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Hollywood How-To Archives Index
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| << September27, 2008 - Subscriber - A Freebee From Bob |
October11, 2008 - Subscriber - Is It Time To Take Action? >> |
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Hi Subscriber - This edition of Show Biz How-To is all about the audition process and the behaviors that help actors to become more successful - when it comes to the 'scary part.' Included are two articles from a couple of my pals, Mark Brandon (a very successful actor in Canada) and Michael Levine (one of the most prominent public relations guys in Los Angeles) ... as well as a short piece from yours truly. Before we get to the meat, I do have a few things to pass along to our charming subscribers: * * * * * * * THE AGENT ROSTER IS STILL AVAILABLE First a reminder that our amazing free resource, The Agents Roster, is still available for your downloading pleasure. This list of more than 4000 agents around the world is easy to get and contains the names, addresses, phone #'s, and in many cases the e-mails of agents in Los Angeles, New York, London, Vancouver, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Atlanta, Florida, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Sydney, and the rest of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. Get it here => http://www.showbizhowto.com/agrodolo.html By the way, while you're on the site, be sure to take a few minutes to look around - we're in the midst of building what we think will become the best actor's resource on the web and we're always happy to hear about things you'd like to see. * * * * * * * BOB IS DOING 2 LIVE EVENTS - COMING SOON! My second announcement has to do with something that a lot of readers have been requesting: I'll be doing 2 in-person events here in Burbank - in November and December. These live programs are focused on helping actors to build a career plan and make those critical distinctions that lead to enjoying a successful acting business. I'm calling this program AN ACTOR WORKS - because that's the focus of the weekend sessions. Work - in both meanings of the word ... you working, and you booking work. If you're ready for 2 days of career-building, life-changing, paradigm-shifting professional education, this is a program you might want to consider. You can learn more here => http://www.anactorworks.com * * * * * * * THE VIDEO IS COMING ... Finally, now that I'm recovered from my dental adventures and two (count 'em, two) summer colds, I'm back at work on the video series I've been promising for months. I'll be able to give you a release date, by the time I send out the next issue of the newsletter. Okay, on to this edition's main course ... ===================================================== STAY UPBEAT TO STAY IN THE RUNNING (AUDITION STRATEGY #40) by Mark Brandon Being "positive" is imperative during the interview portion of your audition. Nobody wants to hear how you struggled through traffic to get there, how hard it was to find the place, how your car broke down, etc. People involved in casting lead hectic lives and like you, and everyone, they have problems, too. Consequently, you don't score points by talking about your own. When you get to your audition, make sure you've "shaken off" any negative influences that might be upsetting you that day. Forget the car trouble or other pressures for now. In order to be at your absolute best, you've got to be in a vibrant, upbeat frame of mind. A remarkable exercise to help insure you're at your best, is to take a lively inventory on yourself. Before your interview, find five accomplishments from your past or relative present that you're genuinely proud of. Count off on your fingers, one by one, things that spring to mind as uplifting, stand-out events in your life. For instance, think about the last time you landed a part. Or maybe something you did completely outside the industry that made you feel great for having done it. Did you get involved with any volunteer work? Help somebody in need? Get a home run at a baseball game with friends? Most important, you must not only see these things, you must revive the original feelings that went with them. This exercise may seem overly simplistic, but it essentially works by "re-setting" your thinking and stimulating your entire physiology as well. Re-living any of these life affirming moments sends signals into your body, generating exceptional effects. It revitalizes your speech with a tendency to use more resourceful language and actually straightens your posture as well. If there's such a thing as magic, this exercise performs it. The entire process shouldn't take long. Fifteen seconds to half a minute to re-live each circumstance is usually sufficient. Even if you gave each event a full 30 seconds, the entire exercise would only amount to two and half minutes. By the way, with a little practice, you may even find the experience so enjoyable you'll get into the habit of doing it anytime you face a personal challenge and need to be at your absolute best. ====================================================== This article is excerpted from Mark Brandon's wonderful book, Winning Auditions: 101 Strategies For Actors. Mark is a native Californian who now makes his home in Vancouver. He has worked in over 100 TV series, films and commercials. You can check out his book at Amazon . ====================================================== THE HYPNOTIC AUDITION by Bob Fraser Since overcoming your nerves is just one aspect of creating the audition presence you desire - the kind that makes you the sort of actor who is in demand - it follows that there must be a lot to learn about the mental game of the audition process. As with every other aspect of becoming a professional actor who books paying work - there will be lots of details to attend to. We will investigate those things thoroughly as we proceed through the course. But first, let's look at why I decided to call this process "the hypnotic audition" (other than its obvious branding use): Hypnosis is generally defined as a process in which critical thinking is bypassed and a type of selective thinking - and perception - is established. There are many theories about the whole idea of hypnosis - and each theory will play a part in developing and building your own unique 'hypnotic audition' skill-set. Some theorists believe that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, pure and simple. There are also adherents to a belief that a more mundane process is at work - that the subject is merely focusing his or her attention and expectation. Another idea is called 'the hyper-suggestibility theorem' which states that the subject 'cooperates' in order to please - by responding positively to the suggestions of the hypnotist. In other words the subject does not want to "rock the boat" and accepts the hypnotist's suggestions, without any conscious censorship. Finally there is a school of thought which holds that hypnosis - as a state - is similar to other states of extreme concentration, where a person becomes oblivious to his or her surroundings, while lost in thought. For example when you've been driving and suddenly find yourself many miles down the road - without any conscious memory of having driven the distance. Or reading a book and not hearing (or even noticing) anything that's going on around you. For our purposes here, let's just say that hypnosis is the act of deliberately inducing or creating a state of mind in the subject. The operative word is deliberately. The "hypnotic audition" is composed of two parts: 1. Deliberately creating a 'state' of mind in yourself - that allows you to perform at the top of your game on a consistent basis - what I will call your 'mindset.' 2. Deliberately inducing a positive 'state' - in the mind of directors, producers, agents, casting directors, managers, talent bookers, etc. - during those critical 2-3 minutes that you have to Nail It! Now, before we proceed I want to reassure those who have read the preceding with growing skepticism and, perhaps, a bit of cynicism. "Come on, Bob. Do you really think I can hypnotize a casting director?" "Hypnosis! What has that got to do with acting?" Okay, before we go on, let's examine this perfectly natural skepticism. I want you to think back to a movie you loved. Have you got that experience in your mind? Good. Now, what happened as you watched that movie? Were you transported? Did you lose track of time? Does it now seem as if the whole thing happened in a moment, instead of the 2 hours it actually took? Was your mood altered? Did the story of the movie cause you to be in an another 'state of mind?' I'm sure you answered 'yes.' In fact, good entertainment is simply the purposeful, carefully planned, deliberate act of inducing a state of mind in the audience. In other words, we are not too far afield here - when we talk of hypnosis, we're actually discussing the underlying purposes of acting itself. Good acting is the ability to cause the audience to see you as a character in a story. Good story telling is the act of taking the audience "away from themselves" and causing them to focus on a fiction. When it's done properly, the audience at a movie (or a play, or television show) lose all track of time, seem to be living inside a fiction, and become oblivious to their surroundings. These are all signs that they are in a state of ... hypnosis. In other words, all entertainment is - at it's foundation - an attempt to hypnotize. So my answer to you is, "Yes, I do expect you to hypnotize the casting director, the director, the producer and the audience." That's your job. ===================================================== Excerpted from Bob Fraser's best selling audition course on CD-ROM, Nail It! - Delivering The Hypnotic Audition. To learn more about Bob's virtual course that you use on your computer, go here => http://www.hypnoticaudition.com ===================================================== CHARMING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP by Michael Levine It's clear through research studies, published articles and treatises, opinion polls, and just plain old real life that charm is extremely well valued in our society. People can say whatever they want about former President Bill Clinton's policies or his personal conduct, but no one who ever met the man has failed to comment on his personal charm. The same can be said for Ronald Reagan. Charm is also evident in movie stars - when they want to show it. Interviews with stars are meant to convey their charm, so the public, which buys the tickets (and ultimately pays the salaries) will feel that this person is "friendly" or that one is "down to earth." We will "like" them better, thus assuring performers solid, loyal fan bases that will keep them working for the foreseeable future. Charm pays. It's not only true for those in entertainment or politics. The surly garage owner will probably attract fewer customers than the one across the street who is well known for his concern and easy manner. Have you ever changed lanes at the supermarket because the 'nice' cashier was working nearby and the 'grumpy' one was at your lane? Have you ever chosen one dry cleaner over another? Was it because the level of cleaning was really all that noticeable. or the prices that much lower - or was it because the second cleaner seemed "friendly?" If you have competition (and who doesn't?), the ability to be charming, congenial, and considerate will help your business not only to stand out, but also to distance itself from its competition. It can become part of your brand: the charming bookstore, the charming insurance company, the charming computer solutions provider. Charm can identify. Does all this mean that a person in business needs only to be charming in order to succeed? Of course not. Above all, a business must deliver what it promises, and no amount of congeniality can replace that. If two businesses can provide a certain product, and provide it for roughly the same price, the customer will have to choose between the two based on other variables. These may include geographical location, speed of delivery, or some other intangible. The deal could very well depend on the ability of one businessperson to charm another. Don't discount that idea. It's not simply a question of being able to project an image of friendliness, or even courtesy, (something else that is severely lacking in today's business climate). Charm is not false, and it can't be "put on." It can be learned, but it can't be faked. Charm is as important to business today as a cell phone and a briefcase, and in some businesses, more so. It's an attribute that can truly make the difference between success and failure, and does so on a startlingly regular basis. Why Charming? In 1961, a department store executive attended a lunchtime concert given by a local band that hadn't made much of a name for itself outside a radius of a few city blocks. He listened to the half hour or so of music, wasn't terribly impressed, given the dreadful acoustics of the place and the band's lackadaisical attitude toward the gig. It wasn't until he met the musicians afterward. that they made any kind of impression upon him. "I was struck, mostly, by their personal charm," Brian Epstein would later relate in an interview. Not long after, he signed the first contract to manage the Beatles, based on exactly that attribute. In the world of Hollywood public relations and publicity, where I work, charm is a constant - personality is both an attribute and a commodity in show business - but not everyone is charming. The smart ones are, and the successful ones often are. I've worked with personalities as varied as Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Vanna White, and Mary Hart, among many others. And I can tell you from first-person experience, charm is a major attribute of everyone who is successful in Hollywood. Can charm be taught? Certainly it can. I do not believe that charm is necessarily an inborn trait. Of course some people find it more easily than others, but that doesn't mean we can't teach ourselves how to find the charm that lies within. We can study others, assess ourselves, and make the kind of determinations all people in business must make when they are honestly trying to reach the pinnacle of their professions. You can, indeed, charm your way to the top. It is my belief, in fact, that without charm you can't make it to the top at all. You might be able to reach a certain level of responsibility and success, but in order to be the very best in any profession, in order to find yourself at the top of the food chain in your industry, looking down on all others, some measure of charm is an absolute necessity. Note that I did not, in that sentence, use the words "helpful attribute" or "major plus." I said, "absolute necessity" And I couldn't possibly stress that idea more strongly I know show business executives who think they are above the concept of charm. They don't need charm, they believe, because they have ability and contacts. So they don't make phone calls themselves to confirm a business meeting. They don't send gifts or thank you notes after a successful deal is completed. They don't feel it's necessary to take a moment to compliment a coworker or employee on a job well done. None of these people are at the highest levels of their industries, I should note. Not one. The ones at the top have charm. It flows from the top. Those with Ivy League degrees and cutthroat attitudes, but absolutely no ability to be charming, are usually stuck in the middle of the pack somewhere. Sometimes, they don't even make it that high. Charm can be taught. First, you have to have some natural ability - not to be charming, but to have a talent that is marketable in your business. Charm will take you far, but it will not hand you a career all by itself. There is no job description for "charming person," although many have tried to get by strictly on this one attribute and nothing else. They have failed. So, you need to be doing your job the best way you know how - with or without utilizing charm. Next, you have to be willing to try. No one can force you to be charming, or trick you into doing something considerate and helpful. You have to have the desire on your own. I'm willing to bet that you do, since you've already picked up this book and read this far. So, you're already part of the way to success. But you have work to do. You have to observe charm in others and analyze what it does and how it is done. I will guide you through the process each step of the way, making sure you understand and master each piece of the puzzle before we put it all together to help you get to the pinnacle of your business, as far as you can go. We'll examine some of the ways famous people - in the entertain- ment industry and other fields - use charm, examine the ones who don't and how it affects their careers, and see if we can extend the techniques of the most charming people in the world to your goals. As I did when I began, we will learn by example. Also, we can start by determining how charm has become such a precious commodity Those things that are rarest, don't forget, are most valuable - nobody would care about diamonds or gold if they were easily found in everyone's backyard. So it is with charm - the less we see of it, the more valuable and important it seems to become. There will be discussions of telephone charm and charm on the Internet (if such a thing is possible-and it is!). I'll tell you some stories about people I've worked with who both did and did not use charm successfully, and if I can bring myself to do so, I'll tell you stories about how I might have slipped and done a few things that weren't exactly Fred Astaire material myself. Along the way, please pay attention to the habits and learned behaviors of all the people we meet. In fact, pay attention to all the people you meet during your daily life, since they will all be role models for the "Do" and "Don't" categories of charm. Yes, emulate the ones you think are especially successful, and no, definitely don't copy the people who are regularly rude or discourteous. Being charming doesn't mean you always have to behave like someone bound by a strict code of ethics; it doesn't mean you have to follow every rule blindly and unthinkingly. Quite the opposite is true. The real power of charm comes with creativity, and that is only possible when a person is free to try new things and, overall, to be oneself. There is no point to being charming if you're behaving like an automaton. The key rule is: Have fun with it. Be yourself, but better. Do unto others the way you would have them do unto you. And, while you're doing all that: Charm your way to the top. ======================================================= Excerpted from the introduction to Michael's excellent book about business and behavior, Charming Your Way To The Top. If you'd like to get more about his book just visit Amazon. Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine Communications Office, based in LA. He is the author of Guerrilla PR, 7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life. He is also the guiding force behind GuerrillaPR - a resource for people who want to get famous in the media, without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net ======================================================= I hope you've enjoyed this edition of the newsletter and it has given you some things to think about regarding your approach to your acting career. Don't forget the download ... http://www.showbizhowto.com/agrodolo.html Or the live events coming up ... http://www.anactorworks.com Now, go forth, have a splendid week and, as always ... Much Success, Bob You Must Act! The #1 Virtual Acting CAREER Course http://www.youmustact.com Nail It! Delivering The Hypnotic Audition Taking Your Audition Skills to The Next Level http://www.hypnoticaudition.com Headshot Secrets Revealed Marketing Your Acting Career In Pictures http://www.headshotsecrets.com Action! The Professional Actor's Workbook & Planner Get your business together and follow through. http://www.actionworkbookandplanner.com The Agent Code - How To Get An Agent And How To Be Your Own Agent In The Meantime http://www.theagentcode.com Bob Fraser Productions 3727 W. Magnolia Blvd. #180 Burbank, CA 91505, USA To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TIwc7CzMtMzsrBwMbGzstEa0zBwczBwsLA== |
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| << September27, 2008 - Subscriber - A Freebee From Bob |
October11, 2008 - Subscriber - Is It Time To Take Action? >> |
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