Keeping It Reel: An Actor's Blog

IF by Rudyard Kipling "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If ...

Here's a joke for you... How many actors does it take to put a lightbulb in? Well. First you have to ask... Is it a union or non-union lightbulb? Get a bunch of actors together and the conversation usually consists of talk about past jobs, future jobs, other actors and some sort of potpourri category.  If that category is food , then the conversation will generally start leaning towards talk about food on the crafts service table, the craft service table on past jobs, what everybody hopes to find on the craft service table on future jobs, actors and the craft service table. Maybe, sometimes if the stars align, just maybe the conversation will be about the best steak we've ever eaten in our life that wasn't found on the craft service table, but we sure wish it had been.  We are an insecure lot.  Actors , that is, and not steak eaters.  We talk about ourselves and the projects we've worked on and hope to be part ...

"Never  let them see you sweat... unless explicitly directed   to do so by the script." Jody Matzer, ACTOR Just keeping it reel.  Copyright 2015 All Reserved ...

"Be so good they can't ignore you." Steve Martin (Yes. That Steve Martin) Be original. Give them something they've never seen before  and then do it better than anyone has ever done it before.  There is a lot of competition out there. More than there has ever been before.  Advances of technology and a change in the industry that requires to self-tape and submit for acting jobs quite literally means anyone anywhere can audition for roles.  Anyone. Anywhere.  The key here is 'Be So Good.' You have to be good. You have to be able to offer something of value and you sure as Hell should have some discernible talent.  Too much of what people are trying to do these days to get noticed isn't good.  There's far too many idiots injuring themselves and posting their self-mutilation tapes on YouTube.  I'm sure the hope is they will get noticed and then someone will make a star out of them.  Sure. Sounds re...