The Biggest Mistake Nearly All Actors Make

If you are making this common mistake during an audition you can kiss goodbye any chance you may have had of booking.

This mistake is so common that nearly all actors do this throughout their entire career, and that’s why most struggle to make even the slightest bit of career progress.

In fact, there are a few things you can do to kill your audition and most actors are completely unaware of them.

If you’re not careful and discerning about how you choose to listen to, it could actually sound like good advice.

So, in today’s report I’m going to break them down for you so you can stop making these mistakes and start making real progress in your career.

Have you been coached through an audition by the CD? If you have been in the industry for any length of time, chances are you have been.

This is usually a good thing.

It means the CD saw something they liked in your performance and are trying to pull different angles from you or trying to push you further.

For most actors that’s where their audition falls apart. Not only is kind of flustering, actors have the tendency to treat their comments in the same way they would a director’s.

However, casting isn’t charged with creating a character. They are charged with assessing your talents and determining whether you will be a close enough fit for character that will be molded on set.

So, when they give you feedback and say something like “I think your character would be more saddened by that...” that’s the CD trying to see more of your range not coaching you on the character, and you have to be able to determine this if you are going to have an effective audition.

Where most actors go wrong is they try to act for what they think casting wants from you, rather than interpreting and building a character that can be taken to the next level by production.

When you do this, you instantly throw yourself and your performance in with the dozens or even hundreds of other actors that are doing the same thing.

Casting choices don’t come from being a little bit different. They come from your ability to deliver a good character that production can mold and refine.

If you are preparing for an audition, the furthest thing from your mind should be production. Instead work through creating your character from your perspective. I

Even if your choices aren’t exactly what production may have had in mind. That’s ok!

You will still have a shot at booking because that’s where the director comes in: to guide your performance.

Don’t be afraid to go against the grain, if that’s what feels natural to you. There are countless stories of actors who imagined a character completely different from everyone else and production changed the character to match what the actor had created.

So, when you go into an audition, don’t try to please the CD. They can see it coming from a mile away because they see tons of actors every day, nearly all of whom are doing the same thing.

Instead focus on your performance.
Then, focus on how you can make yourself and your performance memorable.

Just delivering a good performance isn’t enough to stand out. You have to move beyond that and ensure that your performance will linger in the CDs mind.

This can be done a number of different ways.

Most actors are afraid to ask questions during their audition, but rest assured it’s completely OK and you should be asking questions.

It displays an interest in delivering a good performance and shows that you are a true professional, rather than someone who acts as a hobby.

The trick is to ask the right questions. Doing so can make you stand out from the crowd and achieve the memorability you are looking for, during an audition.

If you can’t achieve this, then getting a callback is out of the question. Your headshot and your resume will simply go into the recycle bin after you read.

So, ask questions that nobody else would ask, and resist the urge to ask the CD what they want out of the character.

Instead ask questions that show you have given the character some thought and are not just reading words off a page.

Ask about the premise and about what’s going on in the scene instead.

Ask about what has happened before the scene and what comes after, and your characters involvement throughout.

They may not be able to share some of the details with you, because there is a risk of compromising the necessary confidentiality of the production, but you don’t need them to.

For example, if you get the sense that the character you are reading for doesn’t survive in the end, ask about it.

If you turn out to be right, then you will have displayed that you are in tune and in sync with the character which is a huge win for you and the CD will pick up on this, making you all the more memorable.

If your hunch turns out to be wrong, you will still benefit from throwing the CD off balance. It will make them question why you came to that conclusion and will also demonstrate that you have given the script some thought and have put effort into building a character.

And, that’s what’s important!

Beyond that, you will instantly become memorable, since not 1 actor of 100 will dare ask a question like this.

Even doing this, won’t let you book everything you go out for, but it will make you stand out and above the crowd., if everything else is in order.

Here’s what I mean by that.

What is perhaps the Casting Directors biggest job, is something that never crosses an actor’s mind, and that’s why I created something to help you with that.

See, when they are done with auditions and a CD is sitting with a pile of headshots, deciding who to

callback or who to cast, the conversation moves beyond talent and onto trust.

After all, if you get a callback and don’t show up. That’s not a good look for the CD.

If you are booked for the role but drop the ball on set, the CD is right next to you on the chopping block.

Every casting decision is a reflection on them and they don’t take this part of their job lightly. It amounts to them giving you their personal stamp of approval.

So, if you are going to have even the slightest chance at booking, you have to make this decision easy on casting.

This is probably the best way to do that.

It’s no secret that it has become an integral part of the casting process and it has been for a reason.

Castin directors and even production, relies on it for a number of thing and they use it as a big part of the decision making process.

It’s a measure of your industry reputation and a is a big part of your credibility.

You can be the perfect fit on paper, but casting will look further into you before making a decision. If what they find doesn’t match your potential match and your goals, then it will make Casting Directors think twice.

Give yourself the best chance, by putting your best foot forward here.

Don’t let your next audition, be the next time this crosses your mind. Come up with a plan before then. Tell me about it in the comments below or shoot me an email. I’m always happy to help, because I hope to...

See you at the top,
Scott

How To Act for The Horror Genre and Unlock Tons of New Opportunities

With Stranger Things renewed for a fourth season recently and Halloween in a few days, it’s the perfect time for us to talk about acting for the horror genre.

There is a distinct difference between, horror, action and suspense though a good horror project will invoke all 3 but at different times. Knowing the difference between the 3 emotions will enable you to supercharge your performance.

However, not knowing and accurately calling on the right emotions at the right time is what makes a horror performance turn into a comical one.

While, the job a director is typically to keep you on track and guide you on thing like this, you can’t rely on them for such subtleties as this.

It takes a world class director to be able to provide adequate direction on the differences.

It’s such a popular genre and there are tons of opportunities available, especially if you are still a bit new to the industry.

Whether you are new to the industry or if you have been trying to make a name for yourself for a few years, but are not seeing the kind of progress you want to be experiencing, the horror genre can change that for your quickly.

Here’s why...

There are tons and tons of opportunities for you to get your foot in the door on a wide range of projects, regardless of your resume.

When you consider the number of small budget films that end up being blockbusters, this is the perfect genre for you to start in.

The reason is that horror appeals to our most basic human instincts. When done well, projects can be completed very inexpensively and have a huge upside, so studios are much quicker to greenlight the projects.

There is a fine line between a good horror project and one that turns out being cheesy and comical. It comes down to the 3 elements I mentioned a moment ago.

For example (Stranger Things Season 2 Spoiler Alert!), when Bob is attacked and ultimately eaten by the Demogorgon, what emotion should the audience feel?

What emotions should your character feel as an onlooker in this scene?

The audience should feel sadness and disgust, most of which is accomplished through making the scene quite graphic. However, Bob’s facial expression plays a big role as well and you, as the actor need to be aware of that.

If you were playing Bob, would your expression be one of helplessness or horror? Would a tear stream down your cheek just before dying?

That depends on what you want the audience to feel from you.

In this case, when we want the audience to feel saddened and disgusted, so helplessness would be the most impactful way to go. Pun intended!

Let’s switch gears and talk about being an onlooker in this scene.

While the backstory and your relationship to the character that was just eaten by a pack of interdimensional monsters would impact your character decisions, let’s keep things simple.

Let’s only go so far as to say that the victim, Bob is a good guy, well liked and was a reluctant participant in the fiasco that led to his untimely death.

What emotions would your character display?

Would you be scared? Disgusted? Regardless of what comes in next in the script, there is a beat that shows your reaction in the scene, and that will either shatter the fourth wall and make the scene unbelievable or even comical.

Or, it can take the audience further into the story.

Before we walk through the scene, take just a moment and think about what emotions you think you would pull for your character.

Really take a minute or two and walk through it.

Now, after you have done the exercise, let’s walk through the scene together and let’s see how things play out.

You are trying to escape from a pack of interdimensional monsters and you just witnessed one of your friends be eaten alive.

Are you horrified, shocked, disgusted, saddened?

Like I mentioned a moment ago, some of this will depend on your backstory and relationship with the character, so for simplicity we’ll say you are just friends whose relationship extends no further than trying to escape the creatures together.

Which brings me to this point, yor are actively trying to escape from the creatures which you know will kill you if they catch you, so displaying shock in this case would break the 4th wall instantly.

You know the outcome and you knew of the possibility from the beginning of the scene, so shock should not be in your emotional mix.

Would your character be saddened what just happened?

Not at this point.

In the immediate aftermath, your character would be focused on staying alive. It’s too soon to feel sad.

The creatures are still close by, so shedding a tear would lead to the audience to a WTF moment and again break the 4th wall.

Having your character break down in tears would turn the scene into a cheesy and comical one, because it wouldn’t make sense.

Maybe it would, once your character has some distance from the creatures and has a minute to think about what just happened.

In that case, putting sadness into the emotional mix would be appropriate.

The dominant emotion in the immediate aftermath would be horror. Of course the subject matter, would have you pepper in a few other emotional layers such as disgust for what you just witnessed, but let’s keep it at the dominant level for the sake of simplicity.

See, once you identify the dominant emotion, you can then start making your character choices and determine what to do with your eyes, mouth, breath, vocal tonality, etc.

Working your way through a scene like this is how top actors measure whether they are going overboard with a character and when they need to push things further and how.

Relying on the director will only lead you so far. Going the extra mile pays off exponentially.

It’s easy to read through a scene and make character choices in your head or even playing the scene out with a few friends.

To become a world class actor and have a career that exceeds even your wildest expectations, requires that you go beyond what everyone else does and do exercises like this one.

You can even do this to prepare for your next audition.

If you don’t have anything coming up soon, then check this out.

It’s a tool I created to help actors like you that are committed to their careers and need a boost to help them be more visible to the industry.

After all, being a world class actor doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the means through which you can share your talent with the world.

That’s what Boost My Star is all about. I want to help you become the best actor you can be and give you the tools, strategies and anything else you need to be successful as an actor.

So, feel free to get in touch anytime.

I’m always happy help in anyway I can. Whether that means giving you some insight on character choices or by helping you be more visible to industry decision makers.

I’ll do what I can, because my goal is to...

See you at the top,
Scott

The Little Known Secret to Building a Long and Rewarding Acting Career

You can’t be in the industry and not study classic shows like Seinfeld, Friends, or more recently The Office.

Long running shows like this are what make the entire industry possible, since for every Seinfeld that sells distribution rights, for a half billion dollars, 3 decades after wrapping production there are 100 other shows that don’t make a single dollar in profit.

More on that in a sec. It actually has a lot to do with whether or not you will be successful as an actor, but we have to cover some other factors first.

Let’s first talk about why these shows are so successful, how to spot them, and most importantly how to get on casting’s radar so you have an opportunity to be cast on the show.

First and foremost...

You have to be choosy about which opportunities to focus on in which ones to push to the back burner.

That means you need to have a trained eye for which productions are more likely to be successful. Here’s an easy, albeit counterintuitive way to do that.

In general, the less specific a show’s story line is, the more likely it is to be a long running, successful show.

That brings us back to Seinfeld being a show about “nothing” as it was called.
When you think of other successful shows, the same trend emerges. What was Friends about?

Even The Office or Orange is The New Black, are really shows about nothing. At most, they are shows about “not much” when compared to others like 24 (which had a very specific plot line).

What makes or breaks a production is the character set and whether those characters are relatable. Of course, the characters behind those actors are of huge importance as well.

I’ll come to why this presents a huge opportunity for you as an actor, in just a moment.

Even if you are not on anyone’s radar, there are still ways you can identify and prioritize these opportunities.

The great thing about the industry is that productions are not a secret and they are announced very early on in the process.

For a series, like the ones we are talked about, the networks have used a similar formula for decades. They announce the show early in the production cycle, usually when a “keystone” actor has been attached to the show.

This is normally an actor that has some degree of recognition but that is removed enough from the mainstream that their presence will not detract from the shows realism.

For Modern Family this was Ed O’Neal and Sofia Vergara. The Office had Steve Carrell and Seinfeld had Jerry Seinfeld of course.

To spot a production with potential, identify who those keystone actors are and whether they fit the description. If they recently wrapped a blockbuster film in which they played a lead, chances are the show will not have longevity.

Stick with me for a sec, when the human mind does not recognize a face we subconsciously superimpose ourselves and the people around us in that person’s place.

This helps us make sense of the world around us. It’s also why everyone, except for the keystone actor, is unknown in the industry.

Do this: watch an episode of Friends or The Office and see how many of the characters you can relate your own friends or family.

Do the same when evaluating which opportunities to focus on. If the characters are not relatable in some way, chances are the production will have a short shelf life.

What’s great about productions like this is that, because the cast is made up of actors that are unknown in the industry, the door is wide open for you, even if you don’t have a lot credits right now.

Most of the shows will be announced in Variety or Backstage. From there, you can have your agent submit you for consideration.

A quick note about that. Even though, they are casting unknown actors, CDs still need to be able to trust you so make sure your industry reputation will stand up to their scrutiny.

If you have struggled to make career progress, this could be the what is hindering you.

While they are typically part of the dailies, you have to make sure your agent doesn’t gloss over them. If you identify a production that you think is a good fit, make sure your agent has submitted you!

They are easy to miss because they tend to not sound like the most exciting projects, and they typically don’t have very specific actor-types they are searching for.

While this is great for you, it poses a problem for an agent’s workflow, since they are trained to look for opportunities where you will be a fit, rather than fitting you into an opportunity.

If you are self representing or if you are in between agents and find a production that could be a fit, don’t hesitate to submit yourself.

Google search the production office and you will easily find their contact info.

The most important part of building an acting career, is taking the initiative. Literally, half the battle is in simply showing up and putting your best foot forward.

Although there are dozens of ways to go full time and become a professional actor with a long and rewarding career, the path that is the most attractive for actors is typically the network series route.

I think it’s because it provides a degree of stability in an otherwise unpredictable and highly volatile profession.

When you sign up as a lead in a network series, the standard contract is written up for 7 years, and when you have bounced around from one set to the next, as all actors do, having a set to call “home”and a cast and crew that you will work with for years to come is very comforting.

However, it’s not the only route. You can perform the same process for films too.

The reason for their longevity is still rooted in the same principles. The Goonies, for example, reminds us of our childhood friends and we can superimpose them in place of the characters in the film.

They also become timeless, not because there was a star studded cast, but because of the quality of the cast.

There are typically a couple of breakout actors that go on to have incredible careers, like Abigail Breslin after Little Miss Sunshine.

Just like for a series, the same open nature of casting applies, so look up the production office and submit yourself if you have to.

When I go through this process with actors, they typically want to know about the little things like“which headshot style should I go with?”

While things like that are important, they are secondary to what we’ve talked about today. A “perfect”headshot (which by the way doesn’t exist) sent out to imperfect productions won’t do you any good.

Focus instead on the big picture things that move the needle for your career.
Form there, after you have had a degree of success, you can start to calibrate with the smaller things.

One thing that will never change about the industry and about the nature of casting is that, it will always be about people.

A terrific actor who turns out to be a horrible person, will have a very short career, whereas an actor who is good enough but is a wonderful person, will have a career beyond their expectations if they make the right career choices.

Earlier, I mentioned that your industry reputation was highly important during the casting process. Here’s why.

Imagine that you are walking, minding your own business and all of a sudden a stranger extends their hand and says “hi.”

Dozens of things go through your mind in an instant. You immediately try to asses whether the other person poses some kind of danger to you, you start to wonder why they are talking to you at all, you look for an escape route in case they are a danger, and a lot more.

The same thing happens when your headshot lands on a CD’s desk, except you are the stranger with an outstretched hand.

So, you need to do whatever you possibly can to quiet the conversation going on in the CDs head. It’s not unlike what happens in real life, except it’s more situational.

More like “if I call this person to read, will everyone think I’ve lost my mind because he’s not a direct fit”or “is she going to show up to production perpetually late and be a diva?”

That’s why your industry reputation is so important and why I built this to help you with that.

When you cover yourself on this front, you don’t come across as a risky stranger to a CD, you come across as an industry professional that can be trusted.

IMDb wouldn’t exist, if it wasn’t of use to the industry.

It wouldn’t have been bought by Amazon (also owner of Amazon Studios) if they didn’t have big plans for how to use IMDb in the future.

Consider it your digital status meter, as it’s how the industry views you.

It’s an imperfect system and many actors, the shortsighted ones, wish it would simply go away. That’s only because they haven’t learned how you can use it boost your acting career.

Check that out first and then shoot me an email if you have any questions about how to put what we talked about today into practice.

I’m always happy to help an actor who is willing to take their career destiny into their own hands. It makes it much more likely that I will...

See you at the top,
Scott

A Tale of 2 Actors: How To Be Successful and Avoid the Pitfalls That Causes Actors to Fail

If you have been in the industry for more than 18 months, you have outlasted most other actors.

If you are reading this report, you have also put more thought into how to take your career to the next level them most of them ever will.

That also means your career is at a crossroad.

You have been in the industry long enough to have experience some success and long enough to know that first hand that the industry isn’t all red carpets and glam sessions.

Most actors enter the industry completely wide eyed and with a ton of enthusiasm. They quickly fizzle out because they don’t exactly know what to expect from the industry and there isn’t really anywhere to turn to for advice.

There are only 2 ways your career can go.

You either make it or you don’t.

There isn’t much of a middle ground.

Today I am going to introduce you to an actor that made it in the industry and surpassed her biggest dreams.

I’m also going to introduce you to someone whose career went the exact opposite way.

He didn’t make it and is now shuffling paperwork in a cubicle.

This is a tale of two actors. For one it has been the best of times. For the other, it was the worst of times.

Which one do you want to experience?

Fair warning, this report contains some brutal honesty and you should only read more if you truly want to be successful as an actor...

First, let’s meet Cindy. She came into the industry just like everyone else. She was willing to work hard, take odd jobs to get another credit.

She spent over a year doing this but all along, she knew that if she always approached her career like this, she would never end up making any progress.

If you look at things objectively, like Cindy did, it doesn’t take long to realize this.

If you are stuck doing commercials, but you really want to do network television or feature films, it’s highly unlikely that your work in a mouthwash ad will get you there.

The sooner you realize this, the sooner you will start to make progress.

You have to be involved in the kind of work that you want to end up doing.

Sure, you will have to take other work just to have some industry activity, but don’t confuse work with progress.

The big shift for Cindy’s career, came when she started to focus on the kinds of work she found exciting and wanted to do more of.

This is what other successful actors have done.

You have probably heard the expression, jack of all trades, master of none.

Most people understand this and experience it to be true in just about every other industry. However, as actors we are no different.

You have to specialize in area and make it your laser-like focus.

Start with he big picture and then narrow it down even further. Don’t just decide that you want to focus on doing action films. Narrow it even further and look for roles where you can always play a special agent, or seek out roles where you can always play a doctor for example.

Once you have established yourself in an area then, it becomes easier for you to expand your scope of work.

If you knock it out the park, playing doctors for example, then it’s a no brainer for you to be cast as a lawyer next.

What most actors do instead is go from playing a doctor, to a clown, to a barista. They do action, then comedy, then drama, then back to action.

This never let’s you make progress in a single category, so you end up starting back at square 1 in every category.

That’s what Mark did.

He couldn’t decide on a category he wanted to focus on so he instead focused on none.

So, even though he was incredibly talented, he progressed from playing bit parts.

See, just like in any other career. You have to be “promoted” to the next level, but this can’t happen if you are constantly jumping from one category to another.

Your agent is going to play part in helping you to specialize, so you need to take some time and have a conversation with them about this.

They may adamantly tell you that it’s a bad idea, or that there won’t be enough work available for you.

You may have a difference of opinion regarding how to approach your career and what moves to make. That’s completely ok!

However, you do have to get to the root of whether their concerns are valid, or if they simply don’t know how to do what you are asking them to do.

Unfortunately, most agents will fall into the latter, but there are still solutions. You may be able to find a manager that is better specialized and can help you find opportunities in the area you are specializing in.

As you narrow your focus, you will start to make higher quality industry contacts. Successful CDs and industry decision makers specialize too, so you will start to see them over and over.

This presents a huge opportunity, as long as you can make a good impression.

Be down to earth first and foremost. CDs are people too. They want to work with people they like.

Actors tend to confuse, leaving an impression being impressive, so they finesse their credentials and try to impress CDs with their background and talent.

This could work, except that everyone does this to CDs all day everyday and they can see it coming from a mile away.

So, you end up being just another actor among a thousand.

Instead, if you are just down to earth and likable, you will be the one that stands out from the crowd.

Even if it turns out that you are not right for the part you went in to read for, CDs will remember you and they will file your information away, and will for opportunities to call you in.

They will even end up referring you around to other CDs.

Of course, you will still have to pass the “due diligence” test so make sure that your industry reputation matches what you want to accomplish.

Remember, CDs and industry decision makers are people and protecting themselves first, before taking a chance on someone new is natural.

Don’t give them a reason to pass on you.

Even if they like you and think you are great, if your industry status is not what they expect, CDs and decision makers won’t just think twice before booking you.

They will probably avoid it altogether, to protect themselves and their own career, and cast someone with a better status.

Here’s how I can help with that.

If you have been stuck playing smaller roles than you are capable of, and if you haven’t made the type of progress you should have made so far in your career, chances are, this has something to do with it.

It may not be the entire picture, but it is almost always a part of the problem.

Don’t leave this to chance. The outcome of your career depends heavily on the trust you develop with others and the quality of your industry relationships.

Trust in the industry is hard to come by, and the first impression you often make is your industry status.

If you always put your best foot forward, then you should be doing that with your status as well.

If this hasn’t been an area of focus for you, it’s time for you to start so I can...

See you at the top,
Scott

How To Access the Secret Trove of Acting Work With Almost Zero Competition

Being an actor requires passion. Some would say that it requires you to be a little bit crazy too.

After all, there are not many people who would spend weeks working on an audition piece, fight LA traffic, just to wait in a crowded room with 30 other actors who are there for the same reason you are, trying to get the same role you are.

If all goes well, you will get 3 minutes with the Casting Director, followed by weeks of radio silence while you wait on pins and needles to hear if you got a call back or not.

Yes, doing this, being an actor does require you to be a little bit crazy but it’s the good kind of crazy that people tend to call being passionate.

Some actors (the crazy-crazy ones) get a rush out of this. The rest of us dread the process.

We may not admit it or even dare to say it out loud, but deep down inside the thought of going to another audition with 30 other actors waiting to be seen, kills us.

While every good actor does enjoy the competitive side of the industry, it’s really gotten out of hand lately.

A little bit of healthy competition is great.

Actually, let me rephrase that!

Winning when there is a bit of healthy competition is great, but being one of dozens of actors in the room isn’t great. It also means there are dozens more scheduled to be seen and the chances of your standing out are slim.

It’s a big waste of time, even if do end up getting the part in the end. More on that in a bit.

What if there was a way that you could get tons of auditions and book acting work with almost no competition?

What if you could be 1 of 3 actors in the room, rather than being 1 of 30?

See, there is a hidden in plain sight, not so secret, treasure trove of ready to book acting jobs that not even 1 actor in 100 are taking advantage of.

If you are self representing, I know you are not taking advantage of this yet. If you have an agent, chances are they are not doing this either...

Most actors don’t even think of going this route because it doesn’t fit into the traditional career path for an actor.

Some don’t do it because they simply can’t wrap their minds around how to make it work nor do their agents know how.

Frankly, some don’t do it out of ego.

That creates a huge opportunity for you, because there is next to no competition and there are a number of other factors that open up roles for you that you may not even be considered for in “traditional acting.”

You can’t be too young, too old, too short, too tall, etc. Even if you are not the right fit for a role, but are close enough, things can be fixed and easily adjusted in post.

I’m talking about voiceover acting.

When we hear this, most of us instantly think of the voiceover work done for tv ads.

While that is one aspect, there are many more sources of voice over work and new ones are popping up constantly.

Today, there is a ton of voiceover work available for video game narration, that didn’t exist just a couple of years ago.

As more companies shift from traditional “bodies in buildings” staff, to having remote workers instead, their training platforms are moving online, creating tons of opportunities for corporate VO work also.

But even that only scratches the surface.

Look at any studio’s slate and you will see that a growing number of them have greenlit projects requiring characters that are fully CGI.

More projects are being done fully in CGI. There is even a trend that is remaking classic films as photorealistic animated films.

All of these require talented voice actors to bring the characters to life.

While it may not be the most traditional form of acting, doing voice work will make you even better.

When you are doing voice work, it’s just you and a microphone. Most of the acting happens in your mind.

You don’t typically have the other person you are doing a scene with, in the booth with you. While that keeps the sound “clean” for production, it means that you don’t have anyone to play off of.

You have to imagine how they would deliver the lines and react accordingly. This helps to sharpen your skills.

There is more work available in voice acting, than there are actors, and the barrier to entry, if you don’t have a lot of credits to your name yet, is much lower than other categories of acting

Your voiceover samples can be produced at home with a $7 microphone from Amazon, and whatever smartphone is in your pocket.

You can even download apps for $1.99 that will clean the audio for you and make it professional quality.

While some voiceover actors do have reels with visuals, CDs prefer to sample the work without the visuals so they can listen to the voice without overlaying imagery that is in conflict with the project they are casting for.

With traditional acting, they want to see the visuals and if they are not of high production quality, they can hurt your perception with CDs, even if your acting work is stellar.

So put together your vocal reel. You can script out a few pieces and record them in an afternoon, so there is no excuse not to get started on this right now.

Talk to your agent. Chances are, the thought of submitting you to VO work has probably never crossed their mind.

If they are hesitant to do this or don’t have the knowledge to do it, ask them about working with an agent that is specialized in finding VO work for their talent.

Even agents who specialize in voice actors use the traditional industry criteria to decide who to take on as a client.

So, if you want to land a high quality voice agent, this could be a major factor.

Agency contracts vary, so this could be allowed or it could be explicitly prohibited in your contract.

Even if having a secondary agent isn’t allowed in your contract, any reasonable agency will modify the terms for you as long as they get a cut of any profits.

Don’t worry about that part though, that’s for your agent and your new VO agent to work out. That’s it. You could be in the VO business as soon as tomorrow afternoon.

Like any other part of the industry your reputation will be a big part of the success you experience, so be sure that your reputation matches your goals.

Even if you don’t have a ton of credits right now, CDs are less hesitant to give you a chance when doing VO work because it’s much easier for production to re-record an actor of a production, than it is to do a reshoot.

Of course, it’s still an expense for production and nobody ever wants that to happen so having a solid industry standing will help open doors and make casting more comfortable with booking you. Here’s how I can help with that.

The industry is changing and voice acting is becoming a much bigger part of it.

Don’t let get left behind. Get started on making your mark on this growing part of the industry.

If you have any questions about this, remember that I’m always only a comment or an email away. I’m always happy to help in any way I can so that I can...

See you (or hear you) at the top,
Scott

The Secret Audition Killer

If you have ever been part of an auditioning workshop, then you know that most of the time is spent working on the big picture skills.

A lot of effort goes into using the right inflection points when you read, making sure your facial expression is on point, and learning how to quickly block a scene so that your performance stands out from the crowd, without being awkward or overbearing.

That is the problem!

See, everybody spends a lot of time doing this, so Casting Directors don’t use the big picture skills as a primary casting factor.

They have to look past it and focus on the more granular skills and the finer points of acting and auditioning.

What you think is helping your auditions, may actually be what’s holding back and what is keeping you from booking more often.

Keep reading to find out how to conquer the secret audition killer and book more jobs, more often, so you can finally make real career progress...

It’s been said that the eyes are the window to the soul.

If you want to breathe life into your characters, then this is something you have to pay particular attention to.

The eyes are a huge part of nonverbal communication. Think about it, we all know “that look.” It could be from your parents growing up, or from a spouse or significant other.

Getting “that look” put us on high alert, without a word being spoken.

It’s because language is a relatively modern construct, if you consider the life time of our species, so our brains are hardwired to read nonverbal clues in every interaction.

So how does this translate to bringing a character to life?

First, let me be clear, it’s not that one way is better than another. After all, acting is an art form and art is subjective.

However, acting or reacting one way can be more natural than another and that is what acting aims to do. We want our audience to feel like they are watching something real unfolding before them.

For example, let’s say you are playing a character that is a cubicle dwelling office drone. You are just one face of 5000 others in the company and don’t have any real responsibility.

Suddenly, the CEO of the company marches straight to your cubicle and calls you by name. Reacting with a jaw drop would be appropriate, having your breath slightly taken away as your jaw drops would be better.

What would bring your character to life is having your eyes glaze over and pop open as your breath is taken away.

Here’s another example. Your character is on a jog through the city and stops for a cup of coffee before heading back to her apartment. Covered in sweat and still panting from her workout, she notices her ex with his new girlfriend across the room. She doesn’t want to see them in her disheveled state, so what does she do?

The director and the script will give you the big picture guidance. She would of course shrink into her stance to try and avoid being seen, and maybe try to hide behind someone else in line, before sneaking out of the door.

What her eyes do in this situation could make or break the scene.

Your character is looking for a way out and her eyes should reflect that. They would be scanning the room, looking for places to “hide” on her way to the door, so she can make a quiet exit.

Rapid eye movements are also a sign of nervous energy or anxiety.

She wouldn’t just be looking around the room without purpose, so contracting the yes with an ever so slight squint would communicate a sense of focus or concentration.

When you factor in things like this, you are layering your performance with subtleties that bring your character to life.

There are a few great resources for you to dive deeper into this work.

The show “Lie to Me” does a fantastic job of breaking down body language and is incredibly accurate. Watching just a few episodes while taking diligent notes will be far more beneficial to you than just about any acting class.

Additionally, Matt Bomer is phenomenal in the use of his eyes, so anything he does is great to watch and study. Pay particular attention to the way he blinks.

Blinking is part of “eye acting” and he is a phenomenal actor to study in that regard. He often blinks to emphasize certain words or important phrases.

He tends to play characters that often have ulterior motives, so he may follow a coy statement and cunning smile with a series of 2 to 4 rapid eye blinks.

Think of it kind of as a poker tell. A series of rapid eye blinks often happen subconsciously when you don’t want to miss someone else’s reaction.

You would typically think it would be the opposite, so a conscious character choice might be to not blink.

However, blinking rapidly super-hydrates the eyes so they are able to stay open longer, allowing you to take in more details.

Casting Directors are trained to look for the finer points in your audition.

Working on the big picture skills tends to be more exciting, but when you focus on the details, CDs notice and it counts. It’s what makes the difference between an actor and a professional actor.

It makes the difference between a great performance and an Oscar worthy performance.

Pick a scene and workshop it yourself. Don’t do it in front of the mirror, because you want to be able to see your eyes.

Record yourself performing the scene as you originally would have.

Then redo the scene, but layer in what we talked about in this report. When you watch it back, you will notice that your vocal inflection points will be slightly different. Your facial expressions will be incredible and multidimensional, and you may even speak the lines a bit differently than before.

Pick a couple of your friends and have them review your scene. Don’t tell them about what you did differently.

They may not know why the second version of your scene is more to their liking, they will just know it’s“better.” That’s because your performance will be speaking directly to their subconscious mind and it will be that much more believable.

Use the same technique to prepare for your next audition. Record yourself and then redo the scene by layering your performance, watch it back and reiterate until you are satisfied.

If you don’t have an audition coming up soon, then you may want to check this out.

Having a great audition is half the battle. The other half is just getting in the room to read.

Oftentimes, we focus so much on what to do when we audition, that we neglect everything it takes to get enough auditions to book jobs and showcase our talent.

That’s why I created this. It is a tool to make you highly visible to the industry, on autopilot, so you can focus on doing what you do best.

Even if you have an agent that is working to get you in the room, your agent can only be so effective. If all that you are giving them to work with is a reel and a headshot, then you are just another actor on their roster, being submitted to the dailies.

Give them a solid industry reputation to work with and you will be amazed by the doors and opportunities that suddenly open up for you.

Don’t take my word for it. Try it out and see for yourself. Before long, I just may...

See you at the top,
Scott

The 2 Types of Agents

We all remember that nervous-excited feeling we had when we walked into the office for our first agent meeting.

I don’t know about you, but personally, my first agent meeting was completely terrible! My headshots were bad, my resume was a bunch of filler and fluff that I tried my best to make sound impressive.

I was a nervous wreck and I’m sure that it came across.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have even been allowed to meet with the agent. Also in retrospect, I dodged a bullet that day by being passed up for representation.

Because most agent contracts have a 1 year term, that would have meant that I would have been signed with an agent that wasn’t fully invested in my success, and I would have been stuck with him for 12 whole months.

That’s about a decade in “industry” years.

See, over the years, I have come to learn that there are only 2 types of agents. There are agents that are dealmakers and agents that are deal takers. We’ll get into what that means and how you can identify what type of agent you have, in a moment.

For now, suffice it to say the first is good, the former can literally sink your career.

A dealmaker type of agent is one that will actively work for you and have a vested interest in your career. You and your agent will be partners in your journey to building a successful acting career: think Ari Gold and Vince or Jerry Maguire and Rod Tidwell.

This is the type of agent you need to have in your career, if you want to be a successful actor.

Here’s how to find an elite, dealmaker type of agent, even if you only have a few credits right now and no one knows you...

There may not be much you can do, if you are currently bound by an agency contract, other than to start your search for a new one.

It’s easy to get comfortable with an agent and accept the good with bad. However, if what you are after is becoming a full time, professional actor you can’t afford to settle for a subpar agent.

If your agent doesn’t greet you by name when you call, 99 times out of 100, he is not the one for you.

If your agent is not telling you about projects you won’t find in Variety, he may not be the right one for you.

If your agent asks you about how the audition went, chances are, he is not the right agent for you. If he doesn’t even call to go over the audition with you, he is definitely not the right agent for you.

An elite, first rate agent will know more about how the audition went than you would know, and he will get on the phone with you to go over next steps, even if it means that you go back to the drawing board, because things don’t look good.

Your agent should treat you as a professional and will not sugarcoat things to spare your feelings. They would be far more interested in seeing you succeed than simply playing nice.

This kind of “bedside manner” doesn’t sit well with many actors, but consider whether you would rather have an agent that is completely honest, even when it may be uncomfortable, or if you would rather spend a few more years at open calls.

Most actors can’t even wrap their mind around being signed to an A list agent.

They think that the only way to get signed by them is to already be a superstar, but that’s not the case at all.

Elite, top tier, dealmaker type of agents can be found everywhere, not just in a corner office at WME.

Here’s how you can identify, whether the agent you are meeting with is a top tier agent, climbing the ranks.

They should follow up on why did or didn’t get the job or why you were not called back.

They should actively recommend you to productions, beyond the dailies, and attach you to them before anyone is even called to read. Most actors think this kind of treatment is reserved only for A-listers, but remember that Casting Directors are people too.

CDs don’t want to start from scratch on every project, so if your agent actively puts you in front of them there is a good chance that you will be called in to read and be booked for the job, before casting even sees anyone else.

This requires that you have an agent that is fully invested in your success and totally committed to you.

Hard as it may be to accept, you have to be honest with yourself and determine whether your agent is willing to go to such lengths for your, or if you are just another headshot on their wall.

Top tier agents will deliver the news about an upcoming audition to you over the phone. This may be a 30 second conversation and the details will usually be sent via email or text afterwards, but top tier agents will take this an opportunity to fortify their partnership with you.

At the very least, they would have an assistant give you a call.
The industry is all about personal relationships, and top tier agents know this better than anybody.

Personal relationships are made in the real world, not through the dailies and this is why they are able to attach you to productions, before they even show up in the dailies.

Having a good contact turn into a bad contact after a subpar agent gets involved in the process, is way more common than you think.

One of the reasons I was compelled to write this report was because of the several accounts I’ve heard from our fellow BMS tribe members who took their futures into their own hands, made things happen, and then had everything fall apart after their agent stepped in to close the deal.

I call top tier agents, dealmakers, because that is exactly what they are. They go out into the industry and make things happen for you. Second rate agents will only take whatever comes their way for you, and that’s why they are the deal takers.

We tend to add a lot of mystique to the job of agent, but plain and simple, agents must go out and look for jobs for you, negotiate your contracts for those jobs and make sure that everyone sticks to the terms of the contracts.

They are skilled negotiators, so you don’t have to be one.

Rather than just accepting day rate plus 10% for you, they will make demands on your behalf. They don’t do this just to make you a bit more money.

Rather, they do it to raise your industry status.

The reason why contacts can sour or why jobs can ultimately fall through when a subpar agent gets involved is that they (the agents) tend to not fully understand their own place in the industry.

Agents carry you across the finish line when your audition was one of many that went great and casting still has some reservations about who to cast.

They must step in, allay their fears and ensure that you are the one booked for the role. You play a big part in this too.

If casting is nervous about whether you can handle the job, your agent’s words will only go so far. Help them, help you by giving them some tools to work with.

Here’s a great one that I created for you.

It’s still a very sensitive time for the industry. The public is still calling for people to be blacklisted and shunned by the industry for a number of reasons, so Casting Directors are more cautious then ever and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Oftentimes, if your industry reputation is not up to standards, you won’t even be called in to read.

What’s worse is having an audition go wonderfully, only to have it fall apart after casting does their research and looks into you.

Here’s how I can make sure that things go well for you at this stage.

Agents are also becoming increasingly weary about new or unproven talent because of this. Remember, your success and their livelihood depend on you.

If agents have a roster full of actors whose bookings fall apart, then they are doing a lot of work for free, and nobody likes that.

This is why good agents are selective and many won’t even see you, if your industry reputation doesn’t match the goals they have for their talent roster. Here’s a quick way to fix that.

It’s true that not having an agent is usually better than not having one at all. If you are stuck with an agent that isn’t working out for you, you can either have a tough conversation with them and ask them to tear up your contract, or you can simply wait it out.

No actor is an island and having a top tier agent in your corner is one of the keys to being successful in the industry.

Now that you know what a good agent will do for you, get your affairs in order and find one that is as ambitious as you are, so I can...

See you at the top,
Scott

How To “Reely” Skyrocket Your Acting Career

Would you rather wait 10 years to start making real progress in your acting career, or would you rather be successful right now?

If you have a pulse, the answer to that would be obvious. Now one wants to wait for success to happen, but there is a huge problem!

Every step of the way we are told that we must wait our “turn.” The ways we are told and made to wait are countless, especially for actors.

We’ll get to that in a moment.

First, I want to clear something up.

The best things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who seize opportunities.

Those things include getting more quality auditions, so you can stop going to open calls and waiting for sometimes hours on end, just to get 2 minutes with a CD’s assistant.

When you seize opportunities, you can also open doors to things that most actors can’t even imagine, like being asked to work with production teams over and over again, or having top tier agents pursuing you.

The secret to having a long and lucrative acting career is not what you may think...

I see this happen all the time.

A new actor will come to town and immediately start to focus all of their attention on getting into the “best” acting classes.

While it’s important to have a good group of driven actors around you and supporting you, training will not substitute for real world acting experience when it comes to casting decisions.

Think about it this way.

CDs are charged with making decisions on more than just talent. They must also select actors who will not drop the ball on a multimillion dollar production.

Casting mistakes can be very expensive and they can also be detrimental to a Casting Director’s reputation.

So rather than focusing on training, focus on doing. Here’s why...

Imagine that you needed a complicated medical surgery and the surgeon comes in to take you to the operating room and says “don’t worry, I have seen this surgery dozens of times and I have practiced it in the mirror too.”

How comfortable would you be going under the knife?

This is what we often ask of Casting Directors. Even if you do have acting experience, if it’s not the “right” kind of experience you may also be asking CDs to take a chance going under the knife with you.

You can’t get leading role experience in quality productions, without first having experience in lead roles with quality productions.

That’s kind of the catch 22.

So, where do you go from there?

Most actors will simply keep trying for the same type of roles over and over again. Sometimes that means that they are relegated to being bit players for the rest of their acting careers.

Other times it means never really getting your career off the ground. Sadly, that is where most actors end up.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way. The industry is structured in kind of a stair step fashion. Each step up leads to roles with more screen time and more responsibility.

However, if you focus on just a couple things, then you bypass most of this and go straight to the top of the ladder.

Going back to the surgeon example, what CDs really want to know is that you have what it takes to be part of a production without dropping the ball. They want to know that you have actually done the procedure successfully, before choosing you to go under the knife with.

This is what your reel is for.

Most actors are highly mistaken about what a reel is supposed to be.

Your reel is supposed to be a summary of your body of work of course, but more importantly, it should demonstrate to CDs that you are qualified to take on roles with big responsibilities and lots of screen time.

I’m sure you have heard of the saying “don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want.” Think of your reel in this way. Dress up your reel so that it’s a fit for the jobs you want.

If all you have are clips from poorly lit projects and a commercial for the local mattress warehouse, that’s not going to put CDs at ease when deciding whether to cast you.

This is one area you really need to focus on if you want push your career to new levels of success quickly.

If you don’t have quality clips for your reel, get some! You don’t have to wait to be cast in a big, quality production.

Script out a few scenes and get a group together to shoot the scenes. You can all agree to use the clips in your respective reels.

Make sure that they represent a quality production.

Don’t script scenes with lots of action or that require special effects, as these are difficult and expensive to produce.

If what you need is an action reel, then you can still accomplish it. Just, think foot chase and hand combat, rather than high speed chase and pyrotechnics.

Shoot on location, rather than on a sound stage and pull in some production staff to help. Lighting is a big giveaway, and people can spot a poor production on lighting alone.

Lighting pros, sound techs, makeup artists, hairdressers, and editors need to show their body of work too so pull them in to your reel production and you can all use the material for your own reels, portfolios, etc.

In the end you will have a reel that is full of scenes that appear to come from large scale productions. This will take some time and effort on your part to put together, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Just showing up at another audition, is the easy thing to do and that’s why it’s what most actors do. Doing the same, will only get you the same meager results.

If you want an extraordinary career, then you have to do extraordinary things.

Success begets success, so when you send out a reel like this you will be asked to read more often. The roles you are asked to read for will change too.

They will get bigger and have more screen time, because CDs will know they can trust you. In their minds you will have already been a part of bigger productions.

Perception is reality.

Just make sure that your industry reputation matches your goals so you maintain that perceiption.

This doesn’t mean that you have to make up the credits and put them on your resume. Get creative instead.

Partner with screen writers to bring selected scenes from their scripts to life. This will keep you having to script them yourself and it will also help them to sell their scripts more easily, because they will have their own sizzle reel to show producers.

Partner with producers who are looking for funding for their projects and the same thing will happen. It’s easier to get funding for project when you have a sizzle reel, so they will gladly partner up with you on this.

If the production lands on your IMDb page, then all the better.

It’s such a huge factor in casting decisions because it is a measure of an actor’s reputation and it’s a storage place for your body of work.

Casting Directors, Producers and industry executives search for talent and vet talent on there every day.

Even with a great reel, you should also have this in good standing to demonstrate that you are a professional, working actor rather than a hobbyist.

I know this may sound like a huge undertaking, but if you spread the work around, by pulling in production and support staff, you will get to focus on doing what you do best while others take care of the rest.

A few days ago, I read about a study conducted by a marine animal trainer. She had a shark in holding tank.

When it came time to feed the shark, she would dump in a bucket of fish, which the shark quickly gobbled up.

The shark got used to this, and the trainer then placed the fish in an indestructible, clear container. She placed that in the water and for a few days, the shark tried and tried to get inside the container, to no avail.

After a while, the shark stopped trying. The trainer put fish directly into the shark’s tank, without a container, and the shark didn’t even flinch.

Had he tried just one more time, he would have gotten what he was after.

Don’t let this happen in your career. Success can be just around the corner, but you can only get there as long as you continue to try.

Sometimes, this means trying to do thing differently than you were before.

If you ever need ideas, or even just to talk with someone who understands the unique struggle of an actor, shoot me an email.

I always read and respond to every one that comes through because my goal is to...

See you at the top,
Scott