How To Keep Your Acting 'Real'

I once overheard an indie film director confess that when he’s casting for a role, he’s looking for “someone to save my ass.” Judging from everything I know about casting and the industry, this is definitely true. At the same time, one of the most effective things you can do as an actor is in an alternate arena: Be so real that your partner, audience, casting director, director, producer, etc., can't tell whether you're acting or really talking as yourself. Cultivating such a level of “realness” is so scary-awesome, as it creates a seamless performance and it gives the appearance that you are speaking with no trace of acting. This is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to the entire production, as it causes the directors, writers, and producers to look at you with a sense of wonder and gives your performance a mild tinge of danger.  

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, the difference between “good” and “great” acting is the actor who starts every scene lit up and emotionally full, instead of empty and having to warm up as they go. This creates a strong platform from whichto take the jump into the red mist and be the actor who acts in a way that seems so natural it doesn’t reek of the stench of acting technique or preparation. A great example of this is the opening scene of the Oscar-winning film “Birdman.” The film begins with a group of actors sitting around a table on a stage, seemingly having a discussion. As the conversation progresses and the camera moves, we realize they’re actually having a table read and acting dialogue from a play. This example so vividly demonstrates the elegance and ease that truly seamless acting can present: It can look startlingly real.   

Blank Canvas
After all preparation and seeds of character have been planted inside the actor and that initial first-moment emotional “light up” has been sparked, the bravest “act” an actor can do is to be a “blank canvas” and exist moment-by-moment, just like life! 

In life, you truly don’t know what the person you’re talking to is going to say or do. You can achieve this dynamic on stage or on screen as well. Some actors protest and say that the script prevents that sense of wonder and spontaneity, but I disagree. If you really are in the moment, emotionally full but allowing yourself to be a blank canvas which responds truthfully to what’s happening before you, you really will respond in an organic manner as if you don’t know what you’re partner is going to say or do. As Joaquin Phoenix explained to the journalist Elvis Mitchell in an article for Interview Magazine, he wants his experiences onscreen to feel so real (and presumably uncertain), that they feel like life. “Without fail, if I ever go onto a scene and say, ‘I’ve fucking got it,’ then it’s the worst thing in the world. I think you’re just looking for life… I don’t want to nail it. I want to go into the courtroom and feel like I might lose the case. I want it to be scary—and it still is.” This quote aptly summarizes how, by allowing yourself to live moment by moment in the scene, you can create a combined sense of fear, uncertainty, and the unknown—all of which are so captivating to watch.

Exercise: Keeping It Real
Call a friend, family member, or acquaintance and let them know you’re going to play a little game as you have the phone conversation. The game is that you’re going to interject lines of dialogue into the conversation but you’re not going to tell them when you’re doing it. The challenge is to see if the person on the other line can tell when you’re reading the text and when you’re really speaking to them. The person you’re talking to only has to engage in the conversation with you, and call bullshit when they see it, or if something seems like interjected dialogue (from your script or play) or simply inauthentic. I guarantee this session will make you more aware of when you’re being real and fully engaged with emotional fullness and when you’re not. 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

Do Actors Need College Degrees?

Photo Source: Jesse Balgley

Yes, you can definitely forge a successful, thriving career as an actor without a degree in theater—much the same as you can become a successful filmmaker without going to film school, or be a successful writer without a BA or MFA in creative writing. Institutions often struggle to bridge the gap between classic theater training and technique and preparing the actor for the styles and demands of an ever-changing film and TV industry. The trained actor will find they need to supplement their training with classes in multi- and single-camera sitcom technique, motion capture, self-taping, cold-reading, etc., in order to be competitive at the Olympic level of the industry. 

That said, a theater degree is a truly special experience during one’s collegiate years, and is one which I would never trade for anything. It can offer a strong foundation, solid work ethic, and give precious hands-on experience in a fun and challenging environment with talented, like-minded individuals—people who can offer invaluable support and collaboration as you grow as an artist.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

Tips for Creating Your Demo Reel

First, stop making your reel an obstacle to success! Don’t use the excuse of “I’m working on my reel" as means of delaying your career any further. Yes, you must absolutely have professional, high-quality video footage of your work in order to compete at the highest level of this industry, but this does not mean you need to create a traditional reel. Alternative types of demo reels are often way more effective in helping you get the audition or launch your career. To see how to create a winning demo reel and for examples of non-traditional reels that can supercharge career, read my article, "4 Tips for a Winning Reel.” 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

Workshop: NYC - May 30th, 2015

Launch Your Career & Reach Your Oscar Potential

WHEN: May 30th, 2015 from 12:00PM - 3:30PM
WHERE: Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018

This workshop is a rare opportunity to get both Joseph's Career Coaching and Private Coaching sessions in one workshop: Boost your audition rate to compete for every role you're right for AND coach one-on-one with Joseph to an undeniable ACTING BREAKTHROUGH!

More workshop info HERE.

3 Ways To Stand Up For Yourself In The Biz

These columns have talked a lot about rejecting the herd mentality and stopping following the advice churned out by other actors who cling to a cookie-cutter path to success. The reality is that part of your journey as an actor means you need to figure out how you carve your own path to success. Figuring it out is part of what you’ve committed to on this journey. You know that your successful career won’t look like anyone else’s.

But what about the curve balls that get thrown at you as you’re diligently hoeing the row in front of you? 

Here are some obstacles—or hits in the groin—that can undermine your confidence and your love of the industry. How you handle them determines your success in the business. 

1. The casting couch. Many female actor clients complain that when they go to film festivals to network, they can’t tell whether directors and producers they meet want to sleep with them or cast them. Any producer or director that is considering your work first would never want to alienate their relationship with you by muddying the water with innuendo. So if you sense innuendo using your sharp intuition, then you’re probably right. 

Be very discerning about who you give your personal phone number to, as that can easily be misinterpreted as more personal and less professional. One of my celebrity clients just returned from Sundance to promote her film and network with writers, directors, and producers. She noted, that upon her return, her phone starting blowing up with text message solicitations for dinners and drinks. That’s fine, and I know some actors who can finesse such attention and direct it to career opportunities. This is extremely tricky, however. For many actors, solicitations for dinner and drinks can become awkward and murky territory. To avoid these headaches altogether, I recommend only giving out an email address. If you want to give a number, either give your rep’s number, or create a separate Google Voice account where you have the control to forward it anywhere you like. 

2. You’re publicly humiliated. What to do when you’re being humiliated at an audition? An actor client recently told me a story of an audition where a casting director humiliated her in front of a group of other actors by grabbing her stomach and telling her she needed to lose a few pounds in order to be taken seriously for the role. The irony of this situation was that the casting director herself was extremely overweight. In moments like these, put aside your desire to book for a second and address the human survival issues that are immediately at hand. If left handled poorly or not at all, such instances of humiliation by industry “professionals” directed towards actors can result in psychological damage and other horrors. I advise my clients to stand up for themselves. An appropriate response for my client would either be to just walk out—as they’re simply not worth your time—or say, “It’s a shame that you feel such profound self-hatred that you have an overwhelming need to project it outwards.” If you don’t want to be confrontational, look at this person with extreme pity, as they deserve not your hatred, but your deepest sympathy. Then leave. 

3. Your friend blows up. This is the friend you moved out to L.A. with. Your friend went through it all with you. Antagonistic, abusive acting teachers, hooking up with scene partners, catering and serving gigs, crummy apartments in the valley, and fighting for one-line co-stars. Now your friend has caught a major break and is able to leverage it to lift herself up and out of the ranks of the no-name actors. Everything has changed. She goes to Soho house. She has heavy-hitting reps. She competes for roles and runs into celebrities in the waiting rooms of casting offices. You, however, are still slugging it out, slinging drinks and trying to get noticed. 

If this is really your friend, she’ll throw you a bone and try to help you as much as possible; this will mostly come via the form of introductions. She is someone who can help inch you forward—somewhat. The responsibility is still all yours and she needs to focus on her new career.

Know that the only justice that comes with the business of acting is that it’s so hard for everyone. Here today, gone today (as Chris Rock once said). While your friend may be doing phenomenally and that’s wonderful, the pressure is on her even more, and she still feels that she’s just an inch away from the edge of the cliff into obscurity. 

Being able to roll with the punches helps to show the universe that you are ready, willing, and able to handle a higher level of success, as more success mean more curve balls thrown your way. Treat each curveball as an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and your backbone of steel.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

4 Tips For A Winning Reel

Don’t use the notion of “I’m working on my reel” as a means of delaying your career. It’s common for people in the business to hear actors seek refuge for making poor career choices in the name of “working on their reel.” It’s common to hear actors take this or that shitty no-paying project, or student film, etc. so they have “something for their reel.” This kind of reel can close more doors than it opens. A reel filled with derivative work, badly shot, with poor production values can do more harm than good: It can actually shut you out of contention by showing a director, writer, producer, or casting director what they didn’t need or want to see.

1. Think about the future of reels. With the game-changing swell of new media, the traditional acting reel is quickly becoming obsolete. Due to the extraordinary success of her YouTube channel—featuring original content and characters—one of my inspiring rising star clients recently grabbed the attention of the industry. She was offered a holding contract with a major TV network and top tier A-list representation. Her YouTube channel unwittingly became one of the most effective reels I’ve ever seen. She’s self-taught, learning everything piecemeal through peers, online videos, and tutorials. Rather than waiting for permission, she created her own success. She produces three videos per week. 

A supremely talented actor-screenwriter student in my master class has a collection of individual scenes rather than a stitched together reel showcasing every genre. It’s modular, so he can send the combination he feels best for any given project.

2. Put your best footage first. A good reel should be no longer than one-and-a-half minutes and start immediately; no 10-second holds on your name against a blank screen—that just bores casting to tears and makes them impatient. Open with a clip of your best acting right away. Have your name as text at the bottom for the first few seconds and then allow it to disappear as the reel continues. 

Actors are often told to put their best credits/footage first on their reel, but for many actors this is just a series of co-star footage with actors reciting one-liners as they play bartenders, dog-walkers, and other co-star roles. That’s fine, but if an indie director is watching your reel, they need to watch further and deeper into the reel to see actual footage of you acting. That’s why it’s important to take on meatier indie projects that really push you as an actor, as those are the parts that give you reel footage that can actually showcase your abilities. You playing a waitress on “Grey’s Anatomy” and saying, “One moment please,” does little to impress anyone in the indie world. 

3. Create your own footage. Beware of companies that create mock reels. A professional can smell these a mile away; they can tell this is not the real deal. Rather, as I always encourage, use your personality and your original voice to write and shoot something yourself. Work with friends. Collaborate and pool your funds to hire a good cinematographer and sound person. You could spend a day shooting three scenes that would be beneficial to you and two-to-three other actors and you’d be able to split the costs. The major benefit of this is that you take control of the content that you create, rather than being beholden to the derivative whims of all the film school graduates and low-level indie directors out there. This gives you the opportunity to play the serial killer, the Wall Street d-bag, the jilted prom queen, or whatever character in your wheelhouse of which you don’t already have footage.

4. Avoid recreating scenes. Don’t do any recognizable scenes from established films in the name of having something on your reel just to have it. I cringe when I see actors doing their own versions of “Good Will Hunting” or “When Harry Met Sally.” Don’t add footage of you recording your performance in an acting class, even if you nailed the scene. It looks amateurish and makes you appear as though you haven’t booked any legitimate jobs. 

Plus, this will allow you to plan the task of developing and finishing your reel so that it really is reflective of your abilities and you can stop taking on crap projects in the name of working on your reel. Being involved with such projects only enables you in stalling your career when you should be pushing it forward. 

The bottom line is that while your résumé may not yet have the caliber of work that you’re capable of, there’s no reason your reel has to be as narrow.

This article was originally posted on Backstage