Actor Growth

I was at the mall shopping for Christmas gifts today and noticed that my agent was phoning. Upon answering, she told me that the show The Reaper needed people for this coming Monday and asked if I was available. I was kind of surprised as I thought all the productions would be on hold for the holiday week.

Sure enough, I mentioned that I would be willing to do it. This is actually one of my favorite shows that I have worked on so far in terms of the overall treatment you get, so hopefully that will be repeated as well. An interesting note is that I learned that my neighbor actually does the special affects editing for the show.

Let’s see if he notices me in the footage while he is editing it this time around.

Another issue that came up since the new years is coming is whether or not I should get new headshots. The ones I currently have were taken a little over a year ago and honestly I still look pretty much the same. Usually it is advisable that you get new headshots if your look changes such as if before you had long hair and now it is short.

The only other reason I am thinking of getting new headshots is that right now the ones I mainly use look very corporate like. Therefore, maybe something more casual might be a good variety to use. I guess that means another $300 to $500 investment as well which is the average price to get professional headshots here in Vancouver.

On the other hand, maybe I should hold off until I talk to my new principle agent as it is usually better to get their input as well.

Today I received a payment from my background agent for some of the work I have done and I guess that will be the last payment for 2008. 2009 should be interesting as everything should be sorted out with my principal representation as well I will be launching my official acting website.

I do expect to make a lot more income wise next year in regards to film related work and so I am already thinking of ways to better keep track of my expenses for tax purposes as well as possibly buying new equipment so that I can be more productive during downtimes on set.

I was talking to another actor today about the motivations in wanting to be an actor and he brought up a point about money. We then talked about how you can’t be in this business solely for money as unless you are extremely fortunate with say a role most likely you will lose motivation quickly.

He then said how another person told him that if it is about money most actors could probably earn more working at a McDonalds. As dumb as that may sound to the people on the outside, that is true I though. I know here in Canada the average pay for an artist such as an actor or musician is something along the lines of $5000 to $15,000 a year or something like that. Basically, it is not glamorous.

Like everything else, you have to focus on doing what you are passionate about and enjoy first as the money will come later. Sure, there are those that make millions doing one film, but in general that is not the norm.

This is always something that people either hate or don’t mind. Essentially, some people don’t mind watching themselves on film to get a better understanding on what they look like on screen and at the same time can use it as a training tool. On the other hand, some actors just can’t stand watching themselves and so they avoid it at all cost.

I used to hate watching myself on film as you can’t help but to be more critical about every little detail about yourself. However, I eventually did force myself as I had to do it for school. What I realized too is that when you watch yourself once afterwards it just seems normal. It is also very helpful as you notice any quirks that you may have when you are in-front of the camera.

The more I think about it, I think that is just another issue to tackle just like being able to speak in-front of a large crowd. Similarly, I think the fear comes mostly from being too concerned on how others will react to you. Another thing too is when you think about it, you usually watch yourself everyday.

Ever notice like in dreams you always see yourself in third person as if you were watching yourself in a film? In that case you don’t really care right? Things like that just made me realize more how silly it is to be afraid of watching yourself on film and sure enough it is now something that I just see as a regular routine.

I was having a conversation with another person who was also into acting and he mentioned that he was thinking of just dropping out of the biz as he has been on so many auditions and have never been called back or landed a role. Essentially, he said that he needed to be realistic and say that it wasn’t for him if the situation doesn’t improve soon.

I personally have a little mixed feelings about that. I guess I was one of the more fortunate ones as the very first professional audition I went to I actually got a callback. But regardless, in general I feel if you really want something then you have to have persistent to keep going until you make it.

The only time I would agree that it is time to move on is if you expect things to magically come to you. Example, like someone spending their entire savings on lottery tickets all the time thinking they will hit the jackpot sooner or later. As long as you are realistically doing something everyday to move forward personally and professionally, then it will only be a matter of time I’d say.

I am a strong believer that you are where you are based on the choices that you make. What’s that famous quote….something like insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Like with that, if your whole time frame was based on doing the same thing then it’s as if you don’t really want it bad enough.

For me, as long as I am learning something new everyday and trying different things to further my career, then I know I will eventually reach my destination.