HOLLYWOOD ACTOR PREP by Dana Kaminski

Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Jeff Bridges, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe

In this video, they touch on certain acting career experiences, that every actor feels; but aren’t often shared:

• Experiencing the excitement of the first time on stage
• Realizing the calling
• That amazingly great feeling that becomes almost like an addiction
• Sense of power
• The fear, and befriending that fear, and as Jeff Bridges says: Coming out the other side of it
• Scarier doing stage, than film
• How music can be utilized in acting preparation, powerfully

Best!

;~Dana

Please pass this along to someone else. As long as you do, is as long as this blog will continue…and we may be expanding soon…

So please spread the value of this site to your friends. Thank you very much.

It’s A Great Time For Actors. The Internet Allows Actors To Act, Publicly.

I have even recommended that you make your own product, at times.

I have also, always admonished that you must make sure, before you put your own product out into the world, that it is very top professional level…As far as the production value. Most crucially, make sure that your acting is ready to go out into the world. Your abilities.

The Acting That Goes On Digital Replays On Digital. Again, Again, Again…

Make sure that you have fine, high standards for yourself. Please think twice and then again, before you impulsively put yourself out into the world as an actor. Because digital content is not like a play. In a play, an actor can work through stuff, try out new skills, get experience. When a play is over, it’s gone.

When a film is finished shooting, it’s on the film forever. Digital is even more serious. Once your acting is on the internet, it is there forever.

I know how excited and ready every actor feels to be a performer. To be ‘doing it’ and getting people to see you doing it. (Acting, that is!)

Remember when you were in high school, and it seemed like adulthood would never happen?

Professional Acting Careers Do Happen.

When you have your professional acting reputation as your identity, you will want only that level of acting to be visible to your audience.

If you plan on being a professional actor, if you aren’t one already; make sure your acting ability is at peak professional level, before you put something out that could embarrass you later. Or worse. That could cost you a job later, a job that would have been a stepping stone in your career.

If you do a production that appears amateurish, you may be shooting your career in the foot.

If you are in a production that is amateurish, it is very hard to appear professional as an actor, with professional level chops.

If you really don’t have the professional level chops, as an actor; then it might be something to consider before showing the world, and your future employers, what you can’t do. Putting your limitations on the screen of the public, for all the world to see, and to replay again and again.

Take this advice with a grain of salt. Or don’t.
I know it’s a brand new world of artistic freedom, and it’s very exciting to be able to make your own product. Just as it is as accessible as can be, to make your own product, finding and watching product has become quite easily accessible too. That means that in the future, all past digital product will be at the touch of a button. That means that your resume won’t be on paper soon, so much as all your work will be viewable, instead. By searching.

And, yes, I know what it’s like to be an actor, with no credits yet, and how difficult it can be to break through and really get to act on something at a professional level. How hard it is to wait, to be able to start to act.

But, what I am sure of, because I have seen the actors who do become professionals, and very successful; and I have also seen many who don’t.

Foresight, planning, artistic development, and using professional wisdom, long before you get hired as a professional actor, is the best way of all.

Do you regard yourself as a professional actor? All I am saying is, making decisions based on impulse, impatience, and even desparation; can turn out very different, than making decisions with the inner security and prudence of someone who treats their profession as a career. Long-term career.

Best,

Dana

Please share, thanks…Even if you are mad because I just stuck a pin in your bubble.

(Professional acting ability, and using professional-level wisdom, isn’t easily poppable, like a bubble. By the way. It’s rock solid, like gold.)

Act like a professional, in your regard and in respect to your career, with respect to your highest self. Learn to act like a professional actor. (That’s why it’s called that.) And when you are ready to put something out for the public, and for your future employers to see, make sure it is only at the level that your future employers will want to employ you from…and employ you over all the other actors. Skilled professional actors.

You may be mad at me now. I am guessing that you won’t be so mad later, a few more years down the road…

For Some Actors, It Seems Like Bad News, But It’s Actually Good.

If there are not shortcuts, and there is no such thing as being ‘discovered’…

Then you have to be a good actor to succeed.

The good news about that is that professional acting is about great acting. A great actor has a kind of insurance.

The really great good news is that each and every actor who really expands and grows, as an actor, expands and grows throughout their life.

And a career such as professional acting with its unreliable reputation, can ebb and flow, but one thing profound thing does not change.

No matter what happens, for the actor that honors and has developed a craft; no one can take that away. Nothing can.

At the end of the day, it’s a mighty valuable thing to possess. (That’s something that you’ll just have to take my word for, perhaps.)

Don’t trust this entirely?

Well, good. You shouldn’t.

Yes, there are other ways, other reasons that actors get hired. Even acquire acting careers.

But none of them are reliable methods to become a professional actor, nor to survive, once you do. They’re based on chance. Who would try to achieve the important goal of their life, by leaving it up to chance?

But, if at an actor has great talent, great abilities; then the irregularities and unpredictability of the business become secondary.

Trailer for Iron Man 2 With Mickey Rourke

Iron Man 2 Poster with Mickey Rourke, courtesy and copywright ©Paramount Pictures.

Best,

Dana

Please remember to share this. Thank  you.

The casting auditions for “Lost” were not typical.  At all.

The Actors That Were Cast In 'Lost'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s start with actor Matthew Fox’s audition.

In the audition video below, Fox is reading the ‘sides‘ for two different parts; he’s auditioning for the role of Sawyer; first, and then Jack.

Wait…he auditioned for the role of Sawyer??

Yep.

Unbelievably, this TV pilot was taken on, by the network, because of idea + concept alone…and the mojo, record, and reputation of J.J.Abrams.

At the time of these auditions, there was no script yet. (Which meant the auditioning actors had no overview; nothing to reference: to base their character choices on, nor to guide their acting choices…)

Also, without a script, how could they possibly decide to accept the job should they be chosen? How to make that career decision?

Even more drama that you’ll notice, when you watch the videos:

At the time of the auditions, the three characters (Sawyer, Jack, Kate) were planned, but…

The plan was to have  the Jack character die off in the pilot; first episode. Then, Kate would become leader, and continue as such for the rest of the season.

The part where Jack was supposed to die is still in the pilot…Remember when he and Kate find the plane and then Jack goes inside, and doesn’t come out? Later, he is found, high on top of the tree, with a big bleeding gash that needs stitching?? Originally, that was Jack’s ‘death moment’.

 

The situation, from a casting director perspective…

Matthew Fox was a well-known television actor, at established ‘lead actor’ position; from “Party of Five”. If he had only come to the  ’Lost” auditions or the role of Jack, then he would be trying out for a role that wouldn’t be a series regular. (At that time.) Basically, it was to be a big guest star lead (which could be considered a step down in stature, and it was only a television pilot; so it wasn’t even on a big established show where a good guest star lead would be a feasible career choice.)

Cast Of Actors :::: 'Party Of Five'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, JJ Abrams, the show runner, was established…but again, here was this recognizable lead actor being called in to audition for something that, without a script,really couldn’t be assessed as to what it was going to become. Or if it was going to become anything, at all. Failures can be harmful to actors’ careers.

 

Professional rank, for actors, is very important. So  is maintaining that stature.

Since acting careers are based on trajectory,  no one wants to go backwards. It’s professional stature, that influences future prospects, as well as current reputation, in the industry.

Not to forget, all that… and the Jack  character gets killed off, first show?  The casting director would have had to have that in mind,  when calling in the actors she wanted to see for the roles.

All the actors were auditioning for something that they were clueless about…Couldn’t read anything with no script yet, and had very little information about…not only to make acting decisions, and choices, of how they would perform during the audition; but also, they were clueless about what the professional ranking level would be, of their character.

 

April Webster, the ‘Lost’ casting director, has been well-established for a very long time.

So, I watched these tapes carefully, to see what I could observe…

See, casting directors know type, and they are usually adamant about what type they categorize individual actors into.

(Why? Well, for one, it’s a main skill for which they build their professional reputation on.)

Clearly, Matthew Fox is a perfect fit, personality-wise, for the role of Jack. But, surely, April Webster would have known the role of Jack was not going to be a lead role, not a series regular.

Maybe, because it was a JJ Abrams pilot, that they were going to try to cast recognizable people (such as Matthew Fox) for the guest lead. Certain shows qualify for movie actor guest stars, or television lead-billing guest stars, because the show-runner has a big reputation in the industry. Like JJ Abrams. (Originally, Michael Keaton was in mind for this part! And, only as a guest star, but specific to him; because he wasn’t interested in doing a regular role on TV.)

 

The belief that casting directors let actors audition for different types is a myth, basically.

Casting directors are skilled at assessing type.  

If they are good ones, that is.  And they’re not easily moved off of their interpretation. 

There are more than enough actors to audition for any one type of role…No reason to try to get others who don’t really fit the type to try their character. It’s quite a favor, from them, if they allow an actor to read “against type“.

April Webster may’ve had Matthew Fox in, for Sawyer, as an attempt. Maybe she was hoping that he really would pull off the ‘Sawyer’ characterization well; because an actor with his television track record is as great as a casting director can offer up, to the Producers, and the network. ….Maybe, she taped Fox doing the other role too, the ‘Jack’ role, in case Michael Keaton dropped out.

Or, maybe she knew that Fox would make a great ‘Jack’.(He’s just such a clear fit for the ‘Jack’ character.) and she knew he could do the role well, and was someone great to offer to the Producers. (More accomplished actors are always a great offering for Casting to give to Producers. Why? Because the Producers may be familiar with that actor’s work, and therefore there’s no risk in hiring them. (See Hollywood Actor Prep Blog: MythBust #2 Are All Actors Screw-Ups?–link–)

 

 

Hiring professional actors who are recognizable, is preferred, as practice.

…And not just for the obvious reasons…

Recognizable “name” actors equals success, especially in Hollywood. Recognizable ‘names’also add clout, when networks decide what pilots to pick up, etc. (Another reason may have just be Producer-ego: Big bragging-rights.

Casting Directors are savvy about Producers; and the more successful they are, the more they deliver what the Producers need and want. They know ‘the system’, and utilize it well.

 

One more point…Successful Casting Directors get familiar with successful professional actors, and vice-versa.

When you get to be successful, as an actor, you will audition for the same casting directors, again and again. They will know your work and abilities, and you will be familiar with what it is like to audition for each of them, individually.

Casting directors tend to favor those actors who are established, very talented, and skilled.

…Or at least one of the above.

From that group of actors, they comprise their own favorite bunch. He or she will often try to cast actors from that favored bunch, into whatever projects that they can..

Sometimes, it’s just personal taste; and they simply like an actor. (But believe me, that actor must be able to act, to be liked…)

From their favored group, they will even call an actor to audition, for parts that aren’t an ‘exact type fit’. Most people mistakenly think that actors get to audition for all types of characters.

There are casting people that call the same crew of actors in, again and again and again, for almost every show that comes his/her way. In some way, they know that they can depend on these actors; and they feel that they can parade these actors in front of any producer, and that the actor will do an audition that will be pleasing and professional, and that the casting director will look good by bringing the actors in. Often, in a certain Hollywood-industry-type-of-exchange, the Casting Director is very loyal to the favored actors.

It works the opposite way, also. When a casting person doesn’t ‘get’ an actor, they may not have the actor come in to read for a part that is, precisely, a perfect fit.

Sometimes, you can tell (by the way the Casting Director is reading the sides with the actor, during the audition) just how much he/she wants to cast that actor. Now, don’t count on this, because there are many casting people who just give a monotone-read, each and every time. But, sometimes, after you get to know them and their different styles, you can tell when they want you to get the job. Or at least, when the casting person has a sense of trust about a certain actor; and a surety that when the actor is put in front of the producers and director, whether or not the job is awarded; the casting director will look good.

 

I think April Webster wanted to cast Matthew Fox on ‘Lost’.

It may’ve been simply because she thought it was a good “caliber” match.

Or she may think he’s a strong actor, or a starring-role type, and has a “certain ‘je-nais-c’est-quoi’”.

(She may also…or only…think he’s plain-old-handsome-as-can-be, and his attractiveness suits her style…)

Whatever it is, I think, consciously or not, she’s helping him get this job; and assisting him on this audition. (You can see it on the video.)

Not that he needs it.

 

 

Just one more tidbit…

Actor Evangeline Lilly, who plays Kate, had never done a speaking role, before.

I am going to write very specifically, about her audition, in a whole other post.  (Don’t ya think there’s enough here?? ;} ) If allowed, I’ll post the other actors’s auditions, too.

Suffice to say, for now, that when I first saw all of these auditions, I was impressed, and charmed. 

You’ll see in the videos…These ’Lost’ actors did a damn good job of auditioning.

Agree?

 

…About the Lost auditions; and the topic of casting and auditioning for actors, here, on Hollywood Actor Prep…It’s gonna be major focus here for awhile.

So… 

Do you get my articles delivered to your email box?  Sign up, at the top-right, on this page.

Strongly, I suggest that you do so: I don’t write on any specific day of the week, and you may miss something very important.

I am going to be expanding soon, too; doing other related stuff — and those people who sign my list will be informed, and invited, first.

Best,

:~Dana

Are you on Twitter? I tweet under the name of  __dana__ .  Are you one of the 1450 people that ‘follow’ me there?

Some Professional, Middle-Class Actors Made Videos About Issues Of Grave Concern.

Do you recognize some of these professional actors, in these videos?

They Are Not From The Press, And That’s A Solid Blessing, In This Case

The good news is, these videos talk about the real issues; and just how imperative they are…How damaging it will be to accept this ‘AMPTP contract’, for the future of all actors, and to the profession altogether.

 

These middle-class actors did the math.  

For you.

They looked over the legalese, and all the boring stuff, so you don’t have to…

Maybe it’s because they are real working actors.  

And, they’re not obscuring what is important, with all that other stuff…gossipy-drama that most of the press puts front-and-center; when discussing SAG, altogether. And, yes, even most of the bloggers do that too.  Even those that claim to be “an expert” on the topic.  (Um, those people that write those articles, aren’t actors usually.)

 

Like I say, often, here at Hollywood Actor Prep…it takes a professional actor…

It takes an actor to understand an actor’s life.

It takes one to know one.  It takes one to understand one.  And, it takes one to inform  and advise another.

It takes an actor to explain what the issues are, and how it can impact all actors…now, and in the future.  

So, here they are.  Here we are. 

 

The Actors. You. Me. All Of Us…Solidarity.

I appreciate you watching these videos, and thank you for taking a look at the issues.  And I hope you will tell others.

….That’s far more than what the journalists have been doing. Ironically.  (It appears to me, that most journalists may not even know what the issues are, or that there are issues and conflicts.  Is it reporter-laziness?  Is it just easier to make fun of Alan Rosenberg, or talk about this star or that one, than to research about the AMPTP? Or do they think it attracts more readers?? Lots of people say that the reporters are also paid by the same people as those on the AMPTP, like Rupert Murdoch…That may be true, but I don’t think it’s that complex….I think it’s just laziness.  It takes time & effort, to look into a contract. Takes none,  to ‘throw mud around’. )

 

I think that actors, profoundly,  contribute to our culture.

And, to be redundant, because I will say this again and again, happily.  

(And then… once more with feeling!)

I think that actors are valuable.  

I think that actors deserve to be paid. And to be regarded as valuable professionals.  

I think that actors deserve to be treated with dignity, and allowed to earn money and healthcare…a living.

I believe that every time an actor performs, that actor should receive payment.

And that includes performances live, OR recorded.  

I firmly believe, that when any venue, studio, channel, or internet station, : especially when they make money from sponsors/advertising, and the sponsors are paying for productions that feature actors, that the producers should compensate the actors.  

Elementary, right?  Well, they don’t plan to.  

That’s what this is all about.  

Surprised?

 

Call me a “hardliner”, but I don’t think exploitation is ever acceptable.

And, I do believe the AMPTP contract is exploitative. And, I think they are quite aware of that.  I think they know the inherent implications that come along with it.  

Are you aware that they are clear, that they, flat out,  intend to keep all earnings for themselves. While using the work of actors, to earn it.  And there are earnings, and these earnings are increasing, all the time.  Especially on the ‘net.

All the while, the actors, will be unpaid and impoverished, as a result. Really. Impoverishing them individually, and their families, and all the ramifications that come with that.

It will have a devastating effect on the profession of acting, altogether.  A career that is regarded as perilous already. Rendered utterly, truly, impossible.

The AMPTP, quite consciously,  created this situation.  They knew, all along,  that they were offering actors a terrible, lessening, deal.  

They also used a lot of PR, they hired marketing experts, even for the internet.(Look it up on Google, if interested in more details.) They knew that the timing was terrible for a SAG Strike; and they were able to use the current public economic fear, to their advantage.

So they’ve been paying a lot to feed the public some very persuasive, and mostly, obfuscating information.

To the max, they power-played… They played on the public’s insecurity about the economic situation of our country, to somehow flip it around…and make the actor the “bad guy”. They played on the fear that every actor lives with, and professional insecurity. 

(And, some of the problems were waged between actors themselves…because like any lesser class in any social social system, in terms of wealth or power; when the lowest classes can’t fight back, they fight who the ones they can. Themselves.  Especially when the pressure, anxiety, and potential loss, is so high.)

 

Generally, the acting profession is a mystery, for the public.

Unfortunately, that has served to weaken the interest, and the severity of the actors’ side, in this conflict.

 

The public regards the acting profession, in one of two ways:

• Illogical, and fruitless, as far as income.
  • or
• Overpaid movie stars.

That’s just not so.  There are many, many actors who earn a living; just a living, in the acting profession.

 

As for actors, well…most don’t even know the issues, themselves.

I hate to admit that, and to see such lack of interest too.  But, I think I know why that is…

That has to do with their professional stature. Because, at different caliber levels, the professional experience vastly differs. As does the actors’ personal life. Social experiences, too.

Interests, and goals, too.  Perspectives.  

Younger actors,  who are just beginning, only can focus on trying to get a foothold in, professionally.  They aren’t concerned with livlihood, not yet.

And, the very successful stars, well, you’ve heard some of their opinions…but the truth is, they can’t relate.

It’s so very far from their experience…They just don’t need to worry about dollars-and-cents, in their lives. Things like residuals, and even the internet, are not issues that have anything to do with them. And they do live pampered, cloistered lives. (They actually do.)  So they just don’t get it.

Even though they may appear to be wise, it is within the realm of their “blindspot”.  Their perspective is just too far removed from actors, on the other strata.

 

As actors, we can always use support, but it’s very necessary, now.  

And, we need solidarity.  So please, connect with each other, and inform each other. 

And public awareness. (Because if the issues & facts & ‘the math’ doesn’t make it into the press, then we can get the knowledge out there, right?)

Please send this post to your friends who act, or wish to. Professional or not.   

Because if it’s your profession, your life, then they should know.  And, it would be good for you to support that profession…

It may be that if we don’t consolidate, there may not-be-an-acting-profession in the future.

We must get the issues out to the public, because it isn’t happening in the media, otherwise.  

…The actors’ stance and SAG  is losing power, every day, as a result.  

Please email this post to your friends, it’s so-o easy and takes a second, only.  Send it to all of them, because it’s very important to get the public to know the facts. Put it on your Facebook page…Your MySpace…

Use the “SHARE” widget down below, the white one…it will take you right to your email or Facebook page, etc. Directly, too, no clicking around or filling in stuff…

Thanks, for all of us…

And keep the faith. 

Follow me on Twitter, if you don’t already….my Twitter name is __dana__.  (Twitter registration is the shortest…!)

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkmKbRSfTlI[/youtube]

Once again, I ask you to please share by emailing to your actor friends, and to others, as well. Actors need the public to know, and to be in support of the profession, right now.

Best,
Dana

Better news for all actors: Now a win-win-win situation?

New SAG Plan: instead of putting out a “strike authorization”, for the professional actors, of SAG to vote on…they are sending out something different…an AMPTP contract authorization. Directly, to the SAG members, to see it for themselves, and to vote on whether to accept it or not.

What IS the AMPTP CONTRACT, actually?? Well, it states the “bottom line” level, (the lowest pay scale) that they are proposing: to pay for acting…now and in the future.

(….What they are ‘offering’ is “bupkus”…)

It’s not much different, now, it’s just a direct choice for actors, instead of the representative leadership.

(This is according to Nikki Finke’s column: ‘Deadline Hollywood’ and if you really want the skinny on the underhanded moves of the AMPTP during this, and during the prior Writer’s Strike (WGA), she’s the one with the real goods, and the guts…)

The SAG Strike would’ve been about whether or not to accept the same contract.

If the SAG strike is what is causing such terror and public uproar, then…

My own vote, on this changed-SAG-vote, is that it’s brilliant!

So much wasted energy, and actor leverage/actor-power has been spent on internal arguing and blaming. Blaming the people that are available and safe to be blamed. (Can’t bite the hand that feeds, right?)

Ridiculous, I have always thought…for actors to blame the Alan/Allen leaders of SAG.

(BTW…SAG Leadership didn’t compose the AMPTP CONTRACT ! That was created by the hands that won’t feed you, Actors. Those that think you will do anything for a job, and actually…besides not paying you for your work, the AMPTP contract —the new “final” contract, according to the Producers/Movie Studios side—literally takes away meal breaks. While working. So, under the new terms, not only will you not be able to afford food, to eat at home…you won’t even get a food break on a 10 hour day, on the job. Is it okay, with you, not to eat? Dieting, aside, I do mean.

It’s called “French Hours” by the way, having no set meal-breaks. You just nibble when you can, if there’s time. Apparently, they film that way in France…Fine, I’d agree to it, here, if they’d start serving fine French food on movie sets.

You know what would really win me over?? If the AMPTP started to give actors a teeny tiny bit of the honor that France gives to their actors, and artists of all kinds. Or how about just a bit of respect. (Even a false showing, that would be better than anything I’ve seen yet. )

Oh, and if they create a national, official government office called “Ministry Of The Arts”–Just as they have in France…

Ahhh, oui, I digress. I rannnntttt.)

I do think that SAG’s new tact is a great turn of events. Let all the actors read over exactly what they won’t have. Let them see who the real boogeyman is. Let all see the real numbers..I mean, the real money offered. And who is not willing to spread it around, to those who they even call: “the Talent”.

…Some actors may not ‘get’ how this all applies to them, at all…

And I urge you, all, to-think-as-successful-working-actors. And if you are not one, now, then think “as-if”.

(Because I know that part of this conflict has to do with all different economic levels of actors, all trying to agree on the same contractual items, and they all mean different things to different actors

Example: For an actor who has never worked, the $28 dollars that the AMPTP is offering for per-show (with no residuals for any re-play)…well, that may seem great to a young actor who has never had a paying job. Or who has spent a year, breaking their back, suffering indignities, and maybe doing “background”/extra work, so as to get their “3 jobs” so they could qualify for eligibility for a SAG card…)

To them, a real job, any job, feels like reward enough.**

It’s not.

I’ve been on both ends of the acting career spectrum.

And all in-between….Trust my words: time keeps moving. And so does your acting career, with the right amount of determination. You can get acting work, with the right amount of skill, determination, and intelligent focus. Yes, you can, and you will, then.

And…if and when you make that happen… you will want to earn a living, and even live well…you will want payment, adequate, just payment…for your work. For your talent. As an actor.

It’s hard work.

Almost certainly, you will still love it.

And…because you will be eating, too; you will be glad you did.

Best,

:Dana

Here’s recent excepts from SAG’s website:

Subject: Message from Doug Allen, SAG National Executive Director

January 14, 2009

Dear SAG National Board Members and Alternates,

Because the executive session of our recent extraordinary National Board meeting occurred without my presence in the room, I want to directly communicate several points to all board members and alternates.

I began and ended my report to the National Board on January 12 by stating that I have followed and always will follow the directives of the National Board expressed by a unanimous or majority vote. Under my leadership all SAG staff has complied and will comply with those directives as well. I also said that I am by SAG constitution and by employment contract accountable to the board for my performance.

I welcome your review of that performance and respectfully request only that, in the interest of fairness, such review include the opportunity for me to discuss with the board any comments, questions or issues you wish to raise, not in lieu of executive session discussion, but prior to such discussion.

It is unfortunate that the important matters contained in the National Board meeting ag enda were not accomplished at the meeting January 12 and 13. I know that opinions vary sharply on why that happened. From my perspective, to the extent AMPTP positions or actions are the problem, the solution cannot be determined by how intensely you fight among yourselves.

Regarding the TV/Theatrical negotiations, and the sharply divided opinions on the board about how to proceed, I offered the following suggestion to a cross section of Guild leaders during the period of the executive session. I asked that they discuss the suggestion with other board members in attendance. I proposed that the strike authorization referendum be suspended and that management’s offer be put to the membership in a ratification vote. I also proposed that, before that membership ratification vote, we meet immediately with the AMPTP to determine to what extent, if any, they are willing to improve their last offer, to maximize its chances for ratification. I further proposed that the offer then be sent to the members with Pro and Con statements from National Board members and that otherwise the Guild would remain neutral during any member debate regarding ratification. This process will give Screen Actors Guild members the opportunity to formally express themselves on the bargaining issues.

This suggestion was communicated to some, but not all board members in attendance, and apparently was rejected by some who heard it, at least in part, because they believe I could not be “trusted” to implement it. Since I am the one proposing it and since I have never acted contrary to the directives of the National Board, that is not a reasonable objection. In any case, if it is the decision of the National Board to proceed as I have proposed, I assure you that the staff and I will carry out your decision faithfully and diligently.

I will convene an Officers’ call this week to discuss this suggestion and how it might be considered and implemented. I encourage all board members to discuss these issues with the Guild officers or with me in advance of the call.

There are no more important issues before us than the conclusion of the TV/Theatrical Contract negotiations and the initiation of the Commercial Contract negotiations. Super-heated rhetoric through the press will not contribute to our success on behalf of the members. Working together to resolve your differences will.

Doug Allen

Two days before, Alan Rosenberg sent out this to the SAG board members:

Los Angeles, (January 13, 2009) — SAG National President Alan Rosenberg sent the following message to Screen Actors Guild national board members and alternates today:

“At the end of the National Board plenary meeting this afternoon, a group of board members submitted a document to the Guild that purports to deal with the employment of the National Executive Director and the continuing approach to negotiations. After analyzing the document, Screen Actors Guild’s in-house and outside counsel have concluded that the document does not constitute a valid written assent, for several reasons, including a lack of sufficient signatures and the absence of any language on the document demonstrating the intent of the signers to grant their assent to the proposal. Guild National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Doug Allen and the National Television and Theatrical Contract Negotiating Committee remain committed to advancing the cause of actors and our crucial contract negotiations.”

No substantive actions were taken by the Guild’s national board, which met at SAG’s national headquarters January 12 and 13 for almost 30 hours straight.

No mailing date has been set for the previously approved TV/Theatrical strike authorization referendum.

We have no further comment.

ABOUT SAG, FROM THEIR WEBSITE;
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents over 120,000 actors who work in film and digital television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and all other new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at www.sag.org.

Please continue to share on Facebook, and MySpace, and with all your friends. Especially, to actors. It’s important to get the messages out, it really is! Thanks very much!

And, follow me on Twitter for updates, and info- (link below)

http://twitter.com/__dana__

 

I thank all of you, each and every one.  
This community, at Hollywood Actor Prep, is such a creative, wonderful group of people. You.

 

What a wonderful gift!

…This is how it all went, this year: without a whole lot of web expertise…  I started a site.  I had a simple little reason: I was tired of the acting profession being so hard for people to enter, “to do”.  I knew there were so many people, young especially, but of all ages, and all types and all kinds; that had a real true passion for acting. 

Yet, the mysteries of “the industry” and of “the acting business”, and the sheer lack of a “standard system” to enter the business; made it almost impossible to follow that passion.  To navigate the acting profession. For any person to do so, is considered, almost illogical!

A profession that I consider quite dignified; one that contributes, to a great degree to the culture. One that reflects the culture.  Certainly, a profession that has always been an art form, and that constantly evolves as such.  It’s also a profession that the rest of the world looks up at, with awe.

Yet, notoriously, it remains amongst the most difficult.

And even though I may not be in “the business”, at this juncture, I still have a passion for acting.  And, years and years of good, seasoned experience.  I know that acting is an elegant, raw, and magnificent art.  And, that it can be difficult to do well. And how to get through that, and do it well, in spite of the difficulty.

There’s an extra secret, that some of you already know. Acting ability is something that can grow throughout life.  Evolve. It is that, which makes it an art, and makes it very interesting, and exciting.  It is a profoundly true gift, to those who experience it.  It is a dimension of living, that cannot be explained, to those who do not have the experience. 

I get to share that passion, that excitement, here to you, and you share it back. In a marvelous, abundant wave, throughout this Hollywood Actor Prep community…because of the connecting power of the internet.

I hope you are ready for the coming year: To make big changes in your acting ability and to make some real ‘forward motion’ in your acting career.   

If you aren’t ready…well, you have a few more days until the New Year… so step it up, now…(And don’t gripe that I didn’t give you some fair warning!)

I’ve been talking this around town (in some of the highest offices), and I know that if we keep on with this community, and keep on sharing the word….This year, we can absolutely make some very big changes in the industry, and in the way that actors can “break into” and stay in, the business.

What was just an idea, at the start; is really becoming something great, and solid. Wow.

One more thing:  When I first began this blog, I hadn’t an inkling that SAG would become a national news item…that the Hollywood movie studios and SAG would engage in such a time-has-come struggle. I had no idea that there would even be a strike discussed, or that any issue concerning professional actors would arise, in the public arena!  This is actually a great “cosmic spotlight”, a serious blessed time, for actors.  It puts the acting profession, and its value, in the forefront.  

I send waves of joy, gratitude, recognition, and solid positivity; throughout this Hollywood Actor Prep community…To you and yours, this Holiday Season!

May that wave continue around and through the world, to each and every one of you.  May the support and blessings that you have gifted to me, swiftly reach back to you, at this time.  May this beauty  reverberate to your friends and family, and continue.  

I thank you, with love, for joining into my community, from the very beginning…For that, you will forever own some real estate, inside my heart…

I thank you for such an auspicious start!  

 

Best,

:Dana

Have you seen Mickey Rourke acting in ‘The Wrestler’ yet?

Are you familiar with the rest of his film acting resume??

If you don’t know his name, it may be because he was ‘outa the game’ for awhile. But…when he was ‘in it‘, he floored everybody. Came out of nowhere, into the spotlight with two little movie scenes; and then consistently gave the rawest, yet right on, performances.

This year, for “The Wrestler“, his acting performance may get the “Best Actor” Academy Award.

I hope so. (If you’ve been following this Hollywood Actor Prep Blog, then you know I respect Mickey Rourke, as an actor. I think he is an fine film actor, with consistent depth.)

His acting ability, talent, and skills, are rare…  Authentic, to the highest degree.

Here is an older interview with Rourke, where he discusses some film-acting experiences; in each, of the earlier films he was in.

Other things Mickey Rourke candidly discusses are:

•  
  • How he got his first movie role
    
  • Auditioning and getting into the Actors Studio
  • Performing at the Actors Studio in front of Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel (with little prior experience!)
    
  • Working with Francis Ford Coppola, on a movie with no script (!) called “Rumblefish” where he created the mythical character “Motorcycle Boy”
    
  • Creating a film script, by improvisation (!) while being assisted, musically, by Stuart Copeland of ‘The Police’.
    
  • The directors on his acting resume who “pushed him to the limit” and who he wound up respecting…
    
  • Which directors were perfectionists, and why he liked that; which directors were unlikable, and what it was that made them that way
    
  • And which ones had unusual ways of motivating the actors…

All of the actors, the directors, that you hear about here… are probably familiar names to you.
You probably, also,  heard of most of the movies that he talks about; because many well-known films reside on Mickey Rourke’s acting resume.

Enjoy!

 

If you would like to view film scenes from some of these movies that Mickey Rourke mentions here, you can find them at this post on the Hollywood Actor Prep Blog.  (‘Time For The Acting Of Mickey Rourke’)

 

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Best,

;Dana

©™

(All rights reserved by Dana Kaminski…no kidding.)

Current Residual Situation, AMPTP’s Offer Explained

Found this animation movie, about residuals, on YouTube. Cute…Short… Simple….Clear?

 

Does Acting Have Value?

What it basically comes down to is this:  The conglomerate corporations think that “talent” shouldn’t be paid everytime that they provide the audience with entertainment.  With talent.  With their visibility. Every time their likeness and abilities, and even gifts; are what is being watched, on a screen. 

They basically are saying that talent isn’t valuable. 

I value acting and actors.  

I think the general public values actors.  I think they cherish actors, I think that’s pretty obvious.

When anyone has a great theatrical experience; they count it as a wonderful life experience.  Be it live theatre, movie, or television.  Drama or comedy.  How much is that worth?

When they leave a theatre, of any kind, they often discuss the acting. The actors.

Acting has been around since the beginning of civilization, and has been cherished by the public, just as long.

How long have actors not had decent payment? For how many centuries, has this gone on?

It’s far too long.

Do you think acting has value?

Best,

Dana
Please share with your friends…
And treat me to a latte, if you’d like…