2-4 September
Over the past three days I have
been concentrating on practising my GenAm whenever I got a chance.
Learning an accent, it turns out, is the perfect tool for me to hone in
times where I have very little time to myself. I just had to find the
right approach and method. With the help of Penny Dyer's audiobook,
I've been making really good progress. If I keep it up I'll be able to
record a sample before months end and make it available to my agent and
post it on my other actor profiles.
I am very excited! Have you any idea how much more sellable it makes in
NZ me when I have mastered the GenAm? I'm starting with RP this week.
Watch this space!
I've also started reading Self-Management for Actors by LA casting director Bonnie Gillespie. She's been writing a fantastic blog, The Actors Voice,
on Actors Access since 2004. So, there is already a heap of fantastic
information on that blog (thank Richard for pointing me to it!). But I
was particularly interested in learning about actor branding and that's
what her book provides in a more comprehensive and centralised way.
Since I am just starting out in
the industry, I thought it would be a good idea to know what actor type I
am and how to use my brand to my advantage. I am not trying to get
type-cast. I'm just interested in how to sell best what I have
naturally. If I have a clear idea of who I am as an actor, I can bring
that essence across clearly in my headshots, in the way I dress and come
across. This will give both my agent and any CDs a clear idea of who I
am, what I am naturally suited for and of how to market and, well, sell
me.
I cannot imagine anything more tedious
for a CD than looking at an actor's headshots or at an actor in person
and not knowing who this person is. After all, they are going through
stacks of photos and whole flocks of auditionees to find the right
candidates for often very specific breakdowns. Even in a comparatively
small market like Wellington or New Zealand even, when you are just
starting out, you need to get known for something. If that
something is something you're naturally good at, that's a huge advantage
and a good starting point. It might not make sense to everyone but it
makes sense to me.
Playing your primary type over and over is not a limitation. It's a shortcut... There are so many people pursuing acting in Los Angeles that the best shot you've got to ever get cast is to get known for being very good at the one thing folks will most want to see you doing. And the more consistently you provide casting directors with that
one thing, the better you brand yourself. The better you brand
yourself, the more of a prototype you become. And when you're a
prototype for a role, you're the one the buyers think of when writing
the breakdown. Heck, if you're really at the top of our list, you're
the one whose agent we call with an offer, rather than even writing the breakdown for that role.
Now, New Zealand and Wellington
are not LA by any means. They are MUCH smaller markets. But I still have
the feeling that the same principle applies. I think it might be more
of a balance act here between finding your brand and avoiding
type-casting but I also think that knowing my type and building my brand
is a useful starting point.
What do you think?
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