Just this week, I can't begin to tell you how many people I see asking for handouts without wanting to learn acting or screenwriting. They just wanna wake up and get a job like they're looking for a free prize with their happy meal.
This topic has been boiling up inside of me for quite some time, but my last straw is people asking which AI software they can use to do all the work for them. Especially we just had TWO strikes to fight against the damage AI can do to the industry.
To me, this just screams in a thousand different ways that you don't respect the industry. You just wanna wake up and be famous. Nobody wants to put in the work. I can't tell you how many times I've given bullet points for an actor on exactly how they can start getting real work. Only 1% of the actually follow through with putting in the work. Most of them (99%) just wanna go to an audition and wing it. Not willing to take acting classes. Not willing to get a professional headshot. Not willing to put together a portfolio. Nothing. They just wanna ask "How can I get a job on a TV show". To me, this is a huge slap in the face for me and everyone else that loves this business and is willing to put in the work to study!
There's a big difference between asking for genuine advice on how to improve and asking someone to just give you a job without wanting to get experience for that job!
Respect goes a long way in this industry and if you can't be bothered to put in the tiniest bit of work then it's probably not for you.
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I don't understand writers using AI. I love the written word, I love crafting sentences, I love creating story. Writing is all that quiets my mind, so I don't get why any "writer" would use AI to perform the task for them. It's like using a machine to meditate or pray in their stead, for the creation of art is a spiritual act, not a mechanical one.
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You're right, Ryu Reeves. Don't take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts can really mess up actors, writers, etc. Say an actor gets a job but they didn't put in the work learning how to do that job. They'd probably get fired and a bad reputation (or one step towards a bad reputation).
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Agreed, Ryu Reeves. This work - this life - has always been about mastering a process. I'm a producer and educator, not an actor, but it's always been about process. Actors are on a whole other level. It's the hardest job in the industry IMO. Writing is a close second but it's never done on cue in front of 150 people to near perfection over and over again. The work and discipline and discovery is the whole idea. Otherwise where's the fun?
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Sam Sokolow Absolutely! People have this false idea that being a celebrity is the real life to live. They get caught up in the fantasy of it. Rather than a legitimate love for the art!
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Lillee Jean I agree!
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if it’s any consolation I find most who have asked me the same with that unrealistic expectation usually don’t make it anyway. I believe people recognize your efforts and you can’t fake for long. Been acting for awhile and now writing and I love the grind. I think if you are serious the hard work doesn’t matter because you enjoy the process. Hope this is a bit encouraging but I do understand .
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There is no such thing as a shortcut in acting, that is true. I have never been able to "wing it" and if an actor says that's what they do in auditions, they are not truthful and being disingenuous. Auditioning by the way, is a completely different animal than acting and is a skill all on its own. One may master an audition but if you don't have "the chops" like @maurice says you will get found out. Like any talent, acting needs to be developed with technique and become a skill. It's no different than professional athletes, they may be talented but they still practice everyday. That's why we have rehearsal @samsokolow so it becomes like breathing. And I love rehearsal and rereading the script over and over just as much as performing because, yes discovery is exciting. It is all about the work.
If people think it's all about who you know, it won't get them very far. Who you know may land you the audition or even the part, but if you don't have "the chops" as @mauricevaughan said, you will be found out. Making it up as you go along will only get you so far. If one doesn't have skill or know how to be on set, that will probably the one and done.
To further @ryureeves' point, it astounds me the people, (actors and writers) who don't want to hear about the reality of how things actually work in this industry. They tell me I am being negative and kick me out of their Facebook group. HAHA Those people aren't here on Stage 32. lol
There are a lot of ways now to be a celebrity with social media. Celebrity is so fractured now with social media. The good news about streaming is there are so many more opportunities for actors/writers and one could be a working actor and not be a celebrity. Like all those Broadway actors. I would say the people who don't want to put in the work and think they can just wake up one day and be famous ( and that has happened at no point in history to any A lister- they all put in the work) their interest is in fame and not so much the art of entertainment.
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Great reminder @Ryu!