As you also know, your resources are limited.  Very often, the actors who are moving forward are the ones staying focused on what they want to achieve and making wise choices about how they use their resources.

In other words they are “putting their own agenda first.”

Putting your own agenda first always requires saying “no” to certain requests and opportunities that come your way.

But you’d be surprised by how many people waste their resources by doing things they don’t really want to do simply because they feel awkward and guilty about the act of telling someone “no.”  Although I can’t help you get over the “guilt” part in one little blog post, I can certainly help you with the “awkward” part.

First, remember that rarely are you in a situation where you have to make a decision on the spot.  You can always say, “Let me think about that and I promise to get back to you tomorrow” (or whenever.)

With that response is you are showing the other person the courtesy of at least considering their offer.  That’s cool of you.

Now, remember what I said in the last post: the excuse that “you don’t have the time” just doesn’t hold water any more because nobody has any time these days! You aren’t any worse off than the person who is making the request so they won’t feel sorry for you. And since they don’t accept that excuse, they will continue asking and tweaking their request until they wear you down and you say “yes.”

Why?

Because THEY are putting THEIR agenda first – and it’s easier to try to get you to say “yes” than it is to go off and find someone else to ask.

So how do you say “no” in a way that will stick?  I’ll share that in part 2…

Benefits of self-producing:

• Bringing your work to full fruition – you are taking a stand for your creativity, giving it its full life. It’s an incredible, deeply satisfying feeling. I remember standing backstage before the opening show of my 7-week run at LA’s Odyssey Theater with my crew gathered around me, feeling such overwhelming pride and love and fulfillment at what we created together and how we had brought my dream to life. I was crying with joy and accomplishment. Then I had to mop myself up and go perform!

• Getting Reviews – A good review can yield you a ‘pull quote’ that you can use in your promotions and marketing, both for your show and yourself as an actor. And you can use it forever. Ha! How handy to be able to describe yourself as “’one of the most refulgent actors of our time’ – LA Times.” Yeah, pretty cool (I wish I could, but I just made it up as an example!). Many publications will only review a show that has an official run, with some minimum number of performances or weeks. Mount a run, and you’ve got a good shot at getting some kind of pull quote. (In a later blog I’ll cover what I know about getting press).

• Building your show’s resume – If you’ve got designs on taking your show beyond a theater run (perhaps a movie version, or the basis of a sitcom, or a public speaking tour), then a theater run can be a great step. It can demonstrate that your work has a track record, an established fan base, and has been ‘vetted’ by reviewers, as shown by the great pull quotes.

• Building an audience – I would say that every single forward step I’ve been able to take with my one-woman show stemmed directly from word of mouth, from someone seeing a performance and telling someone else. So more performances means more eyes seeing your show, means more mouths to talk you up!
  Also, with all the ‘home-made’ entertainment (youtube videos, web series) out there these days, seems like it’s getting more and more helpful (almost required?) for a performer to come with her/his own fan base.

• The knowledge, incredible learning – about business, about being a leader, communicating, making things in the world, being a professional. There’s nothing like producing for that giving you that experience. You’re upping the stakes, taking a bold stand for your work, banking on yourself. Nice.

Vigorously yours,
Jonna Tamases
www.madlively.com

When you get a check from SAG or AFTRA with a residual amount that makes you wonder whether or not you’ll burn up more gas getting ti the bank to cash it, it’s usually because you’re getting Internet money. It’s not much these days – and it may not be much for the near future.

During the last SAG election, there was some confusion (and some poorly conceived righteous indignation) over the way the Internet pays off in residuals. I created an explanation of the night and day differences in the amount of money an actor will get from linear (broadcast) television, versus online play (you can see that here). The amount you’re due from linear television is far greater than from the net, and will remain that way for some time. But the pendulum is swinging. Apple, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix and a host of other sites not even contemplated, have all made what are essentially on-demand syndication deals with the major producers to show almost anything ever made. And we all, as union actors, will benefit from those sales.

Finally.

We’ll get what amounts to our share of 3.5% or so of the gross paid to producers to be able to use their product. It won’t be much for now, but in the future, you may not be scoffing at the size of your Internet play checks.

Here’s the article, with all the details: http://backstage.blogs.com/espresso/2010/09/apple-v-amazon-v-hulu-v-google-v-netflix.html

If the cue is fairly sparse, meaning you don’t see a whole lot of people in the background, you might be asked to have a lot of “give and take”, meaning don’t talk over each other. In a cafe scene for example, you may pair up in 2’s “giving and taking” so you only hear one table’s conversation at a time. They may also have you go “down the line” (literally you are standing at the mic in a horseshoe shaped LINE and speak when the person next to you is done). “Free and Clears” are also cues that are usually done “down the line” or by the loop leader pointing at who goes next with no overlapping. Make sure your volume is LOUD as these are usually placed where needed by the editor later. A street scene is a great place for “free and clears”. You might yell “My car is two blocks from here” and the next person down the line might yell “I’ll see you later” and so on.  Always keep going until you are told to stop or you see the picture stop. You can always ask the Group Leader to clarify how you should tackle the cue if you are not sure.

Sometimes the scene is very busy and has lots of movement in it. To tackle that,  groups will either “mull about” (meaning you can move a bit and go to different people and talk…a party scene is a good example of this) or they will do “cross by’s” or “donuts”.  A “cross by” is just that. The group is divided and you take turns crossing by the mic from one side to the other (usually with a partner) making sure to always speak towards the mic. (school hallways, malls, busy streets are good examples of when you might use a cross by) A “donut” is when the group stands behind the mic in a circle (hence the term donut) and keeps walking in a circle (again making sure to face the mic when you are by it). You’ll talk when you get close to the mic and stop when you’ve crossed it. There is the rare occasion when you will continue to talk no matter where you are in the donut formation but that is RARE. A good example for when a donut would be used is a scene in an airport or hospital.

A few more things to note…”cross by’s” are also referred to as “pass by’s” and NEVER use cuss words or Proper Nouns (Coke, Toyota, Starbucks, etc)  in looping unless you are told otherwise… Do you feel like an expert? Well then go get those looping jobs!!!!!

A couple of similarities between Stand-up and Improv;

Both usually don’t use props (prop comics excluded).

Both are fluid and open to audience reaction.

Differences in Stand-up and Improv;

Stand-up is setup with at least basic ideas/concepts/themes.

Improv is open to whatever happens.

Stand-up is an individual act.

Improv is a group effort.

In the world of stand-up it is you and the mic.  Any good stand-up walks up with an arsenal of stories, jokes, characters or any number of tricks ready to go.  The audience plays a big part in how and what you pull out of your bag of tricks.  As a stand-up traveling to different parts makes the difference in what works or falls flat. That bit that kills here may die a horribly long and silent death there.  One particularly bad night, after watching the first two acts I’d seen kill before die this night on stage, I simply talked with members of the audience from the mic and had the best set, although did not tell joke one.

In the world of improv the weight is shared by all the members of the group .  Each of the improvisers bringing their particular POV, attitude and just general vibe.  This alone creates something interesting and hopefully enjoyable for the audience.

As a guy who started in stand-up and now considers himself more improviser than stand-up, I had trouble with the transformation to improv due to the solo vs. team idea.  In improv you cannot come in with an agenda or how you demand the scene will go or the scene will come to a screeching halt.  While in stand-up you must come in with both of these or risk wasting your stage time and possibly boring the audience. The major hurdle for me was learning to trust your partners on stage and know that they will hand you the best offer possible (even when it is not).

I hope this clears things up a bit for some of the distinctions of the three genres. So,  hopefully I look forward to a different response when I say, ” Want to check out my improv show?”.

Many actors who aren’t in the comedy world seem to see all three of these very different forms of comedy as one.
I’ll try to make a bit of a distinction here for you.

A quick overview of the difference between Improv and Sketch;

Similarities:
Both Improv and Sketch can be slice of life scenes or vignettes.

Contrasts;
Improv will not have character costumes and will incorporate spacework (the amount of space given to imaginary objects). Sketch will have costumes, props and maybe sound and lighting effects.

The main difference between Improv and Sketch is Improv is created from whatever the actors find in that moment and space while Sketch has been written out and rehearsed.

Improv may be a tad more risky for the performer and the audience due to the nature of  improv being very fluid with the ability to move to very different areas quickly.  Sometimes the areas visited by improvisers aren’t necessarily  politically correct or even comfortable.  For me, there in lies the fun.

As an audience member, I am waiting to see if these improvisers will go deeper into the area , so deep in fact that it does become funny, or will they bring it back from the possible crash and burn of the abyss to something lighter?

As a performer in the scene which has taken that turn, I have to decide based on who I’m on stage with and how my audience is reacting as to which way I’ll go with the new scene.

To be continued…

Talent lies because talent wants to work!  Some lies seem easy to forgive (especially if you don’t get caught) like learning how to use a teleprompter on-set.

Naturally, if a show you’re audition for is called Swimming with Sharks (and you really want to be the host) but aren’t a strong swimmer, you’re incented to lie to get the job, right?  It’s practically entrapment!  Here’s the deal, you think your little swimming lie is not a big deal and that producers won’t let you die.  Steve Irwin DIDN’T lie and he still died.

So, what do you do when you’ve lied to get a job and then find yourself in hot water because of said lie?  COME CLEAN… and then, CALL YOUR AGENT!

The second you realize you’ve gotten yourself in trouble, tell the truth, so you stop digging the hole. Then, immediately enlist the help of your agent.

Chances are, you’re not the first talent they’ve represented who has lied.  They’re pretty darn good at getting out of tight corners; that’s why they’re agents.  Begin by apologizing for misrepresenting yourself, explain your lie and above all do not assign blame to anybody other than yourself or you won’t likely get the help you need.  You do realize that your lie is a reflection on your agent, don’t you?  They have every right to be pissed!  They’ll get over it if you handle it in a classy way.

Final thought, just don’t lie.  It’s not worth tarnishing your otherwise good name for one silly job.  Hot water is only great for tea.

In the infamous words of my husband, Marty Metro, “Good luck and be yourself!”

Tracy Metro is a TV host who has worked for Fine Living, TLC, Discovery, Disney, Sony, Mark Burnett, et al hosting shows about cooking, DIY, shopping, eco-lifestyle, et al subjects.  To learn more about her (because now you’re intrigued), go to www.tracymetro.com

When you loop, sometimes everyone will be up and around the microphone at the same time (usually in a horse shoe or group formation), or there may be 1-2 individuals doing a “specific” cue. A specific cue would be where there is/are a specific person/people IN the scene that you are adding dialogue for. For example, there may be a couple walking by behind the principal character(s) that you can see having a conversation. Sometimes you will even be directed to cross by the mic in the direction the couple is walking for effect (make sure you wear lose clothing and no noisy jewelry and if you are wearing a hat to turn it backwards) Maybe there is a person talking on a cell phone. The closer these people are to the principal characters, the more likely you would want to HEAR these people in the final product. These specific cues are usually done separate and you would do that same scene (cue) again to have the entire group of actors fill in the sounds of the people you don’t specifically see (walla walla)

Some loop leaders I know will pre-assign the cues to the actors (there could be over 100 cues to get through in a day so it may be quicker to just say “Paula you’re up” than to explain the cue and get a “volunteer”), other times it is your responsibility to just “jump up” to the mic when you want to take a stab at a cue. The more you get up, the better you’ll do in my experience. If it is an “effort” you are doing (swallowing, getting punched, falling down, sighing, etc), you will most likely always do that same character’s efforts throughout the show. The same goes for voicing a specific character. If that receptionist you just voiced shows up two scenes later…you’ll voice them again! Food for thought…if it’s TV series and you voice a character in the background you may get a recurring looping gig out of it…my husband was a crazy Arab neighbor heard through the wall in many episodes of a popular show.

I’ll tackle some group terms you may hear in the next blog.

As you continue to get more and more looping jobs, you will start to put together a binder or file folders full of info and cheat sheets from all of your jobs. You bring this binder with you at all times and it becomes your “bible”.  The producer walks into the session and says… “we are adding some police radio chatter here” and you can say “No problem…I happen to have some NYC Police radio calls right here in my binder” and BAM you save the day!!!!!

So where can you get this info? Well, if your roommate is a nurse you can just ask her for some hospital lingo and write it down. If not…you’ll have to be more resourceful. Google is my best friend. Find out as much as you can about the location of the film/show (Does it take place in the Bronx? A specific college campus? Or just a feel of a certain area of the country?) This will help you get the right kind of dialogue. A military hospital “talks” different than a county hospital. Google “lingo”, “terms”, etc and copy/paste into a new doc or print out the page from the website. I like to put my full sheets of paper in clear plastic sleeves that have holes to be placed in a binder. This way I can take the full sheets out and the paper won’t make noise during the cue. Other people use note cards.

Police calls can also be heard streaming online (on police radio sites) if you want to get a feel for what they sound like in real life. Sometimes I’ll copy an entire call I hear. These and hospital calls (the intercom’s you hear saying “paging Dr Jones to the ER stat”) are pretty common. So are airport PA’s (“Flight 626 to Cincinnati is now boarding at gate 12A”). “Regular stuff” can include coffee shops, downtown street, and any “common” places. You never know what you’ll need to know next. This is why if you are an expert at something (for example you were in the Army for 10 years or you have a degree in criminal justice) you should note it when trying to get looping jobs. They want the real deal most of the time. I know it seems silly when you don’t even hear the looping all the time, but the producers will want to know everything is authentic for the times you WILL hear it. If you can fake it, fine, but you’d better be prepared!

I have another magic word for ya – one that no one has probably told you about yet.  One that, more often than not, will lower people’s defenses and produce a positive response to your request.

The magic word is:

“open”

When you are making a request, ask the person if they would be “open to it.”

As in: “I’d love to speak with you for 7 minutes at your convenience sometime next week – I have 3 questions I’d appreciate getting your guidance on. Would you be open to that?”

Usually what folks ask is: “Do you have time in your schedule…” or “If you have the time…”

Well, no one has any time! It’s super-duper easy for someone to simply say they are too busy and just don’t have any time.  Done.  Excuse given.

People’s brains are used to waiting for the word “time” to pop up (so they can pounce on it and say that they don’t have any!)

The word “open” is different and unexpected.  It makes them stop and think for just a moment.  And in that moment, they may just decided they have to say “yes.”

Because… they kinda realize that they will kinda sound like an asshole if they have to actually say, “I’m not open to helping you.”

P.S.

But what if someone applies this tactic when making a request of you – a request that you really don’t want to do or truly can’t accommodate?

It’s vital (and so very helpful) to know how to use language to steer conversations and conduct business without appearing assholian, seeming flaky, or sounding defensive.  That’s what we will discuss in the next few posts…