Carrie Lee Martz | Actress
carrieleemartz@hotmail.com

  • About Me
  • On-Camera
  • Voiceover
  • On-Stage

Bookings:  Should You Kiss & Tell?

6/29/2014

 
Hush
You just booked a job, whether it’s your 1st or your 800th, the excitement you feel when you get the news never goes away (if it has – check your pulse or maybe think about making a career change).  So you’re thrilled, you’re elated, and you want to tell your family, your friends, your dentist, and the rest of the world so they can share in your excitement!  But should you?  The short answer is “NO!”  The long answer is you probably shouldn’t tell anyone, for a myriad of reasons, but if you’re going to, then you need to be careful about it.

Here are some reasons you should keep mum on that exciting new job:

1.  Confidentiality

Many bookings come with a confidentiality agreement, especially the high-profile ones!  Telling people about the job and posting it on social media is a breach of this agreement.  It can get you into trouble.  At best you may be fired from the job.  At worst you may be sued or blacklisted in the industry.  Don’t assume however, that just because you haven’t signed an agreement yet or don’t have to sign one, that you have cart blanche to share your good news.  Any time you share booking information, you run the risk of losing the job and/or sullying your reputation.

2.  Failure to Launch

If you’ve been an actor for some time now, then you know just how fickle the market can be.  Receiving news that you’ve booked a job is not the same thing as having a signed contract in place.  Bookings fall through more often than you’d imagine for any number of reasons.  Not the least of which is that you could end up being injured or sick or take a different, more high-profile or higher-paying gig (remember don’t do this often, if at all – see my post “Should I Ever Turn Down a Role and Why?  The Top 5 Reasons”).  If your booking is through an agent, you will usually get some sort of cancellation pay, which is a great consolation.  But this cancellation pay isn’t something you can proudly show off to all the people you’ve told about your booking.  When you share the news of a booking prematurely, you run the risk of looking like a liar (there’s no proof of the job, so you must have made it up) or of just feeling embarrassed when people ask you about the job later and you have to tell them it’s not happening.
  I’ve made this mistake and definitely felt dumb when I had to explain, “Oh yeah, that fell through.”


3.  Hurt Feelings
Sharing your bookings can be so much fun; you’re excited and your friends are happy for you!  Except when they’re not.  There are times when you’ve gone to auditions with a friend or saw a friend at an audition, and you were up for the same role.  If you know that this particular friend would be really hurt by finding out that you booked the job instead of them, it may not hurt to keep this one to yourself.  That said, if you have a friend like this, who is unsupportive and always seems outwardly jealous when you book a job, you may want to consider ending the friendship.  It’s hard not to get jealous when things are going really well for your friends and you feel like you’re treading water.  I’m a big believer in supporting each other always though, especially when you’re feeling a bit jealous.  It builds character and tends to help squash that Jealousy Monster.  Being jealous from time to time is only natural, it’s what you do with your jealousy that ultimately matters.

4.  Braggasaurus

If you share every single time you book a job (i.e. – more than 2-3 times a week), instead of looking like you’re super in-demand and having fun, you can come off as a Braggasaurus.  We all know that one actor who starts every conversation by telling you about “ALL” their new credits without any prompting from you or anyone else.  Can you say obnoxious!?!  This is often a rookie mistake.  Yep, you guessed it, when I first started acting, I was a bit of a Braggasaurus.  I was just so excited and happy that I didn’t take a moment to consider that I was also being annoying.

So you now know several reasons why sharing that booking information on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever may not always be the best idea.  You still want to share it though don’t you?  Yeah, me too sometimes!  LOL!  So how do you do it without ruffling any feathers or losing the booking you’re so excited about in the first place?

A.  Wait
I know this isn’t quite what you had in mind, but…  If you can...  wait until you have the signed contract in your hand or until the job is over and it’s been officially released to the public.  This will always be your safest bet!  If you did sign a confidentiality agreement, be sure to double-check that it is now safe (legally speaking) to talk about the job.

B.  Be Vague

Simply post and tell people that you “Booked a Job,” or "Booked a (insert job type here – commercial, industrial, etc.)," and that details will follow when you are able to say more.  This way you are in no way identifying the job, which means – you can’t be fired for outing the company that has hired you and you don’t have to explain anything later if the job falls through.  I often use this method now.

C.  Share Away

If you are absolutely sure that the company who booked you won’t mind and you’re in no way concerned about any of the other reasons “not to post,” then share away!  Hopefully there won’t be any repercussions and your friends and fans will rejoice with you.  As long as you haven’t overshared your welcome that is!

Next Week:  48 Hour Film Project:  What to Expect

Photo Credit: kidoki via Compfight cc /Added Border

Are You a "Real" Actor?

6/22/2014

 
Dog Disguised as Cat

What a question, huh?  Well, I actually think it’s an important one.  Please read “The Real Deal,” by Jamie Rose, before continuing on in this post.  I don’t want to rehash it, but my post is essentially a reply, and I’m going to assume you’ve read it.

I want to start by saying that I think the OP had genuinely good intentions in writing her article and that she wanted to inspire people.  I am not here to criticize her.  I just don’t agree with what she’s ultimately saying.  I’m all for encouraging and inspiring people, but we can inspire people without telling them, “This is what you want?  Ok, it’s yours.”  While she may not have intended it, the post suggests that all you need to consider yourself an Actor is the will and the heart.  So basically just about anyone who has the slightest interest in acting, and does so on occasion, can consider themselves an Actor.  Really?  That’s quite unfortunate in my opinion.  I believe that you have to earn the right to call yourself an Actor.

While I agree that it’s hard to come up with a definite list of requirements, and I don’t think whether or not you “make your medical” should be one of them, there does need to be a way to differentiate the “Real” Actors from the people who act as a hobby and the non-actors.

I give a lot of examples from time to time from other career paths because I think they’re relevant.  This time is no exception.
  First let me give you an example from my own life.  I have a degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.  And I used to work as a Research Scientist.  Despite this fact, I no longer refer to myself as a Research Scientist – I’m not one anymore.  Continuing to use the title, would be disrespectful to the active Research Scientists out there.  You may do your own taxes, pay the bills, and take care of the budget – that doesn’t make you a Financial Analyst or an Accountant.  You may have your own website and create all the graphics – that doesn’t make you an Internet Marketer or a Graphic Designer.  You may take really good care of your friends, your spouse, and your kids when they are sick – that doesn’t make you a Doctor.  That’s an extreme example, but I hope you get the point I’m trying to make.  Just because you occasionally do or used to do something, doesn’t make it your profession, and it doesn’t give you the right to tell people that it is.  In fact, if you go around telling people you’re a Doctor, when you’re not, you may end up getting arrested and will most certainly irritate the scores of Doctors out there who really are, in fact, Doctors.  Those guys and gals worked HARD to earn the rights to the title of Doctor!

I think we can probably all agree that it’s offensive when someone goes around pretending to be something without putting all the work in.  Why should it be any different when it comes to Actors?  The term Actor gets thrown around all too often and it ends up diluting what it really means to BE an Actor.  Like that guy down the street who once worked as an extra for the Big Hollywood Movie in town, and now tells everyone he meets that he’s an Actor.  That guy isn’t an Actor.  Or the girl who 20 years later still runs around bragging about the time she played Juliet in the High School Play – not an Actor.

I agree with Jamie when she says having the will and having heart are important – they most certainly are!  You can’t be an Actor without them!  But I also think it takes a little more than that.  It takes talent.  It takes training.  It takes being able to handle loads of rejection and walking into the next audition with your head held high and a smile on your face.  Most importantly it takes dedication!  This is what separates the “Real” Actors from those who just like the idea of adding the title to their moniker.  Actors are dedicated to the craft of Acting!  We work hard every single day!  We pound the pavement, we send resume, after resume, after resume, we spend countless hours and money honing our skills.  We live, sleep, eat, and breathe acting, many of us holding day jobs (just to get by) until the day we make it.

So you see, in my opinion, there IS such a thing as a “Real” Actor.  And the title should only be bestowed upon those who work hard enough to deserve it.  The "Real" answer is in your Actions!  It is not just will and heart, but the dedicated and continued pursuit of a career in Acting, above all else, that makes someone a “Real” Actor.  If that’s you, then wear the title proudly!  And don’t let anyone tell you different.  If not, please show your respect for those who embody what it means to be an Actor, by refraining from loosely throwing the title around.

Next Week:  Bookings - Should You Kiss & Tell?
photo credit: martymadrid via photopin cc /Added Border
A lovely lady @taralynz, whom I've shared the stage with, wrote a reply to my post with her thoughts.


Facebook Likes, Tweets, and Now MORE!

6/21/2014

 
Facebook Like Hand Sign
Due to continuing unresolved issues with my web-host's Facebook Likes and Tweets sharing service, I have turned off the host sharing options and added my own through Shareaholic.  Unfortunately, I have had to lose many likes and tweets in the process (better now than later I suppose).

The good news is that all new Likes and Tweets will show up going forward.  AND I'm able to offer you additional sharing options, as well as a printer friendly option.  Check them out and let me know what you think!  Now to find a way to fix the issue with share buttons not showing up on the mobile site...
photo credit: afagen via photopin cc /Added Border

20 Headshot Tips - "A Picture's Worth a Thousand... Bucks"

6/16/2014

 
Head Shot - Camera Pointed at Guy's Head
It’s often said that “a picture’s worth a thousand words.”  This couldn’t be more true when it comes to your headshots.  Only in this case, that picture is sometimes worth a thousand bucks in pay or more!  Your headshot is, like your resume, a part of your calling card – your brand.  And also like your resume, it’s a marketing tool meant to sell you to potential clients.  Having a great headshot can book you the job; having a bad one can prevent you from even getting in the room.  Here are 20 things you should know about headshots.

1.  Authenticity is Key
Casting Directors (CD’s) & Directors want to know who you are.  Show them!  Your headshots should look & feel like you.  They should be unique (like you), bare your soul, and tell people more than you want them to know about you in a single glance.  You’ll know you’ve got headshots that represent you well if your friends & family say:  “OMG, that’s so You!”

2.  Simplicty Wins

Your headshots should be simple.  No elaborate backgrounds, poses, make-up, jewelry, costumes, facial expressions.  They should simply demonstrate you being yourself at your best.  Headshots are NOT glamour shots!

3.  Variety is the Spice
There should be variety.  You need variety in the poses, the facial expressions (smiling, serious, in-between, etc.), the outfits, the lighting options (studio & natural), your hair (styles & colors if you wear wigs), your makeup, and your eye color (if you wear colored contacts).  The more variety you have in your shots, the more you have to pick from later, to perfectly suit that audition you’re dying to be called in for.

4.  Experience, Experience, Experience
Make sure you pick a great photographer with lots of experience in taking good headshots.  Don’t go to a place that pumps out pictures as fast as McDonalds – this is a headshot factory and chances are your shots will look just like everyone else who’s gotten them done there.  DON’T get your headshots taken by an amateur, a friend, or use a selfie – they won’t be good & you won’t be able to compete with the other actors who have fabulous professional headshots.  The money you save won’t be worth the money you lose in bookings.  And get to know the photographer a little ahead of time, evaluate their work and make sure you like it.

5.  Spend Good Money, Not Great Money

Good headshots cost good money.  Sure you can pay $100 for 10 different poses, but chances are, you’ll be lucky to get one great picture in the mix.  So spend good money to get quality headshots.  Don’t spend too much money though.  Here in Pittsburgh, you should be spending around $100-$125 per pose, roughly about $500-$650 for a session with 5 different poses, 3-4 headshots and an editorial shot or two.  One pose should include:  having an on-set stylist do your hair, makeup, and help you pick an outfit, with photos taken in multiple poses, locations, and/or lighting set-ups.  Then you should move on to the next pose, which will include a different hairstyle, makeup, outfit, and so on…  If you’re spending more than this, you’re probably overpaying.

6.  Reproduction Rules
Make sure that whatever hair and makeup choices you make with the stylist are ones that you can easily reproduce yourself later.  When you show up to an audition, you need to look just like the picture that got you there.

7.  The Eyes Have It
Windows to the soul?  Absolutely!  It’s a saying for a reason.  Your eyes need to be expressive, bright, and always visible.  While the whole picture is important, it’s your eyes that will tell the majority of the story of who you are.  Make sure you use them and highlight them in the best ways possible.  If someone looks at your headshots and your eyes immediately draw them in, you’ve got their attention!  This is what you want to aim for.

8.  Rest & Prepare
Pick out your outfit options in advance, know what colors are best for you, and have a plan for your hair and makeup that you can discuss with the stylist.  Most importantly get a good night’s rest!  Beauty sleep is a necessity if you want to look amazing in your pictures!

9.  Don’t Retouch Too Much
Remember authenticity and simplicity.  You want to look like your best, most natural self (with the aide of makeup and fabulous hair, of course).  If you do a lot of retouching, it will show when you walk in the door not looking like your pictures.  Don’t airbrush your nose, structure your cheeks, or remove all your wrinkles.  Retouching should only be used in small doses if at all.  Woke up with a huge pimple?  Didn’t get your beauty sleep?  Reschedule your session if possible.  If not, retouch to remove the pimple, dark circles, or extra crow’s feet around your eyes – And That’s It!  Any retouching should still look like you on an average day.  DON’T even think about using Instagram, Pixlr-o-matic, or Flickr to add filters or effects to your headshots!

10.  Own Your Rights
The cost of your headshots should include all session fees and poses, and the rights to all of the pictures taken in the session.  They are photos of you and you should own them.  That way you can pick and choose new ones, retouch, and/or reproduce them at any time.  Added bonus:  you can post them to the web with no worries – You Own Them!  Not all photographers provide this option, but they should.  Some photographers charge you an additional fee for every picture that you want to use/own – often $25 or more per picture.  Shame on them – I say!  If you’re choosing between photographers and one gives you the option of paying an extra $100 upfront to own the rights to all of your pictures, while the other is $100 cheaper, but charges $25 or more per picture to own the rights – all things being equal, always choose to pay the $100 more upfront.  Trust me – you’ll be soooo glad you did!

11.  Keep It Fresh
You need to get new headshots every couple of years as you age.  And if you change anything – hairstyle, hair length, you have cosmetic surgery, whiten your teeth, gain or lose weight, etc. – you need to get new pictures.  If you aren’t booking jobs and you don’t understand why – you may need new pictures – ask your agent, friends, and family if your pictures are up to snuff.

12.  An Ounce of Preparation
Be sure to plan your wardrobe well.  Solid colors only, NO stripes, patterns, or logos of any kind!  Pick outfits that demonstrate your type.  Pick colors that suit you best – look at your eyes, hair, and skin for clues.  If you don’t know what colors are best for you, ask a friend who excels in fashion, hire a colorist or stylist to help you find your best color schemes, or talk to your photographer about meeting with their stylist ahead of time to help you decide.  Your clothes should enhance your appearance not detract or distract from it.  Make sure your clothing is ironed and ready to wear – one simple wrinkle can suggest that you are unprofessional and sloppy.  One wrong color can turn your smile into a sickly grin.  And DON’T wear trendy clothing – it can immediately date your photos.  Those jeggings or UGG boots were all the rage when you had your pictures taken, but this year?  They may be SO LAST YEAR!

13.  Negative Space, Asymmetry, & Angles are Good
Negative space, asymmetry, and angles can add interest to your pictures and draw people towards you.  If done incorrectly, they can cause your pictures to look awkward, confuse people, or draw them away from you.  If using these tools in a headshot composition, make sure that you do it in a way that is advantageous.

14.  Color Your World
Your headshots need to be in color.  NO Black & White.  NO Sepia.  COLOR!  Period.

15.  Turn Them On
Your pictures should invoke excitement in the people who view them.  They should encourage CD’s to take a second look, to want to meet you, to get to know you.  If you’re pictures tell a story that screams, “I’m interesting,” “I’m mysterious,” I’m strange,” or “I’m different,” you’ve just greatly increased your chances of getting called in for an audition.

16.  Think Type
Know your type before getting your headshots done.  Everything in your photo should suggest your type to potential employers – your hair, makeup, wardrobe, expressions.  If you play mom roles, wear khakis, a sweater set, and a warm, welcoming smile.  For strong, silent executive types, wear a tailored suit, cross your arms, and look like you mean business.  And for an undercover agent, wear something that lets you blend in while standing out, and an expression that suggests you have a few secrets to hide.  Just don’t take it too far.  The key here is to “suggest” your type.  NO COSTUMES!  NO PROPS!  For an editorial shot to round out your portfolio, you can do basic costumes and props – i.e. scrubs and lab coat.

17.  Close, but Not Too Close
There are 3 basic poses you should have in your portfolio – full body, ¾ length, and close-up.  While your main headshot – the close-up – should focus on your head (or rather your face), that doesn’t mean it should just be your head.  Make sure that at the very least your shoulders appear in this type of shot.  No one wants to look at a picture of your floating head – it’s just creepy!

18.  Brand It Twice
The first brand is the headshot itself – YOU!  The second brand is your name – when you have your headshots reproduced, make sure your name appears on the front of them somewhere.  It should be big and clear enough to read, yet inconspicuous enough that all eyes are on you, not your name.  One way to do this is to add a border to your photo and place your name in the border.

19.  Have Fun
Don’t be a Stiff at your headshot session.  Take a friend with you.  Make a day of it.  Have fun with the photographer.  Do whatever you have to do to make yourself feel comfortable and at ease.  If you’re not relaxed, your pictures will come out looking stilted and awkward.  And you will have spent all that good money for nothing.  A great photographer will figure out a way to put you at ease and get a natural, easygoing look that photographs fantastically.  Don’t rely solely on this though – your demeanor and attitude is up to you, so make it a great one!

20.  Break the Rules

Now that you know all the rules to follow, break a few of them.  Just make sure that breaking the rules will get you noticed – in a GOOD WAY!  Your headshots should set you apart from the crowd, so if breaking a few of the rules helps to do that, then Dare to be Different!  It’s what many Casting Directors are looking for!

Click HERE to see some of my headshots & editorial photos.

My photographer is Eric Mull in Cleveland.  If you decide to use him, tell him I sent you.


Next Week:  Are You a "Real" Actor?
photo credit: Martin Gommel via photopin cc /Added Border

Happy Father's Day!

6/15/2014

 
Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there!
Classic Yellow Car
photo credit: Kansas Sebastian via photopin cc /Added Border
<<Previous

    Acting Up Blog

    A blog about life and lessons learned through the eyes of an Actress.

    Hints, Tips, and Tricks to "Up your Acting Game."

    RSS Feed

      Sign up to receive email from me.

      Get Email Updates

    Subscribe
    Carrie Lee Martz

    Blogger
    Carrie Lee Martz

    I'm an Actress with a voracious appetite and passion for my work and life.  I believe that hard work coupled with determination is a good recipe for making your dreams a reality.

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    48 Hour Film Project
    Acting Myths
    Age
    Agents
    Audiobooks
    Auditioning
    Blogs
    Books
    Character Development
    Classes
    Decisions... Decisions...
    Discussions
    Freebies
    Fun
    Guest Blog Posts
    Headshots
    Miscellaneous
    Question & Answer
    Resumes
    Scripts
    Social Media
    The Beginning Actor
    The Experienced Actor
    Updates
    Voiceover
    Websites
    Working

    Website Policies

    Listed on the VO Blogroll
Email carrieleemartz@hotmail.com
Copyright © 2018-2022, Carrie Lee Martz. All rights reserved.