Know your industry

I think it is increasingly important to be an expert in your field to have a long-lasting and prosperous career. An acting career is no exception. However, I also think it is very important that you understand other areas of the industry. It will give you an additional edge in the short run and may only keep you current in the long run.

For instance, you should know the difference between a grip and a gaffer on your set. Additionally, it's important to know the difference between an executive producer, a line producer, and associate producer. It will be particularly helpful if you understood some of the dynamics in the industry around those names and what they and how the different jobs can be viewed differently depending on the project and the people involved and how deals were set up. Knowing what it means to be above the line and below the line are important keys as well. These are just a few examples. This is not an exhaustive list nor is it sufficient to just look up these terms.

I took Robert McKee's 3 day "Story Seminar" a while back and remembered learning tons about writing scripts. And though I write, I have not undertaken the act of writing a script. Even so, I learned a lot of things that will help my acting. I recommend at least a basic script writing class for all actors who are serious about acting. I have a friend who recently told me that the reason her film didn't make it in to Sundance is because the acting wasn't good enough. She accepted the responsibility that she couldn't get the performance she needed from her actors and took an acting class to learn their language. Now that's taking charge of your career! Some of the actors on the rise that I know help out casting directors for free when they can. They learn for free and are appreciated by those they help. There are tons of things to do in this industry between auditions.

I'm one of the lucky few who started in production and moved in to acting. That's exactly opposite of the way others usually graduate in the industry. A lot of actors begin acting and move in to production. A lot of successful actors become directors and if you take some directing classes you'll have a better understanding why that is a sometimes a natural progression of things.

I did temp work at several of the major studios and learned a lot by being a temp in the Stills Department at Sony, being in the Global Real Estate Department at Universal (when it was Universal), and other things. While the RE department wasn't directly related to film making, it helped me understand the complexities of the studios. It may never be anything specific that I use per se but having an understanding gives me confidence and allows me to speak intelligently whenever I'm on a studio lot and someone strikes up conversation in line at the commissary or on the way to the studio store.

If you can get on the lots to do headshot drops, I recommend you go around lunch time if you can. You can eat in the studio commissary and meet people just waiting in line. Don't go in with an agenda, but do go in with an open and curious mind. This industry is full of extremely and creative people and it takes many teams to create a thriving studio.

Also when you understand the studio system, you can be a very empathetic person when it comes to people who actually call you in for auditions and even those who have to consider you for the next big television series or their independent film. If you've ever been lucky enough to contribute to making independent films or motion pictures of any kind, then you know that enormous amount of work, effort, imagination and creativity that it takes just to put a film together. Do you know it takes similar efforts to get distribution and creating the marketing tools necessary to get the word out? There is much to know. I recommend you learn as much as you can as you go. Stay focused on your acting, but know other parts of your industry. It may just give you edge that gives you the confidence and the appreciation of others that help you book your next role.

As is always the case, the choice is yours.

My best,
Sarah Jean

Writing Read Worthy Material for Others

There are lots of days when I don't add to this blog because my name is on it. What I say matters because some day my career will take off and what I've written here will either support my future career or hinder it. What I say will either help other actors or not.

I feel a lack of freedom that I hadn't expected because my goal is not to freely wander through my thoughts and my career but rather to actively assist other actors, should they care to come here to read.

I rarely name people in the industry who I know because either I don't know enough people or I know people who are inherently private like me, but lead a somewhat public life because of their careers in the industry.

There is one person who I'd like to name who barely knows me, but who is well known. His name is Stephon Fuller. If you're ever interested in reading one of the most interesting blogs an actor ever wrote, go to Stephon Fuller's Long-Ass Blog. I was highly complimented when, after reading my blog, he added "An Actor's Journey" to the name of his blog. I think Stephon is one of those people I believe will take a step-by-step approach to a very successful and fulfilling acting career. As far as I can tell, he lives and breathes his career and the people whose paths he crosses every day. He has had thousands of hits on his blog and if you're reading this I highly recommend you read his. Go to "Stepon's Long-Ass Blog" .

Cheers,
Sarah Jean

Break Over - Dreams Renewed

I wrote back in October about being finished with long work hours. I was wrong. I put in beyond 40 hours for another 4 months at my day job and only stopped doing that this week when I fell ill. I’ve been miserable, coughing, wheezing, resting but not sleeping and running a fever. You get the idea. This went on for about 8 days when I finally got in to see the doctor. That was yesterday. I am still wheezing and coughing and sputtering, but significantly less so. It turns out I have Bronchitis and the antibiotics after a day have improved my health by 20%...more than the previous 8 days combined. Thank goodness for my doctor. She’s excellent.

On this Sunday past (today is Friday), I put my “Relax the Back” chair on the patio and was able to take a cat nap for about 45 minutes. It was the best snooze I’d had in a few days and the best I had until last night when the cough syrup with codeine kicked in. While I was out on the patio, I had my eyes closed but was awake much of the time.

I didn’t realize how alive my neighborhood is. There was a cacophony of life sounds all around me. Pigeons talking to one another, birds singing - not sure what kind they are, planes going by every half hour or so, cars on the highway in the distance passing by like the sounds of distant ocean waves, occasional pedestrians walking by underneath me caught up in conversation about this and that. Neighbors voices from across the street and next door in other apartment buildings floated up through the air from time to time as the afternoon waned. I think one fire truck and a paramedic went by at some point, too.

I know from reviewing the housing market around me that there are roughly 5000 people per square mile in Studio City and surrounding cities, but until Sunday, I hadn’t particularly experienced it as such. It doesn’t feel congested to me though, because I’m from the East Coast and in our cities there, high rises are everywhere and it is a very different world. Even so, my current neighborhood is teeming with life and possibilities.

As for acting, it has taken a back seat to my day job now since June 2007. As of last Thursday as I was coming down with my illness, we held TAZ, the Actor’s Society that two friends and I began a year and a half ago. It’s invited only and we never discuss it with others and it will probably never be mentioned any where but here. It is for us to grow ourselves and our careers. I got the idea one day at a SAG Foundation event (the ones I rarely attend) and Robert Duvall at one point said,”Go up with a group. That’s how you make it in the industry [the movie making industry].” A short time after, I approached two friends who I trusted and TAZ was born. Since then we’ve grown to a core of about 15 actors. In the beginning, we met weekly and after the first three or four months, we moved to monthly meetings. We all bring reports about what we’ve been doing for our acting careers and we offer each other insights and suggestions about how to further our careers. This past Thursday, I was exhausted and on the downhill slide of health and freely shared, much more so than I am apt to when I am well and rested. I shared and others, who have also been distracted by day jobs or paying the bills or whatever distracts us from our dreams, offered suggestions and insights…and most importantly compassion and empathy. One of the guys said,”It’s time to play again.” I cried and all of us responded emotionally, most eyes welled up in empathy, each of us having traversed various difficulties on our dream quests. With all those eyes empathetically reflecting back to me, I renewed my belief in my dreams and my career. Though dormant lately, my dreams are far from over. They are just beginning.

We meet again in a couple of weeks and I’ll be ready with a better report than those recently shared. We all will. Being sick and awake nearly a full week has given me lots of time to think. I’m grateful for that time. It has helped me regain my focus of dreams rather than a job.

If I were to offer other actors any suggestions, I’d say,”Form a group and go up together. Keep your dreams alive.”