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?
5 comments:
I couldn't agree more. This is a conversation I've had many times with friends. The thing is, your type (not for everyone but for most) is going to be the closest to who you are. So showing that type is going to be easier and instill more confidence in you. It makes you more interesting as well because you are so fully that person already that you can of course field any questions with robust answers.
Then of course there is that voice in my head that says don't be type cast. But the truth is, Bonnie is right. Get known by as many people as you can and be known for being able to deliver consistently. Once you're inside, then you can show range. But your going to be called in for your type and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Embrace it and be it to the best of your ability!
I'd say it's a fair assumption that casting practices are universal, be it LA, NY, or New Zealand and Wellington
Thank you, Patrick! That's exactly it, isn't it, getting your foot in the door?! I just hope I can deal well with what my 'type' is. It's always a bit scary, I find, to learn such things about yourself. It's easy when you like your type. But then there are stories like Bonnie's own. Coming to terms with being a 'good ol' gal' instead of the leading lady must have been hard. Don't we all secretly want to be the leading lady/man... That's probably as much a reason for why a lot of actors shy away from exploring what their type is as the fear of being type cast. It does kinda come with the job description though, knowing yourself. So, I better get cracking!
All the best to you! ^_^
I went to a really fantastic workshop led by Marguerite Hannah earlier this year at KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival--quite a mouthful) and she was talking to us about 'knowing your type' so that you can do better at auditions and marketing yourself, and a lot of us recent college grads with theatre degrees and no professional experience stuck around to talk to her about what exactly that meant. I asked her what my best 'type' would be, since in school I had gotten so used to playing strong, maternal, often older female characters that had hard edges to them, and as a 20-something, could I expect to ever do a role like those again until I actually got to my 40s and 50s? She took one look at me and said, "You are the girl next door. That's the 'look' you have, you can play the lead or the supporting female character, and that is what they will see when you walk into that room. Don't go in there with something from school when you played the 50-something mother superior or the Greek tragic queen when you look like that--the auditors will be concentrating on trying to imagine you as that role rather than actually paying attention to whether or not you are good at it, and it will turn them off if they see a young 20-something trying to play the life experience of someone twice your age, when they know you just don't have that background to really sell the nuances."
So in terms of knowing what to bring to the table, understanding your 'type' is pretty important. I've asked my actor friends to help in the 'typing' department--you know, asking things like 'when you see this headshot, what comes to mind?' or 'what was your first impression of me based on my appearance?' and et cetera. I'm still learning about this process as well through talking to my agent and finding out from the objective 'industry' side what a CD would think when looking at my photo. I have also come to understand the importance of looking like your picture, so there's a clear reminder of your face and your talent for them to review later.
I hope that helped, or at least added some perspective. :-D
If I were to type you, based on Friends, you are a Phoebe; the free spirit hippie-chick. Based on the few photos and the musical short, I'd say this is fair: offbeat girl next door.
Does that help a little?
xoxo
Haha! Thanks, Lira, I like that!
Post a Comment