Screening Screeners On My Home Screen

One of the great things about having a kid "in the biz" is screeners.

If you don't know, a screener is a copy of a movie or television show made for the purpose of reviews, trying to get distributors interested in a project or (in Zach's case) allowing industry members to see the movies nominated for awards in Hollywood. (Zach is eligible to vote for the SAG Awards)

It also means that I get to watch movies with him in the comfort of our own home. Don't get me wrong. There is something great about going to a movie theater and seeing a film on the big screen. Plus, it is a good excuse to enjoy food I never eat otherwise such as nachos with the "tastes good but can't be good for you" nacho cheese, caramel popcorn (the only kind of popcorn I will eat) and chocolate covered raisins

Screeners have evolved over the years from VHS tapes to DVDs to digital downloads. Zach gets a mixture of DVDs and digital downloads. It was really nice over the weekend to be able to watch a current movie without having to go out in the California rain to see a film. We watched "La La Land" (still in theaters and up for many Oscars this weekend) in the comfort of our own warm and dry home. It is a beautifully shot movie that I'm sure looks amazing on the big screen. It also looked really nice on my television while watching it from my couch.

Screeners do come with the standard warning to not share them on the Internet or give them to others to watch or attempt to sell or profit from their existence. I don't want Zach to be on the receiving end of any anger over screeners so we definitely keep them "in house".

I'm looking forward to the Oscars because we've been able to watch many of the films up for best picture thanks to screeners. It's a great way to save money and enjoy the best of Hollywood at the same time.

I'm looking forward to watching screeners starring this actor in the future.

Career Moves Between Auditions

It was a slow week for auditions but a busy week for The Artist in moving his career forward. His acting related activities this week included:

• Signing up for classes at The Groundlings 
• Writing new material to use on stage 
• Open mic work at The Laugh Factory and Flappers
• Meeting with his manager to pick his new headshots
• Checking out a new (to him) comedy club in North Hollywood
• Determining the best program for editing videos on his computer
• Working with his manager to make 3 new demo reels (dramatic acting, comedy and stand-up)
• Driving to Palm Springs to support a friend appearing in a play

He is very excited about attending classes at The Groundlings as it will be a chance for him to get some long-form writing experience. He is great at writing jokes and constructing stand-up that tells a story throughout the set. He doesn't have as much experience writing sketches so this will be a good chance for him to work on that skill.

He wrote some new material this week for stand-up gigs. He can perform at a number of different venues now that he is 18 years old. There are some clubs around town that won't let comics go on stage until they are 21. However, there are venues that welcome comics that are 18 so he is doing research on their open mics to try and get on the radar of the folks who book the talent for those clubs.

Zach got new headshots last month and we finally had a chance to sit down with his manager and go over the photos. It's our job to pick 30 or 40 of our favorite shots and then take them to her office. His manager spreads them out on a table and removes them one by one until she gets to the 4 or 5 that she really likes. We came out of the meeting with a new main headshot and additional headshots for comedy submissions, dramatic auditions and a headshot for hosting open mics and other events.

It's late afternoon on Friday as I type this and his management team just sent me two of the new demo reels they've made for Zach. They look good and definitely showcase his range as an actor. This task might be something we can handle in the future since The Artist is checking into new editing programs. Until then, he has a good support system that puts together demo reels that should help his manager and agents get him noticed by casting directors this pilot season.

Even though he accomplished a lot this week, there is still plenty to do in the weeks ahead. The Artist is busy between stand-up, auditions and school (which starts again soon). Thankfully, he enjoys staying busy and chasing his dreams in Hollywood.

An actor who took care of business this week.

How To Survive Pilot Season

Pilot season is underway and you can feel the tension across the city. Everyone is comparing the amount of auditions they've had so far, what parts they went out for and wondering why they didn't get the call for certain parts. While pilot season is an important part of the year for actors, they also need to learn how to stay sane and survive the next few months. Here are some tips to help actors remain calm during pilot season:

• Keep Your Focus - Pilot season is busy and you could be driving to multiple areas of town in one day or multiple times during the week. Stay focused on your work and don't stress about Los Angeles traffic. Stay in the moment with your acting and don't worry about your agents or managers of any other "business" aspects of the television industry. Your agent and manager help you get in the room but it is your talent that will get you a callback for a project.
• Find An Outlet - Pilot season is more than going to auditions. It is also keeping track of new projects, submitting yourself for parts besides the ones your agent and manager handle, making connections and getting your name out there even more than you normally do during the year. It's a nonstop process but you need to make time to relax and let your mind rest. Go to the gym. Meet friends for dinner. Go hiking once or twice per week. Give yourself time to take a deep breath and think about something other than acting.
• It's Not Always You - There are a dozen or more reasons why you might not book a part. Your acting ability might be the last reason you don't book a pilot. They might have been searching for a "certain look" and you didn't match what they had in mind. The part might have been rewritten to be an older person or the opposite gender or even written out of the show completely. It might have been budget reasons. It's certainly disappointing if you don't land the role you were after but keeping it all in perspective is vital to staying sane during the pilot season casting process.
• Be Prepared - The art of being prepared is more than just knowing your lines and being off book. You will often be given a copy of the entire pilot script. Read through it so you know what the show is about beyond the part you hope to land, Showing an interest in the entire script and knowing how the characters interact with each other will go a long way in making you stand out in the eyes of the casting director. Being in the room is your time to shine and show you have what it takes to play the part as well as be an important part of the acting ensemble. 
• Don't Let It Define The Rest Of Your Year - Don't let the success or failure you have in booking a pilot define the rest of your year. Pilot season is only a few months out of the year. If you don't book a pilot, it doesn't mean you will be unemployed for the rest of the year. Keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities down the road. It might seem like the end of the world if you don't book a pilot but it can also mean there is something better waiting for you later in the year. Stay positive and keep your eyes on the goal of being a working actor.

This actor has had a couple of auditions in the last few weeks.