By James Bradley
For those seeking a career in the entertainment business let them be warned! To have the ability to create and perform is an awesome opportunity, but if you are unprepared and unprotected, dreams can quickly turn to nightmares. To aid you in your quest for success and to avoid potential disaster, it is advisable for anyone getting into the business to first seek out an experienced Agent.
When starting out, everyone has questions that are compounded by tons of random information that may or may not be pertinent to their needs. Then there are rare moments when unsuspecting well intentioned first-timers find themselves set upon by occasional industry ‘sharks’. A good Agent can sort out and tailor fit the information you need while protecting you from the ‘du-dum, du-dum’s’ of lurking predators.
When seeking an Agent, take your time. Don’t be afraid to shop around or ask plenty of questions. Remember that you’re looking for someone who can represent your best to the industry. You want them to be someone personable, who you can feel comfortable with, yet be reliable where the business of representing you counts.
An Agent often begins representation with some common first steps. In most cases, these would be headshots and a working résumé for an affordable or no cost option to you, starting out. These are the most common tools of the trade and are important for you to acquire. Without them you cannot be represented to industry professionals.
What is NOT common, is asking for substantial fees or costs from your own pocket to get things started. Nor should an Agent ask you to perform any ‘personal’ acts to gain work or representation. These types of agencies should be avoided if at all possible. Also, avoid ‘up front’ expenses or money offers. Such offers are usually billed to you at a later date. Avoid this pitfall by remembering that if you aren’t earning it - you don’t need it.
When you sign on with an Agent it does not necessarily mean you will soon appear in the next film starring Tom Cruise or a GQ magazine spread. Every project takes time. During that time, an Agent can empower your future success by representing you to the industry via their networking and professional experience, teaching you how to present yourself properly, and encouraging opportunities for you to acquire the tools you need to succeed.
What an Agent should never do is everything you should be doing. It will take a lot of work on your part to make it to the top. An Agent can’t pull your headshots from thin air or magically bestow you with the necessary training. These are your responsibility. An Agent can help direct you to workshops that offer quality classes, non-paid/paid production opportunities for résumé experience, and a lot more. But your determination and ability to follow through will play a key role in any future success.
In closing, good representation comes from both sides. It’s like a relationship between an athlete and their coach. The coach is there to teach, encourage, and offer up the play. In the end, it is up to the player to learn, be fit, and run with the ball when it lands in their court.
Good luck, and remember that you never work with what you have, but rather what you get.
James Bradley is a resident staff writer for Www.ScriptFOLIO.Net
Monday, July 7, 2008
WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
By James Bradley
Every day talented individuals ask how they can become involved in the film industry. Luckily, for them, it’s far easier than could be imagined. But later, when opportunity knocks, many are ill prepared and have an apparent disregard for three key areas: Training, Networking, and Reliability.
NO training or experience can equal NO work.
If you needed an artist, would you hire someone who had never held a pencil or brush? If you needed a doctor, would you hire someone who had never gone through medical school? Then it should be expected that professionals in the film industry will not utilize talent with little to no training or experience.
Becoming involved and finding a reliable agent is usually the easy part, but to learn and hone your craft through experience and education is often more difficult. Most pass off training because it involves a cost. Some may refuse to appear in a shoot because it doesn’t offer a paid position, although it does offer payment in résumé experience. Whatever the reason, the result is the same: No training or experience can equal no work.
Training does not mean spending exorbitant sums of money. In fact, an agent is often able to direct you to affordable workshops costing far less than you might expect. A good agent will have further researched such workshops to ensure that you’re getting the quality training you need. But needed training and development is rarely without cost. Expect to invest in your future career by first investing in yourself.
If they don’t know you exist, than you DON’T.
Although, training is a key factor in your success, networking yourself is just as important. This is an involved process and will often require your presence and participation in related industry events like film festivals, workshops, and social gatherings.
I often ask people to imagine they were a filmmaker investing huge sums of money and effort into making an epic motion picture. I ask them to imagine spending every dime of their investment on making the best movie possible. They tell me it would have the best costumes, actors, script, director, soundtrack, and special effects. In our discussion they enthusiastically tell me how great their movie would be.
I later surprise them by stating it would probably fail miserably at the box office. When they ask why, I remind them that every dime spent on making the best movie possible should have included promotion and advertising of their film, which never came up during our conversation. I tell them that if nobody knew about their movie, no matter how much was invested in it, who would come? The same applies in networking.
The industry works with who they know. If they don’t know you exist, than you don’t. In networking yourself to others, you are selling yourself and letting them know what you have to offer. If you don’t advertise at every opportunity, you can expect little or no return on your investment. So, always be prepared to share your most recent résumé, updated headshots, demo tapes, business cards, and more at every networking opportunity available. Like movie trailers and posters, these will serve as your professional tools. Your agent can help you in this endeavor.
You snooze, you LOSE.
Training and networking aside, any agent or industry professional will tell you that success is dependent on reliability. As an example, too often, many fail to materialize where and when they are supposed to be. As a result, opportunity is lost, money wasted, and productions held up.
As a rule of thumb, if you are going to be an industry professional than be a professional. The industry is replete with wannabes and ‘smilies’. Serious work demands professionals who can be relied upon under any circumstance.
Every moment could be the break you’re seeking and to throw it away due to procrastination, excuse making, schedule conflicts, or failure to keep your word is ludicrous. You snooze, you lose. There is only one guarantee in this business - there is always someone who can replace you.
To be reliable you must make every effort to offer your best at all times. Start looking at your best today and think about the adage ‘you can’t hide from the truth of your actions’. Identify the truths you see. Correct what needs correcting, learn from your mistakes, and turn what you are doing right into standards that can guide you toward success.
A standard example related to timeliness could be: ‘If you are early, you’re on time. If you are on time, you’re late. If you are late, you’re fired.”
In closing, these helpful suggestions can apply to film, acting, or modeling. Working in the entertainment industry is a lot of fun, but nothing - I mean nothing is free. You will only earn what you desire through hard work and strong commitment. Steering your course with Training, Networking, and Reliability will make every step forward as awesome as the dream that inspired you in becoming something greater than yourself.
Remember, that you never work with what you have, but rather what you get, and when Opportunity knocks be prepared. Good luck and never get caught snoozing!
James Bradley is a resident staff writer for Www.ScriptFOLIO.Net
Every day talented individuals ask how they can become involved in the film industry. Luckily, for them, it’s far easier than could be imagined. But later, when opportunity knocks, many are ill prepared and have an apparent disregard for three key areas: Training, Networking, and Reliability.
NO training or experience can equal NO work.
If you needed an artist, would you hire someone who had never held a pencil or brush? If you needed a doctor, would you hire someone who had never gone through medical school? Then it should be expected that professionals in the film industry will not utilize talent with little to no training or experience.
Becoming involved and finding a reliable agent is usually the easy part, but to learn and hone your craft through experience and education is often more difficult. Most pass off training because it involves a cost. Some may refuse to appear in a shoot because it doesn’t offer a paid position, although it does offer payment in résumé experience. Whatever the reason, the result is the same: No training or experience can equal no work.
Training does not mean spending exorbitant sums of money. In fact, an agent is often able to direct you to affordable workshops costing far less than you might expect. A good agent will have further researched such workshops to ensure that you’re getting the quality training you need. But needed training and development is rarely without cost. Expect to invest in your future career by first investing in yourself.
If they don’t know you exist, than you DON’T.
Although, training is a key factor in your success, networking yourself is just as important. This is an involved process and will often require your presence and participation in related industry events like film festivals, workshops, and social gatherings.
I often ask people to imagine they were a filmmaker investing huge sums of money and effort into making an epic motion picture. I ask them to imagine spending every dime of their investment on making the best movie possible. They tell me it would have the best costumes, actors, script, director, soundtrack, and special effects. In our discussion they enthusiastically tell me how great their movie would be.
I later surprise them by stating it would probably fail miserably at the box office. When they ask why, I remind them that every dime spent on making the best movie possible should have included promotion and advertising of their film, which never came up during our conversation. I tell them that if nobody knew about their movie, no matter how much was invested in it, who would come? The same applies in networking.
The industry works with who they know. If they don’t know you exist, than you don’t. In networking yourself to others, you are selling yourself and letting them know what you have to offer. If you don’t advertise at every opportunity, you can expect little or no return on your investment. So, always be prepared to share your most recent résumé, updated headshots, demo tapes, business cards, and more at every networking opportunity available. Like movie trailers and posters, these will serve as your professional tools. Your agent can help you in this endeavor.
You snooze, you LOSE.
Training and networking aside, any agent or industry professional will tell you that success is dependent on reliability. As an example, too often, many fail to materialize where and when they are supposed to be. As a result, opportunity is lost, money wasted, and productions held up.
As a rule of thumb, if you are going to be an industry professional than be a professional. The industry is replete with wannabes and ‘smilies’. Serious work demands professionals who can be relied upon under any circumstance.
Every moment could be the break you’re seeking and to throw it away due to procrastination, excuse making, schedule conflicts, or failure to keep your word is ludicrous. You snooze, you lose. There is only one guarantee in this business - there is always someone who can replace you.
To be reliable you must make every effort to offer your best at all times. Start looking at your best today and think about the adage ‘you can’t hide from the truth of your actions’. Identify the truths you see. Correct what needs correcting, learn from your mistakes, and turn what you are doing right into standards that can guide you toward success.
A standard example related to timeliness could be: ‘If you are early, you’re on time. If you are on time, you’re late. If you are late, you’re fired.”
In closing, these helpful suggestions can apply to film, acting, or modeling. Working in the entertainment industry is a lot of fun, but nothing - I mean nothing is free. You will only earn what you desire through hard work and strong commitment. Steering your course with Training, Networking, and Reliability will make every step forward as awesome as the dream that inspired you in becoming something greater than yourself.
Remember, that you never work with what you have, but rather what you get, and when Opportunity knocks be prepared. Good luck and never get caught snoozing!
James Bradley is a resident staff writer for Www.ScriptFOLIO.Net
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