Mark Chapman's Lounge Discussions

Welcome, and thanks for the add! :)

Likewise C Harris and Aray!

Excellent show reel...all the best with it.

Welcome!

Thanks so much Mark & Vladislav!!

It's sad but true RIchard

Never any jobs posted on this site......what are you doing about it!!....other free sites have job offers every week...uk.

Hey, Mark! I went to your profile to see your reel - as other producers will do without notifying you. Posting a reel would be a great start, my friend.

Agreed.

Happy Turkey Day, Everyone!

Preston, thanks once again, buddy.

Where is this webinar Joey, I can't seem to find it.

Thanks for the great webinar on pitching Joey!!! I learned a lot and I love how you took the extra time to answer all our questions! I was the person who asked if I should sing in my verbal pitch and you said: "I'm sure you have a lovely voice but...no!" LOL! Great stuff!

Excellent webinar, JOEY. I was not able to post questions, but you answered them ALL anyway and then some. Favorite part, to be ourselves, real beings first, then writer. Can't wait to pitch, written only for me, but I 'm still working, refining my pitch with help from many here. Thank you ALL. You know who you are. Thanks again, JOEY for all that you do for us.

Shortest pitch that worked? Three words....Jaws in Space.................Alien!

Thanks Cherie

Stay positive I share your small city struggle!

Hello Kathryn,thanks Venise :) I'm extremely excited to be connected with all of the awesome people on here

For books on the subject try An Actor Prepares and Building Up a Character both by Stanislavski. You may have read these already but always worth a mention! Good luckx

Thanks Mark,I appreciate this :)

Hi Andrea, first you don't need an agent or manager to get jobs. Sign up for La casting, actors access, casting frontier, and now casting in that order and start submitting yourself to these jobs. Many of these projects are no/low/ deferred pay but this will allow you to network with other actors who can refer you to their agents and managers. This is how my son got his agent. You can also do background work and accomplish the same thing via Central Casting. And don't dismiss low budget/ no pay films either. The footage you get can be invaluable for your reel. Feel free to email me if you any other questions.

Hello, Andrea in California. Find out about auditions at your local community theatre. ACT and polish your craft. Build a reel. Send the reel around. Be nice to people you work with and they will recommend you. Do not stay at home feeling sorry for yourself. FLY, my dear! Get yourself to the closest theatre and say, "I am available. What are you casting for now?"

You may also want to get a copy of Backstage and start going out for Student Films and shorts to build your reel. You have to remember that nobody will care about you until you're generating work for yourself. Agents are Reactive, not Proactive. Build up some indie credits - still won't pay the bills, but it'll give you a chance to perform and learn your craft in the real world. Good luck!

In England at any time 95% of union actors are not working! Of those that are many go from job to job as there are only about 15 agents who have a monopoly on mainstream work....so get out and shoot shorts with great scripts for film fests and have some fun!!

Grab your smartphone and make a short film.

Brilliant you need a top agent

@Maisha - Thanks for posting that, very helpful for computer idiots such as myself. @Marleen - First off, I think your reel shows that you are a very good actress...so well done! I'm going to say two things that others may disagree with, so take it or leave it, but I think it's always helpful to hear several viewpoints. These actually aren't my opinions, but things I've heard from numerous casting directors here in New York. I realize you are from the Netherlands, so the opinion may be different there...keep that in mind. I would cut the monologue. I've been told by several casting directors to never put self-taped monologues on your reel...no matter how well acted it is or how well it's produced (your's is both of those by the way). The thought behind that is that subconsciously it tells the viewer that you don't have enough credits to put together a full reel, so you have to pad it with a self produced monologue. It's clear from the rest of your reel that you have more then enough footage from films for your reel...so why risk putting that thought in their heads. Also, you show similar colors in other scenes, so I don't think it's necessary. Don't get me wrong...I think it's fantastic acting wise, but I think it's unnecessary in terms of selling yourself professionally in your reel. Second, I've been told over and over to try to keep reels around the 2 minute mark. Again, some people will disagree, but that seems to be what most casting directors are saying and looking for. If you cut the monologue, you'd be a lot closer to that 2 minute mark. All that being said, I think it's a fantastic reel that shows you have range, versatility, and are a very honest and truthful actor. Very impressed by your work.

Personally, as a director, I think you should start the reel with the last scene in it. The first scene is not a powerful opening. You may only get that one scene with a director or casting director, so make it good. The second close-up scene is also very good, but maybe you can end with that one. And if you're looking to get work in America, have at least one scene with an American accent. You're a very good actress. I hope to see you on the big screen soon.

Overall, excellent. Unfortunately (for me), you’re on the other side of the globe. My only advice is for the director – bring you in a little tighter on the two shots and cheat a little so that we see your eyes (soul.)

Excellent advice..show reels should never be more than 2 minutes!

Congrats Walter!! Enjoy!! I wind up doing 7 days as an Extra on the movie; "Creed"!! Loved it!! & Met some awesome people!!

Thanx Celeste. Started that BOOM series pilot today. Met great people as well. Don't you just LOVE IT!!??

Leathur Roks!!! I've been on 100 sets and still learned something new today on the set of the series pilot for "BOOM"

If you're acting for your love of acting and not the pay, then extra work is the best work. You get to converse with other actors, not as much pressure for lines, and you get to have fun with your characters back story. Main cast, have to follow the script, you as an extra can do things that the leads cannot. If your in a market scene you can interact with others, maybe plan to start a tussle, haggle over an item. Your job is meant to not distract from the main action, but enhance it. I did some extra work as a soldier in a student military movie. I actually planned a brawl with another soldier, we ran it by our director and he thought it would add to the scene. You can't always get away with that on large films, but you might be able to slip something in.

Never turn down the opportunity for work... they have often times added speaking roles to a very FEW extras just because they had the look they were looking for. Also its the people you meet doing this that may know someone that knows someone that could use you in their next project

Good period..1576 first theatre established in London as I am sure you know, then they moved it over the river when the landlord was away in 1599 renamed it the Globe and the rest is history! Wish you well with your project. Theatre companies needed patrons to move about the country when London closed down every so often due to the plague....lots of reference books abound ! Wish you all the best.Many people think of Shakespeare as only an Elizabethan writer, but of course some of his best works were written after 1603 when James became king and made Will a member of the Royal Bedchamber and his company became The King's Men.