Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage

How Not to Respond to Casting Calls

I wrote a short silent film that I am starring in and producing. We finish principal photography tomorrow, and we're having a blast.

Tomorrow's scene takes place at a costume party, so I require other actors. I am doing the casting for this project myself (add Casting Director to the hats I'm wearing). I went through the rigamarole of getting it SAG-AFTRA approved, so that I can use union or non-union performers. (I'm SAG-AFTRA, so I needed the union's approval in order to cast myself!) I put a Casting Call on Back Stage, and I got way more responses than I thought I would for my little passion project film.

And as a result, I now have a bunch of helpful hints about what not to do when submitting for roles... (Many of which you hopefully already know.)

Here is my do not list, from the perspective of a first-time casting director...

(continued after the jump)

I'm Performing Tonight!

Tonight I'm performing at the Manhattan Monologue Slam, and I'd love for you to come!

The Manhattan Monologue Slam provides an opportunity for actors to perform in front of a panel of agents and casting directors (and sometimes stars -- Jenna Fischer, Sarah Silverman, and Andy Dick have all been panelists).

There is a competition, and the audience scores the monologues from their cell phones. So if you come, vote for me. ;)

If you want to participate, you can too! Just prepare a 2-minute monologue and show up at the Bowery Poetry Club tonight at 9:30pm to meet with the producers for the 10:00pm show. Admission is $10, but only $5 for performers (and either way, you get a free beer).

Hope to see you there!

--Angela Sauer

Using My Real Voice

I've always been interested in voiceover work, but I've never really given it a shot. I did a voiceover for a student interactive art project once. And I used to make pre-show announcements at the Asolo Repertory Theatre (thanking sponsors for coming, announcing post-show talk-backs, and the like).

My voice gets me noticed. It's lower and fuller than you might expect if you just saw a photograph of me. And when I was in college, I was told things like, "that voice is going to get you into grad school," and, "you're not just a run-of-the-mill ingenue; your voice makes you stand out." (Hey, if having an unexpected voice worked for Emma Stone, Kathleen Turner, and Lauren Bacall, why can't it work for me?)

Fewer Credits, Stronger Résumé?

I was recently given some advice: eliminate weak résumé credits. Having fewer credits -- better credits --  makes your résumé seem stronger.

This seemed crazy at first. And it took me back to Jerry Maguire's unpopular suggestion of, "fewer clients, less money."

Aren't we taught to build up our résumés, and pack them full of credits? Isn't that why people say to do industrials when you're just starting out (even though I doubt an industrial is going to get you into an audition for anything other than another industrial)?

So IMDb Rankings Actually Matter...

I got my first listing on my IMDb page back in October, and I have been trying to figure out how the STARmeter rankings on the site work ever since. How do they rise and fall? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? And do they even matter?

Earlier this month I went to LA, and I found out that yes, indeed, they matter. Roles have been won and lost simply by IMDb ranking. Allow me to share with you what I have learned about their significance, and what you can do to get your STARmeter ranking higher.

Staying Dressed

Recently, I was offered a role on a television show. A staffer called to tell me that the producers had loved my audition for a different role that a Casting Director had taped, and they thought that I'd be perfect for a new role. They were offering it to me, no further auditioning needed! I was thrilled! Then they told me that the new role would involve a simulated sex scene in which I would have to be topless and wearing pasties during filming...

I turned down the role. It would've been good money, good (if indecent) exposure, and a good credit for my résumé. But I know where I stand on that issue. I told them that I would love to be considered for a future role on the show. I haven't heard back from them, and I doubt that I will. That's a risk I was willing to take.

Know Why You're Saying No

I went to a wonderful Catholic women's college. While there, I found a great monologue that happened to have swear words in it (the "f-word", which at that point in my life, I had never used). I wanted to change the swear words in the piece to non-swear words. I had a long discussion with two of my amazing professors on the matter.  They were supportive of my choice, but they gave me advice: I had to know WHY I didn't want to use the words.

Personal Morality: Follow-up

I didn't know my post on Personal Morality would be such a big hit! Thank you to everyone who left comments, retweeted it, shared it on Facebook, and emailed me their own stories. To everyone who sent me their stories on other mediums, I encourage you to write in the Unscripted comments section, as I know that what you've said to me will be inspirational and interesting to others as well.

Here are a couple of things I left out of the post:

- A couple of people have mentioned to me that they wished I had provided the sketch so that you could make up your own minds about it. The biggest reason I didn't post a link to the sketch is because I'm not looking for anyone else's opinions on the subject. I did the sketch, I loved doing it, and I would be delighted if the show called me up to do another one. I neither feel the need to ask for your support, nor care to hear your derision. (I have other reasons not to post the link directly, but if you'd like to look for it... Hint #1: my IMDb page. Hint #2: "Historical". Good luck.)

Personal Morality

One of the hardest challenges I’ve had to face recently as an actor is handling how my artistic decisions affect others. 

A few months ago, a fantastic opportunity landed in my lap. I was offered a chance to be in a sketch on a highly rated television program… playing a slightly less than moral character. 

So I checked my internal personal morality meter, to make sure that it was something I was actually comfortable doing. No nudity, no taking the Lord’s name in vain, no saying the c-word, no smoking… I decided I was totally comfortable with it. And because of that, I said yes.

I didn't realize just how controversial that little "yes" would be.

High Class Problem

I've been working on the ground level of a couple of television pilots (both of which I actually booked because of auditions I got from Back Stage). One of them, High Class Problem, is doing an IndieGoGo project to raise money... and there isn't much time left!

If nothing else, I recommend checking out the video. Why? Because it contains lots of me dancing. And I am a hilariously awesome dancer. Enjoy that, folks.

(By the way, that's me on the right in the photo above.)

True Life: I Commute to NYC

I don't live in New York. Not the city, and not even the state.

I work in New York City. I audition there. I rehearse there. I do background work there. I do photo shoots there...

But I live in Connecticut.

Hooray for Funny Women!

When I saw Melissa McCarthy's name on the Academy Award nominations list today, I started crying. Tears of joy. I'm not even exaggerating; I was weeping openly with pride. As a woman who loves doing work in comedy, it was a huge deal to me.

As I kept reading, my joy grew. This year, the Oscars are recognizing some pretty fantastic people, and a lot of them are funny women. Along with Melissa McCarthy, I'd like to congratulate Bérénice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Annie Mumolo, and Kristen Wiig on their first Academy Award nominations.

Women in comedy do not get as much appreciation as they should. Just a month ago when Christopher Hitchens died, people again brought up his controversial 2007 Vanity Fair article "Why Women Aren't Funny" that posed the question, "Why are men, taken on average and as a whole, funnier than women?"

One Union: Why I Plan to Vote for the Merge

As I mentioned right after I joined AFTRA, it has been proposed that AFTRA and SAG (two of the three acting unions in the USA) merge. And now it looks like they have taken a huge step closer to that potential merge by finalizing the terms of the merger proposal.

At this time, I don't know any of the specifics about how the proposed union of the unions might affect me or others. I don't know what it will do to working conditions, or health care, or retirement benefits. I don't even know what it will do to wages. But I already have some opinions on the matter.

Quotations: Volume 26

“I am not a has-been. I am a will be.”
- Lauren Bacall

"I've come to believe that everything worth achieving is beyond one's capacity - or seems so at first. The thing is to persist, not back off, fight your fight, pay your dues, and carry on. Effort is all; continue and you may get there despite everything."
- Elia Kazan

"I never said, 'I'm going to be a big star.' I said, 'I'm going to be a good actor.' And that took the pressure off." 
- Jeff Daniels

A Side in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Head

When I first started auditioning in New York, I never brought my sides into the audition room. I was always prepared and off-book, and I didn’t see the point. Also, somehow holding the scene felt like it was holding me back, at least physically. Additionally, having the script in my hand felt like cheating.

But now, I’m changing my mind.

Background Work: How to Be a Good Extra

Some fellows I met doing work as an extra made a fantastic video to explain what it's like to be an extra. Here's "Background Anthem":

I love that. :)

I've only done 11 days of work as a background actor (I just counted...), but somehow, it seems like more than that. I feel like a regular.

I Found Santa

Tonight, on my commute back to Connecticut after an audition (which I think went pretty well, by the way), I accidentally stumbled across SantaCon in Grand Central Station. It was a mad house!

Thought I'd give you a taste of it with this little video of a band/drum circle. Enjoy!

 

 -- Angela Sauer

Quotations: Volume 25

"There is only one way of surviving all the early heartbreaks in this business. You must have a sense of humor. And I think it also helps if you are a dreamer. I had my dreams all right. And that is something no one can ever take away. They cost nothing, and they can be as real as you like to make them. You own your dreams and they are priceless. I've been a lavatory attendant, a theatre usher, a panhandler, all for real. Now, as an actor, I can be a journalist today and a brain surgeon tomorrow. That's the stuff my dreams are made of."
- Al Pacino

"We're dead as a species if we don't tell stories, because then we don't know who we are."
- Alan Rickman

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
- Steve Jobs

Why I Joined AFTRA

On Monday, I joined AFTRA. I am now officially a union actor.

AFTRA is the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Some television shows are under SAG (Screen Actors Guild) contracts, and some are AFTRA. In NYC, more and more are becoming AFTRA.

Joining AFTRA isn't difficult. If you have the money to pay the joining fee, then you're in. (And if you've gotten a waiver on an AFTRA set, then you can pay in installments, which is what I'm doing.) I went to their office, and the whole joining process took about 15 minutes. Piece of cake!

Never Aired

Let's say, hypothetically, that you had gotten to play a featured role on a television show. That you had filmed for nearly four hours with the leads, gotten a hair cut for the project, and that you had told pretty much everyone you'd ever known that they should watch for you.

And then, let's say, that episode never aired.

That would be heart-breaking, wouldn't it?

You know, hypothetically.