http://www.entertainmentcoach.com/index.htmlHot News!enuser@domain.comCopyright 2011 Paul Duddridge2011-11-27T17:03:33-08:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:18:47 -0800user@domain.comTIPS2011-11-27T17:03:33-08:00http://www.entertainmentcoach.com/blog/files/dddf4f94bd403591fe3f522fcec41386-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.entertainmentcoach.com/blog/files/dddf4f94bd403591fe3f522fcec41386-0.html#unique-entry-id-0I thought it might be useful to share some of what I do and why.

I work with lots of clients in all areas of the entertainment industry, as you might expect the majority are actors.
I have lots of opinions regarding what actors should and shouldn't do.

e.g.
I will not work with clients while they take acting classes because there is not enough of a connection between taking acting classes and getting paid work.
If your acting is the problem you and I will fix it.

That does fly in the face of the acting culture in LA. But as widespread failure is the acting culture in LA I am happy to differ.

I do approve of casting workshops as there is at least a chance of being seen and remembered by someone actually casting a professional production.

I can help steer professionals' careers in order to improve their position / status.

Lots of the advice I give I repeat over and over again to different clients. Listed below are the most often repeated.

Whilst each client is different and each case unique many of the principles still apply.

If you work with me we tailor a strategy to your individual circumstances but it doesn't hurt to be aware of my general approach.

So below are lots of rules and tips.

Hopefully they are of some use to you.


1.
QUIT THE BUSINESS
It is crucial that you cut ties with the business. If you haven’t yet succeeded by following it’s timetables and schedules then you have nothing to lose.


2.
CONTROL AND LOVE SOMETHING (ANYTHING)
Have a day job or a hobby. Whatever you do make sure you love it. If you don’t love it at the start work towards loving it. You will learn that it’s the telegraphing of love from anything in which you are involved is one of the objectives of the business.
By controlling something you will remember that you are not helpless in the
world, you may have forgotten this after countless rejections.

3.
IT'S OK TO BE FAMOUS.
Many actors and performers build in to themselves a barrier to success. To many actors, seeking fame demeans their ‘art’. 99% of the best actors in movies and TV are famous. It doesn’t have any negative effect on their work. (And if it does they do not have to wait tables as they suffer).


4.
NOT JUST ACTING.
Whether or not a movie star gives a ‘good’ performance in a movie is not relevant. The issue is whether or not the audience were captivated by them and their attention held. Does the audience see themselves in that actor?


5.
STAND OUT (BY USING MY METHODS)
Once it was possible to stand out from the crowd by being the best method actor in the class. Now everyone can do it. There must be something else that differentiates between you and the successful. In time these methods will be the norm and new exercise will have to be adopted.


6.
SELL THE FAMILY HOME
Go through the exercise of selling your parents or friend’s home to finance your next project. If you’re honest would this be a good idea? Would the family member in question see a return? If not then why would anyone hire you? The producers are sometimes literally putting their house on the line to help fund projects. This exercise helps give further perspective as to your role and place in the business.


7.
ACT LIKE A KNIGHT.
Imagine you are already a star and start acting like it. Wear the confidence that a real star has. This helps shift your demeanor from desperation to calm certainty.



8.
HUMILITY
On the whole, truly successful people are surprisingly humble are very responsive and alert as a result. It is always surprising to me that Trump and Simon Cowell don’t just batter others in to submission (as is often the perception). They listen. They act with respect toward others.



9.
FORGET IT.
Forget everything you know about the business. This might seem impossible. It’s not.
Every time you pass an opinion about the business or offer advice about careers or discuss your own, stop. It’s simple - if you knew anything about the business for certain then you would have made it. Whatever model you are carrying as a picture of the industry is not working for you. Drop it. It isn’t helping you. This will be an enormous liberation for you.


10.
BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO
It is imperative that we can determine that the reason you are not getting famous is nothing to do with your ability to act/perform. You must be able to do the job at professional level. If you have been in an acting class you know that the majority of students would not be convincing enough to get you to pay to see them in a movie.


11.
IN REALITY.
Acknowledge the genius of the reality stars like Paris Hilton and the KARDASHIANS. The ability to attract is crucial. Without visibly doing anything Paris and Kim grab the attention of millions. Don’t dismiss this quality. Attraction without appearing to do anything is a helpful to you.


12.
MEMORIES
Remember why you started in the business in the first place. Was it an ambition from childhood? If so rent the DVDs of the movies that inspired you. Wallow in them, become engrossed. Allow yourself to just be a consumer of the work; don’t make any professional observations only emotional. Your enthusiasm has to be allowed to be rise and become infectious once again.


13.
CONTROL
The overall problem as I see it is that we know too much. Obviously we know nothing or we would be able to manifest our desires as certainly as flipping a channel on the TV. As that is not possible we must acknowledge the need to feel in control is simply a comfort. It bears no relation to our ability to succeed.


14.
LEVEL
The objective in this is to level you out. Make you more intuitive and receptive to your surroundings (the business in this case). It is no fluke that many people are overnight successes are the start of their career but go on to pollute their spirit with professionalism.


15.
BRAND LOYALTY
Explore products i.e. brands. How do you feel about one detergent or soft drink over another? Iphones, Gucci, Diesel. How does each brand make you feel? On which part of the spectrum of feeling do they appear? These brands and others can create associations within you. It is their consistency that reinforces this. You are selling a similar thing. Consistent emotional ties. Like a bit part model that sells pics of their hands you might have the perfect demeanor for sadness, or joy or cynicism. For casting purposes that makes you a commodity.


16.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS LAST
Reinforce the first impression you give people by exaggerating that aspect of your personality. (This is in effect the trade of the character actor but the same technique is just as useful for leads).



17.
GOOD ADVICE
Be wary about taking advice from successful performers. Tempting though it may be. Those who have made it don’t always have an accurate grasp on how they got to where they are. I.e. if they took five years to achieve success and they know how it’s done why didn’t they make it happen in year 1. I will revise this, ignore advice from successful performers. If they have some quality that the public and the industry lap up that is good. But to expect them to be able to quantify that quality and be objective is very rare indeed.


18.
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE
I know nothing, no one knows anything. This is a cliché in Hollywood but it is true. My methodology is derived from my observation that there are many people giving advice about showbiz but their suggestions can’t have any base in fact, there really is no single method that guarantees success. Be wary of anyone offering that.

19.
THE OUTSIDERS
These tips are not for those who have it easy. It is for those of you who are good at what they do but still cant succeed. Those who can't close the deal. Quality is no guarantee of success.
This book is trying to create a break for you where you thought there were none.



20.
LEADING
See your job not as acting but as leading. You are representing a huge sector of the audience. You are the king or queen. They see themselves in you. Do not ask for their permission. They seek yours.


21.
QUESTIONS
Never ask the audience a question, this is imperative for stand ups but applies to all performers. You tell the audience what they think. Phrase everything as a statement.
E.g. have you ever been on a flight and had this happen to you? Becomes
We’ve all been on flights and seen this happen.
By doing this you don’t give an audience the opportunity to break the spell you are weaving. They have no time to think whether or not something has happened to them.


22,
STAND STILL
This is based on the broken clock is right twice a day observation. Even if you are facing the wrong way at the moment it is better to stop finding a way out and simply consolidate your position. Embrace the position you are in. At worst you will have to wait a couple of years for people to recognize you as their leader but at best you quickly present yourself as self-assured and stoic monarch.


23.
MAKE SOMETHING
If you are trying to become an actor, and failing. Make something. Use whatever you have to hand. Video cameras are very easy to come by even phones are becoming a legitimate medium on which to post work. You might not ever sell or get a commission for anything you make, you might not see the results in the short term (you may not get a job) but you will plant the seeds of understanding more fully the business you are in.


24.
THE COMPETITION
Other techniques either just paper over the cracks or require you to join a cult. This program creates nothing but success. It is a once only method. You will never need to come back for more and more product. If you feel you need follow up or further clarification then of course you are welcome to come back and ask, but an enormous objective of mine is to make you independent.

25.
MORE THAN ONE ROUTE TO MARKET
These tips are not set in concrete, if you can manage without them, great.

26.
START FROM SCRATCH
Meet each new question and obstacle afresh. Forget what you know.


27.
THIS WONT TAKE LONG
These tips work quickly. Expect results soon.


28.
A LACK OF SUBSTANCE
For the entirety of the program - no drink no recreational drugs. (Obviously this doesn't apply to prescribed medication)

29.
AUDITION
If you have a long history of auditioning and not landing the role, give the next 3 auditions a miss. Even if the audition is for the lead in the next Spielberg movie dodge it. Based on past results you aren’t going to get the role and shifting your perspective may be the jolt your system needs.


30.
RECEPTIVE
Be receptive to any of the work or opportunities, which arise as a result of this program. You will become more attractive so embrace what you attract.


31.
NEED
Understand the perspective of producers and directors. They are hoping that you will come along and save their project. The relationship you will have in this is mutual. You will be on screen; they will have their story told properly and more lucratively. Your job is not far removed from that of a plumber or builder. You are expert in a craft and you are selling your services. This may seem obvious but it’s important to take the heat out of your meetings and auditions. Producers are not sent by god to show the world your talent; they are creating a piece of work that needs your contribution.

32.
ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART
Note how many actors seem to be able to take time away from the business and be unavailable. They return and are in demand. This dispels all the advice that you must be available at all times.

33.
PERSONALITY
You are selling your persona. Your quality, the way you make others feel.

34.
WHY THEM NOT YOU?
If you wonder why some people get parts seemingly effortlessly without applying any of the rules herein, you may wonder what is the point of this book. These luck artists may be carrying out some of these exercises inadvertently. The techniques are the same; they work for these individuals accidentally so if you carry them out deliberately they will work just as effectively for you.


35.
FEELING BETTER
I am not trying to make you a more rounded person. This is not a self-help program. I am trying to help you gain success, once you do that you can hire the best therapists in the world.


36.
WORDS
There is a vocabulary that goes along with all professions. Performing is no exception. You will learn to be more careful with the words you are prepared to use. For example don’t look to be ‘spotted’. The notion of spotting suggests that you are powerless and the spotter is somehow choosing you. If you believe this you will express this and act it out. You might rephrase this to ‘meeting’ a business partner.


37.
IT"S ALL YOU
You only have the power to change yourself and nothing else.
You cannot control events only your reaction to them.
This may be enough. Stop trying to change, effect or alter the outcome of events. Your only task is to become your full self.


38.
VEHICLES
The work is the vehicle for you. You are not here to deliver the material. It is the medium by which you are delivered not vice versa.


39.
WHEN IT WORKS
When it begins to work, (which it will) please please please, stick to the methods. If you don’t it is similar to not finishing a course of antibiotics. Any problems you have begun to overcome will return more strongly than before.
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