| Acting Tips - page 4 |
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| Free Tips for the Aspiring Actor! Issue #312 How To Use Social Media to Get More Acting Work In this time of economic turmoil, it has become increasingly difficult to reach ticket buyers. Broadway shows are closing earlier than anticipated, non-profit theatres are shutting down nationwide, and reality TV contributes to the dwindling number of pilots filmed in Los Angeles each year. In bleak times, how can actors market themselves to a penny pinching audience and changing demographic? Whether you're looking to spread the word about your latest one-person show, or just get your face and name out there, the Internet has become an essential tool tool for self-promotion. Social networking is a cheap alternative to print and commercial advertising, and in times like these, user generated content rules. Here are some websites with which to get familiar. It's not just for college students anymore. Businesses, musicians, and actors flood the pages of users. Facebook also offers applications that create and display events online. These event pages act as digital billboards for productions. Sign-up is free. Actors can create their own personal status updates and fan pages, and theatres can promote their organizations in the same manner. Users can create events inviting friends and other users to shows, galas, and more, and it's all very user friendly. If you're behind on the times, sign up now, this is a quick way to boost impressions and spread your name. Avoid posting photos from last night's trip to Margaritaville, and you have an effective means for self-promotion, as well as a network for meeting other actors. Twitter asks one simple question, "What are you doing?" The user has 140 characters to explain exactly what it is that's happening in their world at that time. Twitter has a streamlined design that has made it accessible from almost anywhere. Whether users are updating the answer to this important question via the web, text messaging, PDAs, or iphones, people are able to share tidbits and content almost instantaneously. Twitter also allows for reduced character hyperlinks that can be used to share photos, videos, and more. Audition videos, production trailers, headshots and more can be shared through brief status updates that act as a clear call to action. Twitter sign up is also free and can be used in collaboration with other user generated content sites like live journal, flickr, youtube and more. The possibilities are endless, even though the characters are limited. Learn more at http://www.twitter.com. YouTube Unless you've been sharing tea with Laura Ingalls Wilder, you should know all about YouTube, the user generated website that allows anyone to create and post videos to the world wide web. Many theatres have begun to use youtube as a place for actors to audition, to share promotional trailers, to host interviews, and more. This is a quick way to share your face and your talents with casting directors and theatres across the country. This site has also mastered the multi-platform making it accessible from many channels. YouTube also includes a unique embedding code with each uploaded video which allows individuals to share their videos on personal websites, organizational websites, on facebook/myspace, through twitter and more. These are a few effective sites to be aware of as you begin to create a name and image for yourself. Learn these by heart, and you will be oh so 2.0 my acting friends. - Megan Venzin Thanx and a tip of the hat to: Chad Gracia www.actortips.com ActorTips / The Gracia Group 360 West 43rd Street, Suite N9D New York, NY 10036 |
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| Free Tips for the Aspiring Actor! Issue # 300 6 Tips for Strengthening Your Voice Q: Help! I tried out for a play but was told that I didn't get the part because my "voice wasn't strong enough"! What can I do? A: There are a lot of ways to train your voice. Start with these six steps: 1. SING, wherever possible, 2 of your favorite songs: one that sounds like your voice, and one that doesn't. Sing them exactly like the singer does, don't pause or drop verses. 2. Do some Tongue Twisters wherever possible, especially before rehearsals or auditions. 3. Read Edgar Allan Poe's "THE IMP OF THE PERVERSE" aloud, until you can do it without mispronouncing any words. (When you've achieved that, outdo yourself by rehearsing The Architect's Speech from THE MATRIX RELOADED). 4. Make sure your posture's good and you stand as erect as possible--this produces the longest, clearest 'speaking channel' through the torso. 5. Keep your throat moistened with enough pure water. (Hint: if you take a menthol cough drop after every performance, you will rarely, if ever, lose your voice.) Improve your breathing by exhaling for a count of 15, inhaling for a count of 10, and holding that breath for a count of 20. (You don't have to breathe like this all the time, just perhaps 10 times a day or whenever you remember to.) Thanx and a tip of the hat to: Chad Gracia www.actortips.com ActorTips / The Gracia Group 360 West 43rd Street, Suite N9D New York, NY 10036 |
| The Best Time to Go to LA
There is certainly a right time to go to Los Angeles, and the answer here is fairly simple- 1. When you are working so much in your regional/slash local market that you feel you are ready to take the next step. 2. You have made connections in Los Angeles via your local talent agent, and they suggest you make that move because you are working so much in your local/regional market. 3. You have booked a well paying gig in Los Angeles and it will keep you there longer than a month. -Basically, you should have tons of experience in on-camera acting, some training, and some connections before you move to Los Angeles. This experience is best obtained in local markets since the competition is not as fierce and agents are easily accessible. Once you have a good agent and some great credits (you can get these without living in Los Angeles), the move to Cali will be more of a transition than a shock. Many people have moved to LA only to find themselves doing much less than they did in their local markets (extra work and working for free). Shundra G |
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