Teen Actor…Strangely Normal

TV & COMMERCIAL CD FRANCENE SELKIRK-ACKERMAN

Casting director FRANCENE SELKIRK-ACKERMAN comes by her interest and enthusiasm for the casting process naturally.  Originally from Astoria, New York, Francene’s father was a ukulele player in the heyday of vaudeville and her mother was pretty and talented enough to be a contestant in the Miss America pageant.

“Show biz was in my blood”, Francene tells us.  “I went to the High School for the Performing Arts; joined the New York City Theatre Workshop, where I was able to study both traditional and avant garde theatre; studied and performed with an African dance troupe, as well as other avant garde dance groups.  I attended Pace University, in New York, and then…traveled around the world!

“Like my dad, I play the ukulele, but unlike him, I knit (very soothing, by the way) in my down time.  I’ve also raised two terrific children.

“Professionally, I’ve cast a gazillion commercials over the past 17 years, as well as a number of television shows, including “Significant Others” (a semi-improv show for Bravo); “Free Ride” (another semi-improv show, this one for Fox); “The Naked Trucker and T-Bone” (Comedy Central); and currently “The Spike Feresten Show” (Fox); as well as pilots for Oxygen, Comedy Central, etc.

“Before I began casting, I was a freelance commercial producer.  I got into casting with the help of a director, David Wild, who believed that I could “talk ” to actors. I love him for that. He was very generous. He gave me my first 2 jobs and I never looked back.  Mick Dowd, an old friend and amazing casting director, gave me non-union or real people jobs that he was too busy to do. He’s the bomb.”

We asked Francene to describe some of the common mistakes she observes in her casting office.  “This may surprise you, but I find that many actors sabotage themselves in the waiting room, before the casting director ever sees them. They see someone who looks like the storyboard, they’re already nervous, and they get into a negative frame of mind. Then they don’t do their best work. I think actors should come into the waiting room, assess the situation, see where to go, be prepared (if the script was available beforehand, know your lines – if not, arrive early and learn them there), see if there is any paperwork to do…then go in and rock the audition!  Work on the script – know where you are, whom you are talking to, and what you can add to the scene!  Not clear?  Ask a question…!

“In a commercial audition, we don’t have time to edit the tape that we present to our producers very much.  That’s why we want the best actors…the most skilled actors…coming in making us look good.  An actor will get a callback IF:

1. They have a good look for the part
2. They have done a great audition.

“It is usually the Director and the Advertising Agency who decide who comes to a callback.  If I think they have forgotten someone, I will ask if I can add that person back in. I take a lot of chances in commercials to see new people and present those great new faces to my producers and directors.”

When it comes to theatrical projects, Francene knows from experience that the stakes are much higher.  She cannot send anyone to producers unless they are, as she says, “pretty darn good”.

“I know there are actors moving to Los Angeles and Hollywood every day, just as I did. Why can’t it be them that get booked and have a career here? I suggest studying, taking lots of classes, understanding the business, marketing themselves, getting an agent, getting in the unions, being pro-active…!”

We asked Francene to share her thoughts on improv.  She didn’t hesitate:  “I think every actor in Los Angeles should take Improv classes. Most commercials that I cast, even if improv is not specifically asked for, the actor knows that by ‘being improvisational’, meaning loose and not afraid to take chances, they can show their stuff, their talent, to producers and directors. I am fortunate to be able to cast commercials and TV, so the actors that I bring in want to do more than commercials, I presume, and I do a lot of comedy.  Needless to say, the more comfortable they are with improv, the happier we all are with their performances.”

Francene was also quite adamant about the importance of having the right headshots and shared her insight about how selections are made from among the hundreds of submissions that are made on-line.

“Headshots are as big as a thumbnail on a computer screen. If the casting director is interested, he will want to look at the resume and other pictures. The Main Shot is the most important, because that may be what we run across when we’re searching for a ‘type’ (meaning when no actual submission was made). Look at lots of photographers’ websites before you decide who you want to shoot your headshot.  Color is in; black and white is out. Let your agent (if you have one) help you pick your pictures. New actors always think they have chosen the right photo, but most of the time it’s a picture for the family. Never look away from the camera.  Work the camera.  Have a secret or a joke going behind your eyes.  And this is very important: Know your type.”

All of this information and much more is shared by Francene in a class she teaches with Judy Kain, a working professional actress who books both commercially and theatrically. They are about to begin offering intermediate and advanced classes for all ages.

(Judy Kain also runs Talent To Go, in which talent takes scenes right into a casting director’s offices, to help actors be seen by offices that might not otherwise call them in.  Francene has used the service herself and is very much in favor of it.)

If you’re interested in finding out more about Francene and Judy’s classes and/or Talent To Go, you can contact their coordinator, Pat, at (818) 704-1817.  Here is a link you could check out, too: www.talenttogo.net

DEMO REELS

DEMO REELS

We never cease to be amazed by young (and not-so-young) actors who arrive in Hollywood with resumes replete with film and television credits, yet minus the video clips to back them up.  “Why?”, we ask them, “don’t you have any tape?”.  The answers invariably fall into one of two categories:  1.  “I never asked the producers for it”, or 2. “I couldn’t track it down after the shoot was finished”.

If your answer is #1, above, we’re inclined to say “shame on you”, but then we have to remind ourselves that novice actors may never have been told that acquiring tape for a demo is a necessity in the Big City.  Apparently, acquiring it for posterity doesn’t compute, either.

If you’re in the #2 category, though, you have lots of company.  The most common reason for losing track of your on-camera work is that it was a student film and the student graduated (or washed out) without ever completing it and/or without giving you your much-deserved copy.  It doesn’t seem to matter which university was involved; student filmmakers everywhere suffer from the same lack of focus on the people who made their masterpiece possible in the first place:  The actors!

While there is no sure-fire way to safeguard your access to a copy of your work, we do have a suggestion:  Before agreeing to appear in any student film, have the producer/director/writer (often the same person) fill out a form giving you not only his current contact information, but also a phone number (possibly of his parents) where someone will always know how to reach him.  BETTER YET, make him give you the name and number of the professor in charge of his project.  The implied threat is that if he disappears on you, you will go directly to his professor to complain and track him down.  (We don’t suggest that you say this overtly.  It’s really not a good idea to intimidate the person who is “hiring” you, even if you aren’t receiving a dime for your work…!)

But let’s face it:  Aside from a learning experience, the main part of your “pay” is the demo you receive from a student or independent film.  Why would you not make every effort to obtain that footage?!

WHAT GOES ON THE DEMO?

Your best work, that’s what.

Most professional demos begin with the actor’s name on a title card, often accompanied by a still photo (so that the person viewing it knows instantly which actor in the first scene is the actor in question).  There was a trend some years ago of actors opening their demos with a montage of stills or short film clips, sometimes accompanied by some pretty wild music, in order to “get the ball rolling”.  The only thing this did was annoy the people who had to sit through it, waiting to get to the meat of the demo – the acting!  Save your time and money (and the possibility of irritating the wrong person), and go right into your scenes after you’ve “slated” your name.

On a demo, it’s quality that counts, not quantity.  If you only have a couple of pieces that show your work off to its best advantage, that’s perfectly fine.  Don’t worry about “filler”.  The more you work on-camera, the more footage you’ll have to edit in, but in the meantime, just show off your existing good scenes.  If you’re unsure of their demo-worthiness, ask someone you trust (no, not your mom or best friend!) to give you an honest opinion.  We’re more interested in your acting ability than the production values, so try to keep that in perspective.

Some people label the scenes with the name of the project.  Unless it’s a feature film that was actually released or a TV show, don’t bother.  Nobody cares.  If you really think it’s important, you can always list the scenes on the packaging, in the jewel case.

Speaking of the packaging, it’s a really smart idea to show your current headshot on the front of the jewel case and your resume on the back.  That’s easier to do than you might think.

HOW LONG SHOULD A DEMO BE?

There is no hard and fast rule, but we wouldn’t go longer than 5 minutes.  Have your most recent and strongest work at the beginning of the demo.  That way, if the viewer gets bored or has seen enough in the first couple of minutes, it won’t matter that the remainder of the demo isn’t being watched.  We’ve seen plenty of really strong demos that were less than 2 minutes long.

WHAT MEDIUM SHOULD A DEMO BE ON?

DVDs are the medium du jour.  Most agencies and casting offices do still have access to VCRs, but you’re going to look rather dated if you present a VHS tape nowadays.

You should also try to provide an on-line link to your demo on a website somewhere.  If you don’t know how to do that yourself, ask a friend or pay someone to do it for you.  It’s definitely worth it if you’re serious actor.

As new media is evolving, who knows what’s next?  Keep your eye on the industry and try to evolve with it…eventually.

INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFO

Most demos end with a repeat of the actor’s name and his contact info.  If you have an agent or manager, now’s the time to list them.  Ditto listing your own website, if you have one.

Remember:  Your DVD may become separated from its case.  Both of them should show your contact info.

WHERE CAN YOU HAVE A DEMO EDITED?

Well, that depends on where you are, of course.  Editing is editing, but producing a great looking demo usually requires that the editor have a good eye for cutting together various disjointed scenes and making them look interesting.  If you can wait until you’re actually in L.A. or New York, you’ll probably have to pay a little more, but it may well be worth it to work with a professional demo editor.  Once you’ve settled here (or there), you’ll find loads of them.

WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY MATERIAL FOR A DEMO?

Don’t worry.  You will sooner or later.  It is rarely a good idea to “create” demo footage and taped stage plays generally look awful.  That’s another reason why we highly recommend trying to book student films.  They may not turn out to be “glorious Technicolor”, but their entire raison d’etre is to try to look professional.  Hopefully, you will, too.

As with most aspects of show biz, there are companies in existence who continually come up with clever ways to separate actors from their money.  Among them are companies that will shoot footage of the actor “just being him or herself”.  We’ve seen dozens of these so-called “actor slates” and they scream “amateur” to us, as in “I don’t have any other kind of tape to show you, so ta-dah, here I am, folks, just hoping you’ll think I’m cute!”.  We generally don’t.