Lack of training
Poor headshot
Poor showreel
Poor attitude
Unrealistic expectations
Poor organisational skills
Giving up too soon
Lack of professionalism
Let’s take a closer look at each of these:
1. Lack of training
Successful athletes, singers and actors all have coaches, even (and especially) when they’re at the peak of their career. It's no different for you, though sometimes a beginner with a certain degree of natural talent might think they can go it alone. It is very difficult to see yourself as others see you, and it's very hard to act and direct yourself at the same time. A good coach will help you turn your raw talent into bankable skills - they will teach you how to move beyond simply reading a script to making the words your own. To succeed in acting today, you need much more than raw acting ability - you need good training, a reliable acting approach, marketing skills and the self-discipline to stop beating yourself up when the going gets tough. A good coach can shorten the learning curve by years and give you the support you need to pursue your professional acting career.
2. Poor headshot
A headshot is a professional picture of an actor from the shoulders up. In the UK, it is always black and white. This picture is the single most important marketing tool for an actor. Agents and Casting Directors always look at the headshot first before considering taking you in for an audition. So, it's important that it is really good. By ‘really good' I mean accurate and engaging. It's no use having an airbrushed photo that makes you look great, but looks nothing like you. You wouldn’t believe the amount of actors that do this - and it really annoys Casting Directors. It's one of their biggest complaints.
Find a professional photographer to have your headshot done, and when you get the results, let others have a look at the photos before you pick your main headshot - as often we have a distorted view of ourselves and an outsider can be more objective.
3. Poor showreel
A showreel is an important marketing tool for an actor, and it must be good - having a bad showreel is worse than having no showreel. A showreel is a DVD with short clips of your work - it doesn’t have to be professional work. Sadly, this is the one place where many beginners cut corners and fail. Your showreel should contain good quality footage filmed by a professional company - not a homemade DVD. But a word of warning, make sure that you’re ready to take this step. A showreel that is homemade, badly acted or poorly produced will get tossed in the bin. A showreel can be expensive to produce - anywhere from £300 to £850 - so don't do it until you're ready and have trained properly, otherwise you'll be wasting your money.
4. Poor attitude
In the acting business, or any business today, good social competence - the ability to work well with others - is a must. There is no place for prima-donnas or actors with attitudes. You have to be able to take direction graciously, put up with fickle directors and take rejection. I have been to too many auditions where the actor is sat in the waiting area moaning about the business. I have also seen actors try to "pull rank" and barge ahead of others in an audition because of time constraints. Such negativity has a way of catching up with you and is the fastest way to undermine a career.
5. Unrealistic expectations
People often ask me how long it will take before they’ll start to make money in acting. That depends on many factors: the quality of your showreel, your talent and training, the amount of time you spend on marketing yourself and your persistence. An Agent (once you find one who will represent you) will not do it for you. At most, you'll be lucky if an Agent sends you out on more than a few auditions a week. You must be willing to market yourself and that means finding Casting Directors and Directors who are willing to look at your headshot and showreel, and consider you for future jobs. This can take months or even a year or more to do. But it can be done. I did it and you can too.
6. Poor organisational skills
This is a part where the artistic side of being an actor clashes with the business side. Actors tend to be, and indeed must be, creative and artistic individuals. This means that thinking and running themselves as a business can be tricky. However, it's a must if you want to work. Think of yourself as a product that has to be marketed. You will need a computer, a printer and a database of Casting Directors and Agents who you will need to send photos and showreels to. You will also need a system to constantly keep you in contact with the people who can give you work.
7. Giving up too soon
There have been occasions in my career - when I was working as an actor - where I have called the same Casting Director or Agent every month for years! Some may be resistant to that, some won't, but one thing is for certain - they will know who you are. Many people give up too soon or don't like doing this. However, if you really want it, you must make yourself do it and thankfully it gets easier the more you do it. Don't sabotage your career before it gets started.
8. Lack of professionalism
You name it!
Turning up late for sessions and auditions. Arguing with the Director. Not being prepared. Turning up drunk or under the influence. Letting a bad mood show. Spreading gossip. Bad mouthing other actors at every opportunity. Not caring for personal hygiene. Not following up on opportunities and leads. Being late. Sending work that contains mistakes or mispronunciations.
I hope you've enjoyed my report and I look forward to providing you with more important acting information in the future.
For more information on acting and the acting industry, visit www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk
Feel free to forward this email on to anyone who will find it useful. If they receive this message and want to receive my emails, they need to go to www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk
Best wishes
Brian Timoney
Posted: 2009-07-14 19:47:44