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Actors of Service

~ Acting with Intention, Serving with Purpose

Actors of Service

Tag Archives: actorslife

Crisis is a Crossroads Experience

14 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting

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acting advice, acting careers, acting challenges, actor goals, actor's life, actorslife, filmmaking, learning to act, life coach, starting an acting career

I know few actors using social media who appear to be soaring. Many seem to be suffering. Not enough auditions or bookings. Making no money. No representation. So much “no” in each person’s situation that it feels like virtually all the actors I know are in crisis.

YOU’RE NOT ALONE IN YOUR CRISIS.

The truth is, we all experience personal and professional crises connected to acting. Some of us experience it more often by failing to remedy the problem effectively the last time. So, we continue to perpetuate it and suffer for a prolonged period of time.  Today I want to help you see how to end the perpetual crisis. Continue reading →

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FROZEN IN PLACE

26 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting advice, acting tips, actorslife, dangers of debt, debt, financial obligations, mistakes by actors

 

I got an email this morning from the Office of the Registrar at the university I attended more than 20 years ago. The woman who sent the email informed me I cannot get an official transcript due to “financial obligations” to the school. In short, a debt from the early 90’s follows me to this day and limits what I can do.

What does this debt have to do with acting?

Continue reading →

10 Ways to be an Actor of Service

04 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting advice, actor goals, actor marketing, actor's life, actors of service, actorslife, learning to act, start acting

Many people are devoting Labor Day weekend to rest or recreation. Not me. I thought investing some time to talk about work right now on the verge of a holiday to honor social and economic achievements of American workers made sense. So here on a Sunday, I’m going to share some ways my fellow actors can find opportunities to be of service in the coming week.

The messages in this space tend to speak to newcomers to acting but this time I am expanding my reach. This topic is far more inclusive. It’s especially important for veteran stage and screen actors to remember they’re here to serve their local, regional, and national communities, too.

I came up with a list of 10 ways any actor can be or become an actor of service. That’s where service to others is an intention, not a by-product of your career. You will see how you can begin doing any of these 10 on the list, one at a time perhaps, and start to incorporate them into your daily schedules.  Continue reading →

New Name, New Mission

04 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting advice, acting careers, actor goals, actor marketing, actor's life, actorslife, actorsofservice, auditions, filmmaking, learning to act, start acting

Goodbye, Acting Made Stupid Simple.

Inspiration occurred today and led me to change the name of my blog. Despite not actually blogging the last two months, I have been giving a lot of thought to the future of this space and what I want to accomplish with it. Service frequently became the keyword in those thoughts and I believe service to others is the basis to everything we do as actors. Continue reading →

No More Winging It in Improv Auditions

01 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Audition Tips, Uncategorized

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#actingmadestupidsimple, acting advice, acting challenges, Acting Made Stupid Simple, actor's life, actorslife, character actors, improv auditions, improvisation for actors, learning to act, start acting

I know actors who hate improv auditions. Common complaints I have heard include, “I don’t feel comfortable” and “I don’t know what I’m doing” and “I don’t know what they want.” I’m sure some actors bring remnants of that negative self-talk into the audition room.

All three comments are valid reactions to having to walk into a room and perform a scene unrehearsed. It can seem intimidating to face a casting director when you don’t know what you need to say or do in the moments that follow. Coming into it with a sense of anxiety is perfectly natural for many actors.

The trouble for those actors is they think they have to “wing it” every time. They approach the improv audition as a test of their ability to think quickly on their feet and look at the audition as a Pass/Fail situation. In setting the same standards for themselves they do with scripted material, it’s likely they will feel they fell short of nailing it, as they say.

Let’s agree that “winging it” isn’t helping you right now.  Instead, let’s approach the audition as a storyteller would. You are a storyteller, after all.  Continue reading →

Acting and Politics

20 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting advice, acting careers, Acting Made Stupid Simple, actor's life, actors and politics, actorslife, filmmaking, learning to act, scott baio, start acting

A Facebook friend posted today about Scott Baio getting airtime on Fox and his acting wasn’t the purpose of his interview. It was a political conversation apparently, although I did not actually see the interview. The post itself reminded me of all the times I have heard people, including family members, suggest actors shouldn’t be allowed to add to political or social conversations. Even before I became an actor, I thought that opinion seemed ridiculous and now it seems just plain stupid.

Within minutes I had crafted a post of my own.  Continue reading →

10 Reasons to Age Characters in Casting

13 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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#actingmadestupidsimple, acting advice, acting careers, acting challenges, actor goals, actor's life, actorslife, auditions, filmmaking, start acting

I have more than a few actor friends over the age of 50 and the common complaint seems to be the lack of roles in many film projects. Not lack of good roles. Lack of roles period. The most recent comments I read about he subject prompted me to think about ways to change this situation.

I’m not using this space to take on the ageism in Hollywood. That’s a battle for other people. Instead, I want to talk to the people making independent films. Short films and feature films that get private screenings for cast and crew, end up on YouTube and Vimeo, or get submitted to festivals. I have some ideas for you newer filmmakers to rethink how you see people over the age of 50.  Continue reading →

Steps of Self-Taping on a Budget

03 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Audition Tips, Business of Acting, Uncategorized, Wardrobe

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#actingmadestupidsimple, acting advice, acting challenges, Acting Made Stupid Simple, actor's life, actorslife, audition tips, filmmaking, learning to act, self taped auditions, start acting

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You have been asked to submit a taped audition for a role in a film. Perhaps it’s a short film. Perhaps it’s a feature. Maybe it’s a paid gig. Maybe not. Regardless of the particulars, you’re going to want to create a process for how you will get that audition taped and get it to the decision makers.

In most markets, someone has the equipment, expertise, and studio space to record you professionally. It could cost you anywhere from $25 to well over $100. It’s always an advantage to rely on these people for quality taped auditions, but you may decide to go it alone if funds are low or there’s no one in your local area who can do it.

Now the ways you execute the steps I am about to share may change. The change may involve people, place, or thing. The people who help. The place where you record. The thing you record with. The order of the steps may be different for you, depending on your needs, but the process overall should not change. In some cases, you will be working on multiple steps at the same time, beginning one then moving onto the next before that previous one is finished.

Self-Taping Steps

Continue reading →

Reinvent Yourself This Year

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting advice, acting careers, acting challenges, actor's life, actorslife, filmmaking, start acting

In 2015, a family decision prompted me to leave a regional market where I have four agents in four cities and move to a city with virtually no screen acting. I retained my agents but could no longer appear in person for live auditions in those cities. That means I could only be submitted for roles when casting directors accepted taped auditions. It felt a bit like Tom Hands in Castaway, except I made the decision to put myself on the island and suffer.

Suffer, I did. I went from auditioning live or taped as much as 10 times a month to one taped audition every few weeks on average. It was demoralizing to feel like opportunities were out of reach. When I did get an audition, I felt so much pressure to nail it and stopped truly enjoying the process.

I didn’t give up but I certainly didn’t make much progress in the first few months after the move. But I took a lot of time of reflect on my situation. My deep thinking led me to one conclusion: I needed to reinvent myself. Staying here on the “island” wasn’t getting me anywhere. So I started a process of how my ideal life here looks. It’s quite different than the one I was living. It may be 100% different.

I must preface these next statements with the fact that I haven’t reached all of these goals yet. I’m in the early stages of reinvention. But the vision is getting clearer and clearer.

  1. Work full-time in a different field with benefits beyond income. I found work as a Special Ed aide at the elementary school level. 32+ hours per week. A direct deposit check every 15 days. The benefits are unlimited. I get to work with young students, help them problem solve inside and outside the classroom, be part of the school culture, and see opportunities to put many of my acting/filmmaking/storytelling skills to good use.
  2. Become a resource in my primary field. Not long after moving here, I hosted a couple of free workshops and started joining Facebook groups for acting and filmmaking peers in the area. This past weekend I hosted the second of two paid workshops for students and now have two more scheduled as well as plans to develop weekly acting and filmmaking classes.
  3. Find a space for my classes and workshops. So far, I have used a free space arranged by a friend and a computer lab at a high school made available by the Rec Dept of the village I am living in. Ideally, I would have a space that’s private, affordable, and multi-purpose.
  4. Write and produce films as vehicles for my acting talents. As a SAG-AFTRA member in a market with almost no union projects, creating my own work will be most useful than ever. To make it happen, I need to continue networking to meet talented professionals to add to my team and write a film or find a script that will fit my goals as an actor. It may be a short film first, and that’s definitely ok.
  5. Secure sponsorship for my workshops and other endeavors.  I want to expand my marketing reach in this area by aligning myself with reputable businesses. I send business to them; they help send business to me. They may even provide some fun samples or swag bags for bigger events.

I often think about the phrase “be the change you wish to see in the world.” I can adapt it: be the change you wish to see in your own life. Rather than waiting for all the variables in your acting career to work positively for you, it’s helpful to remember there will always be challenges beyond your control. Sometimes, and for extended periods of time, the challenges can outweigh and overwhelm the positives. You’re left with either complaining and indulging in self-pity or just finding some way, one way, to keep moving forward.

So, as 2016 proceeds, I will focus on letting go of how I saw myself last year and let myself embrace the reinvention. It gives me a better chance of creating success for myself than waiting for the winds of change to blow and send me in the right direction. Like you, I am more the person I am becoming than the person I was yesterday.

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When Actors Hate Auditions

07 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Marc Isaacs in Audition Tips, Business of Acting, Uncategorized

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acting careers, acting challenges, Acting Made Stupid Simple, actor goals, actorslife, audition tips, learning to act, start acting

This year I traded the largest city in the South for a quaint small town adjacent to a medium size city in the Midwest. The move brought lots of changes, some I liked, some I loved, and some I … well, hated. Eating brats at a beer garden is definitely a new Love, while Likes include less traffic, close proximity to one of the Great Lakes, and the potential to build a snowman on occasion. Walking the dogs on cold mornings probably falls in the Hate category.  Continue reading →

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