Actors this is what i cant stand with agents

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what i cant understand is i know!! and have seen some really good actors on this website and they look great and can act.i know im a good actor too ever since i was a pup, what really gets to me is that iv just seen a few other actors on here that have some of the agents that i applied for and iv seen there showreel and they are crap, i dont understand, what happens if your a shit actor and you have a showreel agents just dont care. my whole point of writng this is that agents need to step up and look deep in our acting and see what we can do. iv applied for like 5 agents yesturday and to be honest im fed up of them just looking through my page and passing by not even asking any questions it really does amaze me. just please be more helpfull AGENTS we are making you the money too for god sake


  • 13 years ago
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I 100% agree becasue I can't afford a showreel right now. I can't afford anything right now!

But I'm aware that no agent in their right mind will sign someone based on credits unless they are really impressive. We've got to show them something - a show, a reel - before we can be considered. They may be signing crap actors, but they know what their limits are with them.

But yeah, in an ideal world it would be based on talent alone. This aint an ideal world.


  • 13 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

Well that's a bit strong calling someones showreel "crap" when you don't appear to even have one yourself.

Instead of bitching and letting your frustrations overflow in a public forum, I would suggest you concentrate on making yourself as marketable as possible by building up your credits and producing a showreel...and for someone with such a problem with agents you seem to have collected a fair few of them!

Chill matey!


  • 13 years ago
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Amir ... 50 years ago, I .. like you, was in my prime. We didn't have the 'Web', we didn't have cell phones, and more importantly ... we didn't have Showreels.
You did what it takes to kick the door down and get noticed by Casting Directors and Agents. One's postal bill was enormous, in comparison to to-days click of a computer. I would suggest you channel all that exasperation, in one direction. Sit down and quietly think. What is more important? ... an interview with a Casting Director ? .. or an interview with an Agent ? ... obviously an Agent.
Now it seems to me, if your Thread Heading is anything to go by, that you need to carefully re-read and edit, what you have put down on paper. I can assure you that some Agents will take one look at any mis-spelling, grammatical mistakes, and simply say, if the man can't even put together a decent letter of introduction .. what's the point in seeing him.
So ... Amir ... it was a Damn sight harder to get ahead in my day, that I can assure you ... so stop bloody moaning, and if you will pardon the expression ...'get your bloody act together '.


  • 13 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

Couldn't agree more with Allan!

I notice that as someone who seems to have a axe to grind with agents you seem to have collected a fair few of them to help you already.

I would you suggest you concentrate on making your 4 agents life easier by making yourself as marketable as possible...building up your CV, learning new skills, honing your craft and gaining enough material to actually create a showreel of your own instead of dissing other peoples.

A good, positive, attitude goes a long way towards generating success in this game and if I was an agent reading your latest post I've have marked your card for future reference, and not in a good way.


  • 13 years ago
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I'm a little confused, I must admit...

You have 4 (yes, FOUR) agencies listed on your profile...!!

Don't you think perhaps that any prospective agents of decent standing might be more than a little put off by someone seemingly spreading themselves so thinly...? They have to know they can make money from you and are seriously unlikely to want to be splitting their potential commission with umpteen other agencies!

Perhaps you should consider which, if any, of your currently listed agencies can really, genuinely help further your career and remove the rest...?

Only my opinion but I strongly believe you're not doing yourself any favours at the moment.

Al.


  • 13 years ago
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Have to agree with Allan and Forbes. Positive thinking and being pro-active are the essentials in this business, most actors find most of their own work until they have made it big don't they?


  • 13 years ago
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Hi Amir,

I hate to say this but in Show Business, half of it is Business.
This means that you need to present yourself as a business person.
When you introduce yourself to agents, your spelling and grammar much be excellent, with sentences containing a verb and a complement and no familiar language.
I realize that this is only a forum, but it was difficult for me to understand what you were trying to say on the first read.
Presentation is very important, especially if you haven't got a reel. They may be willing to overlook it if your acting is amazing on your reel, but you haven't got one.
So put all the chances on your side and practice the business approach even on forums.

Good luck!


  • 13 years ago
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ah, ah! I say this and I type "much" instead of "must" ! :-)
Still, you got my point...


  • 13 years ago
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Hugh Osborne
Actor

Comme d'habitude, la belle Claire a raison [DEEP SIGH]. I checked out your CV, and was immediately struck by a) how the formatting was not regularized, and b)how the spelling was so bad that you had even mis-spelled the names of places where you had trained, and characters you had played. As Simon Dunmore says in his excellent book on geting work as an actor, there are an awful lot of directors out there who either have English degrees, or who care deeply about the written word. (Or both, of course.)

If you can't spell, then find someone who can to check your professional submissions for you. As Allan (x2), Forbes and Eliza point out, this is a business; and as all the people you will make submissions to are going to be perpetually swamped on a daily basis by applications, letters of introductions, speculative CVs etc etc, it's worth remembering that they will also be perpetually and actively looking for reasons to whittle said applications down to a reasonable number. A poorly-written application provides them with the ideal excuse to put it in the 'no' pile.

Also, to return to the main substance of your post, I'm afraid I don't think it's for you to pronounce who is a 'shit' actor or otherwise. We've all given both good and bad performances; and I suspect that there are plenty of parts that all those 'shit' actors would be far better suited for than you (and vice versa, of course). One of the things I've learned about this profession is that the majority of actors are generous-spirited and supportive: in fact, I'd go so far to say that being generous-spirited and supportive is in itself part and parcel of having a business-like attitude to the job of acting.

This is all meant supportively, please be assured. But remember that 'talent' and 'castability' are NOT the same thing. Only last week, a good friend of mine (whose daughter is a supremely beautiful, auburn-haired actress) was bemoaning the fact that her offspring was just as talented as Karen Gillan, but far more beautiful, so why hadn't SHE been seen for Amy Pond etc etc. As I had to inform her - very gently - the mere fact that daughter looks like a super-model was grounds enough for disqualifying her from consideration.

The most positive thing you (or any actor, for that matter) can do, is work out as best you can your OWN castability, and chase the roles that suit you, and not the roles you think you should have.

(Having said that, I'm just off to do The Sound of Music for a year, and my contract assures me that "in addition to playing your own role, you wil be required to appear as a nun in certain group scenes." I certainly didn't see THAT one coming...)

Sincere best wishes

Hugh


  • 13 years ago
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Hugh ... don't get into the habit... of wearing a Habit !!!. Nun but the brave, Dear ... !!.


  • 13 years ago
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Hugh Osborne
Actor

Yes, well... If I had a pound for every 'habit' joke I've heard in the last fortnight, I'd be well on the way to retirement...

H.


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Forbes KB
Actor

You love it Hugh...admit it! :-)


  • 13 years ago
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Hugh Osborne
Actor

it's a dream come true, Forbes, a dream come true. And if I can get to be a Nazi in Act II as well...


  • 13 years ago
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User Deleted
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I'd like to add I also agree 100% with the responses.

While I'd love to gain the respect and representation I know I would benefit from, I concur that you gotta work for it and, as I said, you can't just acquire an agent off nothing - invite them to a show if you can't afford a reel, that's why I did!

I also don't understand why you're asking this if you have four agents? Or is it a general complaint that actors you find to be of poor quality are being represented?


  • 13 years ago
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User Deleted
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Hiya guys,

Thank you so much for your advice I will be taking it on board. Additionally let me say that I was having a funny moment. I am training for a bodybuilding competition and my energy levels are LOW hence why I was snappy.

Thank you for letting me know about my grammer, and I have been on the case with that!

Sorry if I offended anybody.

Good luck in your futures, whatever you may do.

Regards
Amir


  • 13 years ago
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Amir .... that's what these threads are for ... let it out Kid, have a rant and rave. So you'll get a few knocks on the head .. so what !! ... bet your sweet life there will be a few good tips in there as well ... take 'em onboard . All the best for the future.


  • 13 years ago
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Amir and friends,

I must about I was feeling so negative when you had your little rant, but i have to say that my complete faith has been restored by all the feedback on this thread.

You cannot underestimate how good it actually is that one can have so many experienced actors put them straight and give them advice. To be honest it is exactly what you needed and you will benefit from it.

Good luck Amir, but do try and keep this sort of anger a little more constrctive in the future! I am really happy to see you taking on board all their excellent advice.

Leigh-Ann


  • 13 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

Taken from another public forum and reproduced here for your enjoyment:

quote
RICHARD EVANS CASTING: was casting a commercial today, which, because of a very short timeframe, was cast just using artists' showreels, rather than people coming in for a conventional casting. I was really disappointed at the amount of excellent people I was unable to put forward to the client, because they didn't have a showreel. It confirmed the point that these days, EVERY actor should have a showreel... and that the picture and sound quality of said reel should be of good quality and consistent - many that I watched today were virtually inaudible!
unquote

Thought that needed to be shared with my fellow CCP'ers


  • 13 years ago
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Hugh Osborne
Actor

Amir -

A bodybuilding competition? Right, now we're getting somewhere. If you have a muscular body, then automatically, for instance, we know that you aren't going to be playing pale young lovers anytime soon.

So that means, if you choose a Shakespeare speech or two for audition purposes, go for all the heroic soldier types: Talbot, Achilles, Hector Hotspur, Palamon and Arcite, etc, rather than Hamlet, Romeo etc.

Similarly, think of all those all-American types: Brick in Death of a Saleman, for instance. I'm sure lots of people on this site could suggest other, equally-relevant parts and roles.

In other words, if being muscular is your USP, then start tailoring other choices around it: auditon speeches, as outlined above; approaching agents on the basis that they DON'T have anyone muscular on their books, and so on and so on. (Only one agent at a time though, as others on here have already noted.)

That way, you can make being 'you' work for you professionally.

Hx


  • 13 years ago
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User Deleted
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that is really good advice, thank you so much for those helping me out i really appreciate it.

for those type of roles i think i would be more confortable with.
once again thank you

stay lucky everyone :)
Regards
Amir


  • 13 years ago
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