Acting

This is great advice @tammyhunt. I've had to act as if many a time and I don't think in any acting class has pantomime ever been something we've done. It seems to only come up in rehearsal.

Funny enough, the first commercial I was ever cast in required silent acting. I had never done it before, but I was good enough to get offered an additional role by the director the day of shooting.

Maybe this is a little silly of me to tell a memory. Lol! Anyway...I was performing at a theatre in Reus, Spain in 2004 during an Art festival and Marcel Marceau, the great Master was there. His group performed on Saturday evening and our group (from Taiwan) was performing in this huge old fashioned theatre in white and gold on the Friday evening before. After their performance on Saturday, we had a party together because our director had been one of his favourite students a long time ago. He was very humble and kind. And I remember that I thought it was amazing that he still could perform even though he was over 80. So! Acting is for all ages! Especially in the theatre! I wish the film industry could be like that too. :)

What I love about your tips is that it also involves commitment to action which is absolutely needed even when an actor is working with an actual object and/or doing a physical action. It's the clarity and commitment to the movement that accentuates and can also create nuance giving dramatic or comedic weight to a moment.. So many examples of this on stage and screen.

Thank you for sharing this cool tip!

Great advice, Tammy Hunt! Should a voice over demo reel be a video or audio file?

Great advice and idea to add a walk-through in the video, Aaron Marcus!

Thank you Maurice

You're welcome, Aaron Marcus.

Incredible share, Ashley Renee Smith! It's helpful for screenwriters to know how successful actors analyze a screenplay. I added this to my Screenwriting Videos list to go back and watch again. Thanks for sharing!

Yes that's what I've been taught to do. Write a backstory based on the information in the script . what are your objectives, how is it this cave to be the most important moments in your life? If there is a certain physicality to your character. I do everything from childhood to my favorite color to my relationships with the people in the script.

Does the process help you, Suzanne Bronson?

Yes Ashley Renee Smith I do.

Hey mate, look up "headshot photographers" in your area. I'm confident you'll find one, several actually, since you're in NYC.

Checkout Michael Roud in Studio City. He takes amazing headshots.

Getting advice and insight from people who've done it is invaluable, Matthew Cornwell! These videos will save actors, writers, directors, etc. time, money, headaches, and so on because they're learning what to do and what not to do. Thanks for sharing and keep these coming!

Thanks for the comment, Maurice Vaughan! We have 2 more interviews coming. Next up: Costumes. Then a chat with a 1st A.D.

You're welcome, Matthew Cornwell. I'll keep an eye out for those videos. I'm subscribed to the channel and have the notifications turned on.

I love this Matthew Cornwell I have always wanted to know what the duties of 1st AD, 2nd AD, DP are. How they work with the Director. It's nice to know what is happening on set when you are just "waiting." It really does take a village to make a movie.

it’s fair game for them to ask and to highlight their contributions IMO. Given their deal was with Artisan and they are now asking Lionsgate for retroactive participation may be tough legally. Will be interesting to see how Lionsgate reacts. Definitely going to follow this and see how it plays out. Thanks for sharing, Pat Alexander.

For big movies, would hope the studios aren't calling for more self tapes, as they actually have the resources to do a proper casting process. But for indies and smaller films, self tapes are actually a boon I've found. Casting is a huge process for any film, and in indies it can be costly in time and money, which you often have little of, to do full on intensive casting. Having self tapes as the first step can really streamline your process as an indie filmmaker and take a lot of logistics pressure off a smaller team with smaller goals in mind. If I were an A-list actor with nice credits having to tape myself though, I can see how that would feel annoying, unless I was going out for a role that plays completely against my type and I needed to show new chops.

A List actors don't need to audition that would be insulting. Haha

I've definitely been asked to do rereads with notes during in-person auditions. While I've had to do self tape auditions multiple times, I don't prefer them, as I've never been asked to retape with notes. It's just a cast or pass. It is convenient to not have to travel to a location to audition for a small role that pays very little. But the flip side is the big break roles are harder to get, as you can't leverage your charisma in real time; which is often a huge factor in getting cast.

Thanks, Darwin Reina!

Some fantastic points, Pat Alexander, as per.

Glenn Howerton's performance in BLACKBERRY was a standout for me.

I just recently watched All The Light We Cannot See on Netflix and I thought that Aria Mia Loberti's performance was incredible! She was truly captivating. In a cast with heavy-hitters like Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo, she was the obvious standout.

You all have me in on PEARL and THE HOLDOVERS…gotta check those out.

“The Morning show” on Apple TV season one. Not a movie but such a strong performance. A scene with Jennifer Aniston talking with her daughter about getting divorced with the husband, the father of the daughter. Her performance in that scene was so real and liberating, and validating of what it is like for a parent getting divorced from a spouse with young adult children.

Can add Dev Patel in Monkey Man to this list. He goes all out with his performance

Great question, Amanda Toney!

You're welcome, Alan Powell.

This was really good Alan Powell and important to share. Thanks for sharing this!

You're welcome Leonardo. I'm curious to know if you have your own experience(s) that resonate with what I said? That is from a screenwriting writing perspective? I suppose I could ask the same of Maurice...?

Yes, Alan Powell but in it lies in the general waiting part. I wasn't always grounded in who I am so waiting to hear back on opportunities was always super tough. And then when/if I did hear back and the result was negative, it was always devastating. That's no longer the case. We have to separate our value from the work. For me, that was found in my spiritual life through gobs of prayer and finally realizing and believing that the two are separate.

so true Leonardo! and the fact is, learning the craft of screenwriting, or acting or any craft takes time and patience and dedication. None of which is representative of our value as people. Like you said, the two are separate.

Leonardo Ramirez

I usually work with my clients for a specific projects so lots of times clients go on and off the books depending on timing of their various projects. If someone has a busy year with multiple projects then they might be on for PR for a long period of time but the payment schedule with me is a monthly retainer and usually a 2 to 3 month minum so you can see the efforts come together for your campaign and then we also put together an EPK (electronic press kit).

Dustin Richardson

I think there are a few things that differentiate Advantage from other firms---1.) I own the company and I do the pitching so I am using my relationships with the press from the last 20 years on a client's behalf, 2). I am from the Midwest (wish my Chicago Bears good luck in the NFL draft and that we get our QB pick) and I will always be honest about when I think timing is right to come on for PR and what I think we can accomplish (nothing is guaranteed but I use best efforts and lots of pitching to get results), 3.) I love telling client's stories and take your investment in PR serious...just like you have worked hard to build your career over many years so have I and I respect that hustle and hard work that we all do to reach out goals.

Yes I have done many non-profits and events over the years....my job is to find the story that will work with the media and if I can find that perfect pitch we can succeed! I handled the red carpets for many years for BeautyCon, Much Love Animal Rescue, Thirst Project galas, GirlUP to name a few xo

That makes total sense Laura Ackermann. Thanks so much! I'll have to check out your website!

Thank you, Laura Ackermann. Helpful answers!

Laura Ackermann Hi Laura, thanks for hanging out with my friends in the Stage32 community.

My feature script, Seeing Rachel has been optioned and is currently in development. I will be directing the film and had a few questions about Directors and PR companies.

1. I see a lot of 'digital marketing' companies advertising their services on LinkedIn. What's the difference between a DM and a PR company? Are they offering the same kind of service in marketing terms, with the personal brand of the talent?

2. How could engaging a PR company help a writer-director during his first feature outing, or should he wait until after it's released, or perhaps as he embarks on his follow-up film?

3. Should I forget about personal PR and think only in terms of engaging a company just for the film?

Thanks again. All the best, Geoff