Sunday, April 18, 2004
Thursday, April 08, 2004
SAG Indie Contracts Meeting
I attended a SAG meeting about contracts so that I could see how to videotape myself and stay "legal" in the eyes of SAG. Let me tell you...it's not easy. They got rules on top of rules and rules on how the rules should be ruled.
The bottom line that I figured is that if you are BROKE and still want to do union videos that you need to get an Internet contract. You defer all salaries until the project is sold and distributed. You can also enter the project into festivals and such, but you MUST 1st show it on the Internet for 2 weeks (I think it's two weeks). This contract also avoids having to show proof of Workman's Compensation insurance. The SAG Experimental and Modified Low Budget require the actual certificate before your project will be SAG sanctioned. Workman's Comp is still "required", but you don't have to produce the actual certificate. That's what I was told and I didn't push it any further. ;)
The bottom line that I figured is that if you are BROKE and still want to do union videos that you need to get an Internet contract. You defer all salaries until the project is sold and distributed. You can also enter the project into festivals and such, but you MUST 1st show it on the Internet for 2 weeks (I think it's two weeks). This contract also avoids having to show proof of Workman's Compensation insurance. The SAG Experimental and Modified Low Budget require the actual certificate before your project will be SAG sanctioned. Workman's Comp is still "required", but you don't have to produce the actual certificate. That's what I was told and I didn't push it any further. ;)
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Off to my Day Job
Well, I am off to see a client to troubleshoot a network issue. I'd rather be on set somewhere, but I am very fortunate and blessed to be in my position. As the owner of my own little computer consulting company, I get to work with great people and make my own schedule.
My client today is author and professional speaker Jim Cathcart (www.jimcathcart.com).
Computer client today and tomorrow, SAG Indie Workshop Thursday night and *weather permitting* shoot some coverage for a PSA spoof on Thursday/Friday.
My client today is author and professional speaker Jim Cathcart (www.jimcathcart.com).
Computer client today and tomorrow, SAG Indie Workshop Thursday night and *weather permitting* shoot some coverage for a PSA spoof on Thursday/Friday.
Monday, April 05, 2004
RANT Alert!!!
My thoughts on Digital vs. Photo headshots mixed in with my thoughts on Litho vs. Photo duplication.
In the coming weeks I will reveal my economic study which concludes that Hollywood has an underground economy based on the failure of actors. Of course, this is not a scientific study, but rather the results of my own skewed observations.
Actors spend and spend and spend yet continue to struggle to 'make it' in this town. I'm not convinced that more is always better in this business. Many "experts" (other struggling actors) will profess that you need better and more expensive tools to 'make it'. I guess spending does coddle the actor ego into thinking that fame has yet to surface only because not enough money has been wasted on more expensive photographers or more expensive duplications. *Is this "paying your dues"???
I have a picture of Tyra Banks that looks like it was litho...at best. It was obviously printed for mass distribution for adoring fans. What makes this picture worth hanging on my file cabinet is the subject matter, capturing an interesting image that says something.
Film vs. Digital
The tired argument that film looks better was actually true...a couple of years ago. Now you can buy cameras with so many megapixels that the pictures can be blown up for use on billboards. We actors are shooting for an 8 x 10. Granted, if you got a magnifying glass or a loop and studied the image, you MIGHT tell the difference.
Film is expensive and requires processing before you can even see what you've got. You wait for your proofs and then *UH OH* you might have to go back and get them reshot. If you have any 'retouching' done, then the picture is most likely scanned and worked on, so you've got a digital picture anyway.
I went to a digital photographer named Armen Asadorian (www.armenasadorian.com) and we shot and shot and shot, because digital uses nothing but storage which will be erased after the shoot. Armen has a very high definition camera and we didn't even use the highest setting (remember kids - we're only going for 8x10 pics). I left with 2 CDs and about 100 images. No waiting for proofs...I knew while sitting there that I'd have some good shots to work with. *I don't remember what I payed for the CD, but the shoot was free from a special that he sometimes runs in Backstage West. **I liked my pics so much that I've been back for a second shoot!
After the shoot, I quickly set up a webpage photo gallery and enlisted my trusted friends and colleagues to help me narrow down the choices. After sufficient whittling, I made an appointment with my agent. For that meeting I went to COSTCO and made 4x6 prints/proofs that ran me a whopping 19 cents each. My agent and I agreed on a set of pics and I ran to get them printed up.
Lithographic vs. Photo Reproduction
The area of "litho vs. photo" can become a bitter debate with actors. My thoughts are that lithographers have become very adept artists and still are a much better bargain for the aspiring actor's marketing budget. Again, if equipped with magnification equipment, a discerning eye can probably tell the difference. My impression is that most CDs aren't looking that closely at the hundreds and hundreds of pictures that pass through their offices each week. In fact, most pictures are looked at VERY quickly...if at all...and then thrown away. How people can spend significantly more money to join the garbage pile is beyond me.
Like I said before, the picture of Tyra (I'm on a 1st name basis with her photograph) is a great picture because of the IMAGE that the photographer captured. It would look good if it was printed on a photo copier!
I've actually seen faxed, photocopied, laser and inkjet printed headshots from people who were AT auditions. Obviously, something other than how much money they spent went into the decision to call them in for an audition. Maybe it was what was on the back of their picture in terms of experience, training, etc. - maybe it was that they actually had an interesting picture that jumps off the page. I'm not suggesting that you get reproduction in the self serve area of KINKO's, but I would have you really consider the cost/benefit analysis of going photo over litho. In my economic opinion it doesn't add up. (My mom will be happy that my Economics major in college is actually being used!)
Final Thoughts
I can assure that VERY professional results can be had for significantly less money if you take advantage of the latest technologies in digital photography and reproduction. I proudly use my headshots and am routinely complimented on the quality and I always tell them "digital shot, litho repro"...and some of them actually look shocked.
They look shocked because they've been convinced by the arguments of the past. We are in a digital age and your pictures will be seen on the Internet as much if not more than physically in front of the casting community.
Remember there are choices that successful and unsuccessful people make everyday. It is my opinion that significant extra spending with minimal (and unnoticeable) improvement is not the ticket to 'making it'. Of course some people will sway you to believe that it is so and if you follow that advise you will perpetuate the "Economy Based on The Failure of Actors".
In the coming weeks I will reveal my economic study which concludes that Hollywood has an underground economy based on the failure of actors. Of course, this is not a scientific study, but rather the results of my own skewed observations.
Actors spend and spend and spend yet continue to struggle to 'make it' in this town. I'm not convinced that more is always better in this business. Many "experts" (other struggling actors) will profess that you need better and more expensive tools to 'make it'. I guess spending does coddle the actor ego into thinking that fame has yet to surface only because not enough money has been wasted on more expensive photographers or more expensive duplications. *Is this "paying your dues"???
I have a picture of Tyra Banks that looks like it was litho...at best. It was obviously printed for mass distribution for adoring fans. What makes this picture worth hanging on my file cabinet is the subject matter, capturing an interesting image that says something.
Film vs. Digital
The tired argument that film looks better was actually true...a couple of years ago. Now you can buy cameras with so many megapixels that the pictures can be blown up for use on billboards. We actors are shooting for an 8 x 10. Granted, if you got a magnifying glass or a loop and studied the image, you MIGHT tell the difference.
Film is expensive and requires processing before you can even see what you've got. You wait for your proofs and then *UH OH* you might have to go back and get them reshot. If you have any 'retouching' done, then the picture is most likely scanned and worked on, so you've got a digital picture anyway.
I went to a digital photographer named Armen Asadorian (www.armenasadorian.com) and we shot and shot and shot, because digital uses nothing but storage which will be erased after the shoot. Armen has a very high definition camera and we didn't even use the highest setting (remember kids - we're only going for 8x10 pics). I left with 2 CDs and about 100 images. No waiting for proofs...I knew while sitting there that I'd have some good shots to work with. *I don't remember what I payed for the CD, but the shoot was free from a special that he sometimes runs in Backstage West. **I liked my pics so much that I've been back for a second shoot!
After the shoot, I quickly set up a webpage photo gallery and enlisted my trusted friends and colleagues to help me narrow down the choices. After sufficient whittling, I made an appointment with my agent. For that meeting I went to COSTCO and made 4x6 prints/proofs that ran me a whopping 19 cents each. My agent and I agreed on a set of pics and I ran to get them printed up.
Lithographic vs. Photo Reproduction
The area of "litho vs. photo" can become a bitter debate with actors. My thoughts are that lithographers have become very adept artists and still are a much better bargain for the aspiring actor's marketing budget. Again, if equipped with magnification equipment, a discerning eye can probably tell the difference. My impression is that most CDs aren't looking that closely at the hundreds and hundreds of pictures that pass through their offices each week. In fact, most pictures are looked at VERY quickly...if at all...and then thrown away. How people can spend significantly more money to join the garbage pile is beyond me.
Like I said before, the picture of Tyra (I'm on a 1st name basis with her photograph) is a great picture because of the IMAGE that the photographer captured. It would look good if it was printed on a photo copier!
I've actually seen faxed, photocopied, laser and inkjet printed headshots from people who were AT auditions. Obviously, something other than how much money they spent went into the decision to call them in for an audition. Maybe it was what was on the back of their picture in terms of experience, training, etc. - maybe it was that they actually had an interesting picture that jumps off the page. I'm not suggesting that you get reproduction in the self serve area of KINKO's, but I would have you really consider the cost/benefit analysis of going photo over litho. In my economic opinion it doesn't add up. (My mom will be happy that my Economics major in college is actually being used!)
Final Thoughts
I can assure that VERY professional results can be had for significantly less money if you take advantage of the latest technologies in digital photography and reproduction. I proudly use my headshots and am routinely complimented on the quality and I always tell them "digital shot, litho repro"...and some of them actually look shocked.
They look shocked because they've been convinced by the arguments of the past. We are in a digital age and your pictures will be seen on the Internet as much if not more than physically in front of the casting community.
Remember there are choices that successful and unsuccessful people make everyday. It is my opinion that significant extra spending with minimal (and unnoticeable) improvement is not the ticket to 'making it'. Of course some people will sway you to believe that it is so and if you follow that advise you will perpetuate the "Economy Based on The Failure of Actors".
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Current Pics on Current Postcard
This is the front of my postcards that I'm prepping to send out to all Casting Directors. I'll be designing the back this week...I'm using a Daly News theme to keep the audience updated on what I'm doing to stay "in the game".
Also, note my use of 'branding'. The 6 picture logo has been a part of every piece that I've put together over the last year. I'll probably post the original postcard of that logo this week too.
Stay tuned!
My New Blog
My REVITALIZED Career Starts TODAY!
Well...it's been 5 years since I've embarked on Los Angeles to pursue acting as a career. Needless to say that I've not "made it" yet, but I will not give in. I hope that putting my goals "out there" will keep me motivated to move forward. Maybe it will also motivate others to keep their focus on their goals and doing what they want to do.
Well...it's been 5 years since I've embarked on Los Angeles to pursue acting as a career. Needless to say that I've not "made it" yet, but I will not give in. I hope that putting my goals "out there" will keep me motivated to move forward. Maybe it will also motivate others to keep their focus on their goals and doing what they want to do.
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