit-meals is usually the easiest to accomplish – this means that you’ll be listed in the credits of the final produced piece. You negotiate these credits exactly the same way you’d negotiate credits in a paid acting job – above the title, “as [character name],” “with,” “and,” separate card, and so on. Make sure the spelling of your name is correct when you talk to the director or producer.

Finally, that last word, “meals,” can mean anything from fully catered meals plus a kraft table (yes, that actually happens) to a package of crackers and warehouse store soda (sadly, that’s far more likely) on set. There are no set rules for this, other than to give you a break every six hours for a meal, provided by the production or not, When they say they are going to give you meals, be prepared the first day with a bag lunch just in case – then be pleasantly surprised when you’re actually served a hearty lunch and dinner.

Also remember that union rules allow for your participation in copy-credit-meals projects, f the production entity has negotiated a waiver for pay; this is usually the case with film schools, colleges and university film production programs. Those projects are worth doing, if only for the footage you get: my audition for HEROES came about because a casting director saw a clip of me in a copy-credit-meals film.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: When presented with a request (or demand) by another actor in a scene where you’ve been given conflicting direction by the director, the director comes first.

In the heat of shooting a scene, you may be taken aside by another actor and asked to do something: wait a beat before crossing, move a little earlier, cheat your head or body one way or the other, and all so that the other actor can accomplish something on camera.

Always try to be accommodating when an actor asks your indulgence. If they have any sense of the camera’s location, they should be given every opportunity to maximize their ability to make their moments on screen live and breathe and be wonderful.

But what about those situations where the actor asks you to do something that would be in conflict with a direction given to you by the director?

Certainly, you can try your best to accomodate both, but in the end, the director rules. He or she is called the director because they are in charge of the direction of the scene, not the other actor. Being polite about it is key – not dismissing the other actor’s request with a flat out no, but actually discussing it and letting them know that you’ll do everything you can to get that done – politely pointing out the direction you’ve received from the director.

Sometimes, it’s a no brainer to accomodate the other actors’ needs, sometimes, it’s not. I found myself on set doing a scene with an actor who wanted to get a wink at me in while the camera was on him, the scene being shot over my shoulder. He asked that I move a little faster to clear the scene so that that wink would be captured clearly.

This was a two camera shoot, with A camera over my shoulder, and B camera on a wider shot from the side, capturing the entire movement. Unfortunately, if I’d moved faster, I would have hit my mark a bit too quick at the end of the scene. So, in one of the takes, I moved faster to accomodate the wink, and then as though my character was amazed at what I had just seen, I turned around and walked for a bit backwards to slow myself down, and hit the mark at the end of the scene properly. Both director and actor? Happy.

Also, you can execute the scene the way the director asked, and if there’s time, ask to do it one more time with the other actor’s request in mind. That does two things: it makes sure that the director gets the shot he or she wants, and it shows a sense of cooperation with the other actor. And you and the director never know – that last take might end up being one that is useful.

Sometimes, it’s a timing issue – your arrival or departure into or out of a scene is timed so that something happens to draw the eye to or from you or your scene partners. If you’re asked to change that timing, the whole scene may unravel, so that calls for a “do your best but follow the director” approach. But most of the time, an actor’s instinct that can be accommodated by a slight lean to the left or a look over your shoulder to the right might just make the scene that much more memorable.

In the most egregious cases, an actor may attempt to take over direction of the scene. If you can’t manage to do the scene without an immense amount of distraction, it’s time to talk, quietly, to the 2nd AD or the AD about it. If it’s happening on stage, the stage manager should be your conduit.

Your takeaway? The director comes first, and your fellow actor comes second. Learn the language of cooperation that will accommodate both.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Getting an audition notice involves getting not only directions to the audition location, the nature of the project and what character you’ll be reading for, but also a copy of the piece of the script you’ll be reading for the casting team. These are called sides, and you’ll get a great deal of information on what the producers are looking for you to do, by analyzing the different markings on the sides themselves.

The markings that casting directors place on sides are like a road map for our audition. Done in thick Sharpie marker so that they are unmistakeable, the sides are clear indicators of what the casting person wants you to do for your audition, in order, with page numbers, character names, show and episode titles, scene markers and with clues as to how your character is written, their positioning within the story, even additional information about the character that is not part of your spoken audition.

A simple, one page side may have nothing more than a START/ and /END on it, letting you know, well, where to START and where to END. When you step into the audition room, and start to read with the reader, you won’t be doing anything other than what’s between those two marks. Casting directors will usually run a diagonal line through script content that has nothing to do with your scene – but you should read that material anyway, as it may contain clues about how your character is written.

Should you have multiple scenes in an audition, you’ll have markings like page numbers, total number of pages, scene markers like (SC 1) or (SCENE 3) that show you where they want you to start individual pieces of your audition. Those scene markers won’t usually coincide with the scene numbering of the script – they’re simply there so that you know how many scenes you have to work with and what order they’ll be read in.

Let’s say you have three scenes denoted on your sides. Usually, the casting director will have you run from one to the other straightaway. There’s no standing on ceremony to get prepared for each marked scene – prepare to adjust on the fly and move cleanly from each to the next.

You may prepare all of the scenes marked on the sides, only to have the casting person say to you as you walk into the room, “We’re only going to be doing Scene 1 and 2…you don’t have to worry about Scene 3.” Don’t let that throw you – the casting session may be honing in on how the auditioning actors are handling those two scenes, and, perhaps, only letting certain actors do the final scene.

Each of those three scenes will be marked with an audition scene number, and the material between them will have a diagonal or vertical line through it, letting you know to jump over that content. Sometimes, the casting director will jot down, FYI. Although you should read everything in your sides, this is a direct note from the casting director that this material is important to your preparation.

Obviously, you don’t prepare to deliver any material that’s crossed out and not part of the scenes you do see. But you may also find that not every single word in the material you will be reading are to be spoken. Your character, or other characters, may have some or all of the words in individual lines marked out, to speed up the audition or to just give the casting director and others in the room a feel for how you’d handle a much longer passage.

You can add your own marks to your sides – we highlight, add notes in the margins, maybe even jot down the line at the top of the next page where the sides might say (MORE) or (CONT’D) so we’re not turning pages in the middle of a line. I always prepare to be off-book, even for pre-reads, but I keep my sides in my hands just in case I need them – and those personal markings are there as a safety net.

Should you have any questions about the sides and how they are marked up, don’t wait until you get into the audition toom to clarify what the casting director wants. Get with your agent, and ask for more details – and let them call the casting office to find out what was meant. You don’t want something cleared up at the last minute that may drastically change your approach to your audition.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: The quantity of auditions we get can ebb and flow, and sometimes we can go through dry spells of few auditions – compared to the days when auditions seem to pile up, or other actors seem to be far more popular with CDs than are you. When auditions are scarce, it’s tempting to ask what’s broken with your representation. Rarely is it broken at all.

When I hear an actor use the phrase “My agent doesn’t get me out at all,” or, at the other extreme, “My agent gets me out all the time,” I delicately figure out how to gently approach them with the fact that your agent has little to do with how often you go out. Unless you’re being packaged by UTA, WME, or the like, in which case this post doesn’t apply to you at all, it’s usually not about your agent.

It’s usually about you.

YOU are the main reason you’re getting out or not getting out. Not your agent. YOU have control over all of your marketing materials. YOU have control over your auditioning and personal relationship skills. YOU have control over your acting skills. YOU even have control over who represents you.

I listen to actors complain about how their agents aren’t “getting them out” enough, and I immediately think of how their agents aren’t making any money on them if the actor isn’t being seen and then booking roles. And when we do get booked for a day’s work at scale, your agent makes about 80 bucks. Not a lot for all of the parts he/she does submit you for that take the same amount of work as the ones you book.

Rest assured, your agent is submitting you for everything they think you can knock out of the park. If you’re not being called in for what your agent is submitting you for, stand back and start counting how many reasons there might be for that – almost none of which has to do with your agent and their skill level in representing you.

You might be too tall. You might have the wrong hair color. Your headshots might be off putting. Your resume might be trying too hard. You might not have enough credits. You might have too many credits. You might have grown a beard or shaved one off. You might look like the CD’s ex. You might even have gone in for the CD before, and she remembers how poorly you executed your audition.

What does all of this have to do with basing your decision on representation on whether or not other actors think an agency is “nice” or they “go out a lot?” It doesn’t matter how that agency works for them or how nice they are. It’s an interesting bonus to have nice people represent you and interact with you, but it’s far more incumbent on you to make sure you’re ready to work effectively on your career and to be able to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you should you add that agency to your team.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard an equivalent to the phrase “That agent could represent a rock and get it booked for series recurring.” I DO hear “I’d love to represent her – I hear CDs, writers and producers LOVE her, and her resume proves it.”

The process of getting an agent shouldn’t be about whether or not they’ll possibly represent you (although it can certainly feel like they have all the power) – it should be about whether or not they fit into your plans for your career. If we were in any other business, we’d simply be hiring a sales person, finding out their experience, getting references, talking business, and talking about all of these things and more with several candidates – and an actor looking for an agent should be no different.

When you interview an agent, it’s great to ask questions about their working style, how they prefer contact (phone, email, and about what with regard to your career do they want to talk), but what they do for other actors and how those other actors take advantage of challenges and opportunities in their careers has little bearing on how you will handle yourself and your career. Interview them not as if you’re trying to figure out how to get some of that good submission juice they seem to generate for all of the people you spoke to, but rather if they are the right fit for your team – the right sales person to represent your product line.

Make your decision based on where you are in your career (Absolute beginner? Aspirational? Developmental? Working some? Working a lot? Seasoned veteran?) and remember that anyone that represents you is going to be nice. It’s the nature of being a sales person – if you’re not nice, you don’t last. CDs don’t want to take your calls. Make sure that your attitude is centered around what you can do to help your sales person (agent) do their SECOND job – call you to let you know that you’ve got an audition. They usually don’t need help with their FIRST job – submitting you for a role.

Please take all of this with love – I hope you all find the kind of agent I’ve found: someone who wants to be in business with me, and occasionally grab dinner, a ball game or a quick chat on-set. I am extraordinarily happy with how much I am called in, and he and I have had many discussions about how my tools are great and increase the number of “yes”es that he gets when he puts me up. The fact that Karl’s really nice is mere icing on the cake.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Absolutely right, Peter – Peter Finch. Corrected.

And wasn’t Ned Beatty’s character so right?

The film “Network” has so many wonderful monologues! (By the way, the newscaster was played by Peter Finch, not Albert Finney.) I’ve learned the one made by Ned Beatty’s character, the chairman of the corporation that owns the network, who explains that we no longer live in a world of nations and that the world is really a business. “You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I– WON’T– HAVE IT!!”

Answer: Understanding what a monologue is is only half the real Acting Answer. Why it’s important for an actor to have a monologue or two at their fingertips, and what they are used for is the real question. Here’s why monologues are key to a successful acting career..

First, let’s get all geeky with the definition of the word monologue. Your first clue is the prefix “mono,” from the Greek “mono,” meaning “alone” or “single.” There’s a similar word in our actor dictionary, “dialogue” – where “dia” is Greek for “two” or “double” (or in our world, “two or more”). And the “logue” part of the word is from the Greek “logos,” or “speak”.

So, in fact, the word monologue means “speaking alone” or “single speaker.” And that’s a perfect description for what you’ll be doing, all by yourself, with the monologues you learn.

In the world of acting, the word monologue (or “monolog” as it’s sometimes misspelled) is used a couple of ways. It can describe a piece of writing that is delivered by a solo performer, with no conversation from another actor, like a speech or an explanation. It’s also used to describe the actual performance of that writing. Either way, it’s you, standing in front of an audience, and creating a character whose whole speech is the passage, or monologue.

A great example of a monologue is from the film Network, where Peter Finch’s character gets fed up with the state of network television, and exhorts his viewers to reject TV as it stands and “not take it anymore”. Another would be Hamlet’s speech that begins with the words “To be, or not to be…” Shakespeare often uses the monologue to have a character sum up a scene or to prepare the audience for what’s to come.

Here’s another: John Cusack, in the film Say Anything, where, when asked by his girlfriend’s father at the dinner table what he wanted to do with his life, spends some time talking about what he doesn’t want to do, but ends up declaring that whatever he does, it will be in service to his girlfriend. There are thousands of monologues available for you to look at to see if they might be right for you – just look at the pile of scripts you have, or jump online and do some research. You might also ask your acting teacher or coach to recommend some for you to learn.

Both of those examples are long speeches, unlike the rest of the scripts in each film, which are mostly snappy dialogue and action sequences. These monologues, however, are designed to let a character take us on a journey of words, to influence us to the character’s point of view, and to let us in on what the character’s deeper thoughts are. Monologues also help set the tone for the rest of the film, or provide a very talky climax, explaining why what we just saw, or are about to see, happened or is happening.

But why are monologues something we hear about almost from the very start of our acting career? Because it’s a great way to let a casting person or a potential representative know what your skill level is in creating a character and showing us that character through the performance of the character’s monologue. When having a meeting with an agent, or a manager, or a casting director, and to get a gauge on your acting abilities, you may be asked to perform a scene, with them reading the other character’s lines.

But you might also be asked to perform a monologue. This isn’t because they’re lazy – it’s because they want to see if you can step out of your skin and into your character’s skin and take them on a journey. A monologue lets them do that without being distracted by being part of the scene themselves – they can keep their eyes on you the whole time.

Monologues can also be a part of acting competitions, and are the very basis for one-man and one-woman shows – they are nothing but really, really long monologues. And finding monologues is as simple as sighting a long passage in a play or film script and adapting it for your use. It’s important to pick a monologue (or several, actually – you want at least one comedy and one dramatic monologue rehearsed and ready for performance) that suits your brand, your age, your sex, your look. Helping someone who could give you access to a paid acting gig via the performance of a monologue is a grand tradition in the world of acting – and I hope this helps you in that tradition!

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

David, Thank you so much for the great advice! I have a lot of questions to ask the production company now. They told me that I would be SAG eligible after the commercial, if I wanted to join. On a side note, I received a check in the mail today for the screen test, which was unexpected. Since this opportunity fell into my lap, I have been rolling with it as a great blessing. However, I want to be wise with it as well. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to answer my question so quickly and thoroughly! Your website offers such a vast array of expertise which is exactly what I need when it comes to negotiating my way around the acting community.

Great questions! And absolutely great advice, once again David. Thank you!

Valuable & good advice. Great answers!

Answer: Kelley, thanks for asking. And, big congratulations on your booking a national commercial. You’ve actually asked a number of questions in all that you’ve submitted, so let’s see if we can take these one at a time. I know time is of the essence, so I’ll type as fast as I can.

First, let’s look at the project as you’ve outlined it. You say you understand you’ll become eligible to join SAG via this spot. I’d need to know who told you this to be able to answer the question accurately. If it was the production company for the spot that told you this, that tells me it’s a SAG project, and that they’re willing to use Taft-Hartley to get you into the union. On the other hand, if it’s a friend who assumed that because you got booked on a commercial, not knowing whether it was SAG or not, you automatically become eligible for SAG, that’s probably not the case.

I mention this because your project sounds like it might be an infomercial type of spot, with product user testimonials that use actors as “users”. Maybe you actually use the product and like it, and maybe you don’t. But either way, it’s more common that projects like this are non-union. If this project is union, that’s great. But be prepared for disappointment should you talk to the production team and they tell you it’s a non-union shoot.

Here’s the bad news. If it is a non-union shoot, it will be highly unlikely that you will be offered anything but a buyout contract. That is far and away the norm with non-union commercials: they offer you a lump sum for worldwide, all media, in perpetuity rights, with no residuals. That means they can use you anywhere, on radio, TV, internet, print or any other medium, and do so forever, with no additional payments other than your compensation for the shoot.

Here’s the good news. If it’s a SAG commercial project, then you don’t have to worry about asking for residuals, because no SAG commercial project exists that doesn’t include very clearly defined markets, time periods and set amounts of residual payments based on usage. That usage can vary from something as small as a local small market spot for a quick two week period, all the way up to a national spot that runs for years. And the pay is proportional to the usage. You won’t have to ask; it will all be covered under the pre-existing SAG Commercial contract.

Here’s even more good news. If it’s not a SAG spot, and it’s non-union, there’s still the option of simply declining the booking if they don’t offer you a considerable amount for your buyout. As an example, if the spot will run for a year nationally, you could make around $5000 between the session fee and the residuals every 13 weeks. So, ask for that. In your negotiations, ask for a similar amount as your buyout. There’s nothing stopping you from passing on the work if you don’t get what you want money-wise.

Be aware that this will not make you eligible for SAG, but it may net you more money. And also be aware that you’ll be on your own to collect that money – no union will be there for you to make sure the producer pays on time, or pays a penalty to you if they don’t live up to their end of the bargain.

The last part of your question is about having an agent negotiate this for you. I recommend that if you can find one (and it shouldn’t be hard given that you’ll be giving them a percentage of your earnings for this work), that you have the best one you can find do the negotiation. Ask a fellow actor that you trust who is already represented if they might call their agent on your behalf – that way, you’re getting someone who is already a trusted resource.

A good agent will be skilled in making sure your contract, whether SAG or non-union, is not leaving out any of the protections that you should be afforded on set. The agent will also make sure that you’re paid properly (they make more money the more money you make) and on time. They can also vet the production company to make sure that you’re being hired by a reputable firm, not just some fly-by-night producer. Finally, the agent will make sure that you are properly Taft-Hartleyed into the union if it actually is a union shoot.

This is exactly the way some actors get their agents – they come to one with an opportunity in hand, needing the expertise of that agent, and it turns into an on-going relationship. Here’s hoping that everything turns out just great for you, and that this is the start of a great career and a beautiful agent-actor relationship.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: This answer may surprise you, and it’s akin to the answer I’d give if someone asked a similar question about whether being on a reality show would help or hurt your career. Frankly, YouTube is neither a help nor a hindrance, unless you make it one or the other.

Acting careers are born many different ways – via traditional training, stage work, on-set work with student films, web series and a hundred ways we haven’t even thought of yet. Casting directors, by and large, don’t care how you got to a particular level of recognition, just that you are recognizable. There are plenty of actors that began as singers. As talk show hosts. As DJs. As newscasters and reporters. They then made a choice to pursue a different path in entertainment.

Who would have predicted that high-pitched YouTube phenom Fred would have the representation that he has, and the opportunities that he’s currently pursuing in the world of feature films? Who would have predicted that Colby Donaldson, the host of Top Shot, would have graduated from the ranks of Survivor to do national commercials, act in television episodes (and not as a reality show star) and go on to host a popular show on the History Channel?

Online outlets like YouTube (and Funny or Die and Blip and Vimeo and Revver and so on) could, at any time, generate the Next Big Thing. I wasn’t surprised when Twitter’s popular @$#itMyDadSays was mined by CBS for a series that lasted longer than most and starred William Shatner. So, what you do on YouTube could end up enhancing your career – or what you do could become so infamous that you have to explain things forever (Friday from Rebecca Black, anyone?)

My point is that the method that transports entertainment to us, whether over-the-air broadcast, cable, satellite, internet, podcast; and the source of that entertainment, whether NBC, FOX, HBO, Hulu, YouTube, iTunes, whatever is heading for homogeneity. Our generation is rapidly losing any distinction between where, when and how actors appear in projects, how those projects make money, or what cachet the carrier of that entertainment package has. If it’s funny, it’s funny. If it’s sexy, it’s sexy. And if it’s you on YouTube or you on CBS, there may someday be no need to differentiate.

There’s no way to reasonably or repeatedly predict where the next actor’s future will take shape. Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along helped solidify Felicia Day as the darling of the online web series, and The Guild made her some money as well. But neither of those projects has the standard order procedure that linear TV’s pilot/up front/new series path still dictates. No online production path has yet been identified, and no online star-making process has yet to be devised.

I say if you’re smart about it, YouTube (actually, any non-broadcast outlet) can help you make your mark. It certainly might be a problem if all you’re making is drunken videos with your girlfriends on a Friday night at the club, but even asking the question you asked for this Acting Answer shows you’re way smarter than that. Casting directors want to see you make a connection, and if you have thousands or millions of views by interested, engaged fans, that’s a plus.

I say pursue all avenues simultaneously. Say yes to every project you can knock out of the park, no matter what the outlet. Don’t worry so much about your body of work – just work. Do web series for friends, do your own, do sketch comedy, do animation, do whatever. Look at each as another opportunity to act. And pick and choose between projects based on your brand and what you want to do with your career.

And I say embrace the future. In 5 years, YouTube and Twitter and Facebook may actually be passe (MySpace, anyone?) and replaced by the next shiny butterfly that captures the attention of the public. Technology may evolve that we couldn’t have predicted would even be possible, let alone popular. Audiences may be gathered in whole new ways, forcing casting directors to re-think the resumes of actors like you. And how you come to the moment to enter their rooms may change dramatically from agents putting you up for auditions and CDs calling you in, to show runners taking a daily gander at the most popular online videos – and there you’ll be.

Hope this helps.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Ali.

First off, congratulations on your first trip to the US to start your dance lessons. And your English is not bad – and will only get better as you learn more about how casual English is used here, and you speak it every day in New York. My French consists of being able to tell you that “the pencil is next to the library” and that “I don’t speak French,” so you’re just fine.

Your journey here, and your eventual career is going to take shape very much like someone coming to New York from anywhere else here in the US, with a few important differences. People often ask me about moving to any of the major production centers (New York, Los Angeles, London etc) from wherever they live, and my short and simple answer is this:

You have to live where the work is.

At least when you’re starting off – once you’re well into your career, and you have the luxury of living wherever you want, you can choose to live outside those centers. But, especially when you’re getting your career off the ground, you need to be in the middle of it all, ready to head out to an audition at a moment’s notice, networking with other entertainment professionals, getting to know your customers (casting directors, writers and producers) and really getting involved with the community, selling your acting wares as you go.

So – are you willing to take the plunge and move to New York permanently? I’m hoping the answer is yes. Doing so will allow you to build your career with the best chances for success.

And, since you’re headed here anyway, you can take advantage of the time you have here during your dance classes to evaluate the resources available to you for when you decide to move here. Getting headshots with a terrific New York photographer, meeting casting directors at workshops and at auditions, learning how to submit yourself for parts, networking other actors and watching their work on stage and on-set, getting a great resume together, putting together your reel from the work you’ve already done, and putting yourself up for student and independent films while you’re here to add to that reel are all steps you need to take once you get here.

Once here, don’t use the fact that you’re French as an excuse. Use it as what a famous advertising executive once called a USP, or “unique selling proposition.” Celebrate your being French as a reason for casting people to consider you for roles, not a reason for them to pass you by. Be up front with your heritage, and let the mystery of your nationality add to your acting tool kit. There are plenty of foreign actors whose careers are enhanced, not reduced, by the differences in the way they speak our language, the fact that they speak a second language, their different life experiences and their boldness to move about the globe to find the acting work they want. Vive le (la?) Ali!

One great way to get to know all of the moving parts is to intern, or volunteer, for as many different roles, other than actor, as you can while you’re here. Spend some time working in a casting office. See if you can help out at an agency. Work on set as a production assistant on an independent film. Volunteer to help run an audition session for a theater production. Do everything you can to get experience at how all of the different aspects of the business work. It will be invaluable in understanding how absolutely arbitrary and random show business can be. Also, audit (attend for free) as many different acting classes as you possibly can while you’re here. You might find exactly the right one for you.

On that same note, I mentioned earlier that you’ll have some important, additional differences in your decision to move here, including a potential student visa, a proper work visa and eventual citizenship, should you move here permanently. All of these options are entirely up to you, but you’ll need to work the details out appropriately. If you were moving to New York from anywhere here in the US, you’d be free to seek work to support your acting career, but in your case, there are legal requirements you need to be aware of should you want to have a side job once you’re here. The reason I bring this up is because acting training, development and seeking of work can be draining to a bank account. Manage your money carefully, and visit this site (and feel free to contact me personally at davidlawrence@gmail.com) to get advice on what to, and what not to, spend your money on.

Some resources I think are a bargain include BACK STAGE magazine (you can also subscribe to their online daily BACK STAGE Espresso for free at backstage.com), and both the book and podcast series at the Secrets of Screen Acting website. The $250 or so you’ll spend to purchase both will give you an extraordinary advantage when approaching working on-set and in front of the camera, and also provides hours and hours of wisdom from one of the most knowledgeable and caring people in the business, Patrick Tucker. Listening to one or two five-minute episodes a day and working your way through the book will have you following the path I followed that led to my career success on HEROES and the other work I’ve done. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Finally, consider all of the advice you get from the actors and other entertainment professionals you meet (including me) very carefully before applying that advice to your life and career. Asking any question regarding the art or business of acting in a class, a gathering over dinner with other actors, in an online forum or even in the warmup room before dance lessons can yield many different and often opposing answers. Look for the “observable realities” in those answers – what works well for others in your situation – as well as the myths that crop up from time to time, and try to do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.

I’m thrilled that yet another actor is about to take the plunge, and I am honored that you asked me for advice. Other New York City actors and transplants – please add your comments below!

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: The economies of the major media centers can often be made up of lots of products and services designed to simply separate actors from their all to scarce dollars. The phrase “advance fee talent service” has been coined to describe businesses and individuals that charge you money before they perform a service.

Acting classes are everywhere. You can’t walk a block in the business districts of LA, New York or Chicago without bumping into some business that claims to train you in some aspect of acting: kid’s acting classes, adult acting classes, acting classes that teach you “the Method”, weekend acting classes, night acting classes and so on. And in addition to the craft – the “show” in “show business”, there are even more individuals and businesses that purport to be able to get you actual work, marketing you, promoting you, taking headshots, doing on-screen and voice demos, promising to introduce you to agents and casting directors – the “business” in “show business”.

While many of these acting classes are really fantastic, some of them are downright dangerous – not just because they waste your time and keep you from your acting career, but because they can actually damage your reputation with people who are the true professionals in the acting business.

But worst of all? They take large somes of money from you, and give you little or no results in return.

In 2005, the California Legislature passed SB1687, the Advance Fee Talent Service Law (AFTS). This was designed to make sure that if someone tells you that if you pay them money, they promise to get you work in the acting industry. That’s the long and short of it: give them money, and they’ll get you cast. Some blatantly lie about what they do: they’ll tell you they have connections because they used to work in the industry, and they “know everybody.” Others will tell you that their method is how (fill in famous actor’s name here) got to be so big in acting.

I’m not talking about casting workshops, as I talk about them in another article. I’m talking about “schools”, “coaches”, agents and managers that take money from you up front, and leave you both cash and job poor.

These businesses range from acting classes themselves (always look for a reputable school with great references from past students, not someone who claims to be “connected”), to private coaches, lifestyle and marketing consultants, image advisors, headshot photographers and casting workshop companies. I’ve been teaching at some of the best workshop companies in Los Angeles for several years, and I’m always amazed at the companies that will try to mimic what the good companies do, with no regard whatsover for you, the aspiring actor.

Another category of Advance Fee Talent Services to avoid is the talent competition companies, especially for kids acting and teen acting. Open Backstage or the LA Times, and on any given day you’ll find dozens of ads

Avoid any Advance Fee Talent Service that comes your way that smells the least bit too grand, too hard to believe or too desperate. Don’t let your hard earned dollars be spent chasing a dream – the only way to get there is through rehearsal, training, practice, focus and persistence. Oh, and a little bit of acting talent helps too.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Sitting in the audition room, waiting to audition for a paid acting job is a unique position to be in, and can be a nerve-wracking experience. By keeping focused, concentrating at the tasks at hand, and not engaging in games that can be destructive to you and to your fellow actors and your audition efforts, you’ll find the experience more exhilarating than exasperating. And you’ll book more paid acting work.

Getting the call or email from your agent that you have an audition always means hope and preparation – hope that you’ll book the job and preparation to make that hope a reality. Once you walk through the door of the audition room, you’re using a different set of skills than you do when you walk through the studio door or the door of your trailer on set – you’re using your auditioning skills, not just your performance skills. While you will perform as part of your audition, that’s not the only skill you’ll use.

Once you’re in the waiting area, take a moment to assess the temperature in the room. Don’t rush to sign in right away, but rather stop and collect yourself, and see how quickly the audition room turnstile is moving. You don’t want to be caught having to jump right into the audition room without a moment to catch your breath and get into what you’re doing. When you do sign in, sign in, and out, with your union member number, time in and out, and any personal information they want. It’s helpful to the union to get this information.

You might ask actors that are leaving the audition room how many people are in your audience. If you can, position yourself in a chair that allows you to see into the audition room as the doors open, so you won’t be surprised when there’s a casting director, an assistant, a reader, two writers, a couple of producers, someone from the network and the show runner all in the room. It’s happened to me. If it’s a call back, prepare to do exactly what you did in the pre-read – that’s why they brought you back. DO NOT change a thing about your performance.

While you’re sitting there – remember, this is your profession. It’s a job interview, and it’s not just this acting job you’re interviewing for – it’s a relationship you’re building that will help you gain access to all the other acting jobs that casting director may be casting in the future. Keep your eyes on the prize: even though you may know your lines cold, have made strong choices on your character and can do the scene backwards, resist the temptation to joke around, play head games with or otherwise be distracted by the other actors, and don’t distract them. It’s a competition, but make it a respectable one.

Go over your script lightly, stay loose and realize this is yet another opportunity to act. Look at it as a performance, and realize that most of the time, a casting director and the eventual decision makers to which she is feeding choices have an embarrassment of riches with most of the parts they cast. Yes, your acting has to be world-class, but the choice of who to cast often falls to those actors that are most memorable (in a good way) on-camera and in the room. Getting along with everyone easily is sometimes the winning edge, and most people would rather have a good actor that is fun on the set and easy to work with, than a great actor who is a pain to be around.

When you’re called, have your sides and headshot in hand (and be ready not to give it to them if they’ve got you covered electronically), go in, and be cheerful. Own the room, don’t shake hands unless a hand is offered, knock them dead, and be ready for adjustments and to pull out some of the other choices you’ve made, if asked. When they say thank you, give them a quick “My pleasure,” and leave the room – just the room. Don’t leave the audition waiting area just yet – sign out with your time, gather your things, make sure you have everything, note the rest of your day, quietly and to yourself.

Why wait a moment or two before leaving?

Because you never know if they need you to read with another actor, read for another part, they’ve run out of Neighbor #2′s to feed lines to another character, or any of a myriad of other reasons why the casting director might want to pop her head out and call you back into the room – meaning more face time on camera. Don’t hang out forever, but a few minutes dawdling might just might pay off.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Acting classes should have a strong committment to your professional success, a strong faculty and a strong track record.

You should also be working in every class and the school should have a clear strategy for implementing its acting philosophy.

Step off the bus in LA or New York or London as a new actor in town, and be prepared to be inundated with acting classes, acting workshops, acting seminars, acting schools, even acting live/work spaces. The options are endless, and choosing a great acting class to get into is paramount to being successful in your acting career. I attended the Howard Fine Acting Studio here in LA, pictured above. I can tell you that it was fantastic, and that I recommend it to everyone who asks.

Acting schools aren’t just about getting training in acting – they are also vibrant communities that provide networking opportunities that lead to collaboration, exposure, and, hopefully, work. Finding the acting class that’s just right for you is easier if you keep some basic standards in mind.

The best acting classes offer you the opportunity to audit their sessions. When deciding on a new car, test driving the car you eventually purchase is one of the most important steps in the buying process. It’s no different with an acting class. You should take the time, if in fact it’s not required by the school, to sit in on a class and see how the students and teacher interact, operate and perform. Taking the time to kick the tires of an acting class’ tone, environment and pace will go a long way towards success down the road.

The best acting classes are all about you and your success, not the teacher. Acting is filled with people who thrive on ego and drama – but your acting class’s teacher should not be among them. When you do audit that class, make note of how the teacher supports, or doesn’t support, the individual performers. Listen carefully to scene post-mortems for constructive, supportive counsel, not degrading or derogatory insults. Above all, be willing to walk if things don’t feel right to you.

The best acting classes have faculty that are respected in the community, and have a history of success. It doesn’t take any effort to hang up a shingle and call yourself an acting teacher or coach. So, how do you know who the real winners are, and who are the wanna-bes? Word of mouth, longevity, hands-on approach and student success are all things to consider. Asking fellow acting students, especially the ones who happen to book a lot, is crucial. The more people you ask, the more likely patterns will emerge.

Ask actors in LA, and you’ll hear Howard Fine mentioned a lot. Ask in New York, and Bill Espers’ name comes up over and over. In London, actors there will speak highly of Patrick Tucker. All of these people are not only popular with their students, but they have long track records of their students enjoying success, and they teach their own classes, they don’t just lend their names to schools for marketing purposes. They’ve been teaching acting and coaching actors for a long, long time.

The best acting classes don’t just suggest you work in each class, they require it. Any acting class you consider should have a clear policy on the actors in the class working each and every class. You, as an acting student, should be required to do a reading, put up a scene, do an exercise, perform a monologue, work with a new script, or whatever the class you’re in requires or offers as an option. If your class doesn’t have the time for every single actor to work in every single class, find another acting class as soon as you can.

The best acting classes have structure and a clear acting philosophy. Whether it’s a variation of The Method, or your class follows the tenets of Uta Hagen, or your class is trying to mainstream commedia dell arte, the class should have a clear set of acting standards and acting philosophies that they teach. Your syllabus should be clear and concise. Your requirements for your acting class and metrics for success in that class should be well known. If your class is a scene study class, you should know the process expected of you to start the scene, work it, and retire it when you’ve gotten what you need out of it. If your acting class has scenes, exercises and business skill development, you should be able to know where you are in the spectrum of the other students in the school. Clarity, as opposed to going to acting class after acting class only to wonder if you’re accomplishing anything, is a standard requirement.

Your acting classes may be ongoing, end after a number of weeks or months certain, or be a drop-in/drop-out, very casual class. Whatever the schedule, make sure that your acting class fits your style and has all the requirements you need to be successful. It’s a double whammy when you waste your time in an acting class that doesn’t work – not only do you get little or nothing out of the class, you have to spend more time in another acting class just to get where you wanted to be in your acting career in the first place.

By the way, you can find out more about my recommended school, the Howard Fine Acting Studio, here.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

I have to say that I wish I saw article this while Mr. Fraser was still alive so I could have a conversation with the guy. I feel like a bit of a shit-heel disagreeing with a man who cannot answer or respond to my statements.

That said, with all due respect to Mr. Fraser and his opinions on this matter, I feel compelled to address his statements regarding the job of a casting director.

I am not going to get into the “should I do a CD workshop” discussion – because that’s not what outraged me here.

According to IMDb, Mr. Fraser has not been a show runner since 1989. The business has changed a lot since then. His statements reek of a dated and outmoded way of doing business. Clearly he ran his shows by hiring people to bring him the talent, and then he and the network execs made all the decisions.

I have cast both television and film since the early 80s.
Along the way, I have gotten to know many of the casting directors around the globe. Mr. Fraser’s claim that “casting directors are mostly former actors” is simply untrue. False. I’m not sure where he got his statistics from, but I can assure you he is in error in making this claim. Yes, there are a few that are former actors…but not “most” as he claims. He goes on to say that “you are trying to get good career information from someone who did not succeed at a career where they claim expert status.” Again, this argument doesn’t track. At CD workshops, actors are (supposedly!) getting advice from CDs who are in the room, day in and day out, working with studio and network execs, directors, producers, and writers. A good CD knows what our team is looking for and how to get it from your audition. Should you pay a CD for face-time and for that knowledge? That’s another discussion I’m not going to get into here.

Mr. Fraser’s claims about CDs not being “decision makers” also shows great naïveté or just a dated filmmaking approach. As far as I can tell, there is not ONE PERSON who is a decision maker when it comes to casting. It is the filmmakers choice based on many weeks and sometimes months of discussions with the CD, along with the studio and network executives who make the casting decisions. Again, we come to those decisions as a group.
I have sat in many a room and taken part in many heated casting discussions with my team of filmmakers, studio and network executives. It’s a group discussion with a lot of passionate people. I recall sitting in a room deciding who should play the part of “Marion Ravenwood” in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. It was Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Mike Fenton, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Lawrence Kasdan….and me. We all went around the room and voted who should get the part. I have literally hundreds of these stories.

By the way, I have worked with Steven Spielberg on 5 projects and I do not recall him ever casting the extras. Ever.

Do you really think that the Coen Brothers didn’t listen and revere Ellen Chenoweth when she says she found the girl for them (True Grit – Haillee Steinfeld); Martin Scorsese doesn’t work side-by-side and value Ellen Lewis’ contribution when casting Boardwalk Empire (Shutter Island, The Departed, The Aviator to name a few); Woody Allen thinks Juliet Taylor is someone who just “winnows down the choices” on his films? By the way, she has cast his last 21 films; J.J. Abrams just thinks the über talented April Webster just “brings him actors” for him to say yes or no to? It just doesn’t work that way folks. It’s called collaboration.

I am not naïve enough to think that the CD has the final say…but the CD is as much a part of the filmmaking process as is the costumer, set designer, and the writer. Yes, that’s how important the role of the casting director is. The filmmakers that I work with believe this as well and treat the casting process with the respect that it deserves.

Casting directors are not merely “someone in the personnel department”. If you think of us this way, you are certainly missing the boat.

Answer: ADR stands for Automated Dialog Replacement. And it stands for Additional Dialog Recording. And all variations of these. What it really is about is more paid acting work for you, either replacing or adding to sound you’ve already recorded on the set, or for a production in which you don’t appear on camera. Here’s how it works.

ADR work can come to you in a number of ways: from on-camera work you’ve done that needs to be fixed or sweetened, from projects in which you have distinct vocal contributions, and from projects where you blend into an aural background to form a more “real” environment for the lead actors. If you’re a union actor, this is paid union work that generates residuals.

ADR involves you heading into a studio, by yourself or with a team of other actors, watching clips from a project that’s in post production, and using your voices to enhance and strengthen the story line. You’ll watch the clips on a movie-theater-sized screen, and there will be some formal processes you’ll follow.

Every clip you record for will be shown to you in its currently recorded form, and you’ll be directed as to what the sound editor wants you to do. At the beginning of each clip, you’ll see and hear the scene, and just before you’re to begin to speak or make whatever noise they need, you’ll hear three distinct beeps, like this:

adr beeps

Those beeps are designed to give you a rhythm to follow should you be matching your words to the lip movements of the actor on the screen (you, perhaps, but sometimes another actor who you are voicematching). Count to yourself: one…two…three…act. You might also have a vertical colored bar that sweeps from left to right for the length of the beeps to give you a visual cue as well. It’s not that hard to get the hang of it, but the better you get at it, the more accurate your work – and the faster the session will move. That will be greatly appreciated by the post team, and may lead to work on other projects.

I am lucky enough to work with Barbara Harris and her loop group, and I’ve done everything for her from voicematching to featured voices like train station announcers (Changeling), police radio dispatchers and helicopter pilots (The Hulk), sports play-by-play announcers (Percy Jackson Lightning Thief) and news anchors (All About Steve, The Special Relationship). Those were sometimes scripted, and sometimes ad-libbed, sometimes for several minutes at a time.

I also did several ADR sessions for the work I did on Heroes. This work ranged from re-recording lines that were recorded under difficult conditions, usually outdoors, to the addition of grunts, shouts and yells during action sequences. Here’s a scene from an episode where I added a yell as I flew through the air, a hard grunt when I landed, and heavy labored breathing after I landed:

Piece by piece, the scene was assembled from audio recorded in the field, with the newly added scream, grunt and breathing. Other times, it’s matching a recorded line or two (or twenty), ruined by wind noise or traffic or the occasional airplane or helicopter flying by as you’re acting out a scene.

It’s fun work, and it can become a career for some. Doing the occasional replacements or additions to what you’ve already shot is a fairly regular occurrence. But you might also really have a knack for the somewhat strange requirements that you need to be a regular with a team of actors/voice artists that comprise what are called loopers.

A typical ADR session where you’re providing looping services begins with a call from the ADR casting director, giving you the project you’re working on and what you need to research. That research prepares you for the kind of project you’re going to loop, and can vary widely. For Changeling, I had to do some heavy research on the web about the kind of language people used in the late 20s, as well as what train announcements were like, and what police and reporters said to each other in those days.

You may be called in for period piece work, you may be called in for contemporary projects, and you may be a part of the entire wall of sound at parties or ball games or church services, just to name a few. Be ready to be creative and be ready to work all day. And be ready to hear yourself when you projects air or are released in theaters.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Once we finally get through the acting audition process, the call backs, the pinning and on to an actual acting job itself, it sometimes feels like we’ve achieved a life long goal. We have to remember that the process starts all over again, sometimes before the current booking is over.

Every so often, I get a piece of email that makes me smile – happy that my words have been helpful to another actor. I got this email the other day:

David,

I’m sure you don’t remember me. I’m a Chicago based actress. We met last September through Kristine Oller and had coffee in LA at a place right around from where you live to discuss your podcast and how you set it up..

I just wanted to let you know, I’m re-listening to the SOSA archives (purchased them last June) and during the one where you and Patrick are discussing how many minutes are in a day and why each minute on the set is so important.

You made the offhand comment that you couldn’t understand actors who, after working so hard to get a role, then start dragging their feet once they are once set as they wanted to enjoy every single minute of it and milk everything out of it.

I had such a eureka moment!

I do the same thing and I didn’t realize it. Not on set, but in my VO. This business has been slow to gain momentum and the drips and drabs of work that do come in are inconsistent. I realized I was dragging this work out and the reason I was doing this was because there was nothing lined up behind it, at least that I could see. So I was making the most of it. Instead of clearing the decks quickly for what was to come, I was hanging on to what I had-probably messing up what was in the pipeline coming up.

Here’s the new plan. Get the job done and invoiced as quickly as possible, clear the decks and tell the universe I am ready for more.

So thank you. You probably never anticipated that comment would help someone but it did. Every word is just as important as every minute.

Best wishes to you,

Pam Tierney
Voice Talent/Actress
PamTierney.com
PamTierneyVO.com

I remember the meeting with Pam very clearly – she asked the right questions about marketing her acting and voiceover career, and seemed focused and driven to be successful.

Pam’s new plan should be the plan we all have – maintain your energy and don’t rest on your laurels. Remember, it’s not the acting job sale you just made, but the seeds you’re planting and marketing efforts you’re expemding to fill the pipeline with future acting jobs as well. Keep working hard to get more acting jobs even as you get paid acting work, and you’ll have the wonderful problem of having to decide between acting jobs sooner than later.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Paid acting jobs are the Holy Grail of your acting career. With preparation, persistence and skill, you can follow several different, and eventually effective, avenues to getting paid acting jobs.

Acting is unlike most careers in that, as our friend Kevin E. West of The Actors’ Network often says, you can simply declare yourself a professional actor – you don’t need to actually have secured paying work, you just have to be working towards it. So many people fall short of that goal of paid acting work that it becomes discouraging. It doesn’t have to be. This article will give you the processes that most actors use to get paid acting work, while maintaining their personal mental health.

Make note that these individual processes don’t always bear fruit for everyone – there are far too many actors in the field and far fewer acting jobs for which they can be cast. Although it’s rarely a snap to start working for money shortly after starting your acting career, there are several ways you can approach the process with clarity and focus.

Agent/manager submissions. The most common path to a working actor getting paid acting jobs. The agent or manager sees a breakdown for a particular part, and submits you (and, anyone else in their stable that fits the part) to the casting office for an audition. The casting office schedules you, and you go in for a pre-read audition. If you’re successful in the pre-read, you get called back, and you re-audition for the decision makers (producers, writers, director etc.) – and if you’re chosen, you book the part. The variations on this theme are many, but that’s the general process.

Drop-offs and cold calls. Although some casting offices discourage this, and the opportunity to drop off headshots and make cold calls to casting offices located on studio lots is difficult, it’s not impossible. The act of dropping by a casting office unannounced terrifies some actors. Going with a fellow actor might be helpful, as there may be strength in numbers. Remember to be brief and professional – and to ask for the sale. Bring your headshot and resume, and be well aware of the projects the casting office working on, and what part you think you’re right for – and tell them that when you drop off your headshot/resume. Then, thank them and leave. Don’t make a pest of yourself, just a strong professional presence.

Online casting sites. Sites like Actor’s Access, Now Casting, LA Casting and others augment the main source of paid acting jobs, Breakdown Express. These sites can have non-paying acting jobs as well, so pay attention to the breakdown for the status of the project and the role, as well as the union status of the project. Each of these sites cost from zero to $20 per month or so to be a member and pursue the jobs they list, and you can maintain a profile on each to submit electronically. Keep your BS meter on high if you range to other sites beyond these, such as Craigslist – scams abound on these non-industry related sites.

Casting workshops. These classes, where casting directors not only give you an clear inside look at how they work, how their offices function and how they find new talent, are an excellent path to paid acting work – if you’re ready to do that work. Don’t take casting workshops to early in your career. Wait until you’re supremely confident in your acting abilities, you’ve been to acting classes and your successfully mounting scene after scene, and you’re getting feedback from your acting coaches and acting teachers that your skill level is high enough to present to the gatekeepers to paid work, network TV and studio film casting directors.

Networking. Simply maintaining relationships with other acting professionals and production personnel, like directors, writers, editors, and even makeup and wardrobe people can lead to referrals and paid acting jobs. Joining organizations that specialize in networking functions like industry breakfasts, speaking events, free classes and the like are great opportunities to introduce your self to people that may be in a position to recommend you for paid acting work.

Internships and project volunteering. Film festivals, charity benefits, movie premieres and the like all need volunteers to make them run smoothly – and some of these opportunities even pay a small amount. Casting offices, writing teams, agents and managers all make use of interns to help run their offices. The opportunities to be in the right place at the right time for an audition or casting increases greatly when you are present and helping propel the organization you’re volunteering for forward.

Past work. I’ve interned in casting offices where I’ve watched casting directors go through the actors available on Breakdown Services, but only after they’ve gone to their “go-to pile,” a group of actors fitting the type they’re looking for and with whom they’ve successfully worked in the past. It’s so much easier for them to assemble an audition pool from actors they already know they can trust on the set than from a secondary group of actors with whom they have no experience.

Fellow working actors. When you join a networking group, a cast, a project, a guild a union, even a support group where you meet other actors, you never know what projects they are working on for which you might end up being a perfect fit. And remember, it’s not about running around the room with headshots and resumes in hand asking for any potential work – it’s about being in the right place to accept the opportunity and take advantage of it when the acting job presents itself.

This is by no means an exhaustive list – I’ve gotten bookings because of things as random as the barista at the coffee shop I was in not recognizing me from my work, but simply asking if I was an actor – and then introducing me to his aunt, the executive producer of a film that needed someone of my type. Moments like that are among the reasons acting is such a magical industry.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: There are more than one pertinent definitions for the word “boom” when used in the world of acting. One is a sound person’s pole on which he hangs his mic over the heads of the actors, and the other is a movable platform on which the camera sits.

The word “boom” has a couple of important meanings to actors, and the usages come from two different departments, sound and camera. Knowing how both of these departments use these words can make you a better actor – when either of the operators of their respective booms mention how they’ll be using them, you can be prepared.

First, the sound department’s boom. Their boom is an extendable pole that has not only a special mount for a microphone, but some way of handling the microphone cable that extends down from the mic itself, and is plugged into a device that is part of the recording chain.

Working backwards from the mic itself, which is attached to the end of the mic boom using a standard 1/2 inch threaded mount, the microphone cable is attached to the XLR connector on the mic, then run back to the recording equipment in a number of ways. The cable could be wrapped around the boom, run along the boom with grommets, or run inside the boom in a hole at the mic end of the boom, and out a hole at the operator’s end of the boom.

Here’s a picture of a mic boom in use, on a handheld camera shoot, as seen on gearslutz.com:

A mic boom can also be mounted on a dolly, so the boom operator doesn’t have to hold it high above the heads of the actors, and can also contain a swivel mount, to allow the mic to be swung back and forth between two actors engaged in a conversation. Most of the time, a boom is used in conjunction with individual miking of each actor, hidden in their clothes, and usually wireless – no cables coming out of your wardrobe.

The boom operator will be involved in the rehearsal and blocking of a scene, so he can find a place that is not in the shot, yet is close enough to you and your scene partner to cleanly and evenly pick up your dialogue. Boom operators not only have to watch to not be in the shot itself, but also to position themselves not to cast a shadow with their boom by getting between available light and any surface that is in the shot. It’s not an easy thing to do – and you should know that your boom operator is critical in making you look good on camera by both keeping the shot clean, and making sure you sound great. Treat them like gold.

Second, the camera department’s boom is just like the sound department’s boom, but is usually more complicated than just a mount for the camera – often, the boom’s length, height, sweep and movement are controllable by a camera operator using a number of freewheeling controls to lengthen, shorten, raise, lower, move from side to side and pan and dolly the actual base of the boom itself.

Camera booms can be very simple, just a pole with a camera on one end, the cabling coming back to the operator and then on to the recording device. These booms can give very dramatic effects in establishing shots, in follow shots and more, without many complicated controls. Even homemade booms can drastically change the production values of your webisodes and indie efforts.

Camera booms can also be very, very complicated. Take the TekBoom as an example. This behemoth is used frequently for very involved shots, and can be programmed via computer to repeat the same moves over and over. This monster weighs many tons, has more in common with a construction crane than the simple boom we see in the image below (as seen on b-hague.co.uk), and is responsible for some of the most dramatic shots ever seen on television and in film. The TekBoom requires more than one man to operate, and is large enough and heavy enough to require a safety meeting before using it.

There is one last meaning for the word boom, used in either case as a verb: to boom in, boom out, boom up or down is often used to describe the movement of either a sound or camera boom.

As an actor, be aware of what a boom is capable of doing, and match your work accordingly. The camera itself may not be close enough to really zone in on when being boomed towards you or away from you – and the director may want you not to play to the camera at all – he may just want to set the scene or leave it with a dramatic boom shot. You’ll have that conversation during camera blocking and during the shots themselves.

Treat the mic boom the same way – if you’re being boomed closely, make sure the sound person if you’re going to yell or drop to near whisper. The size of the shot will also inform his movements, and allow him to make adjustments in distance from you and the other actors to accomodate accurate recording of every emotional nuance.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: A drive on pass allows you as an actor, visiting a studio for an audition or for paid acting work, to drive onto the lot and park in the lot, the garage or next to the building or bungalow you’re headed for. Here’s how you get one.

When a casting director calls you to audition for a part, you’re given not only sides, a breakdown and contact information, but also, especially in Los Angeles, where to park. Many times you’ll be told to park on the streets surrounding your casting location, but occasionally, you’ll be given the opportunity to drive onto the actual studio lot, park in a parking space and head to your audition. If so, you’ll check in with the security guard, show ID and get your parking orders.

Similarly, when you’re working on a set, you’re often given close-by parking so that you can easily get to base camp, the stage where you might be shooting, your trailer or wardrobe and makeup. Actors get treated really well when booked for paid acting work, especially union work, and drive-on parking is one of those perks.

If you’re attempting to drop off headshots, it’s probably not a good idea to ask for a drive on pass from the studio security personnel, or to call a casting director and let her know that’s your goal. Since 9/11, studios have had much stricter enforcement of visitors getting onto the lots, and an aspiring actor trying to cold call an on-lot casting director isn’t likely to breach that protection.

Be careful to park where you’re assigned. Once you do get your drive on, follow the map to where you’re to park to the letter. Don’t just park near where you’re supposed to be – and if there’s no parking where you’re directed to, return to the gate and let them know, so they can give you an alternative. Parking in any available spot, unless you’re told that’s OK, might place your beater where a bigshot’s Mercedes should be – not a good situation to be in.

It’s also not a great idea to try to re-use a drive on pass after you leave. Should you get the clever idea that driving off and driving back on will give you a day pass to paper every casting director working on that particular lot, it’s worth ignoring that urge. Better yet, if you want to drop off headshots, note which other casting offices are on the lot you’ve been given access to, and after you’re finished with your audition, quickly hit them before heading off.

Asking for a drive on pass so you can do drop-offs can be tricky and probably not worth the social currency you’d expend trying to get one. If you want to play it safe, don’t burn up the good will you’ve generated with a friendly CD or studio employee by asking them to help you engage in what some CD’s consider annoying behavior.

You can hang on to your drive on pass as a souvenir. Most of the guards won’t ask for them back (unless they are reusable plastic), and my collection is amongst my most prized career collections, along with a complete email database of every side I’ve ever received. But that’s me. You can just throw them out when you’re done with your day’s work, or your audition.

And yes, a walk on pass is exactly the same thing. Just no car.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: Your director has any number of choices of how to shoot a particular scene. One of them is to shoot an actor “dirty,” or with the shoulder, arm or leg of another actor visible in the show. Why they’d choose to do that can be for any number of reasons.

The angle at which your scenes are shot can be from any direction: head on, from the side, even from above, and each of those choices can change the audience’s feeling about a particular scene. In addition to angles, the composition of the shot, and your role in that composition, can vary from a simple clean head and shoulders shot, to what’s called a dirty shot (and everything in between.

A dirty shot is a shot that contains some physical intrusion, usually in the form of a body part from another actor, like their shoulder, head, hand, leg or waist. The director may want to make the shot dirty to simply give a sense of distance between the two actors. Consider the famous shot of Anne Bancroft’s stockinged leg as Dustin Hoffman wonders aloud if he’s being seduced in the 1967 film The Graduate:

Another reason for a dirty shot might be to create a power differential between the two or more actors in the scene. That very same scene has Hoffman’s shadow pacing back and forth as he stammers about Bancroft’s character’s actions. We keep our eyes on Bancroft as Hoffman is reduced to jelly – an acting choice that is accentuated by the dirty shot choice.

A shot may start clean, and end up dirty – imagine a gunfight, where the scene begins with a medium closeup of one of the combatants getting set, and slowly pulling back along the ground to reveal his opponent, standing, legs planted, ready to draw. But we only see his leg – a shot designed to heighten the tension in the scene. That’s not a hard scene for the second actor: simply plant your foot where your mark is, and stay there as the camera heads back along the track or zoom.

Should you have to create a dirty shot on the fly while acting, hitting your mark when shooting a shot that starts clean and ends up dirty is essential. What if the second gunfighter in our example above met the camera movement and stepped into the scene as the camera came to a halt? A more intense version, adding motion and density to the shot, and giving the editor more choices to work with.

One way to make sure you hit your mark accurately is to step off backwards, even if it’s several step to your final mark. Start at your two (your final mark in a two-step shot), and simply reverse your steps, like an old backwards running film, until you get to your one. Sometimes, it’s simply one step, swinging your leg out of view of the camera until it’s needed, and other times, you need to move from your one to your two – and you need to hit your mark without any adjustments.

Working with your camera operator and the director on perfecting the shot is a fairly straightforward thing. You’ll rehearse for camera, taking each step slowly, allowing the camera operator to rehearse the move as well, giving the dolly grip a rehearsal if there’s camera movement on track or wheels, and giving the focus puller an opportunity to mark focus points.

The angle at which the shot is made can also mean you cheating your height – should you be a bit too tall for your fellow actor, hiding their face from view of the camera, you’ll spread your legs, dropping your upper body down and allowing the relative height be more even. Likewise, you might get an apple box or two to stand on, should you be shorter than the shot composition calls for.

Finally, extras and background can help achieve a realistic, dirty shot. A very dirty shot, actually – watch scenes in restaurants, malls, offices and other busy locations and you’ll see background actors walking directly between the camera and the action, sometimes completely blocking the lead actors from view for moments at a time. This adds to the realism of the scene, and gives the audience the feeling of being right there for the action.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

My plan is to constantly expand the site to include all centers of production around the world – hopefully, readers in the UK and Ireland will offer assistance as to BAFTA and other resident union policies. THanks for your kind words!

Wow, thanks, David! This is an incredibly helpful list–I’ve bookmarked it into my “Show Biz” folder for future reference.

Do you know the structure for UK/IE? I’m trying my best to move to that market…actually, if you have *any* advice or helpful tips for that market, I’d appreciate it! :)

You’re welcome!

David, I want to thank you for all of your help. My project just got approved for a SAG New Media Contract. I asked about getting myself and another cast member Taft-Hartleyed and they said they would send the paperwork out to me. I had to email a couple of items, but I did everything else on the online site (https://osa.sag.org/). This is truly a great opportunity for actors wanting to become SAG-E. My other non-union actor is ecstatic. Thanks again!

Yes, it would. Don’t be a pain – let them manage this process, and be accessible without being needy. They’ll get you the script when they need/want to. Just let things flow.

This truly was helpful; thank you so much for posting. After submitting a video audition for a mini-series I was told I’m being very seriously considered and was invited to the first table read for that role even though auditions are still under way. The table read is three weeks away. Would it be out of my place, or is it too early, to ask them if I may read the script before the table read?

nevermind, i see the answer here http://www.actinganswers.com/agent-management/

i have a follow-up question, if you don’t mind. if i leave my agent and go to a new agent, do i still owe my old agent his 10% when i get residuals from projects i booked while with him? thanks!

Unfortunately, for me It’s in the same don’t-list-it-as-an-actual-acting-job category, but your experience doing stand-in work can be put in the Special Skills category, as it’s definitely that.

What’s your feeling on stand-in work? Is that in the same category as background?

Thanks, David!

There is no requirement to do multiple episodes that I’m aware of.

I guess what I was getting at is I only planned on doing one episode. Do I need to do multiple episodes to qualify?

AS long as that’s the truth, I wouldn’t think that would be a problem.

Hi David, I have submitted my application to SAG New Media and am waiting for the business rep to call me. At first, they returned my application because they said I needed a SAG member to be in the project. So, I added to the scene and am using a SAG member in the webisode. I re-submitted and just realized that I said that I wouldn’t be doing more than one episode. Will this be an issue when I apply for the two actors (one being myself) to be Taft-Hartleyed?

Gil

Answer: When you get paid acting work, your agent gets paid. Not everything listed on your pay stub is eligible for the 10% that your agent is due. In general, your daily pay, your overtime, session fees and your residuals are all commissionable to your agent, but penalties, travel, per diems and other expenses are not. And it also depends where you live and work.

There’s nothing quite like getting a paycheck in the mail for doing a paid acting job. For me, it’s even more of a joy, as well as an opportunity to connect, to generate a check to pay my agent for his services. But not everything on your check is on the list of commissionable items, payable at 10% to your agent. If you’re a member of either SAG or AFTRA, there are clear guidelines as to what is and what isn’t on that list.

Let’s start with the obvious: you pay your agent 10% commission on your day or hourly rate of pay. This is all of the money you are paid by the production company to be available to act and to actually do so. You usually are paid for doing some acting during the period you are on set, but on the rare occasion that, due to weather, production mismanagement, re-writing, re-casting, illness, or anything else that might delay you from actually getting in front of the camera to do your thing, you get paid your day rate.

That amount of money is either the union minimum or your negotiated day rate, or quote, which is always higher than the union minimum.

Be aware that if you’re working on a television or film project, and you’re only getting SAG minimum, where you’re working determines who might be paying your agent’s commission. If you’re a SAG member based in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington D.C. or Hawaii, and you’re only getting scale, the producer has to pay your agent his/her 10% in addition to you getting your scale. If you’re a SAG member based anywhere else, including New York, and you’re working for scale, the producer does not have to do that, so you may be paying your agent the 10% out of your gross.

If you’re working a SAG commercial, then you pay your agent commission out of your pay in all cases, and in all territories, unless you are offered plus 10.

Note: If you’re working a non-union job, you have to be careful when you sign your contract to make sure you’re going to get paid even if not called to set.)

Residuals. Again, this depends on a number of factors – at what time of day the project airs (prime time or not), where the project airs (network or cable), what carrier your work is on (air, cable, video on demand, the Internet or DVD), even where you live. If you’d like an exhaustive rundown of the intricacies of how residuals are (and aren’t) commissionable, there’s an ActingAnswers.com article on it here.

Overtime and holiday pay. If you work on a holiday, or for more than a certain number of days withut a day off, or for more than 9 hours on a given shoot day (including your meal time), you get paid anywhere from time and a half to triple time, and your agent gets a commission.

ADR and dubbing. You may be called in to re-record some of your lines in a studio session after your shooting is finished. You get paid for that, and your agent gets a commission.

Wardrobe, makeup and rehearsals. When preparing for working on a television show or a film, if you’re asked to come to the studio or location to be fitted for your wardrobe, to do a study of how the makeup team wants to do your makeup, or to rehearse your scenes, that additional pay is commissionable to your agent.

Working in water, on weekends, at night, on location or doing stunts. You may be asked to work in conditions that are not necessarily covered by other parts of your contract, and usually there is a bump, or increase in pay, for working in those conditions – and your agent gets 10% of that increase in pay.

Travel time. Almost every major production center has a series of zones, or circles on the map, drawn from the center of town. If you’re required to drive outside the center of town to one of these zones, you’ll be paid for the time you spend driving that distance. Your agent gets 10% of that extra hourly pay.

Cancellation fees. If you’re booked on a project, and your part is written out, or your engagement is ended in some other way than you being fired, you’re due a fee that depends upon the size of the role and the number of days booked. Your agent gets a commission on that fee.

Audition overtime. If you’re kept waiting for longer than 60 minutes to audition, you are due an audition over time payment, and that is also commissionable. In the real world, rarely is this asked from or paid by casting directors because it’s rarely reported by actors that don’t want to alienate those casting directors.

This is not an exhaustive list, as every union is slightly different, every municipal production area has different labor rules that may affect what you get paid for and what is commissionable to your agent…and there are some things you’ll get paid for that your agent doesn’t share with you.

Here’s what you don’t pay your agent a commission on:

• forced calls – when you are paid to work without a 12 hour turnaround
• late payment penalties and interest
• living expenses
• meal allowances
• meal penalties
• mileage
• per diem
• prop allowance (if you provide your own props)
• reimbursements
• rest period violations
• turn-around pay
• wardrobe allowance (when you provide your own clothing seen on camera)

Finally, if you get to be a rockstar, and have a special contract that’s way overscale and is approved by the Guild or the Federation, you may have different circumstances (almost always in your favor). But, when commissions are paid to agents, they cannot, by California and New York state law, be more than 10% of whatever income you’re commissioning.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

I’d start my search now, and tell your prospective representatives exactly what you told me here. If they’re interested, they’ll take that into consideration.

Hi David,

First off thanks for the info – I also enjoyed your appearance on Albert and Trevor’s “Inside Acting”

So I had a small part in a friend’s webseries, the producer sent out the taft-hartleys – I called the SAG office and they said it takes about 2 months to process. When will I know that I am SAGe? I would like to do an aggressive agent-hunt the second I know, since most agencies I’ve seen will not represent non-union.

Thanks,
Matt Harbert

You can certainly gear a website around your VO career, but the idea of a VO resume is not something that’s commonly created. The opportunity to pass a VO resume to a casting person never comes up like it does in on-camera auditions. Certainly place your demos and your experience and examples of work on your site, and do gear it towards character voices if that’s what you want to do, but don’t be concerned about having an actual VO resume – they don’t usually exist.

I want to gear my website more toward Voice Over work. Any recommendations? I don’t see many resume’s with VO sections at all.

I also specialize in character voices so i want to reflect that.

This is a moving target, and I have new information. The requirement to have at least one SAG actor is not a written policy, but is a “strong suggestion” according to my staff liaison at SAG – so there is no hard and fast rule (prima facie evidence is all of the web series that began with no SAG actors and ended with the entire cast being Taft Hartley’d. It’s happened, so it can happen), but SAG is now requesting that there be at least one SAG actor in your project. There is absolutely no requirement that you actually pay anyone immediately, so that phrasing of “…that is paid $100 per day…” should actually include the words “(can be deferred)” in the sentence. And no, there is no demand that you get the SAG card within 30 days, as you would not have control over what your actors do. They certainly can join within 30 days, or remain must-join.

I am more confused than ever! I called SAG reps a month ago and was told that I had to have at least one SAG actor that is paid $100 per day for my SAG Media project AND that all non-union actors in the project MUST get their SAG card within 30 days!

So for FINAL clarification (I hope) do you:

a) have to have a SAG actor and b) MUST you get the SAG card in 30 days, or c) you become SAGe and can wait until the next SAG project?

Thanks!

If you’re paying him, that’s thanks enough, IMHO – unless something really unusual comes up. If not, an occasional Starbucks or something small might be in order. Whatever you’re comfortable with. And thank you for the kind words.

[...] Good writeup and explanation HERE. [...]

Thank you for the information on sending gifts to casting directors. It has helped me in terms of protocol/etiquette, etc when working with CDs. Yet, I still have a question that I hope you could shed some light on. I meet with a casting director once every 4-6 weeks for a coaching session. It’s not an audition, it’s audition coaching. My question is do I need to send a thank you note after every coaching session? I am a little confused on how to navigate this because I am paying him for coaching me to help improve my skills and I am starting to see him on a regular basis (every 4-6 weeks)…but I don’t want to be rude by not sending a thank you note after every session either. On one hand, I view him as a teacher like I’ve had in the past with all of my other acting teachers (improv, scene study, etc.. .yet he is also a casting director too, which separates him from other coaches/teachers that I have studied with. Any advice you could give would be helpful. Thanks so much for your time and words of wisdom that you share with all of us actors out there!

This was very helpful. I wasn’t exactly sure of what a table read was but I am very well informed because of the information provided. Thanks!

You do have to Station 12 any SAG actors you DO have in the cast, but there is nothing in the paperwork that asks you to identify any that you MUST have. Certainly as a policy, SAG would love for you to use as many SAG actors as you can, but although I’ve heard and seen a million sites and actors repeat that same “requirement”, I’ve not seen that as a signatory rule.

Do you have to have a Sag actor attached to the project to get a signatory and/or sag contract?

Several other blogs state you need one Sag actor when submitting for your signatory contract and for non union to recieve TH.

1. http://www.toactors.com/welcometola/2010/11/19/the-loop-hole/
“While the production does not need a “covered performer,” it does need at least ONE SAG MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING. Basically, you need someone who is paid up and hasn’t gotten in trouble for doing non-union work, etc.”

2. http://blogs.essence.com/im_an_actor_they_dont_get_it/2010/09/the-truth-behind-sags-new-media-contract.php
“There is no minimum amount of money that needs to be spent on the production or paying the actors. The only requirement is the involvement of 1 SAG actor. SAG actors are a dime a dozen in LA!”

3. (comments) http://blog.christacannon.com/index.php/2010/05/sag-new-media-the-new-but-not-necessarily-final-frontier/
To become SAG signatory, you DO have to have at least one SAG actor attached to the project–the T-H forms have nothing to do with this part.

Are these incorrect?

No, you don’t. You have to be a producer with a SAG contract. No union actor requirements.

Hi David

I’ve been having trouble getting a straight answer on this, do you have to have at least one SAG actor in your New Media Project for non union actors to recive Taft Hartley?

hello, my name is kenny bertin from Rochester Ny i’ve been looking for acting school but i just found this website that gives me all details please i would like to ask if you can give me all informations and location so because i am very interesting. thank you and i will be waiting for your answer .

If you work a SAG new media contract and the producer submits the info. If you still havent heard about being officially Eligible, how does the actor go about making that happen quickly? Because when you work a paid gig, you get a stub eventually that you can take to them. In this sag new media project, there was no pay.

Advice?

That’s very kind of you – glad you like it and are getting things out of it.

You did say it was SAG, so that leads me to think that it was under a contract. Did you sign in and out each day? If so, then yes. It might have been under a waiver, but that’s rare for a short film, unless a film school production (they are, technically, short films).

Thanks, David. One more question. I’m in no rush to join SAG because honestly I don’t have enough credits yet…but the short film that I did, it was also SAG and I had to fill out my address and social and such. I’d never had to do that before. does that mean it was under a contract?

You must participate in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this web site!

There are certain contracts that do not currently allow the producer to Taft Hartley you – and student films are actually covered under a waiver, not a contract. You don’t sign any paperwork for a student film (unless they happen to be doing it under a short or internet contract), because usually, film schools have been granted waivers, not signatory status. Hope that makes sense.

Hi David,

I am so confused! I thought in order to qualify to join SAG, all you had to do was have a principal role in a SAG project. I did a SAG short film, and then I did a SAG student film recently. And I’m still not qualified to join. Please help!

Just happened upon this posting about casting directors (and maybe I’m getting to it a little late) but I feel compelled to comment.

I was a voiceover casting & dialogue director for many years in NYC. As someone who was never an actor (I came to VO casting via the world of animation production), I used to get frequent invitations to be the industry guest at workshops, and on occasion I would agree to do them. I found them quite enjoyable, and would also typically come away from each one with at least a few CDs from really talented actors whom I later called in for VO auditions. Granted, not everyone who gave me their VO demo was polished enough to be considered for an audition, but I met some wonderfully talented actors over the years by doing these workshops and was able to add them to my “roster” of people I’d keep in mind for auditions.

Apart from that, my purpose in doing the workshops was not to “air my pet peeves,” but rather to give my perspective on issues like how to do a great audition, differentiate yourself from the pack/get noticed, and give pointers on what I considered to be good audition practices.
I was also always happy to give whatever other advice I could, whether answer questions about union/non-union issues or how to put together a solid VO demo.

I hope my comments help to add another perspective!

Answer: Table reads are employed in several different acting scenarios, from plays to episodic television to films and even, on occasion, commercials, when actors are gathered together, around a table, to read the script aloud and give the producers an idea of what the final production will sound like.

When a writer begins the process of putting the script together, the only voice he hears in his head is his own. All the characters use his speech patterns, accent, pitch and rhythm. Once the script is working shape, and before it’s finalized, one of the things the writer might want to consider is to hold a table read.

A table read gathers together actors to sit around a table, open the script, read not only the lines, but also the stage directions and narration, and see what happens. It doesn’t have to be around a table – I’ve done many table reads that consist of gathering chairs around couches in a lobby or office space and reading the script.

In the early stages of a script’s life, a table read can be very useful to the production team. It can assure that a scene actually plays, with real people, the way the team thinks it should. And it can also, very quickly, expose the flaws in a scene’s timing, words, emotional level and context.

You might be called in to a table read to help the writer flesh out something not quite clear to him, or, you might be called in as a simple favor to a casting director or producer. Bear in mind that being called in for a table read is not a booking, is usually unpaid work, and doesn’t assure that you’ll even audition for the part that you are reading. But – it’s exposure to several production team members that might use you for that project, or remember you for a project in the future.

Table reads also are used for stage productions. Usually, the table read of a play still being workshopped is a read that is similar to what I’ve already described – to help the production team work out the kinks. But later, as the play is cast, the table read begins the process of melding the cast together, getting reads and timing down, generating performance notes from the director and so on, long before the piece gets up on it’s feet.

With film and television episodic production, there may be a table read before the script and the cast is even auditioned. But once the script is approved for production and the cast is finalized, a table read is often the very first production item. On a film, the table read might occur on the first day’s production, or long before, or not at all. It might occur in a separate location – and usually, you’re paid for that work.

With episodic television, table reads are also an initial effort, for which you are usually paid. You may not be invited to the table read if your part is small – they’ll just have an assistant read your lines. But bear in mind that at any time, you can be shown the exit door – including after you’re cast, before and after the table read, in production or in the performance. Table read etiquette, especially if you’re a guest cast member, is important: be nice, be quiet, be helpful, but don’t be a pest or brash or loud. Treat the cast members with quiet joviality, and don’t do anything different (unless directed to) from what you did in the audition that got you the call back and the call back that got you the work.

Finally, you’re never really hired for a production until you sign your contract, shoot the project, get the check and see yourself on-screen. And at any point along the way, including at the table read, you can potentially get fired from the production. The table read is not the time to try new things, throw your weight around, upend the intent of the character and the way you portrayed it. In addition to the notes on behavior above, know that you can be fired before, during or after a table read. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. Don’t let it happen to you.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: You’ve made the decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue acting as a career, with your goal being a life filled with paid acting work, union theatrical acting work for networks and studios, and union commercial acting work. But what do you do first, the moment you get here, to provide a strong, solid base that will support you in your first efforts at success? Here’s the first few steps I recommend, in the order in which you should turn your attention to them.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I had some very clear ideas of what I wanted to accomplish, and save a few friends that gave me advice with the best of intentions, very little idea about how to do it. This series of articles is here because, for some time now, I’ve wanted to, memorialize the advice I’ve given to hundreds of actors who have asked me how I got from no acting experience to where I am today in a few years. This is only my opinion, so feel free to disagree or offer alternatives in the comments section below. I’d like to do a similar article for New York and London actors, so maybe a reader in each of those cities will get in touch and we can make that happen.

Again, this is only my opinion, but I love recommending the resources that have worked for me. I consider all of my recommendations to be the gold standard of their respective category.

Find an in-between-acting-gigs job: hopefully, one adjacent to your acting career, so you can not only get paid for your work, but also take advantage of opportunities to network and be a part of projects that may come your way because of your position. When I first moved to LA, I was on network radio with three syndicated shows. They kept me in the world of entertainment, but it wasn’t until I started doing voiceover demos, leading VO workshops, teaching VO classes and providing inexpensive VO home recording equipment – and retired from radio – that I really found the time and flexibility to pursue acting full time.

Recommendation: I have no specific recommendations for you here, other than to look at what you do, what you’re passionate about, that is the closest to acting. I chose VO work; for you, it might be dance choreography, makeup and wardrobe work, stage managing, website building, personal assistance, spinning music or running audio at a club and the like. Note that I’m not against finding a waitressing or bartending job at all. It might be perfect for you. But there are other options that pay well that you should consider.

Get a place to live: if you’re independently wealthy, living on a trust fund, or have a really solid great paying job, housing probably isn’t an issue for you. Rents range from $1000 or so per month for basic apartment living to several thousand for nicer digs. Having roommates can help fund your living choice, but can also limit the things you can do in the common areas of the apartment, or even in your bedroom, like using recording equipment to do VO auditions while your roommate jams on his/her drums. I believe that being close to the action is preferable to be close to your recreation choices, and the closer you move to the water or to Beverly Hills, the more expensive your housing is going to be.

Recommendation: You can find listings for apartments, guest houses and the like at both Craigslist and at Westside Rentals. But far more important is a recommendation on where to live. The vast majority of production is done in Hollywood and the Valley, comprised of Burbank, Glendale, Studio City and other locations. If you have to live by the ocean, then by all means do so – just be prepared to drive a distance to get to auditions and work.

There is certainly work in places like Culver City, home to SONY, and Century City, home to FOX, but ABC, NBC, CBS Television City and Radford, Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, Sunset Gower, Paramount and others are firmly planted in the swatch covered by Hollywood and Burbank. I personally have never regretted moving to Burbank, with it’s own fire, police, water and power, but to live anywhere within that space is going make you more agile in getting to your work.

Get organized and set a budget: your dreams of creating a paid acting career are in danger if you’re constantly worried about money. You need to live within your means, so much so that you’ll have discretionary funds set aside for that last minute opportunity to workshop with a major casting director, or to purchase a new computer to take advantage of the latest actor-related technology..

Recommendation: I’ve learned so much from Kristine Oller that I insist that you get in touch with her to help you focus on what you need to do with your acting career and your personal life. A former actor, Kristine is incredibly good at honing in on the speed bumps and challenges you might be setting up for yourself and helping you attack with vigor the simple acto of staying focused on what really matters in your career. You can reach Kristine at http://www.TheActorsLibrary.com.

I also recommend reading every article you can get your hands on written by Chuck Sloan, a CPA with a passion for actors. He is Backstage’s go-to guy for taxes, accounting and the like, and he will both inform you and correct you about what you think you may know about your finances. You can read articles written by Chuck by searching for his name at http://www.backstage.com.

Next, we’ll further get you prepared by looking at classes that matter, organizations that can save you a ton of wasted effort, and even get you the best headshots in town.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

As the national committee chairman of SAG’s New Tech Committee, I’d love it if filmmakers like your friend would check his facts before making statements like that. There are no plans to change this policy. The policy is a casual one, not something that has a sunset clause or is “extendable.” It simply reflects the current state of affairs. There’s no deadline. Ask your filmmaker friend to get in touch with me if he has any questions. I’d like to set him straight to this misinformation is nipped in the bud. I hope this is clear.

Hi,

I’m going to be producing a web series. Some of my actors are union and a lot are non-union. We want to Taft-Hartley the non-union actors. A filmmaker I know told me that the window of opportunity to do this with the new media contract is ending soon, probably in May. After that, you won’t be able to TH anyone through the new media contract unless SAG extends it. Has anyone else heard anything about this?

This is my first visit and I just wanted to stop by to say Hello!.

I’ve been working on finding all the definitive answers to these questions for the past few months. It’s no wonder there’s so much confusion. Sometimes the same question asked by calling different departments (or even different people in the same department) will get you different answers. I’m trying to find what’s written in stone (or at least in contract) whenever possible.

A case in point: Here’s a quote from the Ultra Low budget agreement. Section 5. Performers Covered:

“nor shall the Union Security provision of the Basic Agreement be applicable to the employment of non-professionals or qualify a non-professional for membership in the Guild.”

The New Media Agreement is the ONLY contract that SPECIFICALLY includes the Basic Agreement’s Section 2 (“Union Security,” the bit that says SAG must allow you into the union if you’ve been hired by a Signatory producer) and EXCLUDES Section 14 (Preference Of Employment, the bit that says producers must give preference to hiring professional actors or be fined).

Might it work with the other contracts? Maybe? Probably?

In the New Media Agreement it’s there in black and white.

So in that respect I have to agree with Ben. It’s not a Loophole.

I prefer to call it a:

“Super Secret Black-Ops Ninja Get Your SAG Card Now New Media Window Of Opportunity™”

Dave

Just called and talk to the Contracts department to confirm that you actually can TH under both the Short Film and ULB contracts. This has been in effect for, oh, about as long as AFTRA has had the preponderance of prime-time TV shows, and I TH’d an actor when I shot my short film under the Short contract. This may change in the future (as might the New Media option), but for now, that’s the case.

Hey David, actually you cannot Taft-Hartley anyone under the Short Film Contract. Neither can you Taft-Hartley anyone under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget Contract. Those contracts DO allow for the hiring of SAG and non-union talent, but just DO NOT allow for Taft-Hartley’ing the non-union talent. The only “low budget” type contract that SAG has that allows for Taft-Hartley’ing non-union talent is the SAG New Media contract.

Just wanted to clear that up in case someone was reading the post above and decided to produce a short film in order to Taft-Hartley themselves or someone else.

Answer: Each acting class is slightly different from every other, in tone, in content, in teaching style and in metrics for success. The different acting classes you might take during the course of your acting career will vary based on your needs and the direction your acting career takes. From scene study to on camera to movement to voice, each acting class you take can strengthen a different acting “muscle.”

If you open up the pages of Backstage, you’ll see advertisement after advertisement for acting classes. Each acting class is slightly different, and each offers a different benefit to you as your acting career progresses.

The first question to ask when considering a particular acting class is “What do I need to gain skills in?” The answer might be very specific, or might be nothing in particular – you might just want to join a group of like-minded actors in a weekly jam session, just to keep your chops up or to have contact with fellow artists. On the other hand, you might be considering sharpening your skill set with a particular type of class. There are plenty to choose from; here are the most common.

Scene study acting classes. This is the most common type of class, in that scenes from theater, television, and film are used to analyze the acting process. Usually, scenes are read, then blocked, then rehearsed, then worked, then presented. The process may vary from class to class, but the end result is a total analysis of the scene from script to finished product.

On-camera acting classes. If you’ve spent most of your time on stage, learning the craft of stage acting, you’ll want to expand your horizons, open yourself up to new opportunities to get acting jobs in film and television, and learn the craft of on-camera acting. From vocal levels to body placement to prop usage and frame construction, there are dozens and dozens of technical skills that the on-camera actor must possess, separate from stage acting skills. These on-camera skills are also important for on-camera auditions – knowing how to address the audition put on tape is just as important as it is on set.

Cold reading acting classes. Often, especially in the world of commercials, actors are given very little time to prepare with a script, and even when we are given a day or two with our sides, cold reading skills, the skill that gets us from 0 to 60 with a script quickly, are extremely valuable. To be able to quickly get to the heart of the action of the scene, your character’s purpose and action (and other character’s) in the scene, what you want, what your obstacles are and how you play the scene gets you that much further that much faster. Having strong cold reading skills let you spend more time exploring the options you have in a scene and less time trying to figure out the basics.

Audition acting classes. The art of auditioning is actually very different from the art of performing on set. There are a whole series of requirements and a different audience and customer than with performance – with performance, you’re working for the director. With auditioning, you’re looking to get approval from both the casting team and the writers, producers, and yes, sometimes, directors on a project. Audition technique acting classes look at the audition process as a job skill all its own, breaking down the preparation and execution of the audition.

Improvisational, or improv, acting classes. Some people say that comedy, and comedic timing, and creativity can’t be taught. Millions of improv students prove them wrong every week. Comedy, improv, sketch, writing and other creative skills can and are taught at schools like The Groundlings, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, ACME, Second City, IO and more, and when you have improv acting classes on your resume, it’s one more reason for a casting director to bring you in for sketch comedy, sitcom, and semi-scripted auditions.

Movement acting classes. Your physical body is just as much an instrument and tool as your voice, the props you use, and the space you work within. Movement acting classes that explore the physical movement of your arms, your legs, how you hold your body, the way you move your head, how you interact with your fellow actors can strengthen your body, sharpen you mind and offer you choices when you actually perform you may not have been aware of. Classes that have names like Alexander Technique, Movement in Space and more border on yoga and dance, all with the goal of making you a better actor.

Vocal and singing acting classes. From musical theater classes to Broadway belting to vocal level matching for scene size, vocal acting classes sharpen the voice the way movement acting classes sharpen the body. Taking a “singing for actors” class has benefits beyond overcoming your fear of hitting a high C – they actually make you more aware of the way you use your voice when on-camera and on the theater stage.

Stage combat acting classes. In this type of class, various weapons used in the course of stage or film work, will be examined and their use practiced and perfected. In addition, physical fight sequences, using just the body will also be practiced. The teacher in the class will demonstrate how to use swords, guns and other weapons, how to handle them safely, how to choreograph the acting sequences in which they will be used and how to make them appear realistic to the audience. You may also learn physical stage fight techniques – punching, kicking, slapping, falling and taking hits. In all cases, student safety is paramount – no one is actually supposed to get hurt, but the audience is supposed to think they did.

Whatever the acting class you decide to take, make sure you research the facility, the teacher and the student body, as well as the success the former students of the class may or may not be enjoying. Be careful and do your homework – it will make the acting class you finally decide to attend all that much more meaningful and enjoyable.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

No, the actors pay their own initiation and dues – it costs producers nothing to TH. And no, the actor doesn’t have to join immediately – they have to join if they are cast in another SAG production. They are SAG-E in the meantime. Hope that helps.

Hello David,

First I would like to say THANK YOU for the info you have posted on your website. My sister who is interested in producing wants to do a webisode and hire both SAG and non-union actors. I woould be directing the espsoides, but I was wondering:

1. Does production have to pay the union dues of the people they TH?
2. Don’t you have to join SAG immediately after being TH? Like in 30 days? Or can you just be SAG-E and join whenever you have the money and still do union jobs that pay more?

Thanks again!

T

Your project was produced under EITHER the New Media contract or the Short Film contract. The fact that it’s a short film is fine. You can be Taft Hartley’d under either contract, and that is up to the producer to do for you. Talk with them and they can file the paperwork with SAG.

If a non-union actor was contracted for a speaking role in a SAG New Media Project (that was a paid role and was a Short Film which used SAG member actors as well as other non-union actors), can the non-union actor get SAG eligibility under Taft-Hartley OR does it only apply for web series and not short films? And, if the non-union actor can get SAG eligiblity from this short, how does he go about making that happen?)

I was at an audition for Chuck today, and was asked for my headshot. When it gets down to a producer’s session, they still, for the most part, want to see something more hi-def than a printout from Breakdown Services.

I totally agree with you, David. I carry my main headshot as well as my character headshots with me at all times. I also carry several copies of them, because the resume on the back of each has the name of a different agent of mine along with one that has no agent listed at all. That way, if needed, I can use whatever headshot is appropriate for the situation. I also keep the same headshots in my car. I’ve been in situations where I never thought I’d want to give out a headshot, only to run to my car and get one to give to an interested person. I had a situation recently which was totally non-acting related. I was talking to someone there who just happened to know someone else who was in a position to hire actors for a project, and he offered to pass along my headshot and resume. You never know what will happen, and it’s really nice to be able to give out your headshot and resume on the spot.

Are you saying that you need to become a better actor? Or that the material you worked with was crappy? Elaborate, please.

The only thing i learned from doing a few CD workshops this year is that I need to focus on my writing career at this point, :)

David,

I’ve been enjoying your blog very much. I just wanted to say I especially loved the clip about how you booked your role on “Heroes”.
You definitely had good karma keeping your commitment to the student filmmaker and it came back to you tenfold. Sometimes it’s not just about the money; integrity is a very important attribute to have as an artist.

Your script will be vetted by SAG before papers are issued, and anything of obvious non- or low-quality will be tagged as such. But a sincere effort is exactly what this is all about. And you don’t have to surround your lead with union talent, if there are others you want to Taft Hartley.

Post Script…. I would surround the principal with only Union talent.

Hey David. I am already in the Union and have many Union friends to call on to work for free if I produce my own series. I have one friend who is NON-UNION and would be the principal peformer in the project. Honestly my goal is to help the non-union friend gain membership eligability. Can I just do one 15 minute video and post it somwhere and qualify? It wouldnt be crap, it would be good footage…..and any recommendtaions of where I could post it for legitimacy? Sorry uneducated about this. Just a dumb actor trying to help a friend. :)

Answer: Why, yes. Yes I have.

Admittedly, this isn’t an answer to a question strictly about acting, but Kristine Oller is a friend and fellow blogger whose background in acting and organization has led her to a career advising creative clients on how to better manage their careers and lives. And she interviews people in our business about their successes and strengths.

My Coffee Date with Kristine Oller was fantastic.

Kristine Oller is an amazing woman, with whom I’ve had the pleasure of having a great working relationship for many years, both personally and professionally. She is my Power Group Facilitator at The Actors’ Network, and we’ve worked together on ventures for her, for me and for third parties. We’re also both members of a not-so-highly-secretive online think tank.

Listen to a clip about the way my Heroes audition came about.

Kristine’s newest venture, The Actors Library, is an amazing collection of resources for the new and working actor, as well as for the veteran performer. You’ll find articles, reference material, conversations, support and other like-minded actors that are striving to be better, have an advantage in the industry, and finding it at Kristine’s site.

Kristine interviewed me recently, a good long 90 minute or so interview (you can purchase the audio here), on acting, voicework, sudden success and being more efficient in marketing, auditioning and performance.

These Coffee Dates, as she calls them, are the online equivalent of sitting down with someone over coffee, having a lively conversation about the subject’s special skills and interest, and really honing in on some great takeaways that can help your acting career.

Listen to a clip about choosing to be efficient with voiceover auditions.

I feel really honored whenever I have an interaction with Kristine, because although she, like me, find profitable and enjoyable the art of commerce, she really does care about her clients and friends. When she sets out to get some information and share it, it’s potent and often life-changing. Here’s what she wrote about our coffee date interview:

My friend and mentor, David H. Lawrence XVII, is another multi-hyphenate with an extensive and varied career in all things voice: hosting his own broadcast satellite radio shows and podcasts, working as the THE voice of AOL (among other v.o. gigs), producing, directing, casting (video games, demos reels, audio books, etc) and teaching and speaking internationally about the business and craft of voice overs. So, like, he has some stuff to share. Most of it is definitely worth your while. (And did I mention he created this?)

She is too kind. But – she’s a great interviewer, and an even better career strategist. Take advantage of what she has to offer at The Actors’ Library, and tell her I said hello when you stop by. Again, you can purchase the audio here.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

And here is the scene from: The Verdict, starring Paul Newman
“..and see if you’re not taken aback by some of the court scenes when you notice Bruce Willis sitting in the gallery.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBD6FxrtJN0&feature=player_embedded#!

Thanks for all the great info! Here’s a post I did on how to go about filling out the New Media forms, etc.: http://playbillsvspayingbills.com/2010/03/01/sag-whats-the-deal-and-how-to-actually-join-no-really/

And I really hope people stop calling this a “loophole.” You are producing legitimate content through SAG. How is that a loophole?

Thanks again for all the great info!!!

I actually don’t see a logo on this item, but I’ll investigate and update here.

Great article. I tired looking for the folio at Staples and couldn’t find it. Who makes it?

There is a woman named Natalie Ballesteros who claims she is a casting director and works exclusively on feature films and takes credit as being a casting director of successful feature films, such as the film Pearl Harbor. Natalie Ballesteros IS NOT a casting director. Her function is limited as a casting associate who’s work experience is marginal at best.

Answer: Casting directors rarely work alone. They usually have a team of people working in the casting office, most notably a casting associate, who does much of the scouting and administrative work to get the pool of actors in and auditioned for a role.

The role of a casting director within the production team is to identify and present a group of actors for all of the roles in a project, from which the producers choose the actor to play the role. This process is an involved one, and usually is not done without the aid of one or more casting associates.

Casting associates execute much of the day to day work that the casting office needs to actually accomplish their goal of casting the project. They spend much of their time seeking out and identifying actors with the right look, appropriate skills and who fit the roles the office is given to cast.

You may see the casting director’s names in the credits of the television episodes, the films, the theatrical productions and other various projects, but it is the casting associate that really makes it possible.

A casting associate may actually be responsible for any or all of the activities that we usually assume a casting director does. The associate might be responsible for breaking down the script, marking up audition sides for use in the casting session, supervising the activities of the interns that work in the office, and spending huge amounts of time on the computer. This time is spent on Breakdown Services, IMDB, individual actors’ websites and other resources, looking at headshots, resumes, and demo reels. Rarely these days do casting associates (or any other member of the casting team) go through reams of random headshots, at least until the actual auditions are held.

Once the audition pool is in place, it’s often the casting associate that calls agents (and fields pitches from those agents) to schedule the actors they want to bring in for auditions. Casting associates are on the phone a lot, listening to agents, talking to the production teams of the shows on which they are working, getting availability on parts for which the producers ask for particular actors to play the roles and so on.

Casting associates are far more likely to be in the trenches daily – knowing how the episode or scene is shaping up, watching the development of the script, and, through seminars and workshops, meeting actors like you who they can pull out of the abyss of the unknown and place in the audition room – changing your life forever.

I often hear actors say that, especially when making decisions as to what casting events or workshops they will attend, that they avoid those that feature casting associates as opposed to full casting directors.

I couldn’t disagree with this flawed analysis more.

Getting to know the people that are actually creating the lists of actors to bring in for a particular role is often more critical than meeting the person whose name is on the casting office’s letterhead. The casting associate often has more to say about who gets seen, and who doesn’t get seen, than the casting director. If they are the ones doing all the legwork, wouldn’t you want to be as familiar with them, and they as familiar with you, as possible?

Casting associates are often the people in the audition room, reading with you, running the camera if your audition is video taped, deciding which takes are shown to the production team and making the deals with your agent when you book that paid acting role. They are also the ones with the most intimate knowledge of the character, and can give you vital clues as to how to play, or to adjust, your audition performances.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t get to know each and every casting director in town. After all, the casting associates work for them, and if the casting director asks the casting associate to bring you in, they will. But getting to know and to respect the casting associate, who is often doing most of the work so that the casting director can shine, is a critical part of your business contact list, and a group of people you should cultivate as partners in your acting practice.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

Answer: “We are diplomats; we are counselors; we are negotiators. We are teachers; we are artists and visionaries. We are a key element in the creation and success of every theatre, film and television project ever made…”

— Mary V. Buck, former CSA President

When I create voice demos for my clients, I tell them that I’ve only got one audience member in mind when I’m deciding how to put together their demo: the casting director. She or he (and, oddly, it’s mostly she) has to be able to instantly determine whether you are suitable for the job, and then, whether or not she can safely recommend you to the decision makers for her project.

A common misconception is that casting directors actually cast roles all by themselves. This usually isn’t the case. Certainly, there are occasions when the casting director is given leeway to make a casting decision on her own, usually for smaller parts, but more often than not, her recommendations need the approval of various other members of the production team. The more expensive the project, the more layers of approval her choices need to reach.

From the beginning of the project, casting directors are involved with breaking down the script, creating audition sides (or, for projects that need to be kept secret, reviewing fake sides from the writing teams), identifying a pool of actors for each role to bring in for an audition, pre-reading new or unfamiliar actors, selecting a subset of those actors to audition in front of the production decision makers, and then make deals with the agents of the actors selected for the various roles.

Casting directors come from various walks of life, including being actors, or former actors, themselves. How they look at potential hires varies, and is as unique as the background and personality of the casting director themselves. Some casting directors are very actor friendly, wanting to help actors they meet, launch their careers and make them a part of their “go-to” group of castable performers.

You should make it your goal to have that happen with each and every casting director you meet.

Casting directors also vary in what types of projects they cast. Some are strictly television and film. Some are commercial. Some are stage. Often they will do all types of projects, but just like any other line of work in which you tend to get to know the hiring people from working in similar projects, a look at the project list of a particular casting agency usually tells you in what area of the business that office specializes.

This is important information for you to know as you begin to get to know this very critical aspect of your customer base. Casting directors are the first level of client that you need to get to know as people, and to influence to bring you in for auditions and to move you forward in the audition process to the next level of client: the production decision makers.

I like to compare acting careers with any other self-employed sales career, because that’s what you’re doing – selling a product, and that product is you. The casting director can open or close the door to the purchasers of your products, the writers, directors and producers of the projects you want to work on. Paid acting work comes from making those people say yes.

Casting directors, more often than not, are paid to say no, not yes.

Understand their process: all day long, they are dealing with hundreds, even thousands of headshots. More often than not, and increasingly, those headshots are digital, on a computer screen in little tiny thumbnails. Since your look is usually more important than your resume, that’s the first screening for them to say no…no…no…OK…no…no…Yes!…etc.

Once they’ve whittled the initial huge pool of actors for the role, they may go through another round of “no’s” to get the final audition group down to a manageable level, between 5 and 20 actors for each role. Any more than that, and the process of simply managing the auditions become very time consuming.

The producers that pay the bills are the people that get to say “yes,” or approve casting you for a particular role. The casting director then gets to call your agent and relay the yes to him and thence to you. And then you get paid acting work.

Casting directors don’t do all this alone: they have casting associates and casting assistants, and usually a group of enthusiastic interns, to help manage the process. Soon, there will be articles on those casting team members available here on Acting Answers as well.

What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

I am not aware of any daily limit – that sounds incorrect. And no, you don’t have to hire SAG actors as a requirement to T-H the rest of your cast, but you’re welcome to do so.

Thank you for this helpful site! I have heard there is a limit to how many people you can Taft-Hartley in for your project. Someone told me you can only do 1 or 2 a day. We have a cast of three so far. Do you know if we can Taft-Hartley everyone? Do we have to hire some SAG people too? Thanks again for all the info!!

Fantastic blog post! I will be directing actors to this post in the future when I get asked this question.

Some CDs love those, some thing they’re not so bright. You can’t please everyone.

Thanks David. I love the addition of the photos on the bottom. I may do that with action shots from my 1-woman show. Thinking about it.
I just watched your reel-awesome!

Great lesson. Thanks!

Yes, it would. It serves the same purpose whether part of a larger reel or on it’s own.