NAN DUTTON Intensive: THE ACTORS CO-OP

cost: $60
time: 12-7pm
actors called in:??
actors booked: ??

location: The Actors Co-Op
(for other locations see entry on FACILITIES)


Nan Dutton is considered a Hollywood casting legend! (see her IMDb) I'm not sure why she does these intensives, but I'm sure glad she does!  Very Very helpful and insightful!

First, She puts a ton of work into prepping for the workshop by selecting 3-4 sets of sides for each actor based on our headshot & resume that is mailed to her the week prior.  After she goes through our headshots and meets the real us face to face, we each choose two of those sides to work on for the day.  

I totally got laid in to for my headshot not looking anything like me!  It's okay.  I knew they weren't working since 1) I wasn't getting called in from them in the last year and half and 2)we actually ended up switching back to my prior commercial headshot!  (Maybe this would be a good separate entry on photographers!!)  She thought I was overweight and older than I am in person.  Always good to know.

We read opposite a reader, just like it would be in an audition.  (I totally prefer this method for workshops over the type that put two actors up in a scene together.  I mean really, when does that EVER happen for theatrical auditions??!?)  She spent probably 15minutes with each actor present that day, giving her insights on everything from the actual performance and acting choices, to rants about the state of casting today using electronic submissions & that her biggest reward is discovering great actors who go on to do excellent bodies of work.  Super high energy, emphatic and demanding lady---i loved it!

After we each went twice, she offered a quick exercise on one-liners that boiled down to get in, get your lines out, and move on.  A few tips: don't look at your sides for these small roles in producer sessions!   Within four lines in to your script, if you flub, just say, "I'm starting again" and don't say sorry!  If its a cop scene, be sure you hold your gun below your face so camera can see you--Always Cheat for Camera!

A woman who has been here a long time and will be.  Some great insights to, "Hang in there!  Weather the storm...and this has been some financial storm.  They're not making movies and it all trickles down to everyone else."

Finally, make sure your agent tells the truth on your quote with Nan--NAN CHECKS QUOTES!  and won't bring you back if you lie.

THE FACILITY: The Actor's Co-Op facility is poorly insulated for both heat and sound.  Noise interference has been commented on by a few of the workshops I've gone to here.  The winter months proved for a very cool room, which is always hard for me to deal with because then i'm not sure if i'm cold and jittery or nervous and jittery.  Their bathroom is pretty gross and I've heard casting director Dan Shaner comment on it in a negative way.  (but then again, he seems to complain about a lot of things).

OVERALL: Totally worth it!  I left feeling a stronger actor and re-inspired for the business of acting! 

 success4actors!

NEW YEAR INSPIRATION!

Hi Everyone,
Does your new year manifestation list include booking tv & film roles like mine?  I'm starting to collect info on which Casting Directors  really put our time together to good use (read: book us from these workshops!)

Please drop a line with any info you can share.
In the meantime I'll keep compiling below.
Success4Actors!


LISA SOLTAU booked actress on TRUE BLOOD from INDUSTRY ALLIANCE workshop
ARLIE DAY booked an actor on a short film from INDUSTRY ALLIANCE workshop
ERICA SILVERMAN books many actors on CRIMINAL MINDS.  (Erica does several workshops in Los Angeles.  See Dec 6th entry FACILITIES for a list of locations with whom she often works.)

JASON KENNEDY: THE INDUSTRY ALLIANCE

cost: $20 (as a 1st timer; regular $30)
time: 3 hours
actors called in: ??
actors booked: ??

location: The Industry Alliance
(for other locations see blog FACILITIES)

Jason is a newly appointed casting director (former associate to) with Susan Bluestein for NCIS and NCIS: LA. He is slightly nebbish. He opened the workshop with a ton of tips and basic information, ranging from "know the show you are auditioning for. Know if you're coming in for us that NCIS has an inherent sense of humor. Some shows have no humor", to "be present and professional on set", and more obvious ones like make sure you know proper pronunciation for your sides (this is the 2nd time I've heard this tip! It must happen a lot for 2 cd's to mention it). I found his tone to b

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e very dry and factual, which bordered on degrading, even though he said this was an advanced workshop. Nothing specific, though. He mentioned that he thinks CastingAbout.com is a very good resource (which i've seen tons of times below my actors access log in, but didn't pay much attention to); said he has found all their contact info to be consistently accurate. He said he prefers postcards for follow up, but to just select one person in the office to send it to (again, 2nd time hearing this tip).  He also said that he does not keep very good records of actors from workshops!  

1. First, He talked for a good hour after we started 10 min. late.
2. Then, we took a 10min break while he reviewed our headshot/resumes to pair us up.
3. We then had 10 min or so to work with our partner on the scene.
4. He asked us to go up by volunteer and perform given scene. He gave one redirect to each pair. The scenes given were mixed equally between 3-camera-comedy and police-procedural drama (he has a bkgd casting for sit com).
   

It's really interesting to me as an observer how the commited actors really stand out. While I think my scene partner and I were one of the better reads that day, I left feeling disappointed. On one hand, I think I surprised myself with how good I did for the cold read, but I was frustrated that I only had one scene. I would have liked to read a co-star role or two that i know i could nail; the size of role for which I would likely be brought in . Then again, maybe i should just reach for bigger things and be grateful that he got to see me in 3pages of sides and hope he will know to call me in for what is right. This just seems like a big gap.

I think casting director brains work in a specific way though. Knowing this, I wonder if maybe he did get to know me better than I think.

THE FACILITY:  cold unheated theater. And since I paid for my first encounter with this casting director, I would like it if Jason thought very highly of the situation where we met. I wonder if this will inhibit him from calling me in...

OVERALL: Will totally go back to Industry Alliance & keep in touch with Jason Kennedy via mail! 


Success4Actors!!
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TAKING REQUESTS!

What Casting offices would you like to get in and audition for?
What casting director workshops would you like to know about?

KNOWLEDGE = POWER

therefore....a knowledgeable actor = a powerful actor

one of my continual problems for auditions is that i get so self conscious.  i want everyone to like me all the way down to the friggin sign in person.  

and then i have this glorified image of the all powerful casting director.  i know their name and the projects they cast and the directors they work with...but i don't know their face!  i don't know what type of person they are.  are they generally bitter?  are they goofy?  do they smell?  are they a lap dog person?

so i guess for me, one perk of the workshop is a way for me to meet the casting director and  hear them speak and hear them make jokes... so when i go in to actually AUDITION, my focus can be on the work and not on impressing them with my nervous smiles.

i guess i'm saying, i've come to the decision that it's worth it to me to pay thirty five bucks to put myself in front of a c.d.  however, i absolutely REFUSE to pay for an information-only workshop.  goddammit  i am a trained actor.  i want to exercise my chops, not just hear you on your soap box for good time and good $$

am i the only one like this?

r/e TVI & AIA

oh interesting...check out

http://more.showfax.com/bbs2/viewtopic.php?t=10644

ERICA SLIVERMAN: AIA workshop

location: AIA
(for more locations see entry FACILITIES)

cost: $150 (non-member)
time: about 6 hours over three weeks
actors called in: 4
actors booked: 2




I took a three week workshop through AIA studios with Erica Silverman titled: BOOKING CO-STAR ROLES. I thought this would be perfect for me! I am SAG-eligible, I have some indie film credits and smaller TV show credits, but no network co-star or guest star credits. I chose this workshop because i thought that i could establish a better relationship with the casting office over the course a few weeks, rather than just one reading.

I highly recommend this workshop to anyone in a similar situation!
Between weeks two and three of the workshop, FOUR actors in class were called in to audition for Criminal Minds (I was one of them!). TWO of the actors in our class booked roles on that episode!
Fantastic.

First off, AIA has their system linked up with Now Casting. So before the workshop even began, Erica was given our names and now casting profile with resume/headshots/website.

Erica is a casting associate in Scott David & April Webster's office. The way their office works, she explained, is that they keep very good records and files of actors from the workshops. They refer to them often, and when they bring actors in, they usually bring them in to producers; the workshop has served as a pre read. It seems like her opinion is given equal weight when they are putting together their casting session.

Erica is also the reader in their casting sessions. So when we are called in to audition, we read with her....just like we did with her in class.

Erica's disposition is open, happy, warm; she has a great sense of humor and is willing to tell fun details about likes and dislikes. When she shared information, she would always start with "Ask me a question" and go from there. I never felt like she was looking down on us for taking the workshop. I felt she respected us as actors and was happy to give us tips and insights for better booking co-star roles.


TWO THUMBS UP from this actor!