"Helping young actors book work in film and television."

Hotsheet: Assessing an actor's "Potential"

It's the question that every actor and every parent wants a straight answer for. How much "potential" is there for me to book professional work? The full answer goes something like this. Working in film and television requires four things:

1. a marketable look -- a visual type that tells a story people want to see
2. the right skills -- the tools to tell a good story on camera
3. the right connections -- access to opportunities to tell your story
4. confidence -- the personal resources to stay positive, passionate and motivated

Each aspect has to be handled differently, and deserves its own post. For the next four weeks I'll be breaking it down in some detail, starting with...

Part 1: A marketable look.

Every actor's face, voice, body and presentation tells a specific story to the camera independent of their acting ability. This story is often called an actor's "type" or their "hit" and is used to refer to the characters that are immediately available to an actor based on the way they occur on camera. What makes an actor's look "marketable" is whether it visually tells a story that producers and directors need to tell their own stories. Filmmakers use look and type as a visual storytelling tool to influence the audience's expectations about a character. In the age of modern storytelling, the character who looks evil is not always the villain... but they might be. Or the villain might be the character who looks sweet and innocent. And it's that aspect of storytelling that directors want to take advantage of when they're deciding which actor to cast for a role.

"I have to believe that you could be the person. Not just channeling the performance, but also from some visual reference." -Casting Director Stuart Aikins video

Which looks are most in demand (i.e. marketable) depends heavily on the tone and style of the projects being cast (i.e. drama, sitcom, action, science fiction, gritty true life, cops & lawyers, art house, historical, British, etc.). The basic requirement is that the look tells a story. Leading lady, leading man, innocent bystander, girl next door, hero, villain, survivor, mean, nervous, intelligent, stupid, there are as many "looks" as there are stories to tell. The more clearly an actor tells the story of their type, the more "the most [ ______ ]" they are, the easier it is for a filmmaker to use that visual story to their advantage.

Being marketable is different from being attractive. While there's no denying that an actor who falls within this year's mainstream version of beautiful/handsome has some great opportunities open up to them, it's worth noting that beautiful/handsome is the single most competitive type category. It's also worth noting that a mainstream "beauty standard" can be extremely damaging to young people, in particular to young women. Actors should keep coming back to the idea that look is a visual storytelling tool, and that creative actors, agents, casting directors, and filmmakers are interested in telling good stories.

For adult actors in a saturated and extremely competitive market like Los Angeles, identifying your type (or "branding") becomes an important competitive advantage. I recommend reading LA based casting director Bonnie Gillespie's posts on type and branding, starting with Your Type is a Shortcut, Type Me, Please and Authenticity vs. Type. For actors under eighteen, and actors in a less competitive market like Vancouver, look or type is one concern, but should not be the primary concern.

Marketability will always be part guesswork, because it is constantly changing. Filmmakers want to re-create successful stories, or tell new stories, or find unique variations on stories that we've seen a million times. The only person who has anything like a real grasp of what's marketable is a professional talent agent, someone who spends all day every day marketing actors to casting directors, seeing who gets called in for auditions and who books the job. So if you want to know how "marketable" your look is, ask an agent. Everybody else will have opinions, but only the talent agents can back up their opinions with a range of experience. Talent agents only sign actors who they believe are marketable, so if you have a talent agent then it's a safe bet that you have a marketable look. If you're having trouble getting a talent agent, figuring out your type and choosing an appropriate photo to send can help show an agent that you are marketable.

The more money a production has, the more specific they can be about finding an actor who has a look that makes their story more interesting and has the skill to tell that story well. The idea of "look" breaks down on the logical but deeply flawed idea that all-other-things-being-equal, filmmakers will cast based on a visual type. In the real, messy, organic, creative world of acting all-other-things are never equal. Each actor makes different choices, and tells the story in their own way. Your look may get you in the door, the only way you get the job is by having the skill to tell a good story. That's the true art of the actor, and the focus of next week's post.

In the meantime, take good classes and audition for independent and student films. Keep acting, keep practicing, and keep doing whatever it takes for you to stay positive, passionate and motivated.

I'm right there with you.

Michael Bean, Owner+Head Coach, Biz Studio

Feel free to send your questions, comments or corrections to mbean@bizstudio.ca

Q:

My son is now a part of the Union and I am under the impression that this may be part of why he isn't getting calls for background and commercials. I have been told that because he is union now he is out of 90% of commercials and that there is no point in applying for them. He's has only had maybe 6 auditions since January. We have been told that it's been a very slow year and also because he is changing from a boy into a young man there are not many roles for this age group right now. I understand there are slow times and have accepted that however I am seeing how he is losing his confidence from not being called to auditions. I guess I am just wanting to be sure that in fact that it is truly a slow time right now. I am feeling as if his agent has let him fall off their radar? Would it be beneficial to look for another agent? I feel with only a handful of auditions this year we might need to change something. We are wondering if we have made a mistake by joining the union?

A:

It has been very slow, there were eight projects shooting here this past summer, compared to twenty last year. It's also true that kids often experience a slowdown in auditions when in the transition phases of adolescence. And it's true that 90% of commercials are non-union and union members can't audition for them.

Your options are:

1. be patient and trust your agent
2. find a new agent
3. leave the union and see if it helps you get more auditions

The associated risks are:

1. your current agent is slacking off
2. a new agent would have the same situation as your current one
3. even if your son was non-union he may still be too old for most commercials, which tend to be heavily weighted to kids under twelve

His agent is a good one, it's also possible that your son has become "low priority" for them and a new agent would push harder just because he's new. Given the age/slow/union factors I'm not sure how much difference a new agent would make, but it doesn't hurt to make inquiries. I'd have a conversation with his agent about potentially leaving the union and see what they advise. The advantage of being in the union is that it makes a young actor look more "professional," but it's a pretty intangible benefit compared to the reduction in auditions.

No matter what happens, your son is going to have to cultivate patience. The industry is always up and down and nobody likes it, but there's also no control there. He's a great actor, and the only thing six months or a year or two years is going to do is give him time to be an even more skilled actor when the opportunity *does* come. And trust me, the opportunities do come for everyone, just not on any predictable schedule. Staying ready is the hard part.

I hope that helps,

Michael Bean
Owner+Head Coach

Biz Studio

"Helping Young Actors Book Work in Film & Television."

THE QUESTION:

My daughter is concerned about her scene for Saturday. She doesn't want to do the sad scene with the burned stuffed animals, as it is too sad for her. Please know that I'm not at all criticizing the scene choice, I get that it's a very useful teaching tool. I think Chloe is sensitive and good at imagination, so getting there is not the problem, but getting back might be. It's got me wondering what techniques you can use with young children to help them leave the work when it's over? Chloe is interested in going to auditions, so it would be good for me to have a few strategies at some point.

THE ANSWER:

I chatted briefly about the scene with Laura and Julie (the other instructors at Biz) yesterday, we thought the scene was quite innocuous so your email was a good reminder that imagining that your toys *might* be burnt up can be a scary thought. I think you could very easily make the choice that the dolly is okay, her dad asks "Is this it?" and her last "Dolly!" could easily be joy and relief. That's the best choice if your daughter doesn't is feeling uncomfortable about being sad.

As for helping young children "leave" the work, at the beginning the fear for most actors is that they will be swept up in uncontrollable feelings that will take them over, but then the reality of the acting experience is that it's controlled, quite brief, and really fun to throw yourself into. So that body experience acts as a counter to the fear, and over time the body learns that experiencing strong emotions "in character" is a safe thing to do. In my experience even when kids do get swept up in the feelings in their scenes, the familiar routine of acting class helps them snap back pretty fast. That's part of the safety-building that allows a young actor (or any actor) to go further and further with their emotional choices as they get more experience.

As a side note, that level of safety is why actors are often more capable of giving a genuine, emotionally connected and nuanced read to a scene when they're at home, and then have trouble bringing that same degree of connection to the scenes in class or in an audition. Again, that physical sense of safety is something that will come with experience.

Occasionally in one of my classes something in the material we're working on will trigger a strong emotional memory and the actor will continue to be quite emotional after the scene. It's very rare, but it has happened. In those cases it's not about helping the actor process the memory, since that's really not my specialty (or my business) but instead about gently bringing their attention back to the room. Almost all the time what actors want is to return to the familiar routine of class, and in five minutes they'll be back playing games with the rest of us. If it ever did happen that whatever memory was coming up was so traumatic that the actor was unable to bring any of their attention back into the present (and safe) moment of acting class, I would step out of the room, call the parent, and wait with the actor until the parent arrived or until the actor wanted to return to class. That hasn't happened to me in ten years of teaching this way, but it may at some point.

Thank you for the good question! It got me thinking this morning.

Michael Bean
Owner+Head Coach
Biz Studio

"Helping young actors book work in film & television."

Q: Is it an audition class?

YES.

Q: What about scene study?

WE DO THAT TOO.

Q: Okay what about emotional access and acting exercises?

YEP.

Q: How can you do all that in one class?

WE ONLY TAKE SIX STUDENTS AT A TIME.

Q: How many students do most other acting schools take?

TWELVE TO SIXTEEN.

Q: Why the small classes?

MORE INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION, WE CAN COVER MORE MATERIAL, AND IT'S MORE FUN FOR US TO TEACH.

Q: Did you write all these questions yourself?

YES.

Q: Isn't that a bit silly?

PROBABLY, BUT WE'RE NOT LOSING ANY SLEEP OVER IT.

Q: Where can I find info on fall classes?

WWW.BIZSTUDIO.CA/FALL, THANKS FOR ASKING.

Biz Studio | Vancouver's Top Professional Acting School for Kids and Teens

"Helping young actors book work in film and television."

(The original comment: "In terms of where your daughter still has the most room to grow, it's in the really grounded simple "naturalistic" style that's so often called for in dramatic film+television. At this point she can do Disney/Nickelodeon stuff with her eyes closed, and she has less practice with more stripped-down style where the actor's choices have to be invisible.")

A:Your daughter has a lot of confidence and great emotional availability, she showed that repeatedly over the course of our workshop together. She still has her "default" or set of choices that is easier for her, like any actor. And hers is brighter, more upbeat, smilier, more "Disney" for lack of a better word. It's telling that the longest clip in the reel on her website is from a Disney straight-to-video film. I hope she continues to get booked for dramatic work, the best way for her to continue to expand her range is to audition, work and train on scenes that force her to find honesty, simplicity, and vulnerability in her characters. I watched the extended reel as well, and it's the same thing: she showcases her emotional range, but aside from those extreme moments the scenes that come across as the most honest are definitely the brighter, more direct ones. Which is fair I think, because that's in line with her personality, or at least what I experienced of her in class. I think that it would open up new opportunities for her if she could scale the emotionality and the "brightness" back when necessary to suit the tone of the projects she's going out for.

Casting director Tiffany Mak said repeatedly over the summer that the reason she had so much difficulty casting the leads in the Lionsgate feature "Gay Dude" is because the most experienced actors kept coming across "too actor-y" and "not real" (the director's words). Ultimately she ended up sending the kid she thought was best for it back to me for a private session to "un-actory" him to prove to the director he could do it in a later callback round, and that kid booked the role. Which made Tiffany crazy, because he was one of the first actors that she brought in and *she* knew he could do it, it's just that the director formed this "actor-y" opinion of him that needed adjusting. That's the kind of mistaken opinion that will sometimes need adjusting.

Michael Bean
Owner+Head Coach
Biz Studio

"Helping young actors book work in film & television."

A: Here is my advice re: going to LA for pilot season. If the intent is to go to a locale of permanent sunshine and have a California vacation while also dabbling in the film industry, then I think it's a great idea and sounds like fun. If the goal is specifically to advance your daughter's career, I think you are both much better served by staying in Vancouver. You might want to check out Parents Q&A: Working in LA basically until it's clear that she's highly in demand in the local market (i.e. booking regularly), moving her to a much much much larger and more saturated/competitive market is a bad gamble. Especially if she's not legal to work there. Vancouver has at least 5000 Union actors (UBCP) and maybe 20,000 non-union actors. LA has at least 75,000 Union actors (SAG) and maybe 300,000 non-union actors. That's the difference between fifty girls who look like your daughter and eight hundred girls who look like her. Or more, because the kid end of the market tends to be weighted more heavily, with attrition kicking in as actors get older.

Michael Bean
Owner+Head Coach
Biz Studio

"Helping young actors get work in film and television."

<< Previous | PART 10: PROFESSIONALISM | Next >>

Stuart Aikins is a Vancouver-based casting director with 35 years of experience casting across Canada, including Vancouver casting for the hugely popular Twilight series (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). He is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination and a Casting Society of America (CSA) Award for Best Mini-Series Casting. In July 2011 he sat down with students at Biz Studio's Summer Intensive.

PART TEN CONTENTS:

Q: A young actors walks into the room, what makes you say "Wow, this person is really professional."

A: If they really get down to doing their work. Don't ask questions before doing the work. An actor who's really professional knows how to get themselves "there" and they're ready to go, and they do it. Not socializing in the room, prepping for the work.

<< Previous | PART 9: LA VS. VAN | Next >>

Stuart Aikins is a Vancouver-based casting director with 35 years of experience casting across Canada, including Vancouver casting for the hugely popular Twilight series (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). He is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination and a Casting Society of America (CSA) Award for Best Mini-Series Casting. In July 2011 he sat down with students at Biz Studio's Summer Intensive.

PART NINE CONTENTS:

Q: What is the contrast between LA and Vancouver?

A: In Vancouver there might be three people in the audition room who look like you. In LA there might be 45. You are no longer special. There's a huge amount of competition, it's harder place to develop a career.

<< Previous | PART 8: LOOK | Next >>

Stuart Aikins is a Vancouver-based casting director with 35 years of experience casting across Canada, including Vancouver casting for the hugely popular Twilight series (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). He is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination and a Casting Society of America (CSA) Award for Best Mini-Series Casting. In July 2011 he sat down with students at Biz Studio's Summer Intensive.

PART EIGHT CONTENTS:

Q: How important is look in casting?

A: It's always going to come up. We have to believe you as the character. I believe that a good actor is very much a chameleon. The director makes three decisions in the room -- can you act, can you take direction, and *then* are you right for the role. The only thing you can do for the 3rd criteria is preparing yourself visually for the role.

Q: What comes across visually as trying too hard?

A: If you go there with the wardrobe but not the acting, it will come across as trying too hard. If you go there with the acting, then it won't matter. Where you can get in serious trouble is in using a lot of props. We're not looking for the final product. We're looking for a work in progress.

<< Previous | PART 7: AGE | Next >>

Stuart Aikins is a Vancouver-based casting director with 35 years of experience casting across Canada, including Vancouver casting for the hugely popular Twilight series (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). He is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination and a Casting Society of America (CSA) Award for Best Mini-Series Casting. In July 2011 he sat down with students at Biz Studio's Summer Intensive.

PART SEVEN CONTENTS:

Q: What's the primary ages that you see?

A: All ages. Mr. Young is 13-15, Level Up is 15-20. Other scripts need other ages.

Q: How often do you cast actors who are older than the roles they are playing?

A: All the time. Writers don't actually know everything about what's right.