The Show Must Go On

When tragedy strikes, it is our job as creators - writers, musicians, dancers, actors, etc - to continue on with our work.

It is our job to create a space, a diversion, a song, so that those who are in the midst of immeasurable pain and sadness, can escape their own life for a minute or two and breathe. 

The Show Must Go On.

You owe it, as a creative who has embraced their calling, to find ways to help heal others' pain.

Write your lyrics, strum your guitar, lace up your ballet shoes, and help heal those who need it most.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by these terrible events these last few days.

The Show Must Go On.

Headshot Critique

Julian writes:

Hi Lira!

Hope all is well.  Been reading and rereading some of your blog posts,
and must say I learn something new each time.

I was wondering if you could take a look at my headshots and let me
know what you think.  The main two that I use for submitting on actors
access are here:

http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/julianyuen

More looks on my site:

http://julianyuen.com/headshots/

Thank you so much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Hey Julian! Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you're finding my blog helpful. :)

Let's talk about the photos on your website first.

Now, because you're Asian, your age range is a much, much bigger than mine. I like to say I'm 24-29 and I think 29 might be of a stretch. Do you see that? My five year age range? LAME. At auditions calling for early 30s, I look like a child compared to the other women there.

Your age range, (are you ready?) is 18-35. Now, it might lesson once I see you in person, but based on your photos, 18-35 is what you can play. Why? (and forgive me for sounding racist) Because Asians are damn lucky. Ya'll are practically ageless. My friend Tanya, who is 1/2 Vietnamese and 1/2 French went out for a 35 year old doctor role when she was only 25 and she was PISSED because she thought there was no way she could ever pass for 35. But 35 year old Asian women could pass for 25. (See this cartoon!)  View your enormous age range as a gift! Harry Shum Jr. is playing a 17 year old high school student. He is 30 years old.

On your website, you have five photos. Number 2 and 3 are my favorite. Number 2 with the big laughing smile makes you look 18. Number 3 with the layered look makes you look 22-35.

I would like to commend you on your choice of headshot photographer because technically, the shots are good, however none of them look like they were Photoshopped. It looks like there needs to be a little bit of color correction, and your skin could use a little smoothing out. Photoshopping your photos is ALWAYS a good investment! At $25-35/pop they can get pricey, but it's only going to help you.

Now let's talk about your AA account.

Actually, let's talk about cropping.

The most flattering headshot photos show a little of your neck and chest, otherwise, you look short and squat - like a little kid trying to jump into the frame. You need to call Actors Access and let them know you need to recrop your photos. (Or actually, you're just using your two freebies, right? Just take them down and reload them back up) Take a look at my profile picture on my right sidebar. I've cropped the top of my head off so you can see my neck and a little of my chest. You need to do the same for yours.

When I go to your website and look at the thumbnails, they're cropped way better than the ones on your AA account. Use your website thumbnails as your guide.

Also, if you're only going to use two photos on AA, which is FINE, pretty please make sure you're wearing a different outfit between your theatrical and comedic shot. It seems silly, but it gives you more range.

Bottom line - you've got good headshots. Recrop the ones on your AA profile, or, better yet, get them retouched first, then put those up, cropped so that we can see your neck more. I honestly think you'll get more auditions if you follow my advice.

xoxo
Lira :)

Casting Director Workshop with Greg Apps

*If you're not an LA native, you will still find this post highly informative. 

Greg Apps is an Australian Casting Director with more credits than a kangaroo can stuff in her pouch. When I received an email from his assistant inviting me to his workshop, I was wary. After the initial email exchange, when still no dollar amount was listed to join, I emailed how much it cost. "It's free."

Free? Hmmm. So I figured it was a Free Class he was doing to help sell his new classes in LA. I was cautious. I couldn't understand why I was contacted and what it was for.

I get there on a very rainy day on the 17th. Greg is a charming man, shook our hands, welcomed us to the room he had reserved on the third floor of Space Station Casting on Highland.

Greg explained he was only in LA for the week; every few years he comes round to the studios to remind them he's available in the Southern Hemisphere to cast actors on their behalf.

A few more actors trickled in until we had a total of about 10.

Have you ever done an LA Casting Director Workshop before? They're cold and sad. Every actor in the audience is paying upwards of $30 to audition so that they can hopefully be brought in later. The people running Casting Director workshops in LA say they're running a valuable teaching workshop, but every actor who does one knows they are essentially paying for a job interview - which is illegal. After performing a scene, very little useless feedback or direction is given, and every actor in there looks sad and desperate by kissing casting's ass. [That is another long discussion at another time!]

This workshop was not that. Greg actually shook all our hands, learned our names (!) and chatted with each of us a few minutes before his workshop began.

And yes, this was a workshop where we actually LEARNED things. Greg started off as an actor, and once he was finished with that, he moved on to casting and loved it so much that he quit acting altogether. Casting fulfills him in a way that is completely obvious in how he talked and got to know us, and genuinely cared. He spoke to us in actor terms and knew what he was talking about.

This workshop was treated like an On Camera class; we all got up to perform our scene, he gave us a few quick notes, redirected us, and then had us all do the scenes again. We were taking a class and learning from a CD who rented the space on his own, and wasn't charging us.

He instructed us on how to come in and "own" the auditioning space. He recommends that you have things in your pockets (cell phone, wallet, etc.) and slowly take them out and place them on a nearby table while making small talk and asking about the character. It was so cute and really made me want to audition in Australia, because NO WAY would that fly here in LA. Your pre-read is created to get you in and out of the office super fast and I can only imagine how annoyed the cd would be if you're creating any sort of wait for the actors in her lobby. Time is money in LA.

But here's some gems I want to share with you:

- If, after a line delivery, you can add the word 'idiot', you're saying it with the wrong intention. For instance, saying "Is that what you think?" with the intention of making the other person feel stupid vs "Is that what you think?" with the intention of making the other person feel safe and that they can open up to you, changes everything. And if your character is in a romantic relationship with the person they're in the scene with, well, you probably don't want to make your lover feel dumb. That's just bad manners, and probably NOT what the writer intended.

- The character not the dialogue must be what pops. Every other person auditioning already kind of looks like you, they're already framed the same way in the camera, they're all saying the same exact thing you are. And there's about 100 of them. So how do you stand out? Eye contact (only making it when making a point, just like in real life!) mannerisms, tics; THOSE make a character, and therefore YOU pop.

We had a Q&A session afterwards and he told us that the reason he was doing this workshop was because he eventually wants to retire from casting but still teach actors online.

Now of course, I recommend finding a teacher you love where you're located, so you can actually get up and work in a group of people and blah blah blah (I'm sure you're sick of me touting my favorite LA instructor) But his technique and approach are invaluable for those who aren't in LA or NY or heck, even the United States.

So check him out on facebook at www.theauditiontechnique.com and follow him on Twitter @AuditionTechniq and see what he has to say.

I recommend him.

Twenty Minutes

Today, you are going to treat yourself to Twenty Minutes of a video by Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert so that you can understand why you have the desire, the want, the call to be an actor.

Find twenty minutes, just 20 minutes, to listen to this. You will be thankful you did. And I'd love to read your comments.





Thanks, Anthony, for the link. :)

Slump

My friends and I have a cry of frustration whenever we're in a mood:

"I'm Creatively DEAD Inside!!"

And we always laugh because sometimes, somedays, somemonths, I swear to god, doesn't it feel like we can't come up with anything worthy? Doesn't it feel like nothing ever positive happens? Doesn't it seem like we keep on slogging on, with no distance made? We keep going and going and going.

In circles.

So here I am, at degree 360 about to take one more step when I just realize, EFF! I'm back to one!

EFF IT ALL TO HELL!

But hey, circles are cyclical, right? We've been here before, we'll be here again. I'm at the trough of the roller coaster. I'll be at the top of the world soon. Sooner than I know. You will too.

Keep on keeping on.

Dear Struggling Actress

16 year old Katy writes,

First, great blog! I’m a new reader, so I’ve barely made a dent, but I’ve learned so much already. Thank you!

So, I’m a junior in high school and I love acting. I’m heavily involved with my school’s theatre department, trying to get all the experience I can not only as an actress but also as a director or producer or part of backstage crew. In an ideal world, I’d love to pursue acting as a career. I’ve been told that I’m a very good actress, particularly with comedic material (obviously I can’t be objective here, so I won’t tell you what I think). I’ve done well in a statewide competition, although I haven’t won any awards yet. I have the opportunity to compete a few more times while I’m still in high school, so hopefully that will change (this year??).  

Problem is, my parents aren’t exactly what you’d call “artsy.” They aren’t very enthusiastic about me potentially majoring in Theatre (or even Communications!) and would really rather I didn’t move to California after college graduation. They don’t really understand the appeal of the entertainment industry. They tend to push me more toward medicine (which is so interesting, but not what I want to do with my life) or engineering (ew). They want a guarantee that I’ll be rich and successful in my field. I can’t give them that. I’d rather be happy instead.

I’m feeling kind of stuck. Obviously I can’t ask you to tell me whether or not I should pursue acting the way we’d all like to (the way you are!), but I really want the decision to be completely out of my hands. So I’ll give you a theoretical situation. Just assume that I’m extremely talented and that I have incredible potential if I applied myself entirely to acting. I’d still be going against my parents’ wishes and I’d still be moving across the country, but I have some indirect connections and (theoretically) enough talent to give me a fighting chance. And passion for what I’m doing. What then? Should theoretical me go for it, or go the "safer" route?

You just seem to have it all together, so I’d love to hear your opinion on this.

Thanks!

- Katy

Hey Katy,

You hit the nail on the head: I can't tell you whether or not you should pursue acting, but I CAN  share with you what I would tell myself if I could go back in time and advise 16 year old me.

First off, I understand you wanting to not make the decision yourself; I had the same problem (Should I go to school for creative writing or theatre performance?) and I dealt with it by only applying to one theatre school. If I got the theatre scholarship that would pay a lot of my way, I'd go there. If I didn't, I'd stay home, go to community college, transfer to Santa Cruz and major in creative writing. I knew no matter what, I'd be happy either way, and also forever carry in my heart, what if the other one happened instead? and be wistful. I made peace with that.

But the Universe spoke. I got the scholarship. Off to get a degree in pretend I went!

We seem to have a similar background too. I was also heavily involved with my high school's theatre department. I won awards for acting. I landed lead roles in both the fall play and spring musical (the only female to do so that year) and I also created my high school's first creative journal, as well as my own monthly magazine. I had been acting since I was 12 in community theatre. I loved it. I was good at it. At 13, I was the youngest staff member of my city's Teen newspaper. I had my own column. I loved it. I was good at it.

So here I am, several years later, trying to book enough acting gigs to make rent, and the editor-in-chief of my very own blog. I have the best of both worlds!

Or do I?

Here's the thing, Katy,

I also didn't think it would take me this long to become successful enough to make a decent living acting. I have it all - I'm cute, I'm personable, I'm a decent actress. And yet, all those things are not enough. I have friends who are freaking amazing and wonderful and even more talented than I, and they too, are not where they thought they would be.

If I could take a time machine so I could impart some wisdom to my 16 year old self, I would say this: "Major in psychology. Minor in creative writing."

I LOVE psychology. I feel like I'm good at figuring out motives for people's behavior. It fascinates me. I love helping people. I love helping people feel. 

And if I majored in the above, I would also have marketable skills.

AND every major metropolis has fun performance things. There are community theaters, poetry slams, indie bands. I could have my own family counseling practice, and once I get home and take off my high heels, I can go grab my bongos and join my drum circle. I would love my job, loves my bank account with the commas, and still get to be creative and perform on my own time.

Your parents don't want you to pursue a career in acting because they know there are tens of thousands of struggling actresses like me who aren't making it, who can't make it, who will never make it. The last thing they want is to have their daughter have to move back home with them, defeated, broken hearted and thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Let me give you another example:
 

My friend Gloria sang with her family in church since she was a little girl. She also sang in her choir group in high school. She was also doing as much tech work as possible. She could do it all.
Gloria went to USC on a full opera scholarship. But her freshman year at USC, she had a crisis; she hated the program. It wasn't what she wanted to do. So she quit school, moved out on her own to Seattle for a year to figure out what to do next, and then applied to Cal Arts for Scenic Design, because she also loved doing that and she was very good at it.

Now, she has worked on the Oscars for the last seven years, and she's won an Emmy certificate (they don't give out trophies to everyone- lame!) for her work on it. She works all the time. She is happy. She loves her job.

And she also found a way to still perform. She is the Assistant Shin in the LA Fire Brigade fire dancers conclave, and she spins hula hoop, staff, double staves, and double hoops, all on fire.

You can find work that makes you happy, and you can find pleasure that makes you thrive.
There is a healthy, happy balance.

Okay, here's another faster, shorter example of true life: Most of my fellow acting major peers don't pursue acting. Or at least, they did, for about two years, made no money, went back to school and got their teaching degree. A lot of teachers have theatre degrees. It's great - we have all the focus and attention on us, and we have a captive audience! 

So here's some advice. Find the thing that is NOT acting that you love to do, and study that for your first year in college. Buy a good laptop with all the bells and whistles with your graduation money, get a smart phone, and grab a bunch of your new college friends and make silly dorky videos. Make shorts. Or memorize monologues and go to open mics in the college town cafes and perform them there. You can still find ways to perform and fill your soul.

And if you think you'd be happier studying acting, knowing full well the majority of people who move to LA or NYC will never, ever make enough money to claim they're middle class, go ahead and add it as your minor.

I just want you to know that I had one of the best auditions of my life for a series regular of a new show, and the casting director told me, "That was really, really funny. You made some Great choices!" And I didn't get called back. That is my life right now. And I don't wish the what if's, the dissillusionment, the constant self-doubt and ego blows, and low self-worth on anyone.

Find something else, anything else, and have a happy and successful career. You can still perform without having to commit your entire life to it.

In fact, maybe YOU will be the one to make a time machine that works. Let me know. I have some things to tell my junior year self.

xoxo
Lira

Footloose

My mother is 5'2. My dad is 6 feet tall. I should have grown to be about 5'7 (missed that by 2 inches!) because of that. How do I know? Because I have giant feet and hands.

Seriously. My hands are not tiny. They're slender, sure, they're feminine, yeah, but they are long. "Piano hands,"* Dustin Diamond told me. Thanks, Screech!

And my feet are huge. I wear a 9 1/2.   5'10 models have this size shoe or SMALLER.
My mom wears a 7 1/2. So to put this in perspective, I was already borrowing her shoes when I was in fourth grade. Yes. At 8 years old, I had the same size shoe as my fully grown mother.

In seventh grade, I was a 9 1/2 and I pleaded to the heavens, PLEASE STOP LETTING MY FEET GROW! PAYLESS ONLY GOES UP TO 11!!! and thankfully, oh, thankfully, the heavens listened and intervened.

"It takes a bigger foundation to make a church than an outhouse," my dad quoted from his grandfather. And that's true...

But for my height, my feet are still big.

And apparently, they're also popular: http://www.wikifeet.com/Lira_Kellerman

Wikifeet.com is a Real site where random strangers on the internet can find photos of celebrities off google, myspace, or where ever and stare at their feet. It's "The collaborative celebrity-feet website."

Did you catch that part? Celebrity?  So what the heck am I doing there?

Should I tell them I'm not a celebrity?

Okay. Did you see the part where you can RATE the feet? 2 people have rated my feet as Ugly! My feet are not ugly! Go ahead and ask the other 2 people who have rated them as Beautiful! My feet average out!

I mean, come on. This is ridiculous and hysterical.

....I wonder if I should eff with the site and show pictures of me in fancy dresses biting my toenails. Or painting my feet to look like I got a bad case of the gangrene?

At any rate, if you want to feel famous, go ahead and upload some pictures of yourself being silly with your feet and tell all your friends to go the page and click "beautiful"!

And help a sister out over here too, yeah?
















* True story!

Free Coffee!

You know when you're on an indie set and the coffee is long gone you have some downtime around 4pm while they reset?

You bust out your smartphone (AT&T gives their users 15% off for card carrying union members!), see that a Starbucks is only a few blocks away (cause, you know, it's LA) and offer to go on a coffee run.

EVERYONE LOVES YOU!!!!

And you can get a free drink!

Go to Starbucks.com, download the form to the right, and if you buy 4 drinks, yours, the 5th one, is FREE! And you're a HERO!

(I'll take a tall reverse caramel macchiato with whip, thanks. :)

You know what, go ahead and download a few of these forms and keep them in your wallet/purse/actor kit and go nuts through November 12th this year.

Actually, go call your agents and see if they want anything!

You're welcome!

Casting - And This Can Happen to You

Helped a friend yesterday with casting for a hush hush project and we auditioned a few older women in their 40s to 50s. The character is a mother with two 16 year old children who has to have a very terrifying conversation with each of them, and due to the nature of the project, was all improvised.

We were....less than impressed. We had two options we knew would work, but we didn't have anyone we were jumping up and down about.

"What about Stephanie?" I asked. Stephanie played my mom in a feature a few years ago, and not only is she an absolute pleasure to work with, but the woman is phenomenal. If you've watched Big Love, Parks and Rec or the Office, you've seen her work.

We looked her up online and had a heck of a time trying to find her contact info. We had to go to her facebook page, but we couldn't even message her unless she was a friend.  (I understand you want your personal page private [and you'll see mine is also mostly hidden] but I do have my email available to the general public, just in case.)

Luckily, I was her friend on Facebook, and I went into my own account to message her saying, "Hey! Are you available and interested, because this role is YOURS if you want it!"

And cases like these are not rare; you do a phenomenal job working, and you WILL be remembered.

Keep on doing great work and being a pleasure to work with, and you will work again and again.

Just make sure to make it easy to find you too! :)

Revitalized!

photo by MJ Steinbrenner

We're back from Burning Man, my fire conclave, the LA Fire Brigade, had two amazing performances, (didn't drop my staff or burn myself!) and most of our stuff has been vinegarized and stored, and we only have laundry and bedding to wash and clean and sort and store and then it's DONE!

For those of you who have been to Black Rock City the week before Labor Day, you know that it feels more like New Year's than January first.

I came home to a bunch of work emails and I'm creating a list of all the things I want to acheive in the next few months. My main goal: Writing More.

More

More

More!

I had a year or two before I started this blog where I wasn't inspired to write anything at all. But now, I have so many things I want to do, with so many people, and I'm working on several projects at once, and I JUST peeked into my writing folder where I have 5 different pieces that I only half finished and put away and now I want to get started on those too! I'M SO PUMPED THAT I'M WRITING IN RUN-ON SENTENCES CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!?!?

So I'm here to say I'm not dead, I'm just super busy from being away for so long. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to help run a casting session for a project I'm also in, and then I'm coming back home to grab my Birthday Boy Husband and to whisk him off to get a massage cause we be fancy like that.

Happy New Year!