Written by Jamison Haase, L.A. On-Camera Training Center

Don’t miss out on Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

The Four Principles to Captivating On-Camera Work

As an actor, I’m sure you watch a lot of film and television.  But have you really thought about what elements are used to create the performances you love?  Of course there’s talent and hard work, but what technical elements did those actors employ to make the greatest impact possible?

Over the course of the next several weeks, we’re going to distinguish and discuss the four principles to creating amazing on-camera performances, and give you real advice and tips that you can use in your auditions now. Three of these principles you are probably already highly trained in, especially if you worked in theater.  But it’s the fourth that makes all the difference in on-camera work.  It’s the fourth that most actors never learn. And it’s the fourth that can make or break any film or television audition.

Finally, here we are with the most important principle that every film and TV actors needs to utilize.  4. Maximum Exposure of the Eyes

Maximum exposure of the eyes means just that; not complete, not total, not absolute, just maximum. As much a possible, the audience needs to see your eyes. I’ve mentioned before that film and television is a medium of intimacy. When you think of those people that you are intimate with, what do you think about? What do you see in your mind’s eye? When you connect with someone, you connect with their eyes.

• We need to see your thoughts and feelings

As they say, “The eyes are the window to the soul,” so it stands to reason that your eyes are your biggest tool as a film and television actor. It’s through your eyes that the audience will see your thoughts and feelings. If they can’t see your eyes, it can only be guess work as to what you’re thinking and feeling. As an extreme example, imagine if your encountered a friend with their back turned to you. Could you determine what their thoughts and feelings might be? Of course not because you can’t see their expression: their eyes.

• Make it easy for the audience

As actors we want to make it as easy as possible for our audience not only just to see our eyes, but to connect and get drawn into what we are experiencing. We don’t want there to be anything else that will distract or cause the audience not to focus on our eyes and our performance. So what do we as actors need to do to make that intimacy happen as easily as possible, so that the audience doesn’t even realize they are being drawn in until it’s too late? The answers are simple in theory, but they can be challenging in practice.

• Nervous Ticks and Movement

Movement catches your eye; it’s simply instinct built in from evolution. 10,000 years ago, that movement might have been something that wanted to eat us, and so it instantly draws our attention. The same thing happens when an actor has a nervous tick or too much movement in their performance, it becomes a distraction and it draws the audiences’ attention away from where it should be — the eyes. Almost everyone has a nervous tick. Something that they do that they don’t even know that they do. It could be tension or repetitive movement in your forehead, your mouth, your eyebrows, wherever — but those little uncontrolled movements distract the audience from your eyes, and now the audience has to work to keep that connection with you. It’s same when there’s a lot overall head or body movement — now the audience has to chase your eyes around the frame. We want to make it easy. Your on-camera performance should always be two things: simple and relaxed.

• Adjust your volume and enunciation

When you’re performing for theatre it’s imperative that everyone in the house can hear and understand you, from the guy in the front row to the lady all the way in the back sitting in row XX. But in film and TV, the audience is only as far as the microphone and camera, so there’s no need to speak up or to even enunciate more than you would in a regular conversation. When you bring the volume down, when you allow yourself to relax and simply just say the words rather than chew them, you allow the audience a little closer, immediately establishing intimacy.

I’ve tried to make the four simple principles that I have laid out in these columns, as simple and clear as possible, and I guarantee that you will see results if you use them to their full effect. But you’re not done yet, you still have one more thing to do: PRACTICE. If you only read some articles about riding a bike, I should hope that you would have sense enough not to jump into the Tour de France. You would get killed, because you need to practice. The same is true here. The author and sociologist Malcolm Gladwell says that in order to be truly great at a skill someone must spend 10,000 hours practicing exactly that skill… better get started.

Jamison Haase opened L.A On-Camera Training Center in 2007. At LAOTC Jamison and the rest of the staff teach a simple, hands-on approach at acting for the camera developed by working actors directors and producers, geared specifically towards the audition. Would like more information about classes? Find several ways to connect with us, including our newsletters here: http://about.me/laoncamera.

Written by Sean Pratt

Actors are constantly worrying about what is going on in the mind of the director at the audition…they shouldn’t.

There are certain aspects of the audition process that actors control and certain aspects that they can’t control. Unfortunately, most actors skip over the areas that they have any power over and spend all their time fretting over the things they are powerless to manage. A favorite example of this tendency is the obsession with, “What does the Director want?!” To further illustrate this problem, here is a short show business anecdote.

The Story of Shane and the New York City Audition

Once there was young redheaded actor in NYC named…Shane, who was to audition for the role of Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was for a big regional theatre and he was very excited about the possibility of working there. Now Shane had been to a number of big auditions and this one was no different; they were calling in a large number of actors for each role. Still, having been in the city for about a year, he thought he had seen it all…then he opened the door to the casting office.  A Short Aside

To digress for just a minute…let’s talk about going to an audition in New York City. We all know that New York, along with Los Angeles, is the place to be if you want to move your career into overdrive. And we all know that there are thousands of actors in these cities, each looking for that one big break. Now, remember when you were little and your mommy told you how special you were? How there was no one else in the world just like you? Well, when Shane walked into that room full of 40 other redheaded guys who looked just like him, all reading for the role of Demetrius…he realized that his mom had been lying to him! Anyway, on with the story…

The Nervous Newbie Who Wouldn’t Shut Up

After Shane got over the shock of seeing 40 other doppelgangers, he found a place to sit and introduce himself to the guys seated around him; each of them remarking on how strange it was to see a room full of redheads all reading for the same part. Then Shane noticed this one young actor, we’ll call him Gus, who was seated right next to the door to the audition room. As each actor exited the room, having finished their audition, Gus would pop up, and pepper them with questions.

“What did the Director ask you to do? Is he very talkative? Did he want you to be serious? Did he have you do the scene a couple of different ways? Tell me, what is he looking for? What the hell does the Director want?!”

“Well somebody just came to town straight from college,” Shane said to the guys around him. They all laughed because they’d been there, too. Finally, an actor named Mark, from Shane’s ad-hoc group, went in. When he came out, Gus popped up to yet again shower him with questions. But before he had a chance to get one word out Mark turned to him and said, loudly, “Dude, the director wants me! That’s what he wants.” Needless to say, the room erupted into gales of laughter.

The Moral of the Story

The fact is no actor can know what the director is “looking for” at the audition; truth is, most directors don’t know what they’re looking for either! In this story, it was obvious that the director wanted Demetrius to be a tall young redhead but that was really all anyone could know going into the audition.

Ultimately, what the director wants is…the most talented actor whose essence is right for the role, fits into their overall concept of the show and with the other actors that they end up hiring. Your job, your challenge, is to deliver such a strong audition that you define for the director how that role should be played and who should play it…You! By the way, Shane didn’t get the part, but he did learn a valuable lesson.

Sean Pratt, (AEA / SAG / AFTRA), has been a working actor for over 20 years. Sean was a member of the resident acting company at The Pearl Theatre, an Off-Broadway classical repertory theatre and has also performed at numerous regional theatres around the country.  Major films include – Gods and Generals, Tuck Everlasting and Iron Jawed Angels. Television work includes – The host of HGTV’s, Old Homes Restored, and supporting roles on Homicide, The District and America’s Most Wanted.  Audiobooks – He’s narrated for 15 years and has recorded nearly 550 books in just about every genre.  He also teaches classes on and writes articles about the business of the Biz.

LOS ANGELES OPEN CALL ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26.

SEEKING ANNIE AND THE ORPHANS FOR THE NEW BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF ANNIE!

Telsey + Co., casting office for the new Broadway production of ANNIE, will hold an open call in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 26, for girls ages 6-12 to audition for the roles of Annie and the orphans. ANNIE, directed by Tony Award-winner James Lapine, will open in fall 2012 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced.

“So far, over 4,000 incredibly talented girls have auditioned for the roles of Annie and the orphans, through open calls and video submissions through our website,” commented Arielle Tepper Madover. “As we continue the process of finding Annie and the orphans for this new production, we are holding additional open calls, to make sure we’re seeing every possible candidate for the role. We look forward to returning to Los Angeles and can’t wait to see who we find there.”

Auditions will be held from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday, February 26 at the Los Angeles Ballet Center, 11755 Exposition Blvd. in Los Angeles. Check-in time is 9:00 AM. Free street parking is available nearby. Auditioners should be prepared to sing a song acapella and should also bring sheet music, in case they are asked to sing with accompaniment. Please do not prepare music from the show. Additional details about the auditions are available at www.anniethemusical.com.

For those unable to audition in person, a taped audition can be submitted through the show’s website, www.anniethemusical.com, through Sunday, March 11.

ANNIE features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan, based on the newspaper character “Little Orphan Annie” by Harold Gray.

ANNIE will be produced on Broadway by Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Jane Bergère, Roger Berlind, Debbie Bisno, Roy Furman, Stacey Mindich, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Daryl Roth in association with Christina Papagjika/Eva Price.

The former Eight is Enough actress Tweeted about her contempt for the disdain the talent show demonstrates towards singers they deem ‘too Broadway.’  Buckley wrote, “With respect, ‘Dog,’ your opinion is whack and uninformed!”  She also said that Jackson demeaning theatrical voices was “beneath contempt” and “beyond idiotic!!!”

Over the past 11 seasons, there has been many an audition that Jackson (and the other judges) disparage by saying that a singer would be better suited for the stage rather than the pop world. 

The New York Post reports that Buckley said, “Broadway is a place, not a style of singing.  Whenever he doesn’t like something, he just throws in that ‘this is a Broadway voice.’  I don’t know how many Broadway shows Randy Jackson has been to, but clearly not many, because there’s a wide variety of shows on Broadway.” 

Follow Betty Buckley on Twitter           Follow Randy Jackson on Twitter

Buckley has a point.  Gone are the days when Broadway musicals were just limited to soprano-operatic sounding voices (a la Oklahoma or My Fair Lady.)  Today’s shows range from jazzy (Chicago) to rock (American Idiot) to gospel (Sister Act).  It is interesting that many American Idol finalists have transitioned from the television show to the stage—Constantine Maroulis, Diana DeGarmo, Taylor Hicks, among others.

Buckley attributes Jackson’s opinions to his dislike of vocal vibrato.  She said, “He clearly doesn’t like vibrato, and doesn’t think vibrato exists in pop, which is absurd.  Lady Gaga sings with vibrato.  Freddie Mercury did.  Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald.  Christina Aguilera has a vibrato, and she’s spectacular.”

As an actress who has maintained an impressive career since the late 60s, the Tony-winner (for her role singing “Memory” in Cats), Buckley has become a legend in the theater world.  But her main concern with American Idol is that the show will deter young singers from pursuing their dreams.  She said, “You’re a young kid, a good singer, you go to these auditions, and Randy Jackson says, ‘you’re too Broadway.’  Then this kid, who had dreams of going into musical theater, says, ‘I don’t wanna be in musical theater because Randy Jackson thinks it’s not cool.”

American Idol producer, Nigel Lythgoe, is a great supporter of the theater through his other television show, FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance.  He responded to Buckley’s comments by saying, “Broadway is a Mecca for talent.  I will certainly speak to Randy.”

Melanie Lynskey

While Lynskey had the ambition to be an actor and admits it wasn’t difficult getting his first role in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, she does explain that it was difficult landing future roles, saying, “I always wanted to be an actor, but I had this whole plan to go to a good drama school and do it that way. I wasn’t trying to get into movies; someone came to my high school and auditioned some girls, so it was a complete accident.  I lived in a pretty small, provincial town in New Zealand; there weren’t agents or anything like that, so I just had no way of going about it. I just thought ‘All right, I’ll carry on with that plan that I had to go to drama school.’  So yeah, there was a good straight year where I wasn’t working as an actor but it didn’t seem like such a crazy thing, I didn’t really have a fear of not being able to make it happen, because it seemed so impossible anyway.” 

Luckily, Lynskey found an agent who went out of her way to nurture the young actress.  She explains, “I got an agent in LA, but I didn’t know how [to move to LA or] what the procedure was and was said, ‘You can come stay with me.’ So she let me come stay with her and I started to go on auditions and eventually I got a movie, I was 19, named Ever After. It was a big-budget sort of Hollywood movie and I’d never done auditions before, so people like Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston were so kind and helpful, giving me advice and giving me support. That was how I got back into my acting life”

Still, Lynskey admits that the whirlwind way she ended up an actress was ultimately beneficial, pointing out, “I kind of had the best start possible you could have to your career. I learnt everything on that job, and I feel like if I could go back and tell myself anything it would be to give myself a break; [laughs] just that I can do it and not have so much stress. I spent a lot of time sort of going, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I’m good enough,’ And I feel a lot better about myself now, so that’s the only thing I would change.”

It appears Lynskey would like to continue acting in independent films like Hello, I Must Be Going, mainly because she enjoys the mutual drive held by the cast and crew to complete the project.  She says her favorite film experiences are “Probably small indie films, where everyone is there because they love it and everyone is in the same situation, there’s no hierarchy where the actors are making a bunch of money, there’s no crazy producer. It’s just a really nice [environment], everyone is staying in the same crappy hotel.”

Don’t miss out on Part 1 and Part 2!

As an actor, I’m sure you watch a lot of film and television.  But have you really thought about what elements are used to create the performances you love?  Of course there’s talent and hard work, but what technical elements did those actors employ to make the greatest impact possible?

Over the course of the next several weeks, we’re going to distinguish and discuss the four principles to creating amazing on-camera performances, and give you real advice and tips that you can use in your auditions now. Three of these principles you are probably already highly trained in, especially if you worked in theater.  But it’s the fourth that makes all the difference in on-camera work.  It’s the fourth that most actors never learn. And it’s the fourth that can make or break any film or television audition. 

3. Seamless Acting

The third principle needed for a captivating on-camera performance is one of the most simple to understand, but one of the most challenging to put into practice: Seamless Acting.

• We can’t see you working

What do I mean when I use the word “Seamless,” you might ask?  Think of a magic show. A great magician seems to effortlessly make things appear and disappear, and it’s amazing to watch. If you saw how each illusion was created, however, it would no longer be as interesting — you would lose interest.  The same is true of on-camera performances; if the audience can see you working, they will no longer care, stop watching, change the channel, or call in the next auditioner, as the case may be.

• Theater vs. Film & TV (again)

In the previous few columns we have discussed the differences between working in theater and working in film and TV.  Seamless Acting is one of the most crucial. When you attend the theater, you expect a certain amount of “pushing” from the actors; after all they have to reach the back of the house.  But there is no back of the house when acting on set or in an audition — you only have to reach the camera. Remember, film and television performing is all about intimacy. As Michael Caine says, “You don’t have to push like you do in theater, you just have to ‘Be.’”

• Just think thoughts and feel emotions

Think about the really great performers out there, you know who I’m talking about: Streep, Denzel, Pitt, Clooney, Foster, whomever.  They could look out a window and it would be riveting, simply because they are thinking and feeling something.  There’s no “acting” needed for film & TV — there’s just thinking and feeling.  It does, however, take a tremendous amount of courage to do merely that. Your brain will scream at you to “do more.”  But consider that if you’re already listening, thinking and feeling, any more would be too much. Sir John Gielgud said it best – the most difficult part of acting is: “Making it simple.”

Actors often forget that acting is not about being big, it’s about when life gets big. The best thing that you can do when working is to give a subtle and simple performance; you want to take the audience with you, not shut them out.  Ben Kingsley said in every take he does, he strives to do LESS. Be fearless, be honest.

In our next column I’ll tell you about the one thing most actors need to be effective in film and television… something most of them aren’t even aware of.  Stay tuned.

Jamison Haase opened L.A On-Camera Training Center in 2007. At LAOTC Jamison and the rest of the staff teach a simple, hands-on approach at acting for the camera developed by working actors directors and producers, geared specifically towards the audition. Would like more information about classes? Find several ways to connect with us, including our newsletters here: http://about.me/laoncamera.

Written by Jamison Haase, L.A. On-Camera Training Center

Read Part 1 of The 4 Principles to Captivating On-Camera Work

As an actor, I’m sure you watch a lot of film and television.  But have you really thought about what elements are used to create the performances you love?  Of course there’s talent and hard work, but what technical elements did those actors employ to make the greatest impact possible?

Over the course of the next several weeks, we’re going to distinguish and discuss the four principles to creating amazing on-camera performances, and give you real advice and tips that you can use in your auditions now. Three of these principles you are probably already highly trained in, especially if you worked in theater.  But it’s the fourth that makes all the difference in on-camera work.  It’s the fourth that most actors never learn. And it’s the fourth that can make or break any film or television audition. 

2. Emotional Availability and Vulnerability

The second principle needed for a captivating on-camera performance is Emotional Availability and Vulnerability.

• You need stakes

In our last discussion, we talked about how if an actor is Actively Listening, they will begin to have real genuine emotions; but it’s their Emotional Availability and Vulnerability that will carry those emotions through. As an actor, you must be able to emotionally go where the scene needs to go. If in the scene your character is desperate, then you need to call upon your Emotional Availability and Vulnerability to bring as much desperation as possible to that performance.

• You are human

Your Emotional Availability and Vulnerability is what makes you human. Think of Anthony Hopkins’ performance in Silence of the Lambs; was Hannibal Lector an emotionally vulnerable person, the kind of person who might have the same hopes and fears as you or I? Of course not, he’s a serial killer! He kills and eats people for fun! He wasn’t “human” and that’s what made him so scary. It’s our Emotional Availability and Vulnerability that keeps us human, which brings me to my next point.

• The audience will identify with you

You’re heard the saying before, “It’s more interesting to struggle NOT to cry than to actually cry.” There’s a reason that the saying is true. You’re trying to keep a brave face, trying to hold it together when… BAM! Suddenly the emotions get the best of you and you’re fighting back sobs. The audience will identify with your struggle and find themselves much more emotionally affected. It’s the Emotional Availability and Vulnerability that the audience identifies with — their hearts go out to you, and now you got ‘em!

What can you do to be as Emotionally Available and Vulnerable as possible? WORK.  Stretch your range and work on roles and scenes that are outside your comfort level. Work on giving yourself easy access to those emotions so that you can bring them up on a whim.  Truly feel the feelings – don’t push them, or show them to us.  Be present.

Next time? We’ll discuss Seamless Acting.

Jamison Haase opened L.A On-Camera Training Center in 2007. At LAOTC Jamison and the rest of the staff teach a simple, hands-on approach at acting for the camera developed by working actors directors and producers, geared specifically towards the audition. Would like more information about classes? Find several ways to connect with us, including our newsletters here: http://about.me/laoncamera.

[For Sundance 2012, Daily Actor has actress Sofia Gian taking in the sights, sounds and films and writing it all down for us. Keep coming back for more Sundance!  - Lance]

Out of all the films I’ve screened so far here at Sundance, Monsieur Lazhar, written and directed by Philippe Falardeau is the only one that’s received a full standing ovation. To its merit, it was announced that it’s secured an Academy Award nomination for best foreign-language film. 

We may have seen films about inspiring teachers, but this one is in a league of its own. It begins when 11 year-old student Simon (Émilien Néron) discovers his teacher Martine has committed suicide by hanging herself in the classroom. Simon’s classmate Alice (Sophie Nélisse) also witnesses the hanging lifeless body of their teacher, and they, as the rest of the students in their class, are traumatized by this event.

In enters Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), who shows up at the school after hearing about this horrific event in the news and asks the principal for the job. He seems well qualified, with 19 years of teaching experience in his native Algeria. Unbeknownst to the principal, Bachir Lazhar is seeking asylum in Canada as a political refugee and is unable to legally work in. In desperation and with no replacements available the principal agrees to hire Lazhar.

The young leads Néron and Nélisse are new actors, this being in their first role in any film. In my opinion both children leads acted like veteran actors, they have natural talent and, coupled by great direction, exude a fantastic performance.

This film will pull on your heartstrings. And it even though the film must eventually end, we know it’s nothing but a new beginning for all the characters, even though we’re not going to be around to figure out how their lives will unfold.

It is a beautiful piece of work by Falardeau. With the Academy Awards only weeks away, this film is a powerful and worthy contender for the Oscar.

As the story unfolds, many parallels develop between the students’ loss of their teacher, and Lazhar’s loss of his family that he left behind in Algeria to seek a better life abroad.

Falardeau also does and excellent job of directing each of the young actors in the film. “It was really impressive to see how sometimes the kids upstaged the adults,” said Falardeau. “It’s a matter of taking time with the children at the auditions, if I see the kids for the first time, I just don’t see them for 5 minutes, we take 15 to 20 minutes to work with them and if we like them then we invite them back for a second audition.”

Sofia Gian does one thing each day to reach her goal of becoming a leading lady. In this process she interviews industry professionals and learns tricks and tips which actors can use to move their careers forward.

Follow her daily quest on www.ActressConfessions.com

The screenplay was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Click here for the script

Director: Alexander Payne

Written by: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, casting director Heidi Levitt did a super job with the cast.

In the video, you can see what Beth Grant (Peppy’s Maid), Harvey Alperin (The Doctor) and Joel Murray (The Policeman) did to win their roles in the film.

The auditions were filmed in black and white and when Levitt and casting associate Michael Sanford watched the tapes, they “usually turned off the sound,” she told the paper.

Interview with James Cromwell from The Artist

Check it out below! 

James has had such a wonderful career. He had his first TV appearance on a 1974 episode of The Rockford Files followed by a recurring role on All in the Family (which he auditioned for and “had a great time,” he told me).

Dozens (and dozens!) of TV and film work followed when, in 1995, he got a part in Babe as Farmer Hoggett. The role only had 16 lines but he was so memorable in the part that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 16 lines! 

As you probably know, The Artist was just nominated for 10 Academy Award Nominations, most notably for Best Picture, Actor (Jean Dujardin), Supporting Actress (Berenice Bejo) and Director (Michel Hazanivicus). 

Cromwell was a big part of the success of that film. As I told him in the interview, I saw a lot of The Artist through the sympathetic eyes of his character, Clifton, George Valintin’s (Deaudrin) devoted chauffeur.

The Artist is absolutely one of my favorite films of the year. If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?

We talk about his work on the film, auditioning and his career. And check out the advice he gives – it’s great!

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes


How were you first approached about the film?

James Cromwell: My agent called me up and said there’s some French director who is doing a black and white silent film with two people you never heard of. I thought, “the guy has to be nuts.”

Then they sent me, not the script, it wasn’t a script, it’s a short story. Printed on very nice stock, it was spirally bound. Photographs of Jean and Berenice in costume, you know, in front of Paramount or whatever, and I thought “Wow, somebody has put a lot of thought into this and they are here doing it, you know? The least I can do is meet with the director.” I had a lot of questions. It was a very long lunch. I didn’t want to be in the film, especially not being paid very much and I didn’t want to do a character that was just in the background… I’ve done my 16-line character. It got me an Academy Award nomination but, you know, I thought, “Well, why do it?”

So, I wanted to know whether he was just using the silence and the black and white as a gimmick and that the story might not have any relevance to a contemporary audience, just be a sort of an homage. Because I’d just seen a not very good silent film prior to working on The Artist and I thought “Well…” But when you meet with Michel, of course, besides the fact that he is charming, he knows exactly what he wants to do and he is very clear about it. He’s not at all pretentious. I think, when you audition a director because that’s what you do, they think they audition you, but you audition them as well.

In your category, you audition. I’m the one that is been begging for the roles.

James Cromwell: Well, you always have to remember, it’s sort of Even Steven. You mustn’t give up all your power. If you do, it’s to your detriment. But he was delightful and I think I got him. I liked his sweetness. I liked his certitude. I liked the vision that he had. I liked the fact that he was an artist and not only was he gonna get to do his art – because somebody else believed in him – but he had the courage to be an artist and not compromise it. I thought, “Yeah, I want to be a part of that.”

Before you left the meeting, did you say, “Yeah, I’ll do it” or were you kind of coy about it?

James Cromwell: Oh yeah. I said “Yeah, let’s do it.” John Goodman said “yeah” in about five minutes. I’m a little slower than John. No, no. When I choose, I choose. I don’t do coy.

How did you prepare for your character because there wasn’t a lot on the page.

James Cromwell: Well, my first role in film, the first film I ever did was Murder by Death and I played the chauffeur in a similar period, and I said, “What else is there to do?” I mean, I didn’t have to prepare for that one except for the French accent and it is where there was no dialogue so I didn’t have to do anything. So what was there to do?

Other than Jean and Berenice, and to some degree, Missi Pyle, the rest of us are just normal people. The film is not silent to us. We’re talking. It’s just not recorded. So, really, you look at it the way you look at any other part. There is no difference in my mind between a character in a contemporary film and a character in a 20’s film where they were just normal people. We tend to look at the acting style as different but Michel convinced me that it wasn’t a style. We weren’t trying to recreate the silent films. We were doing a contemporary film, a very available story but it happened to be told silently and in black and white. So I said, “Oh, that’s fine.” I know how to drive a car. I know how to support somebody. I know how to care about somebody so there is no preparation for me. I didn’t do any.

When you guys are preparing your scenes and when you have your dialogue, did you guys improve that or was it prepared beforehand what you were going to say or was it different each take?

James Cromwell: Well, they took the short story and they made it into a shooting script so you got sides and you had dialogue like in any other film.

My particular instance, I had very little dialogue because the character is on the taciturn side and doesn’t have a whole lot to say. Whereas John Goodman, he improvised a lot. John is very comfortable with improvisation. I love improvisation but the problem is, of course, you want to be able to improvise in the period. You don’t want to put anything in that might sound contemporary because should somebody read your lips and you say, you know, “Well, that’s bitchin,” it wouldn’t work. Really, what comes out of your mouth is not what propels the story forward. It’s your reaction facially and in your body. That’s the narrative and your reaction creates in the mind of the audience, the narrative. They are telling the story to themselves because they can’t drop down and text their babysitter on their smartphone and hear the story through their ears. They have to watch every frame in order to be able to get the story, and they do. So that when they get to the end of the film and the narrative as far as they are concerned has ended because he has been saved, she is in the room, they are embracing, but the story is not over because where can it possibly go from there? The audience has no clue as to what the next element will be, and that’s where the surprise of the sound comes in. Sound, which has been up until then the antagonist in the film, then becomes a co-creator of the narrative and suddenly there is sound and there is a place for him in sound, and we are transformed into another paradigm. It’s pretty brilliant, this film.

When you’re on the set, do you know that you have something special?

James Cromwell: Well, yes and no. The first time I went to the set and I saw just a small, little snippet of a scene with all the producers and directors waiting outside of John Goodman’s character’s office and it was lit and costumed and peopled in such a way that it could have been right out, I mean I’ve seen that picture in a movie magazine. It was so accurate. And I thought, “Well, that’s incredible. They are really getting this look.”

Now, you never know however, how the story will hold together. Can you actually tell a love story in contemporary terms because you can’t just tell a love story in the silent era vernacular because we don’t have the same assumptions? They are different. There are more sophisticated assumptions now, it seems to me. And then will you be able to tell a story without cynicism, without the sort of aloofness and coolness that sort of characterizes a contemporary relationship, you know, Harry met Sally. You’re just always too hip and that would spoil this picture so he got a performance out of Uggie and he got a performance all of us which is sweet and innocent, and present and engaging, and delightful.

Did you read about the UK moviegoers who wanted their money back because they didn’t realize the film was silent?

James Cromwell: Yeah, they are always coming up with these things. Who do you think phoned that in? Do you think the theatres owners said, “Wow, what a great story. I’ve gotta call the Daily Mail.” I really don’t think so.

And anyway, why didn’t the theatre manager say to them, “Listen, I’ll double your money back but I want you to go back in and watch the entire picture and if at the end of that picture, you still want your money, I’ll give it to you.”

I think that there’s an effort on the part of some people who shall remain nameless to find a way to cast a little ca-ca on the response that people have to The Artist because their multimillion dollar films can’t generate that kind of response.

Yeah. What was the worst audition you’ve ever had?

James Cromwell: Oh, they were all the worse. I loathed auditions from day one. The only audition I ever liked, I went for a theatre audition for this theatre communications group and my friend and I got up and we sang a song. That’s all we did. We went in and we just sang a song.

That was it?

James Cromwell: Yeah, that was it. We didn’t get the job either but I’ve had auditions where I actually cried out of frustration and pain, and had a casting person say to me, “Do you have a cold, Jamie?”

So, I always, I’ve had a big chip on my shoulder because of my father, you know, and I missed a lot of things. I got the first things that I auditioned for. All in the Family, I did audition for that. I had a great time. Murder by Death, I auditioned for that. But as time went on, I got to resent it more and more and finally a director said to me, I said, “What did I do different in this audition that you gave me this job?” He said, “Jamie, it has nothing to do with your audition. It’s just whether you fit the picture that the person has in their head or not.” So I’ve always loathed it and that was wonderful thing about getting an Academy Award nomination. You never have to audition again.

That would be great, just that alone.

James Cromwell: Just that alone! One of the perks.

What’s your advice to actors?

James Cromwell: You know, I tell everybody, I speak a lot at schools, not a lot but I’d like to speak more but when I do get a chance to, they always say to me, “You know, I’m going to go to Hollywood. How do we get an agent?” I say, “Man, I can’t tell you. If I could tell you what a snake pit that place is for young actors. You get off the bus. There are 150 people just like you. It’s impossible and it’s so hard. Stay at home. Get a group of you together in your own hometown. Find out the stories that need to be told about that particular place and that you can tell about yourselves. Do your own work. Create your own work. Find a way to get it on Youtube, get it on Facebook, you know, or show it in people’s homes.

Learn your craft by creating your craft as an artist not as a supernumerary or a flunky in some television show that doesn’t give a crap about your aspirations or your artistry. That’s what I tell them.

Jeff Who Live At Home

Directors: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Cast: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon

In theaters: March 16th, 2012

courtesy of trailers.apple.com

The time period series’ most appealing characteristics comes from it’s believable jump back in time, as well as Abbey’s interesting set, and of course plenty of amazing actors such as actor Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley.

For the unknown, Stevens’ alter ego is an attractive lawyer who ends up the designated heir of the late Hugh Bonneville’s country estate.  His wet t-shirt scenes while chopping wood, enough to make the most poised and proper of fans blush, was also a plus for the breakout star, who didn’t imagine himself ever playing a hero.

The twenty-nine year old shared in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch that “it’s fun to play that, but I never saw myself like that. It makes me smile.”  Admitting that he still sees himself “as a gangly 17-year-old, trying to work everything out.” 

With a desire to act from an early age, Stevens spoke about writing a letter in his younger years to the National Theare in the hopes of becoming a performer.  “I knew there was this group of actors, but I didn’t know how you became one.  I precociously wrote a letter to the National Theatre when I was 14: ‘Dear National Theatre, I’d like to be an actor.’ They sweetly wrote back, suggesting that I try the National Youth Theatre. It auditions thousands of kids between the ages of 15 and 21.”  After auditioning Stevens was then accepted.

Later on in life, Stevens would find himself among  British director Sir Peter Hall.  After performing opposite Hall’s daughter in a school production, the actor says he became somewhat of a pupil with Hall as his teacher.   “He gave me my first theater job out of university.  I didn’t study acting — I learned on the job by watching. He gave me what I consider my classical training. I did Shakespeare and Noel Coward with him and learned about speaking.”

by Emily Grace

I’ll let you in a secret…when it comes to your acting success, thinking like an actor is probably stalling your career.

How can this be, you may be wondering.  I’m an ACTOR.  That is my job.  How can thinking like an actor be stopping me from BEING an actor?

Well, my friend, I’ve got some news for ya that you may not want to hear.  But, just like a bandaid, we might as well just rip this thing off quick and get it over with.

If you don’t have the auditions, bookings, clout, opportunities or financial security you want from your acting career, than being an actor is not your job.

Your job is to be a producer.

Now – you may literally be a producer of your own content, but you don’t have to be.  What I’m talking about is being a producer of results.  Results like more auditions, more bookings, great connections, and ultimately getting the industry to come to you.

If that ain’t happening, but you’re spending tons of cash on acting class, improv, scene study, on-camera technique or any other class that only focuses on craft, it’s time to put on your producer hat and get serious about treating your career like a bidness.  

Because none of that technique can land you a job if you can’t get in the room to show ‘em what you got.

I’m going to share my trusty 7 steps to think like a producer so you can act for a living. 

But FIRST…

Let’s cover why thinking like an actor will NEVER lead to a sustainable career.

Here’s the deal.  There is a time and a place when thinking like an actor is required (and will serve you very well).  Places like rehearsal, auditions, or in performance.

And then there are times when thinking like an actor is really going to mess you up, and eff up your success rate.

Like when it comes to treating your career like a business, meetings, networking events, and so forth.  Did you ever read “A Marriage Proposal” by Chekhov?  In one of the translations this character always said “And so forth!” when he couldn’t think of anything else to say.  I’ve always gotten such a kick out of thinking of  ”and so forth!” as an expletive.  But I digress…(see, that was a prime example of how thinking like an actor can seriously derail the train).

So let’s get back to business and show you why you’re actor-brain is not the one to use on your acting business.

First of all actors are emotional creatures.  Open hearted, reactionary, vulnerable, sometimes a hot mess.  Great for class, performance and the audition. But you don’t want to be a hot mess when you walk into the audition waiting room.  Ya know?  That shit will get you tagged as crazy pants.  And no one wants to hire a crazy pants.  (Except maybe recently fired Oscar-producer Brett Ratner. But the douche-baggery running rampant in Hollywood is another article for another time).

How else do actors think?  Very short-sighted. They look for the short-term results like landing ONE audition, or putting all their energy into getting the agent meeting. But when they actually get to the meeting, they have no idea how to handle it because they didn’t think that far ahead.

Actors tend to get mired down in obstacles like nobody’s business.  But you can’t run a good business when you’re down in the self-loathing dumps.  

Ever had this broken record play out in your head?

“It’s so hard to get an agent, I can’t get work with out an agent, it’s a catch-22, I didn’t book that audition, I must really suck, everyone hates me, this is never going to happen, it’s too hard I should just quit acting and wait tables for the rest of my life wah wah wah wah wah…”

You know you’ve been there.  It’s an unraveling of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and once those flood gates open all you can see is how IMPOSSIBLE this business can truly feel.  But if it is truly impossible, get out now sister, because life is short and there’s no point doing something you already know cannot be done.

And if you’re not ready to give up on yourself and your dreams, then how about jumping onto the track of what is possible?  Because there is always possibility if YOU believe there is (even if no one else does).  And the major difference between the dreamers and the wildly successful is the willingness to show up and do the work.

Bethany Hamilton comes to mind (the ONE ARMED champion surfer).  I had the pleasure of being behind the scenes with the executive producer when the film Soul Surfer, based on Bethany’s book was being distributed.  If this chick can get back on the board after a shark bit her arm off and go on to become one of the best surfer’s in the world, then there is hope for you to act for a living.  Just sayin, there’s hard, and there’s HARD.  The difference is your attitude.

So are you ready for these steps?  Let’s go then!

The 7 steps to think like a producer so you can act for a living:

1. What’s your happy ending?

Nope, I’m not talking about a funky massage parlor (get your mind out of the gutter – geez!), I’m talking about your career.  Where are you heading?  What specifically do you want your career to look like?  

 Think about when you go to the movies.  Don’t you love a happy ending?  Especially when it’s a well-deserved one where the underdog has to fight to get what s/he wants.  You leave that theatre feeling uplifted, inspired, giddy with possibility.  Good producers know that a script with a kick-ass ending is a million times more likely to get made than a script with a mediocre ending that needs a lengthy rewrite.

When it comes to your career goals – it’s up to you to get specific about what equals a happy ending.  Get clarity on what kind of work YOU are most excited about.  Is it film?  Ok cool. So is that indie film, big budget film, action films, rom-coms, a mixture of all of the above?  Are there specific directors or filmmakers you want to be hired by?  The clearer you are on your specific goals, the easier it will be to make them happen.

Take Action!  Imagine what you want your career to look like 3 years from now.  What specifically are you working on?  What accomplishments are under your belt?  What is your team like?  Paint a clear and specific picture based on what would give you a happy ending (not a sad one).

2. Assets and Liabilities

So let’s imagine that you have attached yourself as the “producer” of your career results.  You with me?  What that means is that you are now in charge of that production.  And productions are formal legal entities – or in other words, they are run like a business.

And every profitable business became that way by knowing their assets and liabilities.  If you don’t know what you’re good at, it’s hard to get hired for your strengths.  And if you don’t know what you’re bad at, you can get in over your head.

So now that you’re in business for yourself, let’s take a cold hard look at what’s working for you (your assets) and what’s working against you (your liabilities).  Keep in mind that just because something is a liability (or a disadvantage) today doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.  There is always room to turn it around.

Think about your 3-year goal from step one.  Now take a look at what you have in your arsenal that is already working to support that goal.  These would be your assets.  (To stick with the above example -let’s say feature film is the goal.  And I already have an SAG card – so that would be listed among my assets.)

Now take a look at what’s missing.  What do you need to address that is in the way of getting your goal?  These would be your liabilities.  Maybe I need to update my reel footage, or create some if I don’t have any.  For a film actor, that’s a serious liability!  So get clear on what’s missing or what needs to be worked on so that you can make that happy ending a reality.

Take Action!  Make a list of your assets and liabilities as they relate to your happy ending goal.

3. Give it a Greenlight

When a producer gets a greenlight – it’s all systems go.  Take a look at your handy dandy new list of liabilities.  Which one of these can you begin to work on right now?  What is going to make the most sense for you to tackle to get you closer to your happy ending?

To keep on rolling with our feature film example, the greenlight project might be to produce the reel footage.  With today’s availability of amazing cameras, this is easily done.  Seriouslßy, have you seen the iphone 4S camera?  It’s amazing!  So no overthinking it and no excuses.  Remember that wearing your producer hat means you are looking for HOW you CAN, not WHY you CAN’T.

Take Action!  Choose ONE liability from your list to turn into an asset.  This is your greenlight.  All systems GO!

4. Make a Strategic Plan

Now you know WHAT you’re working on, the question becomes HOW?  How do you turn your liability into an asset?  It all comes down to the plan.

No vagueries, no half baked notions, we are going to sit down and plan out step by step exactly what you’re going to do to make this happen.  Just like a director creates a story board before shooting a film, we are going to plan your.

Break it down into step by step.  I’m not even joking here.  This may seem oversimplified, but most of us get overwhelmed in the details and things get overlooked.  Literally take your greenlight project, and break it down into baby steps.  That way, all you have to worry about is the next little step, and I know you can handle that.

So our greenlight project example is to create a reel.  How can I break that into steps?  

Like this:

Step 1 Choose scene(s)
Step 2 Get a crew (director, lighting, sound, editor – whatever you decide you need)
Step 3 set a shoot date
Step 4 rehearse
Step 5 Film it
Step 6 Edit
Step 7 Upload to web

Sweet.  You’re done.  Nice work!

Take Action! Break your greenlight project down into a step-by-step plan.  Pretend you’re explaining it to a 4^th grader to keep it super simple and obvious.

5. Take Action

You did such a great job putting that plan together.  Now you’ve got to put that purdy plan into action, cowgirl!  Just knowing what you need to do doesn’t actually count.  It’s the action-takers who make it happen.

Take Action! Well, I guess that one’s pretty redundant.  But just to be clear – take your strategic plan and get going on step one!

6. Persist Persist Persist

Here’s the deal – this shit takes time.  And you have to keep going to get over the hump of procrastination, obstacles, set backs, feeling crappy and wondering if it’s all going to pay off.  It IS going to pay off – but only if you take action long enough for that to happen.  

Do not be deterred by “No.”  It happens to all of us.  Even Brad Pitt gets told no sometimes.  It’s not a sign from the universe that you shouldn’t be doing it.  It’s just the way it goes.  Any good producer knows that getting a film made is nothing short of a miracle (every single time!) and the secret sauce is in the persistence.

Keep reminding yourself of that happy ending – let your passion fuel you through the rough patches.  

Take Action!  Keep that plan going until your liability is an asset.  Do not stop.  And if you’ve stopped, pick the ball back up.  You can do this.  I believe in you.

7. Wrap Party

Every project ends with a wrap party – whether or not that project was “successful.”  The fact that projects get made at all IS successful.

It is so important that you give yourself credit where credit is due!   And I’m not talking about the times when big stuff happens.  Of course you celebrate that stuff.  But that big stuff only happen after a series of tiny little actions along the way.  The fact that you take action at all is a HUGE DEAL.  

I bet you look at the results of your actions and start getting all down on yourself.  ”It’s not what I expected, I should be farther along, I didn’t get what I wanted so that means I suck.”  Sound familiar?  It’s easy to compare where you currently are and where you want to be and find all the things wrong with that picture.  

You deserve better than that.  You’ve gotten this far!  You’re still here!  You’re going for your dream!  That is big big stuff, and you are important and wonderful.  So cut yourself some slack, stop beating the crap out of yourself emotionally, and celebrate all that you have done and are doing now.  It’ll lead to feeling good, which will inspire you to take more action which will lead to more results.

Wooh!

Take Action!  Make a list of the actions you have taken in the last 3 months toward your career.  Wow!  Look how much you did, that’s amazing!  Make time this week to do something really nice for yourself.  It doesn’t have to be lavish or expensive, just something that would put a smile on your face.  Celebrate all that you’ve done in the service of your career, because you are awesome and you deserve that.

Emily Grace helps actors get in the driver’s seat of their career with marketing plans that get results.  She is an award winning actress, a writer and producer.  Want to hear more from Emily?  Be sure to sign up for her weekly newsletter full of useful tools to navigate the entertainment industry at www.emilygrace.tv

Modern Family

So it’s quite a surprise that Vergara tells the New Zealand Herald that when she started acting she went to get lengths in a failed effort to “fix” her accent.

Like many actors, Vergara underwent vocal training to eliminate her accent to appeal to wide audiences. 

She explains, “There are not many roles for Latin women with an accent in the industry,” and adds, “At the beginning I thought I could fix my accent to make it sound like something else so I spent a lot of money and time to change it.  But I was going to auditions and I was putting all my concentration on changing the next word to a different accent so my acting completely disappeared. I was just thinking about the pronunciation. I was getting no response from directors or anything because it was terrible.” 

When she discovered that her attempts at changing her natural accent were unsuccessful — in fact, she remarks it “was getting worse and worse” — Vergara returned to using her natural voice.  Once she started doing that she noticed she was getting more roles, and her accent became a moot point.  She describes the change by pointing out, “The roles I was getting were ones where the directors would say it doesn’t matter where this person is from we just need a character.”

Today Vergara — and her natural voice — pitches Diet Pepsi, K-Mart clothing, and Covergirl products, and she even voiced a character in 2011′s animated film Happy Feet Two.  Seems like her accent didn’t need any “fixing” after all!

If you haven’t noticed… Los Angeles is a film and television town. Hell, that’s why the city was made. But many actors have a problem — most trained heavily as theater actors, and thus received extremely limited experience (if any) working in film prior to coming to Los Angeles. Then, once arriving here, can’t figure out why they’re not booking jobs like they used to in theatre.

You must understand the difference between these mediums, because If you don’t, chances are the only feedback you’ll hear is, “Good, thanks… Next!”

However – if you understand the differences between the two, then you can make CRUCIAL adjustments to your performance and truly shine in your film and television auditions. And that’s how you book.  Differences between Theater and Film/TV

1. Intimacy

Firstly, and most obviously, there is a huge difference with regards to an actor’s distance to his or her audience. In theater, the audience could literally be hundreds of feet away, and those audience members still need to hear, see, and understand everything that is occurring on stage. But ask yourself, how far away do you sit from your television? Or your computer, when streaming a movie? And a camera can get even closer – think of an extreme close-up – and you’ve come across the first major difference between stage and screen: INTIMACY. You must make one essential adjustment with regards to this fact — your performance on screen MUST be simple, quiet, honest, and subtle. The camera reads thoughts, and will catch any moment that isn’t pure honesty; honesty and subtlety that wouldn’t work in a theater setting, as those moments would simply be lost. Precisely as you’d lose an audience (and a casting director) performing on-camera if you give a theater performance.

2. Story

In theater, the audience receives information through dialogue. If an actor doesn’t say “I’m feeling/thinking this,” then how would the audience, hundreds of feet away, know that information? Most audience members can’t see that the character’s expression or thought, so that information needs to be stated in order for the audience to know what’s happening. However, in film and television, the story is told with pictures. The actor doesn’t need to tell you what they are thinking or feeling, you can see it on the screen. If you think the thoughts, and experience the emotions of the character, then you don’t need you to state (or telegraph) those thoughts or emotions, we can see them.

3. Performance

This heading refers not to your emotional performance, but your technical performance. While performing in film and television, you have to keep in mind camera placement, where your marks are, the blocking you received only minutes ago, etc — and all of it is imperative. If you slip with regard to just one of those components in a take, the entire cast and crew has to reset and start all over again – because of YOUR mistake. If you don’t exactly hit your spotlight on stage, it’s no big deal, you take a slight step to your right — the audience forgives you, and everyone moves on. Not so on camera. Time is money, and you need to be a professional with the kind of reputation people want to work with, not known as an actor who burns time and money.

4. Stage directions

Who writes the vast majority of the stage directions in theater? Typically, the Stage Manager. What kind of information you they give you? Usually, it’s information about what the set looked like, or that Character A walked stage right at this moment, etc. But who writes the stage directions in film and television? The screenwriter. They’ll give you some description of the character, and the location, but most often those stage directions tell you what a character is thinking and feeling. The stage directions are a guide telling exactly what the writer, director and producer need from you to tell the story properly. You don’t need to follow them exactly, but every choice that you make MUST be within the writer’s intention, or else you’ll be working against the script and story. And actors working against the script and story do not get (or keep) the job.

NEXT: THE FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR CAPTIVATING ON-CAMERA WORK!

Jamison Haase opened L.A On-Camera Training Center in 2007. At LAOTC Jamison and the rest of the staff teach a simple, hands-on approach at acting for the camera developed by working actors directors and producers, geared specifically towards the audition. Would like more information about classes? Find several ways to connect with us, including our newsletters here: http://about.me/laoncamera.

Following the footsteps of many other actors-turned-directors, like her Changeling director Clint Eastwood (but unlike her partner Brad Pitt, who has disavowed any interest in directing), Jolie took on the daunting production casts and the film has since been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film (although the film is considered a United States production, it is set during the Bosnian War, was shot in Hungary, and the cast primarily speaks Serbo-Croatian). 

Jolie admits that while working on the production side was difficult, her acting background tremendously assisted her in both the filmmaking and casting process.  When asked how her acting background influenced her roles of writing and directing In the Land of Blood and Honey, Jolie responds, “Well, certainly as a writer, I think I was probably able to flip characters in my head, as if I was playing different roles in order to write the different people because you kind of have to be one person, and inhabit him and write from his voice and be her and write her voice, so I think that helped. As a director, I hoped that I was able to help the actors by giving them the space and the respect they need and the trust. I gave them what I always felt I needed when I was working. And I would protect Zana [Marjanovic, the film's star] in the scenes where she was very vulnerable, or had to deal with scenes with sensuality or nudity. I would be very considerate and only put in the film what was necessary for the story telling. With the big emotional scenes, I would try to protect them from the crew, from the noise. So you’re just trying to make these safe spaces and you try to help them.”

Being that Jolie has certainly had some nightmare auditions in the past, did she use her new production roles as an opportunity to work over her potential cast members? 

Actually, Jolie believes she was a bit too soft on them, explaining, “I was really sensitive to it because I remember the days of auditioning and being nervous and so I really didn’t want to make people have to jump through hoops to do auditions and be nervous and make them more nervous. I kind of wanted to hire everybody [Laughs]. But I was always very conscious of that in making sure people knew and had strong feedback even if they didn’t get the part. It was hard, I didn’t want to put the actors through much and I actually saw each of their auditions once they got scenes and they all auditioned and I was pretty sure after I saw just a scenes once because after they did scenes, they talked. So I got a sense of them as a person and then I saw their scene work and then I pretty much cast them from that. And the people that I thought were going to be the ones, and I would say to Gail [Stevens, the casting director] ‘What were they like when they came in? Were they nice to everybody? Were they humble? Were they gracious?’ Because this was very important to me. And she would say ‘Especially these people were really, really lovely human beings, because of the subject matter.’ So then we sent the script out without my name on it, we just sent it to them and the few who we wanted, we just had our fingers crossed, because we knew how sensitive it was when they read the whole script, would they be comfortable with it. Fortunately they were.”

Via NBC Bay Area

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

As 2011 is now over, it’s time to clean up any unfinished business, clear the space for next year’s successes, and create the framework for your best year yet! I’ve provided 13 simple steps to help you organize your goals and make sure you cover all the bases.

This is my favorite year-end exercise. So, I’m really happy to share it with you.

Celebrate 2011

Before you head into the new year, take a moment to look back at all of your hard work over the past 12 months. What worked? What didn’t? And what can you change?

STEP ONE: Set the Tone

Make yourself comfortable. Play some music you love, grab some yummy food, light your favorite candle. With a notepad, pen, and this year’s calendar, begin your Year 2011 Reflection. 

STEP TWO: Toot Your Own Horn

Review 2011 and consider what you are most proud of in each of the following areas of your life:

Career
Health & Fitness
Friends & Family
Industry Relationships
Finances
Craft & Creativity
Marketing Tools & Business
Personal Growth
Fun & Adventure

STEP THREE: Look for Themes

Identify 3 primary intentions or beliefs that guided you this year. Perhaps you might notice that certain values popped up consistently throughout your year. In other words… if 2011 had a theme, what was it?

STEP FOUR: Pinpoint Your Weak Spots

Now look back through the year and consider what didn’t work as well as you had hoped. With compassion, consider the unrealized expectations, unexpected circumstances or interruptions, challenges, upsets or losses, gifts given and gifts received.

STEP FIVE: Tie Up Loose Ends

Consider what, if anything, you feel incomplete about. What actions can you take to tie up any loose ends?

STEP SIX: Celebrate

Finally, create a year-end ritual. How can you celebrate the challenges you moved through and successes you’ve enjoyed? How can you make a renewed commitment to yourself for the coming year?

Create 2012!

Now that you know where you’ve been, it’s time to map out where you’ll go.

STEP SEVEN: Set Your Sights

What are you looking forward to in 2012? What 1 to 3 specific goals would you like to accomplish by the end of next year?

STEP EIGHT: Brainstorm the Obstacles

What changes do you anticipate or hope for in the next year? How would you like to create these changes in your life? Who might be able to help you succeed at these changes?

STEP NINE: Gather Your Tools

What life and career goals or intentions do you have for 2012? What are you building on or recommitting to from 2011? What’s new? What resources will you bring from 2011 to 2012? What resources will you cultivate?

STEP TEN: Build Relationships

Who do you wish to build stronger relationships with? Who would you like to attract into your life? How will your personal and professional relationships blossom in 2012? Make a list of at least 10 people you wish to build stronger relationships with. You may already know who they are. You may not.

STEP ELEVEN: Let Go of Bad Habits

What principle or action are you going to give up in 2012, so that you can experience a fuller life? For example: I give up being late. I will be early or on time. I have more than enough time to take care of myself and all that is important and meaningful to me.

STEP TWELVE: Visualize Success

How do you want to experience 2012 – what color, taste, texture, smell, sound does it have? If 2012 had a theme song, what would it be? What images come to mind when you picture the coming year?

STEP THIRTEEN: Have Fun with Your Future

With those images in mind, design a vision board to represent all that 2012 holds for you. Your vision board should be a physical representation of your career vision. They allow you to use your artistic skills and creativity and play with the physical picture of your future. They’re a lot of fun to make and they are an effective way to supplement your actions with internal focus.

Stay tuned for the next edition of The Actor’s Advocate Blog, where I’ll show you step-by-step how to create a successful vision board.

Respected as one of the entertainment industry’s leading experts, Dallas Travers teaches actors the career and life skills often left out of traditional training programs. Her groundbreaking book, The Tao of Show Business, has won over five awards including first prizes at The Hollywood Book Festival and the London Festival along with the National Indie Excellence Award. She has helped thousands of actors to increase their auditions, produce their own projects, secure representation and book roles in film and television.

If you’re ready to jump-start your acting career, get your FREE Thriving Artist Starter kit now at http://www.dallastravers.com

These are the Best, Worst and Most Disappointing films of the year as well as the Best Actors, both lead and supporting.

Check them out and let me know if you agree, disagree or want to throw rotten fruit at me because I’m so damn wrong. 

Best Films
50/50
Crazy Stupid Love
Like Crazy
MoneyBall
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Warrior
Win Win

Worst Films
Take Me Home Tonight
Red Riding Hood
One Day
Restless
Margaret
Rid Of Me
Tree of Life

While some people put Tree of Life on their lists of Best Films, I put it on my Worst. Why? Because I hated it. Don’t tell me it’s because “I didn’t get it.” I got it just fine. Even Sean Penn had no idea what the film was about. The film had no narrative at all. That’s why I go to and love film – for a story. This had none of that.

But, the absolute worst film of the year is Rid of Me, hands down. It opens with the lead character shopping in a grocery store. She spots the woman who stole her husband and then does something vile that even thinking about it makes me want to puke. The cast is so bad that they should get their SAG card revoked.

Most Disappointing Films
War Horse
Carnage

I still have no idea why Carnage was ever made into a film. Or, why the original Broadway cast wasn’t invited to reprise their roles. What was a solid theatre production has been made into a claustrophobic and pointless film.

I was so looking forward to Spielberg’s version of War Horse but I left the theater completely disappointed. It was like he tried to make an uplifting family film set during the war and starring a horse. Huh? The only scene worth the price of admission was the ‘barbed-wire’ scene.

….and now, the actors

Best Actors

George Clooney – The Descendants
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – 50/50
Brad Pitt – Moneyball
Michael Shannon – Take Shelter
Anton Yelchin – Like Crazy

Best Actresses

Viola Davis – The Help
Felicity Jones – Like Crazy
Rooney Mara – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor

Albert Brooks – Drive
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Moneyball/Ides of March
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Andy Serkis – Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Supporting Actresses

Berenice Bejo – The Artist
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Judy Greer – The Descendants
Carey Mulligan – Drive/Shame
Octavia Spencer – The Help

After three trial performances, on Tuesday, December 6, Lakin and other actors, including Danielle Fishel, Carrie Seim, and Will Seymour, took the stage in Los Angeles to recount their worst auditions to a receptive audience. 

Not only are the stories humorous, Lakin explains how the show is helpful to the audience as well as the actors.  “There’s something that is mutually sort of painful about it, and I think people thrive on this sort of self-deprecation.  There’s something really cathartic about people standing on stage and saying, ‘I’m not perfect either, and let me tell you about the time when I was most imperfect.’”  Bob Guiney, the former Bachelor contestant who hosted the show, adds, “In this community that we all live in, there’s a lot of auditions going on. There’s a lot of horrible, horrible moments, and we figured just in time for the holidays, we’re going to share it with everybody.”  It’s a great idea — there’s probably no better gift that recounting your shortcomings all in the name of humor!

Worst Audition Ever is expected to hit the stage again in February.  Perhaps Lakin can grab some bigger stars to recount their humble beginnings, too.  For example, would Ryan Gosling mind retelling his “pantomime a war” audition story for a captivated audience?

Check out the Worst Audition Ever site for upcoming shows.

Via KABC-TV.