So ive been to various events, workshops etc over the past few months and tried to gather as much info in my head as possible, as to WHY im not getting any auditions as of late. I have been with my agent for around 6 months, which is a fairly long time to not have hardly any auditions?
If i see work via CCP, I pass it through them first and they either send me off direct or i just send myself off, which i know a lot of actors represented by agents do. They regularly send me breakdowns of the recent jobs they have put me forward for mostly via spotlight, which are very frequent each week. So it seems they are doing their job?!
I recently updated my headshots, did my showreel and paid to get a brand new voice reel to open more doors. Yet still, Ive had no luck recently. Can anyone shed any light? Same experience? How you can help it? I miss doing what I love on a regular basis, not getting ANY work, even low paid theatre, begins to grate on your sanity.
Kind words and great advice would be greatly appreciated :)
Thanks guys!
Hi, Elli. I am sorry to hear that you have not been getting any auditions/castings. I would think the main reason for that is that you don't seem to have a show reel. This industry is SO competitive. On average, for every 50 jobs you apply for,you get ONE audition/casting and for every 50 auditions/castings you get ONE job. Therefore, your best tool is your show reel. CDs won't even look at your profile if you do not have one. Also, your gallery is all very much the same photo - with only one with your hair up. Get some photos taken with different looks, or screen-grab from something you've done where you look different. I hope this advice helps, and good luck in the future with your career.
Sue
I would also add take off all your extra S/A work. If a CD see's that (especially the 2013 one) they probably wont take you seriously as an actor. You're also in the most saturated age group so hang on in there and just keep applying. X
I think you should rephrase your 'About Me' section.
"I may not have been fortunate enough to go to Drama school, but I did work extremely hard at University. It doesn't mean I am any less talented or any less passionate about acting than people that may have done so."
Don't focus on what you haven't done - but celebrate what you have to offer....
eg. I'm really motivated and hardworking. A graduate from ------ university with a natural talent and passion for acting..
He Elli,
I see you do have a showreel but it's very dark. I'm not sure if it's the resolution from the upload or not but I don't think it does you any favours as it is.
Chin up though. x
Some great advice I got recently from a casting director, was that they only ever start off by seeing your thumbnail picture on a screen with about 25 others. (they receive about 300/400 submissions for a one episode tv part, for example Holby/casualty)
To get to the part where they even look at your picture full size, your thumbnail has to be great. . . .
It needs to be close up of your face, to be able to see your features, especially your eyes, even from a thumbnail......
I had my photographer go back again and crop my photos,after this advice, fairly close, So I lost my body/shoulders a lot.
I have no idea if this will work, but its worth a try hey !!
My take on this from your original post was that you seem to be relying on just your agent to get you work. Everything goes through them.
If you aren't getting any work then you will have take control and get some work for yourself.
Your agent will work for you some of the time, you will work for you all of the time. Who will have the greatest success?
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I have cropped my profile photo for CCP and Spotlight and I do have a showreel. It does seem to come up dark on some screens, on others it seems ok. I do believe I need to add some more scenes, however it is just the cost that is holding me back and finding some friends to help me out and do it for free! Thats my next step. I do look for my own work on CCP and via social networks like twitter, which are a great tool. However I do have to pass them all through my agent first.
I have had 2 auditions since posting this. So looking up a bit, just really hoping for some actual work very soon.
Keep Going Elli, I had a slump recently but in this industry it is expected and you have to remember that alot of the big names in the industry went through bigger slumps b4 getting their big break so keep on keeping on.
No I've had 2 headshot sessions done now. All chosen by myself and recommended by other actors that have said how good they are. My newest ones are much better than my last. It's hard with headshots. Everyone has different opinions. Some like it old school. Some like
It contemporary!
I absolutely get your point. The advice that you were given about the crop above was excellent, though, and I would thin out your gallery to an absolute top four from any one shoot, and they should be distinct in how they show you. Otherwise it looks as if you're not sure yourself what your casting type is. It's OK to have more than one casting type, just make sure each example's clear.
I also wonder if you're quite after what you would be best in. Your blurb paints the picture of a pretty visceral emotional actress, but most of your pics are sweet little girl next door ( and I don't mean to patronise). If you're going for both that's fine but make it clear. Match the blurb and the photos.
Where work goes up through here, apply yourself, not through the agent. That's the deal I have with my chap. To begin with tell them of each job you go for . That will tell your agent how you view yourself. After a while you will only need to tell them if you get called for an audition.
My reason is:If it's something that your agent hasn't decided on for you anyway, you will write the best supporting letter, and that way you'll start to build up a body of work that's really you, and your agent will adapt towards it.
All in all though, the thing to bear in mind is that you are in the age-group which accounts for a very high percentage of actors, That, and most of the work that's being given to women your age is coming from people who are themselves fairly new and make a lot of mistakes. Soldier on, net work, make your own work. As the sage above said.
9 years ago
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