New Zealand Earthquake

Fellow actress and blogger Anita, was not affected by the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch NZ, but she has many friends who have family there and were affected. Because the quake happened during the day, a lot of people were trapped in the damage. I asked my favorite Kiwi what we can do to help, and here's what she wrote:

The quake was in Christchurch on the South Island. They had an even stronger one on September last year but it was during the night, so nobody died. It is much different this time. The quake struck in the middle of the business day and while it wasn’t as strong, it was much shallower and much more violent. Downtown Chch is completely destroyed, 39 people have been confirmed dead and there are up to 200 hundred still missing and/or confirmed trapped in collapsed buildings. It is truly horrific!

Luckily we’re living in Wellington, which is in the South of the North Island. We’re sitting right on the Pacific fault line and seeing an earthquake that size hitting Christchurch is extremely scary! We don’t have family in Canterbury (Christchurch region) but a lot of friends who do. New Zealand is such a small country, the impact of the quake is felt everywhere. Christchurch and the Canterbury region are going to take a long time to recover and they need all the help, love and understanding they can get.

If you want to donate, the Salvation Army allows online donations from anywhere in the world here https://secure20.salvationarmy.org/donation.jsp

ASB, ANZ and the National Bank are also taking donations.

ASB Bank: Account number: 12-3205-0146808-00. BIC/SWIFT code: ASBBNZ2A

ANZ Bank: Account number 01-1839-0188939-00. BIC/SWIFT code: ANZBAU3M
 
National Bank: Account number 06-0869-0548507-00. BIC/SWIFT code: ANZBNZ22

I’m sure you can also donate online to the New Zealand Red Cross but I can’t get any information on that at the moment as their website seems to be overloaded.

If you could please forward these details to your network that would be amazing!

If you want to keep up to date, there is a great national news website here: www.stuff.co.nz

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Warmest wishes,
Anita

If you yourself can't donate, please forward this along to everyone you know.

Compliments from Strangers

Isn't it funny how if we receive a compliment from a best friend we've known for years, we don't really take it to heart? We feel that they have to say something nice, because we've seen each other cry and we hug each time we say hello and goodbye. Those compliments don't carry much weight.

But compliments from strangers mean the world. They don't compliment you because they want to make you feel better. They compliment you because they REALLY think something nice and want you to know. They don't owe you anything. They're not your doting dad who loves and watches everything you do, who will call up relatives and brag about your background work. They're just saying aloud something they really believe.

My friend JenIsLena brought a friend of hers to audit our acting class. He's worked. A lot. Nine episodes on 24, a pilot for Alan Ball... 

Well, JenIsLena just told me that he had mentioned to her that he thought I was great. That "there's no reason for her not to be working all the time." That I'm "So the cute, quirky girl."

You know how that makes me feel?

AWESOME!

I read somewhere, from one of those touchy-feely alternative books in the self-help section, that when we receive compliments like that, it means we're being validated by the Universe - that we are following the path we were meant to take.  And every now and then, I get that. I get validated.

Maybe there really is something to it.

I Feel Cool

My friend Tanya told me about Instagram. It's this great FREE app for the iPhone (Droidsters, check yours for it too) where you can take a photo and choose from FIFTEEN different filters. Like the Hipstamatic, but better because you can see what each photo will look like with each filter before committing.

I've been kinda going nuts with it:

AND you can even take photos you already have and use their filters too. I took a hair show photo form last year where the overheard fluorescent light killed the photo, making it unusable, and added a simple filter that takes off the strong highlights and gives a sepia feel to it. Now I look like a vintage movie star! 

 

You can also have it connect to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc or you can keep your photos private. 

It is a ton of fun!

Valentine's Day

I used to work in a Florist's Shop three years ago when I was still in college [hack! cough!]. For the entire month of February, long stem roses TRIPLE in price. And if you don't get your flowers ordered by the first week for a delivery, you are pretty much outta luck. (Although, I had been trained to say, instead of sorry, we're no longer accepting delivery orders for Valentine's day, to say, "Would you like us to deliver a bouquet of roses the day before with the note, 'I just couldn't wait another day to say I love you'?" Procrastination WIN!)

And because of this, nothing says thoughtless to me like red roses on Valentine's day.  Or, as Glow pointed out, a bear with heart.  And heart shaped jewelry is perfect if I'm under ten years old, which was 14 [hack! cough!] long years ago.

Plus, having worked as a waitress for so long and constantly working holidays, Valentine's Day for servers is right up there with Black Friday for retail. EVERYONE wants to go out and have dinner. An entire night of two tops. Two tops who don't want to chat or joke, but just want to get and eat their food and drinks as quickly as possible to prove that they really do like each other.

Having all these distasteful feelings of the holiday, I pretty much guaranteed the Love of My Life a very laid back first V day together. I can't even remember what we did. We were 3 1/2 months in. Maybe we saw a movie the day after. We were still in that goofy, moony Honeymoon stage. Maybe we didn't do anything but cuddle and tell bad jokes. That would have been perfect for me.

The following year, we were about to move in together and I took some colored red and pink paper and made him a gigantic heart with our stick figure faces and "Every day is Valentine's Day with you!"
Because, for the first time in my life, the honeymoon stage didn't seem to end. It was still going strong over a year later.

This year, I made him a homemade Valentine again. I went into my old Match.com account and grabbed the "Who I am and who I'm looking for" blurb that's a profile requirement, hacked into his Match.com account after guessing his password correctly on the first try, and swiped his old profile blurb as well and then printed them together with our old photos.

Every day IS Valentine's Day with you, babe. I love you.

WHO LOVES YOU!?

I do!

I have two FREE things for you, cause it's Valentine's Day Weekend!

1) You've been reading about Billy O'Leary's free class for a while now. Finally have some room in your schedule to go? Pick from either of these two dates:

Tuesday, Feb 15, 10am-12noon OR
Wednesday, March 2, 7-9pm

Email
assist@billyoleary.com
and let them know I referred you. The class will change your life.

2) Need to upgrade your hair color?

Artease Hair Color is looking for demo models! They need a few models for their Monday AM demo class. That's right, FREE hair color! They might do a cut now and then, depending, but if you're inbetween hair colorings, need to save money, are about to take new headshots, whatever, they will keep you in their files. And the best part - you don't need to "look" like a model or be as tall as one! As long as you have hair, they're interested in you.

All you need to do is cut and paste or Link or attach a few shots of what your hair looks like now to
hillary@backallieart.com

Put "Model Submission Refferal from Lira," and if you're interested and available for the Monday AM class, email her asap letting her know, otherwise, let her know you'd like to be kept in their files.

It's a GREAT family company (seriously - invented by a husband and wife duo, and helped run by their daughter and her bestie) and their colors are CRAZY beautiful!


Have a lovely V-Day Weekend!

I'm Angry

Can you tell?

I'm stagnant, I'm bitter, I've got no motion in my ocean, and a lot of the blame needs to be put on myself. I could be doing more.

I should be doing more.

And so I read the Actors Access breakdowns and yet continue to grow angry. And angrier.

I should be making more money acting. Oh fuck, I should be making ANY money at all, but still Nothing this year. Nothing. Nada.

And then I read this blog post from Actor With a Chip, and I feel better. I feel better. Because it's not just me. It's everybody. It's the whole business model and what's happened, what's happening.

The Struggling Actresses in LA are not alone. We're surrounded by all the other 20-33 year old  actresses who are also still struggling, and Actor With a Chip  believes, "the current crop of 20-33 year old actors are in for a very long winter. And I think most of them will drop out in short order."

It's a long winter. That's okay. I'm here. I'm not stopping. I will still be here when no one else is.

In the meantime, I will keep on studying in class, keep on writing, keep on creating content. And I will still be here.

I will still be here.

Selling Points

I'm glad you believe it to be a solid screenplay, but will anybody else?

 Again, film makers, it's a BUSINESS. You want actors to work for you? Don't tell them you're not going to have enough crew to run a production smoothly, and that those who want your art to be a commercial success so you can pay back your investors, and (gasp!) make money (as all BUSINESSES are wont to do) are evil, vain, and self-serving. It's the Producer's JOB to make sure the project will make money!

Good luck with your project. 

[TITLE REDACTED]
(8 Roles)
Non-Union Feature Film
Low-budget non-union feature horror film

NOTE: This project, a labor of love; though being done low budget is envisioned by a film-maker who is keen on making this a cult classic- secured by a foundation structured with what we believe to be a solid screenplay and a true to the film-maker's vision execution thereof. The film-maker is not beholding to any other interests- such as producers to infringe on creativity- other than the story itself.

Film-maker intends to put together the very best available skeleton crew made up of a unique group of the very best visionaries who have art and fair expression in their heart rather than only the monetary and vanity in their quests.

Want to Book a Pilot?

Then you should already be a name. With several series under your belt.  Or a movie star.

Here's an article passed on from my friend Carolina. The Hollywood Reporter is saying that the networks are courting several high profile stars for their pilots, including Christina Applegate, Tim Allen, Ellen Barkin, Zooey DesChanel, and Rachel Bilson to name a few.

There used to be an understanding back in the day, that once you "graduated" from being a television actor to doing films, you were never, ever going back down. It was suddenly beneath you. And it allowed a whole new crop of actors to audition for series regulars on pilots. To allow actors who put their time in to finally be able to quit their day job. For that lower-middle class actor to finally become upper-middle class.

Does that happen anymore? I'm not sure.

But I have to believe.

I have to believe.

I Don't Understand

This is a real breakdown. 

Maybe I'm slow, maybe I'm stupid, but this is a rather cryptic project and it sounds like whoever is producing it doesn't know what it is either. 

And they won't send you the script!


I mean, here- here's a job where the interviewer won't tell you what it is, what you'll be doing, or how you'll be doing it, or even what you'll be paid. 


If you want actors to take your project seriously, you need to let them know what they're going in for.  Don't expect them to make magic happen when you refuse to give them a top hat and a rabbit. 


Good luck with your project. Seriously.


[Redacted]
Non-Union Feature Film

HD Feature, microbudget, macroheart

Shoot/Start Date: Feb 9

Pay Rate: There is pay
Location: Los Angeles

Work with people with credits, and years of experience. Seeking the best in
 underused talent. Do you want to be a film actor? If you don't have enough
money to retire, consider this project. Project is both comedic and dramatic.
It's smart, creative, challenging and for the brave only. Simultaneously
 heartfelt, raunchy, uplifting, thought provoking. If you are a make it
 happen type of person please confirm you are available to shoot asap.
If your goal is to be a film actor, welcome.

[ REDACTED ]
Female, Caucasian, 25. Write notes that you want to shoot this week, a
few days a week. NonUnion or FiCore willing only. She's a make it
 happen sort. Driven young architect with passion and vision. Open to
magic. Generally happy. Force of nature. Helps to be in decent shape,
healthy person as this takes energy. Must be ok with going with the
flow of scripted and structured improv hybrid. Not like an improv class or loud,
stage performance. Sweet, smart, patient, helpful, focused emerging pro
actress with integrity and drive.
Will not send you the script. Action time: Here we go...

Dear Struggling Actress

Musician Paulina has a question about representation:

I was recently offered representation from an agent, but I have no idea if
the contract is appropriate. Do most agencies take 20%? And the agency is
a "talent management company licensed by the state of California." What
does that mean? Should I take the contract to an entertainment lawyer, and
if so, do you have any suggestions about who I should see?

Hey Paulina, thanks for reading! And here we go:

It's not clear to me whether or not the person wanting to rep you is an agent or a talent manager. You need to ask them because there is a big difference between a talent agency and a talent management company. An agent is legally able to submit you for jobs and negotiate your contract. Most are SAG franchised, which is basically a stamp of approval from the screen actors union, and many use the SAG standard contract when they sign you. A talent manager, however, is not legally able to submit you for jobs (although most do) and cannot legally negotiate your contract. They are there to help guide your career, your appearance, make introductions for you to agencies, etc.

This is why you need to know:

Agents are only allowed to take a 10% commission. UNLESS it is for a non-union job. Then they can take up to 20%. Non-union jobs are usually less money, and some agents qualify their 20% by saying it helps make up for that. (There are MANY agents, however, who will not submit you for non-union, or if they do, do NOT take 20%.)  For instance, it is industry standard with print jobs, which are non-union, for your rep to make 20%. It depends on your contract with your agent.

Managers are legally able to take up to 20% for their services. But most don't. Most cap it at 15%. The top tier ones (you know managing, say, JLo or an Olsen Twin) will only take 10%. Or 9. Or 8. If you're making a ton of money, they'll take less to keep you.

And I checked out your website: are you an Actress/Singer/Songwriter, or just a Singer/Songwriter? Is your representation for your music or for acting? If it's only for music, it could be a whole new ballgame, filled with answers I don't know.

Does anyone in the music industry have any tips for Paulina? Paulina, let us know if this is for an acting career, or for your music. And find out if the person wanting to rep you is an agent or a manager.

UPDATE:

Paulina emailed me back:

Hi Lira!

Thank you so much! This helped tremendously. I'm so new to acting and
representation issues; I had no idea where to begin and your response was
a huge help. Your questions are questions I have as well, but I couldn't
figure out how to word them, so thank you so much for your blog post. It
really helped me clarify the things that I need to understand.

I talked to the agent on the phone today (it's just for acting, by the
way) and got some more information, and I'm scheduled to meet with her
next week. I'm going to set up a short meeting with an entertainment
lawyer next week to go over the contract first, to make sure I understand
it. I'm pretty familiar with music contracts, but not acting contracts, so
hopefully this will all work out! :)

Thank you again! So grateful for your help!

-Paulina

So hooray! Paulina is going to meet with a lawyer to completely understand her contract and meet with the interested rep in order to fully understand what she wants. After doing all her research, she'll be able to make a fully informed decision that's best for her. Yay!