ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF FEELING LIKE A FAILURE AT THE AUDITION GAME?
I was STUCK in the business
because every rejection became a PERSONAL rejection. From no one wanting to produce my script to not getting call backs to not booking for 6 months even though I was generating the best auditions of my career. I was working under the delusion that the business would somehow reward me for longevity or experience as if the entertainment industry is merit-based instead of business-driven. I realized that I was turning a business proposition into personal failure and it created feelings of futility and worthlessness in the bargain. I had to find a way to depersonalize the business. I had to redefine my relationship to acting and storytelling into two distinct relationships: The public (business) relationship vs private (personal) relationships. Business relationships are defined by the services you provide and well-defined contractual agreements that include industry standards. Your union has set those up very clearly. (And if you've never read your union handbook, that's where you should start your research. By learning how much power you have within the existing structure.) In the business of acting, the expectation of the potential employer is that you'll show up, off book, with a deep understanding of the character and offer up your interpretation as a possible solution to their problem. Your expectation, as a potential employee, is that the employer will accept your agent's submission, provide a space for you to show them your work and consider your offer by watching the work, clarifying what they need if your audition is reasonably within the ballpark of what the role and the project requires. There is no value judgement as to whether or not you're a good actor because the potential employer doesn't have time to audition folks who can't act. The fact is: in order to get an audition, you need an agent, manager, a union affiliation, credits and a track record of delivering a solid audition and performance. That's it. That's the nature of a public relationship: there are clear, measurable, defined expectations and requirements. Public relationships allow you to demystify and depersonalize the business. Directors, producers and casting directors become potential clients in your world as a free lance consultant (AKA a professional actor). That's it. If you follow the basic rules of the business, (get solid training, strong marketing materials, great physical presentation, agent/manager representation) then potential employers will hold up their end of the bargain in the audition room. Getting the audition assumes you're capable of doing the work. And getting the job has nothing to do with your talent or worth, but rather the needs of the project. It's not personal. Personal (Private) Relationships on the other hand, are based on feelings and emotional agreements that shift as the parties involved make commitments and verbal agreements. There are contractual arrangements, but they are often broken and not necessarily written in stone. They are flexible and grow as the relationship grows. They are based on unwritten trusts, emotions and a constant reassessment of each persons' needs and values. When we apply the principles of personal relationships to business relationships, we miss out on the freedom and power we have in contractual business relationships. The latter has to do with facts and set of contractual rules that the industry has agreed upon. Your worth is not in question, only your ability to contribute to a particular projects' needs. Don't Drink the Koolaide Establishing a public or business relationship and setting those clear boundaries allows you to take back your power. The entertainment industry (and many training programs) have fooled us into thinking that because the craft of acting and storytelling are fine tuned by our experiences and emotions; that the entertainment business is a personal exchange. When in reality, it is not. The people we audition for work for a corporation; a business with deadlines, budgets, and thousands of people involved in creating a final product for its customers of which we are a small part. Our talent is a service we provide. Whether or not we get the job has everything to do with whether or not we have the tools that the project needs. This small adjustment in our thinking is the difference between joy in your chosen profession and pride and confidence in the craft you've determined is your vocation. ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF FEELING LIKE A FAILURE AT THE AUDITION GAME? |
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Get UnStuck
Start auditioning with confidence, fearlessness and excellence every single time because acting is not about whether or not you're good enough In this 90 minute webinar, I teach you how to: - Reframe your career as one in which you are in POWER SEAT - No more needy, insecurities worries and fears about your worth as an artist - You set the kinds of goals that ensure you cross the finish line with effortless excellence instead of a steady exercise in self-doubt, self-critique and beating up on yourself. - Create strategies that help you target work in the center of your emotional range what kind of work you're good at and how to target projects that set you up for success. |
BUY GET UNSTUCK
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