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Since I was seven years old, I have been thought a German foreign exchange student by almost everyone I meet. People hear my name, and this causes them to interpret my appearance and voice as European. Even when speaking Spanish as a student in Medellin, Colombia, people thought I was from Germany.
When I moved to LA, I decided to capitalize on this perception. An image consultant and I decided to emphasize a European appearance in my head shots, and I began checking out accent tapes from the public library. So far, I have studied German, Irish, Northern English, Russian, Swedish/Norwegian, French and New York accents.
Of course, a major goal is that my accents be authentic and believable. I find it important to practice the accent enough that I can do it without thinking much about it. Thus, I can simply perform through the filter of the accent.
Last summer, I attended a comedy show and spoke with a British accent in all my interactions with others. Once I did a German accent when I substitute taught. It went great until someone asked to go to the bathroom, and I slipped into the “no you may not go to the bathroom” mode and left the accent behind. They all said, “what happened to your accent?” and asked me to finish the class as a German anyway because they liked it better.
Last weekend, I booked my first foreign role, a student film through California State-Long Beach, and it was really a pleasure. Of the four actors in the film, I was the only American actor. Our multinational cast consisted of a Scotsman, a Dutchman, a Turkish actor and myself. The Dutchman warmed my heart when he bought my accent and said “really, you’re American? You look more Dutch than I do.”
I am anxious to hear how unbiased audience members receive my performance. David Mamet, playwright and the author of “True and False,” says the circumstances of a scene guide an audience to believe unless they have a reason not to. Will my accent and performance allow the audience to believe the illusion of me as German?
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At this moment in my career, I need to act in films that may not pay any money but will look good on-screen. As an aspiring actor, part of success is getting parts in productions I can feel proud to show to a casting director or a prospective agent.
My new conclusion is that the people one works with is the best gauge of the film that will be produced. Which camera one uses is important and a great script is important, but a dedicated director, good actors and experienced crew are more important.
For example, last weekend, I acted in a short film called “Into the Red,” directed by Tiffany Frances (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1378700/). Our two-day shoot was mapped out so we would have plenty of time to shoot every angle the director had included in her storyboard. All the actors were thoroughly prepared for the shoot. Both days, we finished before the estimated wrap time, and both days we had plenty of time to break for meals.
As a side note, the script and camera we used were also excellent. I am really hopeful there will be some excellent footage from this project.
NOTE: For those interested in looking for acting projects for themselves, checking out gigs and tv / film jobs on Craigslist is a good first step because all you need as a picture and a rough resume you can send by e-mail.
However, ONE SHOULD APPROACH CRAIGSLIST WITH CAUTION. If you get the sense that a project is fishy, don’t go to an audition. Also, avoid auditioning at anyone’s house. If you must go to a residence, be sure to bring someone with you. There are many sexual predators out there, and trust me, I am not exaggerating or overreacting.
To go a step further than Craigslist, check out www.mandy.com. Though it lists fewer projects than some others, this site is totally free, and you can upload several pictures and a resume.
Finally, www.actorsaccess.com lists projects from all over the United States. Like on mandy.com, you post pictures and a resume and submit yourself for parts. Here in LA, it lists far more projects than mandy does, but they charge about 10 dollars a month for unlimited access.
Last weekend, I completed my first demo reel. A demo reel is a brief compilation of footage of one’s acting. One sends it to casting directors and agents upon request. To watch mine on Youtube, click here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkacSmStbMc
Decision making has always been complicated for me. I could launch into a discussion about why I think that is, but I will spare you that and discuss some recent acting-related decisions.
I recently completed my third semester of improvisation classes at the Second City Training Center. Though my experience there has been continually positive–you can IMDB my excellent teacher, Holly Wortell–I have decided not to go on to their conservatory. Rather, I plan to invest time and money in networking and training that relate more directly to my long-term goals.
This was a hard decision for me because I fear incompletely pursuing goals. I think it unwise and unsatisfying to dabble in various arenas rather than investing fully in them. So the thought here was, “Should I stick this out and get as good at improvisation as I can be?”
To help myself decide, I sought advice from Holly and from my roommate, a talented comedic performer named Brian. Holly said that if my heart was not in improv, then Second City wasn’t the place for me. Brian said that if performing a weekly sketch comedy show did not appeal to me, he did not recommend that I continue.
I took these advisers’ thoughts into account, but ultimately, I based my decision on the following: I never intended to become an improviser or sketch performer. I only ever wanted to study improv to discover if I had a knack for it (I don’t, particularly) and because it is a skill necessary for auditions.
Now the question is where to study after Second City. How does one prepare for a career in period pieces? For the time being, I attend casting director workshops, where I can improve at auditioning and establish contact with people who choose actors for films and television programs. If anyone has suggestions for another course of study, please comment.
This week, two prospective theatrical agents contacted me. The term “theatrical representation” is a misnomer because it sounds like “theatre.” Actually, “theatrical representation” in Hollywood refers to agents who submit actors for television and film roles rather than for commercials.
Interest from theatrical agents is a big deal to me. Common knowledge is that while commercial representation can be difficult to find, theatrical representation is much more scarce.
These theatrical agents have not offered to represent me. Rather, they asked to see a copy of my reel. A reel is a compilation of the best footage an actor has of his work. Up until now, I had never put together a reel because I did not think anyone would be interested in representing me just yet. Besides, some of my footage is not too impressive and some people have told me “having no reel is better than having a poor reel.”
Others have recently advised me that sometimes agents just want to see what an actor looks like on screen. So, even if a reel may not seem impressive, it could get the job done.
This weekend, my primary focus is to complete a reel to send in on Monday. I am unsure how my submission will be received, but I am eager to follow up promptly on every worthwhile lead. Interest here can dry up quickly because there is always another actor who would gladly take one’s spot for representation.
