Well, if you follow me on Twitter, no doubt you have read about my difficulties with iMovie over the last week. (Hence the reason for this written post as opposed to Part 2 of the Actor Survivor Kit Challenge)
Story: Last summer as I was training for my first marathon, I was testing what foods would give me the most energy to tackle my long runs. Each Friday, Erica and I would “carb up” on something new and evaluate how it effected our run. On one particular night, I opted to try a new cereal. (I love cereal and could eat a whole box in one sitting – which is just what I did) Did I mention that this particular cereal was made with flax seed?
“Hmmm…..that has a nutty flavor. Interesting.” Not fully knowing the digestive benefits of flax.
If you have ever run with me, then you know that I DO NOT like to stop, but in this case I was willing to make an exception. It was necessary. So, I decided that I would keep running and stop at the next bathroom.
…….I kept running.
No bathroom.
…….Kept running.
No bathroom.
WFT! We’re training in Grifith Park for the love – there has got to be a bathroom somewhere!!
16 miles later, I end up back a home base and high tail it (pun intended) to the bathroom. After taking care of things, I come out to rant about the fact that in 16 miles I didn’t see one bathroom.
Well to my surprise, not only did I run right past a bathroom. I ran past FOUR! (This was confirmed on my drive out of the park that day.)
So WTH does this have to do with my acting career? Well, if you’ve ever talked with me, then you know that I DO NOT like to stop. I am so focused on achieving my acting career goals that I inevitably keep myself so busy that I run right past some of the things that I need most.
The goal of training for a marathon is to learn from whatever experiences you have during your runs. So today, I am going to slow down and try to learn from whatever is going on in my “career run” to find out what it is that I’m missing.
And even though I want to throw my computer through the wall because I can’t get this video to edit – if I slow down, take a breath and allow myself to be, I might be surprised at how much I see.
Filed under: Posts, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, IMprov, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, twitter
Any actor who has taken any kind of imrpov training, knows that the #1 rule of improv is always “yes…and.” It means that you accept whatever your partner says and keep the conversation going.
Well if you follow me on twitter, then you may have read the following tweet earlier today:
Put together the idea for my next vlog. Any actors out there want to help me film it?
Within a few minutes I get an @ reply from @GirlSascha saying:
Possibly! Details?
Now @GirlSascha and I have never spoken on twiter up until this point, and I didn’t even know she was follwoing me.
I checked out her profile and saw that she is an actor living in Los Angeles, and decided to say yes…and.
Yes….and to an opportunity to connect with an actor who is outside my current sphere. Yes…and to partnering with someone else who is interested in being proactive about their career. Yes…and to making a new friend.
We exchange a couple of direct messages back and forth and then finally decide to connect via email after I return from a tweetup BBQ.
I arrive at said BBQ and am being introduced to the people already there.
“Hey guys, this is Seth,” said the host
“Seth?” says a voice from across thw patio. “Were you and I just…”
And sure enough it was @GirlSascha at the same event. None of us had ever met offline before, and here we were at the same party.
So whatever opportunities come up in your career pursuits today, consider saying YES…AND and see what happens. You may be one tweet away from your next gig.
Filed under: Posts, Vlog, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, casting, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, Vlog
Filed under: Posts, Vlog, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, audition, casting, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, Vlog
Filed under: Posts, Vlog, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, audition, casting, realityofdoing, sethcaskey
Filed under: Posts, Vlog, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, casting, IMDB, IMDBPro, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, Vlog
Filed under: Posts, Vlog | Tags: acting, audition, casting, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, Vlog
Filed under: Posts, Vlog, sethcaskey | Tags: acting, audition, breakdowns, casting, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, Vlog
**(The following posts come from my experience during the last few weeks working as an intern in a busy casting office. While some of the stories/observations will be based on the particulars of the office itself – I feel there are many, many, many take away points from which any actor can benefit.)
- General mailed submissions are a waste of money.
- Do your research, and submit to the appropriate office.
- Write the character name and episode number on the outside of the envelope to let whoever is opening the mail know that it is an actual submission.
- Use a post-it, or write the character name on the headshot itself.
- Consider organizing a drop-off co-op with some friends. Find out which friends live in different areas around town and exchange headshots.
- GET CREATIVE!
**(The following posts come from my experience during the last few weeks working as an intern in a busy casting office. While some of the stories/observations will be based on the particulars of the office itself – I feel there are many, many, many take away points from which any actor can benefit.)
First up – Mailed Submission: RESUMES
FACT: Headshots are 8×10.
FACT: Standard size paper is 8.5×11.
FACT: These two items are not the same size.
You can fight it, think it’s unfair, refuse to succumb to the standardization of submissions and march to the beat of your own drummer; and I will be the first to applaud artistic individualism, but in this case – it’s KILLING YOU.
Just TRIM the paper. It doesn’t have to be expensive linen resume paper, fancy cardstock or PaperDirect’s finest - but it does have to fit on the back of your picture. That simple. If it doesn’t, it goes in the trash. (Seriously.)
Next: ATTACH the resume to your headshot. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Four staples, two staples, gluestick, double-sided tape, homemade paste. Whatever your pleasure. Just stick the two together! (paperclips don’t count)
In this particular office, any headshot to which the resume was not attached – IMMEDIATELY gets put in the trash. So think about it, you’ve spent however much on postage (a topic to be covered in a later post) only to have your picture pitched before it can even cross the Casting Directors path. What a waste.
There are so many things that actors do to take ourselves out of the running even before the door of opportunity cracks open. I know this may sound harsh, but there were a couple of pictures that came in the mail that I thought, “hey, this guy is so [show].” only to find the resume not attached to the headshot and then promptly filed in the circular file.
Of the hardcopy submissions that the office received last week, a MAJORITY of them were thrown out for this (or other reasons to be discussed later). By taking small, simple steps – you dramatically increase your chance of looking professional. (And if you’re going to ask a production to pay you almost $800 a day – show them that you are the professional that they need to hire.)
There are SO MANY aspects of the casting process that the actor has NO control over. Trimming and attaching your resume to your hardcopy submission is one that you can completely control. Do this. Please. I don’t want to throw out your picture next week.
