Brainstorming Session

We've all done it in other areas of our lives.  Gotten together with friends, family or co-workers and come up with ideas.  So, I thought it might be a good idea for us to try it this Thursday at 8 pm, Pacific Standard Time on my internet radio show.

This is a session that's open to actors, filmmakers, writers, casting directors, artists in general.  The point is to come up with ideas to help one another self-promote.  Whatever our artistic bent in life, we need to put our services out there for public consumption.  Unless we've already "made it" and our phone is ringing off the hook, all of us could use a leg up, or at least some great ideas on how to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps.

I've certainly given out a bunch of my ideas on what we can do to be marketing ourselves, but I want to hear from YOU!  The collective mind is always better than just one person in the dark, blindly trying to come up with good stuff.  Let's come together and help each other out.

Don't like to call in live to a radio show?  'Sallright.  As much as I would love to hear from you, it isn't necessary.  Leave a comment here, @ or DM me on my Twitter stream or send me an email--actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.  Let's figure out innovative ideas to connect with others in the industry.

An example of what  I'm talking about?  Kristy Hatsell (@Kristi_Gail) put together something called Actors Supporting Actors on facebook and it looks to be a really excellent way to network with other actors in the Los Angeles area.  If you're in that area, you should check it out.

So, get those brains a-hummin', folks!  I want to hear from you.  This will only work if we step outside our comfort zone and participate.  #callme #Iamlonely  :)

Commitment, Revisited

Yeah, yeah.  I get it.  I talk too much.

But at least I commit, right?

This week we're taking another go-round with the final "C", commitment.  There's a reason for that.  I'm going to blame it on the half-hour format.  Some might blame it on the fact that I spend way too much time yapping.  I prefer to refer to myself as someone who is very detail-oriented.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you clearly missed my radio show last Thursday where I managed to spend the entire time answering a question from the stream as well as one from a caller.  Hopefully it was useful information for everyone, but I'm not going to try to claim that it had anything to do with the topic.

I will say, though, that that's kinda how I roll.  I give more weight to a real person asking a real question than I do to the topic that I chose.  It does mean, however, that if you tuned in specifically to hear about commitment, you didn't get much of it.

So, we will talk more about it this week.  Probably.  I'm not making any hard-and-fast promises, because if someone calls in and wants to talk about agencies, marketing, some specific acting discipline or whatever... I'm most likely gonna answer their question before I do anything else.

There is a solution to this.  If you want to hear about commitment, call and ask me about it.  I LOVE to hear from you guys.  It totally makes my night/week/month, so don't hesitate!  I don't bite unless asked, and I'm pretty sure the rest of my listeners don't either.  Remember:  shyness is just reverse judgment, and none of us want to be judgmental, right?  :)  So, tune in this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific right here and call in at (424) 243-9619.  At which point, we'll talk about whatever you want to talk about. :)

If you've been under a rock or just started following me on Twitter or reading this blog, just wanted to let you know of the amazing reduced prices for my online acting classes--$50 per month for once-a-week classes and $90 per month for twice-a-week classes.  You can't find better than that anywhere, and the online classes are super convenient and perfectly suited to learn on-camera technique.  You can sign up at the top of my blog.

The Final "C"--Commitment

This is the one that sets apart the pros from the amateurs.  If you can master this one, the audience will definitely sit up and take notice.  They may love you, they may hate you, but they will NEVER ignore you.

I'm not talking about committing to being a working actor, or committing to training, or committing to follow through with what you say you're going to do.  That is all good, and all really important, but it's not what really what we're discussing right now.

What we're talking about is making an acting choice and then going ALL IN!!!  Acting is not a time for us to be wishy-washy about our choices, nor is it a time to hesitate.  Let's learn to make strong (meaning not necessarily expected), active and specific choices.  We talked about that last week with the actions, right?  Powerful active verbs'll do it for us.

Once we've done that, we need to step into those choices 100%.  Don't "punch" a little.  "Punch" all the way.  That doesn't mean the choice has to be physically huge.  It just means we need to really embrace the playing of that verb.  We don't like to do this.  It makes us feel vulnerable and exposed.  Guess what?  That's a good thing.  No, actually it's an excellent thing!

So, come join me this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific Standard Time for my blogtalkradio show.  We'll be talking about this subject more in detail then.  While you're there, follow my blogtalkradio page and leave a comment for me so I don't feel lonely!

Also, for those of you that haven't heard, I am offering my online acting classes starting at a measly $50 a month!  So, what I'm saying is that location and money are now no longer an excuse for not getting top-notch training.  You can join by going to the top of the page here, or you can email me with more questions at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.

Second "C" part 2

So, for the first installment talking about communication as the second "C" of acting, I talked (apparently a LOT) about conflict and objective.  Good stuff.  Conflict engages your audience.  Objective places you firmly in the scene.

Now we're going to address internal obstacles and actions.

Every time we want something, we typically have some fear that works in direct opposition to our objective.  If my objective is to convince the woman that I love not to leave me, my internal obstacle may be that I'm afraid that I may not be good enough for her.

The internal obstacle does several things for us.  It humanizes us, first and foremost.  As far as I've been able to observe, doubt is what separates us from our beastly brethern.  My dog may not want to get caught stealing food from the table, but he doesn't doubt that he should have it if he can manage to obtain it. 

An internal obstacle also gives us dimension.  If I'm 100% sure of what I'm doing, that's kind of boring.  There needs to be that interplay between what we want and what we're afraid of. 

Finally, it gives us something to play when the other person is talking.  While they're talking we really can't pursue our objective.  But we can play our internal obstacle.  While the woman that I love is detailing all of the reasons that she should leave, I'm listening with my fears firmly in place.  I'm hearing everything she says through the filter of "I'm not good enough for her."

So, conflict draws the audience in, objective grounds us in the reality of the scene and internal obstacle humanizes us.  Should be enough, right?

Wrong.

Now we have to be interesting.  And that's where actions come in.  Actions are active verbs that we can do to the other person in support of our objective.  In other words, I may "punch" or "caress" or "tickle" the woman that I love with my words in order to convince her not to leave me.  These actions allow our acting to be specific, active and intensely personal.  The way I "pierce" or "seduce" will be dramatically different from the way someone else does it.

For more detail on these subjects, please join in with me this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific Standard Time, where I'll be discussing this more in depth while live on my show.  Questions about any of this?  Leave a question here in the comments (or in the comments on my blogtalkradio page), @ or DM me on the stream, or email me at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.  Oooo... one final option:  call in to the show to have your question answered LIVE!  I love to have callers, so don't be shy.  The number is (424) 243-9619.

The Second "C"

Well, there is one thing that I think we can probably all agree on.  I talk too much.  *sigh*

My radio show was back this last week, and my plan was to talk about the three C's of acting, as well as possibly starting the conversation about conflict and objectives.

The best laid plans of mice and men, right?

I got as far as the first "C"--connection.  Now, in my defense, this is probably the most important and also least taught concept in acting, at least as far as my experience goes.  I've talked a lot about why I think this is, and if you're curious and missed last week's radio show, go listen to it here.

The second "C"--communication--is where we typically spend most of our time when training as actors.  Even in my classes, where the 1st "C" is given so much emphasis, most of the training surrounds this idea of communication.  The reason why is that with connection, we're either doing it or we're not.  We generally can tell whether or not we're connected to our partner with just a little bit of coaching.

With communication, we're delving deep into the craft or technique behind skillful acting.  True, connection typically takes care of most of our communication problems, but we're never 100% connected.  We need technique to smooth over the gaps.  We may get to the point where we're 99% connected, but that 1% of technique is still hugely important to make our performances grounded and stable.

During this week's (and possibly next week's... let's be honest) show, we will go more into depth about what's required of us in order to communicate with our partners and the audience.  As a brief spoiler, we need to be clear, active and specific.  I'll explain what that means this Thursday at 8 pm PST.  You can follow my radio show and set a reminder for the show by going here.  Please do, as it costs you nothing, but does quite a bit for me.  I would be sooooo grateful.  :)  Also, while you're at it, follow this blog if you don't already.

One final thing-- I have revamped the format of my online acting classes to make them more affordable.  You asked.  I listened.  You can now benefit from my expertise starting at $50 a month for my once a week classes.  That's one of the best deals out there (I've checked!) so take advantage while it's here!  If you want more info, email me at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.  Otherwise, sign up at the top of my blog here.

Have questions you want to ask me?  You can always @ or DM me on my Twitter stream, but I would LOVE to get comments on my blog here, so please leave your questions here!

Back to Basics

After a week off from the radio show, I thought that this week it might be good to go back to the beginning.

Now, one thing that I've noticed is that actors with some training under their belts are really worried about anything resembling the words "beginning" or "basic".  The response normally goes something like this, "Ummm.  I'm kind of... beyond... this stuff."

Knock it off, guys.  Seriously.  Nothing marks you as an amateur more than complaining that you're "past" needing the basics.  Or that you can't learn if you're surrounded by less experienced actors.  Some of the biggest lessons I've learned have been from newbies.

Now, I understand the desire to work with those that will push you to excel and exceed your own expectations for yourself.  I get it.  But remember that acting is a little bit like martial arts.  A black belt can be beaten by a white belt if the white belt is concentrating and focused.  Same deal with actors.  Surround yourself with both experienced and inexperienced actors if you want to train yourself for what's truly out there in the industry.  And choose to study with dedicated actors, regardless of their experience level.  After all, we were all beginners at one point, right?

This week, we'll be talking first and foremost about conflict--what it does for us, why we want it, how we get it.  My guess is that we'll use up all our time on that one topic.  It's a good one.  So, if you have questions about conflict, leave them here, @ or DM me on my Twitter stream or email me at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.

So, I'll admit that the response to my last blog entry was a titch... underwhelming.  So, if you're reading this, I'm going to ask again for your individual response.  If you, just you, could follow my blog if you aren't already, follow my blogtalkradio page, and/or subscribe to my iTunes podcast, I would be so grateful.  It should take all of about 3 minutes.

If you're feeling ambitious, write a review or a comment on each.  Time commitment factor?  Tops...10 minutes.  Keep in mind how much time and energy I put into the tweets, the blogs, the radio shows, the email responses.  I'm not complaining.  Just asking for some help with some stuff that requires nothing from you but a little time.  A very little time. :)

A Call to Action

Today I'm talking about something completely different.  I'm not going to have a radio show this week, as I will be filming on Thursday.  So, during the break, I'm asking for some help from you all.

As many of you know, I've been tweeting, blogging and doing a radio show for quite a while now, putting out acting advice, practical tips on how to navigate the industry and principles on how to self-market.  All of this I have been doing for free, because I love acting and I would love for up-and-coming actors to be able to avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into when I began my journey.

When I went to grad school, I was married with one child.  When I left we had two.  So I completely understand that many of you are in financial straits.  For this reason, it doesn't offend me when I ask for donations and receive none or when I get many requests for information on my online acting classes but few actual enrollments.  Money is tight.  I totally get it.

Now as a side note, I will say that if you're serious about acting, you will need to learn how to sacrifice what you want in the short term for what you want in the long run at some point.  Acting classes, whether you take them from me or someone else, are really a necessity if you want to have a chance at a life-long career.  Word to the wise.

There are some things that I ask for that require nothing from you but a little time or effort.  And when I say "little" I mean "teeny-tiny".  These are things that would help me to secure sponsors that would allow me to subsidize some of the time and energy (and money) that I put into this effort.

What I need is follows, subscriptions, reviews and comments.  These cost absolutely NOTHING.  Where I need them is here on my blog, on my blogtalkradio page and on my iTunes page.  You may be thinking, "I'm just one person.  One follow, one comment, one review... how much good is that going to do?"  LOTS.  Lots and lots and lots.  First off, it helps me to know that I'm not just putting this stuff out into the void.  It lets me know I'm doing some good.  More important that my fragile ego, however, is the ability to attract sponsors that will allow me to continue doing this indefinitely.

So, if you like what I'm doing here, let me know.  Show support for my blog, my Twitter stream, my radio show and my iTunes page.  No cost to you, lots of benefits for me.  I've done my best to scratch your back.  Now I'm looking for a little quid pro quo.

I want to take a quick second and thank those that have done this already.  I truly appreciate it, and I don't want you to feel like your efforts have been in vain.  It's been those of you who have commented, emailed, followed and subscribed that have kept me going up to this point.  THANK YOU!!!

One final plug for my classes.  If you're thinking about taking them, stop thinking and start DOING!  Not sure that you can do the times listed?  Talk to me about times that work for you.  You may find that I open up another section right when you need it.  Have questions?  Email me {actingwithoutthdrama (at) gmail (dot) com}.  Otherwise, sign up at the top of the page.

Lastly, if you do have a little spare change, head over to my donations page.  As much as all the above may help long-term, an infusion of cash is a HUGE help.  There's nothing that I would love more than to go back up to the hour-long format on my radio show.  Even if it's just a dollar or two, every cent counts.

So, guys... do me a solid, in whatever way you can.  And remember, we're only actors if we continue to act.  So get out there!