a day in the life of an extra - the pathway to stardom...what?

i think one of the biggest rumors (which just won't seem to die!)about being an extra, is that if you could just get on the set, the director or producer will notice you and give you a big role and you're now a star...oh boy, if I had a nickel for everytime someone said that! lol

and even if that did happen, the chances of someone becoming a huge star from one role is extremely minimal...sorry, but this biz is all about hard work, endurance and perseverance! and believe me, you and your child actor will be tested in all of those areas...it is a tough business...

okay, now back to my cheery, positive self! the director of a film/TV show, whatever, does have the authority to give you a speaking role if he sees you in a crowd and needs someone your type...also, if you have a skill, and they need that skill at the moment, there is another chance for you...as I said in a previous blog, that happened to the character gunther (james michael tyler)...e was an extra in the coffee shop and they needed a person to run the cappuccino machine... he was in the right place at the right time...and the rest is history...

so, yes, is it possible that you can become a star as an extra? of course, anything is possible...but in my humble opinoin...you have a better chance of winning the lottery!

so go, take your child actor and enjoy yourself...great time of bonding if they need both of you...and lots of down time to hang together and talk...just don't expect much more out of it than that...but honestly, isn't that worth more than anything? being paid to spend time with your child...life doesn't get much better than that!

have a great day...
hugs and out~

a day in the life of an extra - part 2

for child actor extras, depending on their age, this may not hold true…they work less hours and in California, (unlike NY and other areas of the country), they still have to go to school with a set teacher from their first day on set…which is why, if you watch a lot of films, there are very few, very young extras…too much involved for too little effect…unless of course the movie is something like “kindergarten cop” or one that centers around children…

but for adults, your day would be a bit more exciting than the day that a set prop has! i’ve done extra work, and although it may seem glamorous at first, it really is not…but here’s pretty much how it goes…

you arrive early, before your call time, to make sure that locations have not changed and that you have everything right…then you check in with the person they assign you to check in with (usually the a.d. – assistant director)…and from this point, you wait with others usually, until you’re called for make-up and/or costuming…
but, know this also…with most extra work, you use your own clothing (they will tell you what to wear – many times that will decide if you get the job or not) and you do your own make-up…so this process can take from one to several hours…

now more waiting, b/c you have to wait until the stars are made up and dressed and ready to go which usually takes most of the morning…and if you’re lucky, you’ll all be held in an area that you can watch the scenes that are being filmed that you are not in…if not, it gets even more boring…

lunch is ready…stars, producers, directors usually eat first, or are able to get to the tables first so they get a place to sit…then the minor actors stand in line, then the camera people, carpenters, gaffers, security people and anyone else that is not an extra…NOW it’s your turn…

one word to you thought that is good…the set food is “usually” very good and very plentiful…of course there is always the exception! after lunch, you’ll still be hanging around b/c usually they decide to film another scene to redo parts of the previous scene…

okay, now it’s your turn! if you’re lucky, everyone will remember their lines (has nothing to do with you) and a plane won’t fly overhead or someone won’t get sick…or a bulb won’t burn out…or a million other things that always seems to keep the extras standing around for hours!

and the above repeats itself over and over until you’re released to go home! and although the above is true and can be aggravating, don’t forget that sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time…just look at gunther from the series “friends”…he was an extra and the set people were looking for someone to run the cappuccino machine…they asked if anyone knew how to do it and he said that he did (he lied btw!)…the rest is history…he ended up with a recurring role on one of the most popular sitcoms of all times!

so enjoy yourself! maybe you’ll spot a star or two on the lot…just know though that if you really want to become an actor that has lines and is hired that way, you need to go beyond this and get classes, an agent, etc…but for now…have fun…if you’re a starving actor, it will give you food every day!

have a wonderful, holiday weekend!
hugs and out~

should you or your child actor work as an extra? part 1

the good thing about this, is that anybody can be an extra regardless of look, sex, age…you just have to live and breathe…that’s pretty much the only requirement…
but don’t sell this short…some people spend their lives doing this and love every minute of it…i mean, after all, could you imagine any TV show or film without the “atmosphere” that extras provide? watch a show or movie and imagine them not being there…it would be downright unrealistic! so they do provide a great service…but do you really want to do that?

to get a feel for how importantly unimportant extras are, let me tell you the true story behind the extras in the james cameron film, “titanic”…

cameron filmed in rosarito beach, mexico – about 60 miles south of san diego, California…he needed hundreds of extras, and b/c most of their faces would never be seen, he dressed up the local Mexicans in costumes and had them stroll the deck of the ship, as wealthy first-class passengers from great Britain…
after all…this is the magic of the movies!

there are 3 types of extras:

*day extras – this is the lowest paid extra…they are basically a “live” body…
*special extras – they perform a special skill in the background…i.e. skateboard, play an instrument, etc.
*silent bit extras – (also known sometimes as ‘featured’ extras) – they often interact with the principals in
the film or TV show…

okay…gotta run…will continue this interesting topic tomorrow…

have a great “rest of your week!”
hugs and out~

auditioning for voice-overs

most voice-over auditions are going to be realized through an agent…so if this is a real love of yours or your child actor’s, then contact screen actors guild (SAG) or american federation of television and radio artists (AFTRA) union offices and they will provide you with a list of union franchised agencies…

now, take the time and call them to find out if they represent voice-over artists…if they do, find out whom you should send your child actor’s demo tape to, alone with a resume and cover letter…if any of the agents are interested, you will here from them right away…but if you don’t hear from them after a couple of weeks, you could call them…but personally, i would call to just make sure that they received your package…if they want to meet you, i promise, they will call…

okay, all that is behind you, and you finally get that elusive audition…what now? this audition is similar to the typical acting audition, except that the casting director is only interested in your voice and not your look…

also, your audition will be recorded, so you will sit or stand where the microphone is…and normally, you may have to do a ‘check’ so that the recording engineer can adjust his levels for your particular voice…

after the above is finished, the cd will then ask your child actor to read from the script a couple of times…remember, they will keep all the recordings, whether you did two or ten, so it’s wise to change it a bit every time it is recorded…your child actor may want to change vocal tone, voice, inflections, pitch, phrasing, etc…this way they can really see the voice-over actors talent and will have a few different types of voices to choose from…more than not, if you do it the same every time, the cd will figure that you can only do that one type of voice…

hope this helps you and your kiddos…voice-overs are fun…break a leg!

hugs and out~

preparing and auditioning for voice-over work

for the next leg of this topic, maybe before discussing auditioning, we should discuss voice and diction classes…

when my daughter first started auditioning in nyc, almost every time, the casting director would ask her where she was from…we just couldn’t understand why she kept being asked this…
one day i was talking to someone about this and they said, “that’s b/c she has an accent”…
what? no she doesn’t…she sounds find…but being the type of person i am, I trusted this person’s opinion and I brought her to the best speech coach in the business, sam chwat…

he spent an hour with her and then brought me into the room…he told me that she did not pronounce her “th”…she dropped the “d” off the end of her words…her inflection was very hard new york, and she dropped her jaw every time she would say the sounds “aw”…p.s., she had tons of work to do to get rid of her “new yawk accent”, which i didn’t even realize she had…
now she speaks “american standard” – and after learning from sam, most people do not…oh yeah, she slips now and then…especially when she gets excited…and yes, she has new york “inflections” and accents, but that aids her usually and she can control it…did this take a lot of work on her part…you bet…the better part of a year…diligently practicing and recording and listening to herself several times a day!

okay…so I didn’t get to auditioning…but I did cover preparing! [pat on the back]…

tomorrow, i’ll get into auditioning…but please remember, unless you or your child actor is going to be a character voice-over specialist, he has to speak in american standard english or pretty darn close to it…he/she should be minus any regional accents…

we’ll pick this topic up again tomorrow…
hugs and out~

preparing a voice-over demo tape...

okay, so we’ve established that your headshot is your calling card…it gives people an idea of what you really look like…but in voice-overs, your headshot is non-essential…in this case, you need a demo tape or recording which actors use to showcase their voices…

but don’t be too quick to do this for your child actor…we’ve learned all too well, through experience, that they need to be able to demonstrate their vocal range and present all of their capabilities…

when my daughter first got involved in acting in nyc, she was told my agents and casting people that she had an accent and needed to develop amercian standard speaking…after all, your voice is part of the actor’s instrument, and needs to be fine tuned…

she took speech and diction classes and now you wouldn’t know that she comes from ny…(except when she gets very excited and then you hear it slip in now and then!)…if we had done a voice-over tape early in her career, it would have been a mistake…point i’m trying to make is that you need to put your best foot forward…do not produce a tape that you are not proud of and accurately depicts the abilities of you or your child actor…

here are some tips to help with recording your child’s demo tape (if you have to do this one your own)…

1. make sure that each voice that is done, is done well and can be done consistently…last thing you want is to be called in to audition with a specific voice that they heard on the demo tape and it can’t be duplicated…
2. if you have a voice that is your best, put it first…you want to grab the attention of those listening…
3. put different styles on your tape – narratives, cartoons, commercials…then pick little sound bites of of your best parts and edit them together…

your demo tape must be professional quality…if your child actor does not have an agent that has capabilities to create a voice-over demo, then you’ll have to have it done professionally to be able to compete…don’t try to do this yourself, unless you have the sound equipment that is needed…

tomorrow i’ll continue on this topic…how to get an agent…auditioning for voice-over work, etc…so check in tomorrow for part 2…

have a wonderfully, blessed day…
hugs and out~

stage fright...it can really affect an actor...

i don’t think it matters much how old you are or how many times you’ve been in productions, even the best of them (child actor or not) will get nervous before an audition or performing…that is not stage fright… i’ve seen this first hand and with some very talented, experienced actors…in fact one of them, in one of my productions, literally froze (not onstage thank God) but when she was about to go on…she ended up in a “fight or flight” mode and for her, being the trooper that she is, “fight” was what she did…

stage fright can happen to your child actor or anyone for that matter…it isn’t “age conscious” although i have to say that even though i’ve seen it happen to kids, it does happen to adults more often…

stage fright occurs when, as an actor, you are too overly concerned about your performance…when your thoughts are compulsively drawn to how you appear to others and if you will do badly…if this ever happens, you need to take your focus off yourself and put it on others immediately…and believe me, that is easier said than done…but know, stage fright can really paralyze someone…

what i would normally do is create a situation that would get their minds off of them about to go onstage or be filmed…i.e. someone needs something pinned or someone is sick and they need that person’s help…

this is so real, that there is a group called toastmasters (toastmasters.com)…also, there is a homeopathic remedy that helps for this…you can either go into a health food store that carries these remedies or go online and order it…it’s called gelsemium…

it’s very important that your child actor, if he/she deals with any form of this, face their fears and work through it…with kids, i’ve seen it happen in puberty…especially when they are stage actors and have begun to bloom at a young age…they become very self-conscious…for film/TV actors, this can happen in the audition room…many times the child doesn’t even share it with the parent…it also seems to happen after a long dry spell in the child actor’s career…they begin to question themselves…

being aware of this and hitting it head on and getting back up on that horse again is exactly what’s needed…we probably all, at one time or another has felt this or a bit of this feeling…i’ve never seen anyone not get through it…if they know that, it helps…

have a peaceful weekend…and i’ll catch up with everyone on monday…
hugs and out~