One of the most talented people I know has an inability to show up to rehearsals, scheduled appointments, performances, shoot dates, etc...
And this SOOOOO bums me out because I really want to work with her. At the small level of one on one rehearsals, or even informal shoots with friends, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to be a little flakey, but when it gets to a bigger level, it is very, very expensive when an actor (or anyone for that matter) does not show up. I heard Linsay Lohan has reformed herself lately, but unfortunately she will not be hired again on a big budget movie because the insurance companies that cover big movies will not insure the picture if she’s in it. The reason why is because if she fails to show up to set, they are the ones that cover the hundreds of thousands of dollars added expense to the budget. The expenses range from equipment to crew to just sheer frustration and lack of moral it causes a group of very talented people to have to wait on someone who is necessary but inconsistent. So it makes sense from the insurance company not to insure a project that is high risk to do a temperamental star. Now bring it back to the small level and you will find that perhaps it is not a big deal to not show up, but you don’t know what the people you are working with will do in the future. They might just need someone like you, but be reluctant to bring you on to the project because it’s too risky. And once you start to produce your own projects, you will understand why even if there is only a small indication in the preliminary stages of working with someone that they might not show up, you have to close that door professionally, because if it’s happening at a small level, most likely it will happen at a larger level. I don’t really want to dive into the psychology of it, but a lot of the time people get a bit nervous when things get zippy. I think this happens to everyone. But rather than just say, “Wow. This is a bigger opportunity than I’ve had before. I’m just going to put one foot in front of the other and see what happens,” they have a knee jerk reaction to get professionally squirmy. Can’t blame them. It’s often subconscious and a way of protecting oneself emotionally. But it’s such a waste of talent and potential. The upside is that I do think that once a person recognizes this habit in his or herself and works toward changing it, s/he can change it. It might take a while but I really feel that to be true. And when it does, all others will be ready to embrace the talented (and responsible) individual.*****
PS: As a side note... heard a rumor Linsay Lohan will be posing for Playboy... Anybody heard for sure? Perhaps she's doing it b/c of the film insurance issues mentioned above. Do you think it will help or hurt her career? Comments and thoughts?This was a questions I recently received from an actress in LA:
QUESTION: I was wondering when you used to send out headshots to production companies and Casting directors what mainly did you mention in your cover letters?
MY ANSWER: I have heard casting directors say that if you just put a short post-it sticky on the picture and write something like
"Hi, I'm submitting for the roll of Veronica. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Leslie"
That should do it.
I don't think they have time to read all of that stuff.
When I was casting my projects, I didn't. I think electronic submission is the way to go now anyway. Cheaper and faster.
Let me know if this helps...And just to elaborate on the topic of electronic submissions, if you are an actor in Los Angeles, LA Casting and Now Casting are the way to go.
I believe you need an agent to be on LA Casting, but actors can submit themselves on Now Casting.
I also like using the electronic submissions from a producer point of view because you can submit your project for free and with great ease, schedule actors for auditions without having to construct emails or call everyone, you can notify everyone of schedule changes all at once, and you can let the actors know they've been cast through these sites.
Additionally, many sites have performance reels (that's what they're calling demo reels now) of the actors
And the best feature is that I can make notes in specific actors' profiles... So if I call someone in to audition and they do a great job but aren't right for what I am casting right now, I will put a note in their profile letting me know that I should seriously consider them for something they are appropriate for and that they won't have to audition next time.
Also, I'm the only one who can read the notes I put in their profile, which is good because sometimes I write things like "late for audition" or "didn't read full script... only prepared scene" and this is important for me to note to myself because these are factors that effect my casting decisions.
There third site that is used a lot is Actor's Access, but I never use them. I think their interface is pretty confusing, and on the acting side, they were spamming me for a while with roll (like 2-3 a day) notifications. I know that that was a setting that I just needed to shut off, but sometimes I just want one notification every few days, not several per day.
If you have the notices going to your phone and you are really interested in submitting through Actor's Access, these notices can be a good thing, though, because you have an advantage if you are one of the first people to submit to the project. Your profile/reel will be looked at first, I believe.
I know that many people really like Actor's Access, it allows the actor to self-submit without an agent, and it's national, which means there are posts on there for many cities in the United States; not just Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
However, keeping with the theme of this site, my overall advice would be to skip electronic submissions all together and put that time and energy into making your own projects and movies. Easier, more fun and more fulfilling. :-)
Just my 2 cents.
Comments?
