Actor Growth

One thing that lingered on my mind before participating in the Olympic events was whether or not dedicating myself to it would have made me missed a lot in the acting field.

So I was just looking at the casting breakdowns and it did indeed looked very slow. Basically, for the most part probably only the more established people got work. So, in that sense I am kind of glad about committing to being a part of the events.

I did seek out and did auditions on my own during the midst of this and so I was definitely still keeping my eyes open for opportunities. I am trying to re-contact the people that were interested in making a web series too as I am still definitely interested in getting something going.

We were all tied up during the Olympics and so hopefully now we can get something going.

Alright, in the event there was actually a lot of discussion that was useful for script writers and producers too. Of course, for myself I am more interested in the acting side. However, I felt that maybe there are a few aspiring film producers that are reading my blog too and so here is a treat for you all.

During this question and answer period a member of the audience, who sounded like a producer himself, was asking the panel for some advice. Basically, many of the panel suggested that people need to start making their own work. So, this person was expressing how he has made his own films with a very tiny budget and when it came time to seek for private financing he was only able to attract one investor.

Therefore, he asked the panel if they had any advice for junior and intermediate producers on the things they can do to get projects off the ground and to achieve a similar level of success that the producers on stage have experienced. The two who were answering the question the most was first Matthew O’Connor from the company Reunion Pictures and Larry Sugar of No Equal Entertainment.

The volume was a little quiet as at times they weren’t speaking into the microphone. But this was the clip:

Would you do things such as mortgaging your home if you believed in your project enough? Even with the producers here they mentioned how you can use the Internet to promote your work. I know here in Vancouver there are a ton of web series that are being published on sites like Youtube in hopes that it will garner enough attention to then go to the TV or big screen. Some of them look pretty impressive too.

Another interesting tidbit that was mentioned here, which I think can help everyone, is how they all said that they had great mentors that helped them and that you would be surprised at how many people would be willing to help you if you just ask.

Towards the end of the Insiders Film and TV forum event there was a quick question and answer period. One question was directed at the casting director in regards to actors moving to LA in order to pursue a career in film. First, here is a clip of it(Sorry, was a bit shaky with the camera).

That was an interesting remark I thought about how LA wants to know and look at everyone. As well, I never knew that Cory Monteith in the show Glee sent a video tape to the producers of the show to aid him in getting the part. As you can see, the casting director was expressing that you will be found if you keep at it and don’t necessarily need to move to LA.

The follow up comment is something that I heard a lot of too on how in LA there are just so many actors where what you thought you had was unique in terms of looks and trait may not be the case when you go down there. Essentially, he is trying to reaffirm to the Vancouver talent pool that this is a great place to learn and grow. When the time is right, you will be found.

It’s true in many sense I suppose. At the same time, I have read a lot of stories on how for many Canadian talent people weren’t really getting anything until they packed their bags and went down south. It really is one of those different strokes for different folks scenarios I’d say.

Okay, so if LA is constantly trying to find new talent anywhere does that mean there is a hidden talent scout that I don’t know of who is secretly keeping tabs on me? lol. One thing about moving to the US that I find interesting is that many actors here that I talk to often target New York as their destination whereas in more mainstream conversations like these it always revolves around LA.

I learned some very interesting tidbit just the other day when it came to casting directors here in the Vancouver area and why it seems like it is so hard to break into the scene as an actor while at the same times it’s always the same people that get the auditions all the time. Keep in mind that in many ways it can be hearsay still, but the results kind of match what I see.

Basically there was a person that came from Toronto and he was so shocked to learn that here in Vancouver casting directors actually do a pre-screen where actors would first tape themselves doing a scene so that the casting director can pre-judge them to see if they have the chops or not to come in the room. Normally one would do these types of tapings if you are located in a different city and therefore it’s like a way to save you time.

Then a point came up on how for places like Toronto and even Los Angeles the casting directors there actually see a wide range and large volume of people as they are used to it. So while here you may see like ten people auditioning for a role in other markets there could be like thirty. While I guess you can say population density could have a factor, it’s more of a mentality it seems.

Basically, I was always told that casting directors want to bring in actors that will make them look good. When you think about it the production is hiring them and the more good talent they present to like the director the better they look. At the same time, you can easily see why it’s only the same people that get seen all the time as many are afraid to bring in new talent as they want to play it safe.

I wonder why that’s the case here in Vancouver specifically though. Business sense to me is that the more people you see the more potential you have in discovering new talent. Can you imagine running like a sports team where you refuse to scout for new talent but rather just rely on the same people as the years go by? Must be disastrous if the only time you look for new talent is if say all your existing people are injured or retiring.

I guess as a positive, for here in Vancouver that can show you how once you get your break then chances are you are going to be taken care of better as if the profession is that tight knitted here that means you will get seen more.

This week has been extremely daunting so far schedule wise. I found myself having to struggle through making decisions on whether to sacrifice the opportunities that I committed to in order to attend some sudden family matters. If this wasn’t film related opportunities that I didn’t already commit to awhile ago then it would be simple for me to just throw it aside. Basically, it would be more like say working at a 9-5 job where if you need to take a day off of work then that should be no problem.

But the fact that this is the film business where the production heavily revolves everything around your commitment can create an immense amount of chaos if you decide to drop your commitment in the last minute. At the same time, I don’t exactly consider myself in a position where I can drop opportunities so sudden while still maintaining a good reputation.

Yesterday I was doing some simple background work for a TV show and I noticed something interesting. Now this isn’t exactly an acting gig, but in this line of work many times the production people would just choose people on the spot to perform certain actions on the scene. When I was there, it looked like I was the only young Asian guy on set.

That made me stood out it seems as every time they tried to make some kind of group such as a family, friends, colleagues and so fourth I was constantly chosen either because I was young or Asian. Eventually, you had the production people specifically trying to find me too it seemed. I am just reminded how people say it is so hard to break into the industry as an Asian performer yet times like these it’s almost like it’s to your advantage since there are more odds that there will be less people of your look type and category.

It also made me think about the youth aspect in general. There were these two scenes that required some running and the majority of us were carrying luggage. I guess a big factor was my youth as they figured odds are I was still physically able to run while holding large items.

As a side note, this turned out to be hilarious as the guy told me to run and sure enough I did. I guess they under estimated how fast I could run and as a result in the background you would see me as this guy sprinting with this luggage when the focus should have been on the main actors. It was like some guy that was missing his flight or something and was determined to make it. Everybody cracked up at that and if being a young minority didn’t help me to stand out I guess this sure did as so many crew members kept approaching me about it afterwards. lol.

This scenario isn’t too far fetched when it comes to say trying to get an audition for a role. It could be that they are looking for young people and in an effort to get a diverse group of people in the room you can easily stand out since there are generally less ethnic people available. Afterwards, if you do a really great audition, regardless if you get the role you will stick in the back of their heads as someone to call when they need a person of your type.