GARY MASON

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gary@gary-mason.com

Voice Over

1000 “no”s

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  It’s said that you have to go through 1000 nos to get to a yes, or kiss 1000 frogs before you find your prince.  The idea of rejection has been with us for a long time.  This week let’s talk about rejection and how to deal with it.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

FIRST

We say that rejection is just a part of being an actor.  Rejection can really get an actor down, and sometimes that can spiral into the “I’m not meant to be an actor, I should just find a full-time day job” thought process. While it is true that we book only a small fraction of the gigs we audition for, I do not think of the ones I don’t book as a rejection. It’s not a process of rejection, it’s a process of SELECTION. I’ll explain later.

Rejection thinking

The problem with rejection thinking is that it’s negative self-talk. Get rejected often enough and pretty soon you’re thinking you are not worthy.  This thinking makes you feel defeated and tired. It drains your energy, and energy is just what you need for an audition. Pretty soon you are feeling rejected going IN to an audition and at that point your acting career is in a death spiral. Some call this “rejection fatigue”.

Negative Self-Talk

The problem with negative self-talk is that it is much easier to convince yourself of something than it is to convince someone else.  If you are not careful, you’ll have yourself convinced you are a terrible actor.  That can lead to low-effort auditions, and you have a self-perpetuating cycle. You are sure you’re terrible and won’t book a job, go into the audition already defeated, put up a less than stellar audition, don’t get selected and affirm (to yourself anyway) how terrible you are.  Negative self-talk can actually damage your auditions!

Not to be confused with

Just to stop the folks thinking I am being all Pollyanna about this, don’t confuse my eleven part “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job” series with negative self-talk. There is an enormous difference between a healthy understanding of the casting process and thinking you are not good enough to book work.  One is freeing, and the other is a prison sentence. Know that you can both be good enough AND not get the job.

Maybe you are terrible.

The GREAT thing about being a terrible actor is you have no place to go but up.  Go back and look at or listen to your first audition self-tapes and compare them to your latest.  Are you happy with that first one?  If I were a betting man, I’d guess probably not.  My first self-tapes make me cringe when I see/hear them!  But my most recent ones?  Maybe not Oscar worthy, but a WHOLE lot better than those first few.

Each no brings you closer to yes.

Every time you step in front of the camera or sit down behind the mic, you have an opportunity to improve.  I mean, you ALSO have an opportunity to book a job, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  My point is, if you do happen to be a terrible actor today, every audition helps you become a little better.  Like with many things in life, the more you do something the better you get at it.  Acting is no different. But feelings of rejection make it tough to even GET in front of the camera or microphone (I know, I’ve been there) and that defeatist attitude negatively affects your audition!

Trying to get a job.

Here’s the thing, and it may seem a little non-intuitive.  If you see your auditions as trying to get a job, you’ve already lost half the battle.  Hanging your hat on the outcome of an audition is a recipe for disaster. Yeah, I know you have bills to pay and booking the job is how you pay them, but bear with me here.  If you see auditions as an opportunity to do something you love (act) and to showcase your talent with a casting director instead of as a path to employment, then you’ll enjoy doing them more and be a lot more relaxed and confident.

By the numbers

And remember: There are 100 (or more) people auditioning for the same role.  They will only select one of them. You have a 1 in 100+ chance of booking a particular role.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you won’t get it.  If, instead of auditioning to get a job, you audition to provide a CD with a selection of how that role can be portrayed, then not getting the role gets easier. You were not rejected, just not selected.

The Menu

I like to use a menu analogy.  If I go into a restaurant and want to buy dinner the first thing I do (after ordering a drink) is to peruse the menu.  Odds are the menu has a selection of different foods: Beef, chicken, pork, pasta, salads…sometimes even pasta salads. Sometimes I can also choose breakfast items like eggs and pancakes. Usually there are MANY choices.  If I choose chicken, have I rejected beef?  Or Pasta?  Or pork?  NO!  I just selected chicken and tomorrow I may choose beef. It’s the same with auditions.

YOU are the menu item.

When you audition, what you are doing is giving the CD a menu selection.  It sucks to be beef when they want chicken, but it doesn’t mean they don’t like beef or that beef “just isn’t good enough”.  Sorry to all the vegetarians/vegans out there for the meat focused discussion, the same can be said of plant-based food. Stay on the menu long enough and before you know it, they’ll be ordering chicken…or whatever you are.

Lots of reasons

The simple truth is this: There are a of of reasons you may not be selected and most of them have nothing to do with your acting ability. Maybe you are too short, too young, too old, have the wrong color hair.  Perhaps you just don’t have the right chemistry with a scene partner. It could be that the choices you made for that audition are just not what the casting folks were envisioning.  Great performance, just not the one they imagined for that role. It’s not rejection, it’s selection (even if the selection was someone else).

And remember:

Also keep in mind that when you DO book a gig, there are 99+ people who weren’t selected.  That’s both humbling and gratifying at the same time. Even big-name A-list actors are sometimes not selected for roles they want. If you don’t believe me, check this out.

Motivation is the key.

If you understand that you simply can NOT book every role, and that the selection process likely has nothing to do with your acting ability then it is much easier to stay motivated.  And motivation is the key to success here. If you aren’t motivated to audition, then it’s going to take you a LONG time to get through all the no’s to find your yes. And the yes is what we really want because that yes allows us to do what we REALLY love: Perform. And every audition is an opportunity to perform as well!

At the end of the day

Every actor, the guy or gal who started acting today and the people whose names you recognize immediately ALL auditioned for roles they wanted but didn’t get. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that when we don’t book a particular role we are in good company.  The trick is to not think of roles you don’t get as rejection.  Rejection fatigue is real, and that feeling of despair will come across in your auditions leading to that self-fulfilling prophecy of “not good enough”.

You are.

You are good enough. You are talented enough (or on your way to being talented enough). You are just a few no’s away from that yes that will launch your successful career.  You just have to keep pushing, keep auditioning and keep working till the yes arrives!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

A Balancing Act

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  For the vast majority of actors, a “survival job” is a reality.  On top of that we have family obligations, and let’s face it we need to take a break from time to time too. Working a 40 hour a week job and staying connected to family & friends while also pursuing acting can be a balancing act.  This week let’s talk about Balancing your acting career, day job, and personal life.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

It’s wrong…

The image of the life of an actor as portrayed in the mainstream media is misleading.  What most people see about acting are the “A”-listers who are nearly always working and can afford the lulls between roles.  The reality is that those actors are a miniscule portion of actors overall.  More commonly, actors aren’t working enough, or  in enough high paying roles, to even support themselves.  Most actors either have to barely scratch by, rely on friends and family for help, or…as is most common…work another job.

Reality

The simple reality of an acting career is that it is horribly unpredictable.  One week you may be on set working 12 to16 hour days, the next week you are juggling 5-10 auditions and the next?  Nothing.  Looking for roles and twiddling your thumbs.  When you do book a gig, there is a fair chance that it will require travel and time away from home (and maybe not paid travel) unless you are fortunate enough to be a Voice Actor with a professional home studio.

And it’s expensive.

Yeah, life is expensive, but not JUST life.  Actors need training, head shots, marketing material, technology, and all of that is expensive on TOP of life.  Given that most actors do not earn enough to live on, paying for the things they need to support their acting career gets even more difficult.  The need for a survival job exists for all but a very small handful of actors. Unless they have a wealthy (and generous) family or a SO with a great income who supports their acting career most actors are going to struggle to finance their career.

Technology

Thanks to COVID-19 the industry has changed some to take advantage of technology and make things a BIT easier for those who work full time to support their acting career. In-person auditions are much rarer these days, but self-tape auditions also add another level of complexity to the job.  In addition to delivering a great performance, now we also have to know a bit about production, lighting, sound, and audio/video processing.  And we also have to have the space and equipment to provide quality audition tapes.

Equipment

In addition to all the other things actors have to pay for – training, head shots, reels etc. – Now we also have to buy the equipment and software needed to produce a professional audition tape.  On top of THAT, we have to learn to use it all proficiently – AND find our own readers.  Compared to what a typical actor earns, acting is less an income than an outgo.

Unfortunately

The bad news about adding technology and self-tape auditions to the mix is that many times, the turnaround time is much shorter.  Sometimes that time can be as little as 24 hours to prepare, memorize, perform and process an audition.  It ALSO allows access to even more actors for a given role, which means competition has become tighter. The need to get your audition done and submitted as quickly as possible adds additional stress.

Family

If you are fortunate enough to have a spouse and kids, then it’s a safe bet that they’re going to want you to be “present” for them.  Actors with a full-time survival job AND a family are balancing work and family against their passion to create and perform.  Guaranteed one of them suffers, and it is likely their acting career that comes in third place in that hierarchy. So how do you balance them?

Work

I’ve written about this before but the best job an actor can have is one that provides the flexibility to be able to have time for family and auditions as well as those rare times when you are on set for an extended period.  Back in the day, many actors took waitstaff jobs in restaurants, but these days things like Uber, Lyft, GrubHub and DoorDash are available and are very flexible. If you have a regular 9-5, things get more complicated.

Schedule

One of the most important things an actor can do is discuss their acting career with their boss at their day job.  This both lets the boss know that there could be times when you need to be out of the office, and also lets the actor know what the expectations are at work.  Is it possible to perform your job remotely for some period of time?  Will you have to take vacation days to work a gig? Understanding expectations helps you know what you can expect from work, and also allows you to communicate restrictions to your agent.  Can you only work a job that lasts for a week or less?  Your agent needs to know that.

Stress

All of these competing elements can be very stressful.  Working a full day, then returning home to have dinner hour with family before heading into your booth or studio to do your acting work leads to less sleep, potentially unhappy family members and ultimately stress and anxiety.  That stress and anxiety affects every aspect of your life including how you will come across in auditions – and generally that is negatively.

So how do you cope?

I regret to inform you that there is no good way to completely eliminate that stress unless you get rid of one or more stressors.  No, I am not suggesting you divorce your spouse and abandon your kids or quit your day job and pitch a tent under a bridge.  Nor am I suggesting you stop pursuing your passion.  And while you can’t completely eliminate the pressure, there are ways to reduce it.

With family

Start with a frank discussion about your passion as an actor with your family, particularly your spouse.  There is a good chance they neither understand the industry nor your desire to be a part of it.  Help them understand these things but listen to their concerns.  While it may be your goal to work in feature films, perhaps a compromise to pursue only local commercial work will allow you to keep acting and alleviate their concerns.  Or…you could just leave, but I don’t recommend that.

With work

Discuss your acting career with your boss.  Ask about remote work opportunities that you can possibly perform outside normal working hours. Maybe it is possible to take a short leave of absence and protect your position. Understand their requirements and if need be, consider looking for work that allows the flexibility you need.  You may have to pause your acting career temporarily to find the right job, but giving up on your passion altogether is just going to lead to regrets.  Trust me, I did it and I know.

Time

Take some for yourself. Make sure you are not hustling for work 100% of the time.  Make sure to make time for family and unplug altogether occasionally to take time for yourself.  Your kids are only going to be “today years old” today.  Don’t miss it in pursuit of the next gig.

Prioritize

At the end of the day, the real cure for the stress of balancing a full-time job, family and acting career is to set and maintain priorities and boundaries.  Put those three elements in priority order and any time there is a conflict defer to the one with the highest priority.  No one can tell you what the priority should be, that decision is purely personal, but if you can do that then when there are competing priorities the decision of which to do becomes a lot easier.  Trying to “do it all” is just going to lead to burn-out and then ALL of your priorities suffer.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

The Elephant in the Room; How a writers strike affects everyone.

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  I know I’ve written a bit about this in the recent past, but as the deadline for negotiations looms at midnight May 1, it bears talking about again.  What follows are my conclusions drawn from a myriad of news sources. They do NOT necessarily reflect the positions of the labor unions. This week let’s talk about how a writer’s strike may affect everyone.

First:

I know I’ve been absent for a couple weeks…sorry.  I have been on location in Western Tennessee filming the Western “Unnatural” and unable to post both because of the remote location AND exhaustion.  Look for Unnatural in the spring of 2024.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

It’s not looking good…

While negotiation results are being held pretty close to the vest, all indications in the news these days tend to point to the eventuality that the writers will go “pencils down” at midnight May 1st.  Talks were held Saturday Apr 29th and again Sunday Apr 30, but it seems the two sides (WGA and AMPTP) are still petty far apart.  Unless something miraculous happens today (Monday May1st) a strike is all but inevitable.

So, bad for writers.

Yes and no.  From the position of the WGA, things are ALREADY bad for writers, which is what prompted the strike vote.  Union writers apparently agree since they voted 98% in favor of striking if an agreement cannot be reached.  While writers will stop working (AND getting paid for writing) if there is a strike, the long-term result should be better wages and working conditions when the strike ends (and they always end).  And it may not just be the writers.

Almost everyone…

It’s not just the Writer’s Guild whose contracts expire this year.  The Directors (DGA) and actors (SAG-AFTRA) contracts also expire this year, albeit later (June 30th).  Historically, the first union to begin negotiations set the tone for the others, so it is possible the Directors and Actors negotiations could be contentious as well…after all they have some of the same concerns as the writers do.

Similar issues

The issues preventing the WGA and AMPTP from coming to an agreement are, or at least are to some degree, the same issues facing both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA.  The big issues concern the rate of pay for streaming platforms, residuals, and the introduction of AI writers like ChatGPT.  Pay for projects headed to streaming platforms is lower (traditionally) than for network/studio projects and streaming has blown up over the course of the pandemic. And AI presents a HOST of issues, not the least of which is copyright infringement.  While the DGA and SAG contracts don’t expire till June 30th,  WGA negotiations will influence their negotiations as well.

Solidarity.

Other unions, most notably the Teamsters, DGA and SAG-AFTRA have issued statements indicating solidarity with the WGA on negotiations.  Essentially, while not mandating their members honor writer picket lines, each of these labor unions have stated that they “don’t cross picket lines”.  Even if the respective unions do not strike, not crossing picket lines means their members (in large part) will also cease working which is effectively a strike as well.

Non-Union writers are OK, though?

Well, maybe.  The WGA has posted their strike rules and one that sticks out is that any writer who is not part of the union who works for a struck company will not be permitted to join the union at a future date.  That might be OK if that writer never intends to become a union member, but bad if they ever intend to join. Nonunion writers can continue to work on nonunion and independent projects…just not for companies that are being struck.

Union vs Non-Union talent

Clearly the impact to us talent will be different depending on if you are union or non-union.  If you are a member of SAG-AFTRA, thanks to global rule 1, when union work goes away so does any opportunity for work.  And should SAG-AFTRA decide to strike as well, then there is ZERO chance of work.  And if you are non-union hoping to become eligible, it’s going to take longer to get there.

For Non-Union talent?

The largest immediate impact is that there will be fewer projects to cast so not only will there be fewer opportunities for work, but competition for those roles will also be fiercer.  Fewer roles with the same number of actors means there will be FAR more people submitting to each role which means more competition. So not only is there less work, but a lower chance (as if it wasn’t low enough already) of actually landing a given role.

Already a slow-down

You may have already noticed a slowdown in new roles.  I know I surely have.  Why is that?  Well, producers are reluctant to start a new project if there is a chance that they will lose their writers on May 2nd (tomorrow!  YIKES!).  While the networks and studios have spent the early part of the year gobbling up scripts, without a writer on staff to make changes/polish them during production completing those projects will be difficult. This is particularly egregious for series as many times scripts are changed or even written in near real time during production.

For consumers

The biggest impact to consumers of the industry – the audience – will be that release dates for projects already underway (whose productions may pause) will be pushed back (fewer new movies in the theaters AND on streaming) and series seasons will be truncated.  Late night television and scripted variety shows will go first, then series TV then movies.  Look for a LOT of re-runs and shorter seasons.  On top of that it takes a while to get moving again after a strike, so next season’s release dates will be moved out as well.

For performers

Polish off your side gigs, you’re likely gonna need them!  I mean it’s not like you can just stop eating and paying your mortgage! For some, this is a reality even when there is NOT a strike.  For the A-list actors who are uber wealthy (all >1% of them) it’ll just be like a vacation. For everyone between them it is going to hit pretty hard. If you have been able to support yourself and your family solely on acting and VO work, that may cease being a possibility. Those folks “in the middle” are the ones I feel for.

For some

For some people this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and causes them to quit acting altogether.  It’s tough to keep moving forward when you are forced to take a 9-5 job that prevents you from being available for whatever jobs may be available in order to keep a roof over your head or feed your family.  It’s sad that some people will give up on their dreams because of this nearly inevitable strike and slow down.

If that’s you…

I’m sorry.  My heart goes out to you.  I can only hope that when this ends you are able to find your way back to pursuing your passion.  As a very good friend would often say to me: “This too, shall pass” – which I recognize is of little help immediately but gives you something to look forward to.

At the end of the day

Everyone hates to see it come to a strike, but it’s understandable when workers are not being fairly compensated for their work.  While the workforce will feel the pinch during a strike, the studios and networks are the real losers during times like this. Many of these companies are publicly traded and their bottom line will suffer dramatically – which of course is the point of a strike.

Don’t give up!

Keep your head up, keep moving forward and look forward to all the new work waiting in the wings when it’s over.  And hey – they COULD reach an agreement by midnight today and this entire post can have been for naught!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

What to do when things are slow (like now)

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  I don’t know if it is just me, but MAN it sure seems pretty slow around here these days.  I mean, I’m still working, but not nearly as much as I’d like to, and future jobs are slim pickings.  This week let’s talk about what you should do to keep busy during slow times.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

Slow times

It happens in everyone’s acting careers.  The nature of this business is that there are going to be times when work is slow. Maybe there are just fewer productions in the works. Maybe there are just not a lot of roles you are fit for.  This year, for example, all of the major unions are up for renegotiating their Minimum Basic Agreement contracts with the major producers . Also, this year there is some major contention with the Writers Guild, and they are threatening to strike.

Potential writers’ strike

I wrote a bit about this previously, but the threat of a writer’s strike has increased risk for big union productions, so there is a pretty significant reduction in new productions starting.  It’s understandable, because negotiations with one union group (WGA) can, and often does, affect negotiations with the other unions.  The natural result is that productions are holding off going into production (and casting actors for them) until things are settled.  Consequently, there are fewer jobs for actors at the moment.

So, what do you do?

It’s bad when work slows down, but there are still some things you can do to keep busy during slow times, and maybe even earn a little money as well.  What follows is an exploration of things an actor can do to keep busy and maybe earn some cash during slow times. The first thing you need to note about the following is that doing these things requires a lot of self-motivation, especially for the things that don’t earn you money while you’re doing them.  If you are not self-motivated, well, maybe you are in the wrong field!

A note

Listen, we all experience slow times for varied reasons. Even seasoned and famous actors have periods, sometimes long periods, where they are not working.  I’ve read several books about actors whose career was SO slow just before a big break they were considering getting out of the business.  Consistency, persistence, and motivation are what you need to get through slow times. These slow periods are NOT an indictment of your talent (usually) so do what you can to weather them and get through it.

Side jobs

Unless you are an A-List actor (or maybe even a B-List actor) with a ton of reserve cash, which the vast majority of us are not, then you probably have (or need) a side hustle to get through lean times.  It’s sad, but since we are all pretty accustomed to eating and having a place to sleep, during slow times you should try to ramp up your side gig.  Take more hours, hustle more or do whatever you need to do to allow you to survive.  I know this goes without saying, but a slowdown in acting work leaves you some extra free time to concentrate on your side gigs.  Thus, when things slow down the first thing to do is to increase your non-acting work.  I mean, you do have more time for that, right?

Training

Even a busy actor should continue training and coaching, but during slow periods in your acting career you have an opportunity to commit to something a little longer term.  Is there a class you’d like to take but were too busy for the commitment before?  Now is your chance to take that class.  True, you never know when things will pick up again, and there is a bit of risk involved in committing to a long term class. It’s a personal decision, to be sure, however if things pick up again before you finish you just have a scheduling issue, not something insurmountable.

Explore other acting venues.

Are you primarily a screen actor? Voice artist? Theater actor?  Branch out!  Try community theater, audition for VO roles.  If you don’t pigeonhole yourself your opportunities to act will increase.  Try looking for low-paying or unpaid independent gigs just to keep working those acting muscles.  Find a local theater or film school and volunteer to perform in their productions. Many of these opportunities are completely unaffected by things like union negotiations and strikes, and student productions are always looking for actors…some are even paid opportunities.

Meet with your agent or manager.

Slow times are a good time to meet with other members of your team.  Approach your agent or manager with an open mind, mention you are not getting as many auditions/bookings and ask what you might do to improve your odds.  Maybe it is time to learn a new aspect of the craft (such as stage/screen fighting or stunts), maybe it is the right time to concentrate on updating your marketing materials like head shots, or maybe your resume needs some work.  Slow periods are good time to take care of those things.

Network

Slow periods are a great time to nurture industry relationships. Reach out to your network and set up that lunch meeting that you’ve not had time for.  Attend industry events like Film Festivals and premiere screenings.  These are great places to meet people in the industry and get to know them.  Remember, though, that networking is a way for you to get to know people and them you.  They are not auditions or interviews.  And when networking remember that your goal is to find ways to help them not to get them to help you.  Networking is not an opportunity to pitch yourself or your ideas.  Networking leads to new friends, which may lead to opportunities to pitch yourself or your ideas, but that is not the point of networking.

Research

Study productions that fit your “essence” to see what makes them good.  Seeing (or hearing) other successful actors in roles you would be auditioning for will help you know how to prepare for these types of projects when things pick back up.  It definitely will give you a leg up on other actors auditioning for the same roles who did not do any research.  Also, research what productions are waiting in the wings to see what might be coming up.  A subscription to Casting About will give you a good idea of what to be preparing for and also an idea what producers/directors are getting ready to start casting so your agent or manager can pitch you directly.

Get in shape.

Is the crafty table just a little too tempting when you’re on set so you’ve put on a few pounds?  Slow times are a good time to concentrate on you and your health.  Do you need to take off a few pounds?  This is a good time to think about exercising or maybe starting that diet you’ve been thinking about. You should always be concerned about your health, after all, it is tough to work if you are incapacitated or dead, but slow times give you more time to concentrate on that.  And you even get to control what gets put on YOUR crafty table.

Create

If it is slow for you, it is likely slow for your circle of friends and acquaintances.  Slow times are a good time to create your own content.  Get together with other industry folks you know and produce some fun short content, then post it on your YouTube channel.  It’s fun, doesn’t cost a ton of money and it gives everyone involved a chance to keep practicing the craft they love. These projects should be fun and don’t have to be “highly polished” productions. You never know where something like this may lead.

At the end of the day

There are always going to be slow times as an actor.  It’s inevitable.  The key is to keep working, keep moving, don’t stagnate.  If you allow yourself to slow down at the same pace as the industry, overcoming the inertia to get moving again will be difficult.  You may not actually earn any money from some of these, and some may even cost some money, but they will pay off in the long run when the industry picks back up.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

Pet Peeves

Acting, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Since I’ve been doing this work, I’ve developed several “Pet Peeves”, so this week I thought I’d share them with you.  Do any of these resonate with you?  If you have some others, I’d love to hear them!

REMEMBER:

Look!  It’s BACK! Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

Pet Peeves

We all have them, even if we won’t admit it. In case you don’t know, a pet peeve is something that you find particularly annoying.  Typically, they are things that happen frequently and serve to get under your skin very quickly.  I have a BUNCH of them like not signaling before changing lanes (which I am also guilty of sometimes) and weaving in and out of traffic…but I will confine myself below only to those things related to acting or VO. So, without further ado – my list of acting pet peeves!

Tardiness

I’ll include this one first, because it is probably my BIGGEST pet peeve of all.  It drives me bonkers when people have only a passing acquaintance with being on time.  I spent 20 years in the Navy and our motto was 15 minutes early is on time and on time is late.  In my mind, people who are late are disrespectful of other people’s time and as we all know: time is money.  I get it, sometimes doo-doo occurs, and you wind up late.  It happens.  It’s when people are routinely late and there is no apparent reason for it and/or they are not contrite about it.

Not memorizing lines

Obviously, this one does not really apply to VO since you typically have your copy in front of you when you record.  I’ve worked with several actors who wait till they show up on set to begin memorizing their lines.  This one is nearly as bad as being late all the time because it fails to consider the time of the other people involved.  Needless to say, if an actor does not have his lines committed to memory the shoot day is going to be a LOOOOOOONG one (and they are almost always long anyway).

Complainers

OK, so it may seem a little hypocritical to call out complainers in a blog post that is almost entirely complaining about things…I get it.  Still, I am talking about people who complain incessantly.  We’ve all met these people.  Nothing is ever right for them. Even when they get exactly what they asked for there will be something not quite to their liking.  Their wardrobe doesn’t fit just right, it’s too hot/cold, lunch is late, there are too many takes (maybe if they memorized their lines?).  It just makes me crazy when someone spends all day complaining.

People who expect you to work for nothing.

Or even next to nothing.  The worst offenders are the people who post a role without stating what the rate is for the role.  While I stay away from these, it is still annoying particularly when the role looks interesting.  There seems to be no understanding of what it takes to prepare for a role, or even an audition.  HINT: It takes a good bit of time.  I fully understand low/no budget indie projects and am even willing to work for free sometimes.  But let me decide BEFORE taking the time to audition.

Failure to provide a reel.

This is particularly egregious when you DO agree to work for no pay.  If you have an actor who is willing to put time and effort into a character for your project for no pay, the least you can do is provide a reel of the scenes for that actor.  Or send the whole thing and let them cut their scenes out.  If you are not going to pay the talent, don’t make them chase you down and hound you for their scenes.  They are working to gain experience and clips for their reel…THAT is the pay.

Un-proofed audition scripts.

I actually see this a lot more often in VO auditions than on-screen auditions although it happens in both.  There is nothing more aggravating then having to try and decipher horrible spelling and grammar before you can even start to prepare to read for an audition.  I am an actor, not an editor.  If you can’t afford to hire a real editor, at least ask someone to proofread the script for you.  The BIGGEST offenders of this one are independent/self-published authors trying to get their book into audio form.  Which leads to –

The length of some audiobook audition scripts

It’s hard to believe that I have actually received entire manuscripts of a book and told to “pick a section” to read for the audition.  While that’s rare, there are plenty of audition scripts that represent 20-30 minutes of audio.  You simply do not need that much of an audition since it is likely you are going to decide whether you like or dislike the narrator in less than 3 minutes.  A 3-to-5-minute script length is optimal.

Actors who give you “notes”.

We all have our way of reading a script, and we each interpret characters differently. I’ve heard it time and time again: There is no “right” or “wrong” way to portray a character. Just because you saw this character as someone else when you auditioned doesn’t mean I saw them the same way.  If I booked the role the director liked my take and me being someone you didn’t expect should actually HELP you react to that character more realistically.  I take my notes from the director, not the scene partner, thank you. And that leads to –

Actors who argue with the director about notes.

Look, I get it.  You spent a lot of time figuring out who your character is, and you have a whole backstory developed for why they behave the way they do.  That’s awesome and just how it is supposed to be.  Unfortunately, the director is the one who ultimately decides how a character should behave in any scene.  If the director’s vision does not match yours, guess what?  His vision wins. Sure, explain your choice if need be, but then do what the director wants without arguing.

Ultra-fast turnaround times

It’s been said that in business (and this IS a business, don’t forget) you have three choices: Good, Fast and Cheap.  But you can only ever have two at the same time.  Of course, an audition is always cheap (they’re free to production after all) so you either get Good or Fast…never both.  In preparing for an audition, you need to do a truncated version of the same prep you do for a booked role.  If you only give the talent an hour or two to respond, they do not have time to do the prep they need, and their audition is not going to be as good. This makes them less competitive.  Give actors a couple days to submit their auditions!

Full-Body Slates

I get it, casting has a particular body type in mind, and they want to see if you fit it.  But sometimes it is SO DARN DIFFICULT to get a full body shot without turning the camera to vertical.  Even worse is a full body pan, when for self-tapes we are so often working alone.  How do you get the camera to pan when you are supposed to be in front of it?  I understand the need, but how about a normal slate and audition and include a fully body snapshot along with it instead?

Disclaimers

Lastly, what is up with those super-fast disclaimers at the end of some of these auditions?  You have to fit 90 seconds of audio into a 15 second disclaimer.  Who speaks that fast without tripping over their words?  And compressing the time in the audio file only goes so far before the audio is completely perturbed.  I understand them and I hate them at the same time!

And there you have it

These are just some of my biggest pet peeves.  Hopefully some of these resonated with you.  If you have some of your own I’d love to hear about them.  Just pop them into the comment box below!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

My Origin Story

Acting, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  So those of you who pay attention will note that I did not post a blog last week.  Sorry.  Anyway, as I was beating myself up about that this week and wondering what I might write about, I thought it might be fun to talk a bit about how I got started as a VO artist and actor (and now podcast producer).  So, here we are: My origin story!

Look, ma – no warning paragraph!

Yep, I deleted it this week since I’m talking specifically about me and not “in general”.  For some of you, that may be the best part of what I post, so I’ll put it back next week.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Yep, I am a Star War fan, but I am also a Star Trek fan…so shoot me.  We won’t go back TOO far though.  I could tell you all about where and how I grew up but it’s not that interesting (well, it kind of IS interesting) and this is about the origins of my VO/Acting career, not the origins of…me.  For this blog, we only need to go back to about 2015 or so.

Car rides and Audio Books…

This whole thing started because I enjoyed car trips and listening to Audio Books.  And the two went together very well.  Nothing like getting engrossed in a great story narrated by someone to take your mind off the boring strip of highway and make the trip seem shorter.  I was also an avid reader and thought to myself “I could do that; how hard can it be?”. Famous last words.

It took about a year…

Not to become a narrator, that took longer, just to find out how to go about becoming a narrator!  I Googled and searched and couldn’t seem to come up with anything until my then sister in law showed up one day with her Audio Book Narrator study book and pointed me in the right direction!  I was sure that soon I would be narrating to my heart’s content and raking in all the big bucks. HA!

I signed up for training…

I won’t mention where I started my studies, but I did enroll in a remote voice over class, studied equipment and software along the way, bought my first setup, hung moving blankets from the ceiling and started auditioning for titles on ACX.  Much to my surprise, I actually booked several titles and began producing audio books!  I had arrived!

Here’s the thing…

First, I won’t point you at any of those audio books, because they were not very well done.  My setup was not awesome, and I didn’t really understand audio engineering very well.  On top of that I discovered: This is not as easy as I thought.  Narrating audio books is time consuming, tedious, hard work. It takes (for a new narrator) between 4 and 8 hours of work to complete each finished hour of audio.  And even after all that time I still was not very good at the audio engineering part of the job. So, since I was also still working full time and traveling for work, I decided I just didn’t have the time to devote to narrating and I quit and sold all my stuff.

And then…tragedy.

A couple years later I was in a minor motorcycle accident that resulted in the death of my wife.  Suddenly I was alone with a lot of time on my hands and didn’t really want to be around people.  SO – I started getting set up again but quickly realized, once again, that my full-time job interfered.  But I didn’t quit this time.  Instead, I used what time I had to do some training (mostly on the engineering side) to prepare for my eventual retirement from my full-time job.

And then…worldwide tragedy!

Yep – COVID.  Early in 2020 my full-time job with travel became a full-time work from home job with NO travel.  2020 was my last year of full-time work before retirement. While I still had to work, I found that without a commute (saving at least an hour a day in the car) I had the time I needed to start working as a narrator again.  I bought a professional audio booth, started equipping it and once again began auditioning for, and booking, work.  This time, I didn’t limit my auditions to audio books and instead started looking at short form narration for commercials etc.  I like the short form much better, BTW.

Then one day…

As I was perusing online casting sites, I came across a listing for background actors in my local(ish) area.  I thought: “Well, wouldn’t THAT be a hoot!” and submitted myself…with no real expectation of booking it. Six weeks later I in fact DID hear back from the casting company and they wanted to book me!  I eagerly (and anxiously) accepted, and my on-screen acting career was born!

Dopesick

That’s me in the lower left corner of the screen.  I managed to get bumped up to “featured background” because apparently, I look like an attorney – or I just happened to be standing in the right place at the right time when they needed to fill up the table.  Anyway, it’s my one “in focus” scene in that show.  For those of you who don’t know, a background actor is one of the people moving around in the, well, background of a scene to fill out the scene and make it look realistic. Mostly they are out of focus so you can’t really identify them.

I fell in LOVE!

I was exceptionally fortunate to have my first time on a professional set be on a well-funded production (Dopesick was a Hulu/Disney production) with A-list actors.  If you watched Dopesick (and if not, you should) there are some big names – but no I didn’t get to meet Michael Keaton.  Anyway, I was completely smitten with being involved behind the scenes with a major production and decided on the spot that I needed to become a principal (as opposed to background) actor. I was 60 years old, had a 40+ year career behind me and FINALLY found my passion!

Back to training…

Yeah, acting is hard work too…and definitely requires a skillset I didn’t quite have yet.  Not suggesting I “have” it now, but I am a lot closer today than I was in January 2021 on the set of Dopesick. So, I enrolled in acting classes (and am still enrolled – it’s not really something you graduate from) and after doing a couple more background gigs (We Own this City, Rustin) started auditioning for speaking roles. I’ve had the good fortune to audition for some pretty big roles but didn’t book any of them. Believe it or not, I auditioned for a Scorsese film (MAN, was that anxiety inducing!) and roles on Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone.  I mention these roles I DIDN’T get because for me it is a win just to get the audition.

I DO book work though!

I’ve managed to work as an actor more than I thought I would.  As you can see by the pictures I’ve worked on some pretty fun productions.  That one in the salmon colored (I refuse to call it pink!) outfit with the wig was just last weekend.  If you are interested, you can see some of the stuff I’ve done (the stuff I am able to share anyway) here. I’m also very excited to report that a short narrative film I was co-lead in will be featured next weekend in the Maryland International Film Festival…my first trip to a festival!

And next on the agenda…

Anyone who has been around this industry for any length of time knows that, because of the on-again/off-again nature of this work, if you want to stay busy you diversify.  And I am no exception. My latest endeavor is as a producer for a true crime podcast that I can’t talk about much except to say I have become well versed in reading court and police documents, locating and contacting people who were involved in one way or another (some of whom didn’t want to be found), corresponding with the perpetrator who is on death row and even speaking to his accomplice who has since been released.  Our hope is to take the podcast forward and eventually produce a documentary film, and perhaps even a narrative film about the event.  Very exciting stuff, I’ll give you details when I can.

And I am still auditioning!

I’ve managed to sign with two theatrical/commercial agents and one strictly VO agent, I still peruse the online casting sites and submit for as many jobs as I can.  I average between 3-10 acting auditions and 10-20 VO auditions a week. I’m up very early (between 4-5 most days) and of course start my day with Wordle (got it in 3 today!), reviewing/responding to emails, looking for roles to submit for and of course everything that goes along with producing a true crime podcast.  I am in an acting class for three hours every Tuesday and even still find time to golf on occasion.  Truth is, I say I am retired, but I suppose I really am not.

So –

That’s my story and I hope you enjoyed reading about how I got started and what I am up to now.  I’d love to hear your story so either shoot me an email or pop it into the comments below!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!