August 2006 - Articles

Charting Your Acting Career

Location! Location! Location! It is generally agreed in the business world that in order to succeed you must be in a good location (unless you’re a mail order house, of course!) Simply put, the more visibility you have, the more your chances for success. How does this apply to an acting career, you might ask? Let me put it in prospective for you.

Vocation! Vocation! Vocation! Webster’s Dictionary defines “vocation” as: a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career versus their description of an “avocation”: a minor or occasional occupation; a hobby. Now, assuming you are among those compelled to communicate through stage, television, motion pictures or radio you will want to think of your “vocation” as identifying your vision, creating a plan to implement that vision and, then, taking the necessary steps to activate your plan. If this approach doesn’t appeal to you you’re probably in the “avocation” category and this letter will be of little interest to you.

First and foremost, charting a course is essential not only to undertake your life’s’ work but as you travel down the path of life, in general. Since there in is no “one-size-fits-all” route either in life or vocation, different paths can get us to any one of several destinations and it is not impossible to stumble accidentally into a particular way of life or career. However, if you want the scales of opportunity tipped in your favor you may want to consider the old expression: “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity!”

With this issue we present a veritable smorgasbord of thoughts, marketing ideas, resources and miscellaneous inspirations to assist you in pulling together your plan to chart your career so that when the call comes, you’ll be ready for the task. Sturdy foundations not only help build strong houses but also build careers that stand the test of time. In “ShowBiz” that translates into obtaining a realistic understanding of the business aspects as well as how best to employ the resources needed to generate a product that will be in demand…your talent!

We believe that the preparation process includes: obtaining skills needed for connecting with actors, directors and producers; becoming an active listener (an old proverb states to “listen! or thy tongue will keep thee deaf!; the art of being able to clearly articulate your thoughts to others; self-management; personal discipline and, very importantly, the ability to sharpen your intuition which, like a compass, can point you toward the right direction and choices.

Have you ever heard someone say, regarding their business position in life…..”I wish I’d have known that when I started out. Why didn’t someone take the time to tell me?” Well, the secret is that there really are no secrets when it comes to finding success and fulfillment in your career and, inadvertently, in your personal life and relationships. Even armed with this basic knowledge you must understand that in this ever-changing world of ours….things are changing constantly! You must be flexible, open to new ideas and be willing to share your knowledge with others. That’s just the law of life, folks!

The bottom line here is that the possibilities in charting your goals is endless and infinite. The rest is really up to you. One of the famous motivational guru’s of the 60’s once said to a study group: “There are 10 simple words that can guide you through your lifespan. Each word is two letters long and easy to remember. I suggest you remember…

“IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME!

Preparation, Perseverance and Passion are the three “P’s” that you, as an actor and a responsible human being, strive for as you attack your life plan. People only really become good at what they are passionate about so if you’re passionate about becoming an actor and fit into the “Vocation” category I suggest you PLAN – to study your craft and become good at it; PLAN – to persevere when you’re not getting parts and PLAN – to share your knowledge and learn from others who share the same passion.

A Word About Voice Demos

Ten seconds is not a fair way for anyone to judge your talent. But, unfortunately, that’s about the norm in the voice-over business. Besides getting through your first screening, if your demo does not look professional, you’ve just lost the first step.

• Do you sound like you’re reading?
  
• Do you sound believable?
  
• Is the copy right for you.

This is very important. I was producing an audio CD where I had called upon Key Howard, a well-trained voice-over talent with many credits to his name. When he came in and tried the narration, he said. “I’m not the voice you need for this, and he called another voice-over talent to come do the audio.

Lesson learned. Learn to select the right copy for your voice.

Key Howard, a professional voice over artist, advises to read out loud every chance you have; the newspaper, books, magazines just to get the feel of your voice. Make a recording of your voice and learn to perfect that recorded sound and not the voice that we think we hear from inside our heads.

Learn to enunciate and project your voice. Practice reading actual commercials and corporate copy. Work on your diction and don’t sound bland and boring. And by all means, don’t make your demo too long. Keep it under 90 seconds unless you’re presenting character voices or dialects.

Maintain a professional attitude all the way through and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

To your success!