the best investment an actor can make in their career - arvold CONVERSATION

So what's the most important investment an actor can make in his/her career? Casting director/producer Erica Arvold, CSA, and casting director Anne Chapman, CSA (Anne Chapman Casting) discuss what materials they look at first and how they view and use those materials. They also give advice on acting reels.
We love getting your questions and topic suggestions! If you have anything you’d like answered, please send us an email at [e-mail].
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Cinematographer & editor: Daniel Vorlet
Producer: Amy Quick
Music Courtesy of Abel Okugawa Music LLC
Composed by Abel Okugawa
www.abelokugawa.com

[@PaulBrake]

Everything these experts talk about are standard rules for business. Your headshot is a business card. Your reel is your brochure. The audition is a proposal. The Casting Director is the Purchasing Agent. Etc etc. So the best advice, on top of learn to be a good actor, is learn BUSINESS AND MARKETING.

[@cobyjackk]

Amazing!

[@tyshomevideos]

I feel like I'm spying on a casting director's happy hour, this is wonderful! Thank you for being willing to post this type of content! I need to go re-cut my clips now :-)

[@TubenIt83]

An example of what you consider to be a great reel would be helpful.

[@kristianpeterson2571]

My coach is a filmmaker first. She literally gets thousands of submissions for each role. So if she doesn’t see any media, even if she likes their look for the role, she moves to the next profile. Because, headshots and resumes don’t matter if can’t act on camera, technically speaking. She doesn’t have time to train actors the technical side of acting while on set.

[@ridealongwithjulia...2198]

My agent sent his clients/actors your channel...so glad he did! Thank you for sharing all your insight!

[@andrewspear5130]

Head shot catches my attention, then if they have a reel, I want to see their skill. Don't care much about a resume.

[@kristatortora6047]

Good advice never goes stale! It's perfect timing that I should discover this 2016 video now! This fall, I've found myself with enough quality material (finally!!) to create both a commercial and dramatic reel. The advice in this video will STRONGLY affect my final editing choices before I get them up online. Thank you, Erica and Anne!!!

[@TP_Gillz]

Hey, im Tom from the future in 2024. just starting out myself. great advice in this video. how has everything gone for you?

[@karolinasalwa_official]

It's 2022 and still amazing to come across your video! Amazing tips!

[@OdeeOz]

The "Gift of Gab" It has been my experience as an actor in the Mid-East USA, that the reason we don't have reels, is because few production houses here offer them. Especially to non-SAG actors.

[@arvold]

Hi Odee, your union or non-union status doesn't make a difference, and production houses will not automatically "offer" them to anyone - like a headshot, it's the actor's responsibility to create one or find someone to hire to create a reel for them. We suggest you ask your fellow actors for referrals. Hope that helps.

[@OdeeOz]

arvold What I meant by reels, and created confusion in the process, was the raw scenes, or edited ones, that the actor could put together for a reel. I am relegated to pulling from the finished movie, to compile mine, but have this dread of violating Copyrights of the production house.

[@glendasuggs2813]

@Odee Even here in LA it's tough getting access to your own work. The solution (after hounding producers without being too annoying) is to create your own content. Write a 1-2 minute scene that could exist on TV. Something you've always wanted to play, or something you could realistically play. iPhones these days shoot great video. Light it well, use external audio (even a cheap mic, just don't use in camera), teach yourself to edit... The awesome thing about this is- yes, sure you're creating a reel. BUT you're also creating. Acting. Producing. Waiting for no one. And it's all so easily and cheaply accessible now. There are also (easily Google-able) companies who you can hire to do all this for you, but the mark up is like 300% from actual cost of paying light, sound, camera and editor people. Pro quality, but pricey. And then you don't get the fun of producing your own vision. If you can do it on your own, that's the better option IMHO. The only thing holding actors back from having a reel today is the gumption to overcome.

[@Kristintalking]

Just came across this video. Love hearing how you approach casting and the ways you work differently!! Thanks for posting it!

[@patrikusmaximus]

Wow. Thank You so much for taking the time to post these amazing videos Erica! This segment of you and Anne is GOLDEN and I learned a lot from it already and I will apply it immediately! Thank You and Take Care.🙏 Much Love Patrikus

[@nicknoelte5698]

This is what is tough. I am an actor with 20 years of theatrical experience, but very little film/tv. I want to get film/tv work, but don't have a reel. It looks like I'm new at acting, when I am not. So I get asked for a reel, and can't get work without one. But you can't create one without any work!

[@kudraowens6786]

Very helpful, I just finished my reel, but now I'm going back to check where I need to apply your advise. Thank You!

[@cathytalisman9227]

Thank you for this invaluable information. So helpful to hear both of your preferences, too.

[@stuffgirly23]

If you’re a new actor can you make a reel of a really good monologue ? And do we look into the camera lens or slightly off to act like we’re talking to someone? Thanks for your help!

[@Keepcarbedandcarryon]

Yes, you can definitely do that. To start off, you usually don't even need a showreel if you apply for sth, just seems them your headshots and resume (if you already have one, not obligatory either). If you have to or want to send in a reel or they thought yeaah her photos look interesting (it's all about the photos in the first round) so we want to see her act, shoot a really good monologue with a good camera (most smartphones are enough but you may wanna use an external microphone) and lighting. You can even record it several times in different settings, a close-up, a whole-body and then cut it on a free video editor. But that's definitely no must, your acting is the most important part, so focus on that and later you can think about how to shoot it. And where to look: you NEVER ever look directly into the camera, you wouldn't do that on screen either. You look slightly off the lens, mostly in the lower left corner just outside the lens or even next to the camera. Not too far to the side or in the back though, because that will show you from the side only or will make your acting less intimate. Cheers!

[@VYVEVideography]

Thank you for this wonderful video. I have to fix my acting reel, my headshot is seen in the first video and the first 6 seconds you don't see the action. I will def improve my acting reel thanks to you wise advise! Very grateful

[@ArtPolania87]

Been putting this off for a while. Just doing extra work but I did have an acting coach. Lacking an American accent might be a discouraging factor at times. But I should still target Spanish work. Thanks for the tips.

[@TheTroyrobert]

Right on.

[@TheGilbalfas]

So much of this is cutting through the sheer numbers. Casting has a tough job and thats where all these quirks and rules come from. They are seeing hundreds of actors daily. But good to know how to stand out. Thanks

[@gastondagrivieri3580]

Thank you Erica! This is such an amazing video and great tips on how to make our available materials best suited for Casting Directors consumption. I love the idea of editing to showcase dialogue rather than sequence and being careful with profile shots. Thank you very much! Gaston D'Agrivieri

[@Wordsley]

These Rock!

[@tonypmedia]

MY FRIENDS ... _PROFESSIONAL_ HEADSHOTS not these cell phones/poorly flat Canon rebel auto-mode taken images of heads. Headshots IS the business card that sets 90% of the tone for "Why I should be picked". Yes, details of the face makes the difference and I'm saying this with pure experience from my clients who sift through tons of actor comps as well as the reels, mono's and reels... all which I work and several agents told me "There's nothing I hate worse is a shitty headshot." In a nutshell, if you say, "I'm an actor/actress" ... then perceive that as an actual professional and not just "a random person making up a title to feel good" and actually not have the ability to show you invested in this profession you stand tall for. Get training if need be, don't need much, just enough to align and hone in your skill. After your headshots, please get with someone with a camera and setup your blue or grey backdrop and get your monologues, auditions done. Watch how some of the professionals in the acting industry we know today got their first parts in audition so you soak up what they did. Translate that for your parts and be that realistic professional and BOOM, you will have a much less chance of getting bumped. It's a hard field, but you rather to be left on the list for future calls vs getting trashed over a back headshot or an extremely poor audition tape. Land your headshots, you have a hell of a lot better chance. Find a photographer that realistically knows headshots and not just one that takes portraits of heads. Good luck my friends and stay positive, you WILL make it.

[@francesmitchell96]

Great Advice ladies... Thank you

[@hollysworldtv5285]

I absolutely love you two!

[@tracybobbitt3294]

THANK YOU

[@Peterdodgeviper]

Good info thanks guys

[@tierrastrike8371]

Thank you !!!

[@joeyvieira2758]

Spot on!

[@allisonjoyceACTS]

Excellent

[@godoggo407]

Thanks for the great info!!

[@jacentwamala]

I'm a new subscriber. Thank you for sharing the video and info :)

[@dstoglin1]

very informative!

[@mrdavidashley6892]

Perhaps this is just a casting thing, but Why wouldn't you look at their reels and instead look at their resumes. Doesn't the reel immediately show you more? I mean I guess if your resume is filled with guest spots it tells you a lot but that reel portion shocked me. thank you all for this info.

[@GeorgeAyvazyan]

What if you don't have the experience to make a reel??

[@notsurex]

then get the experience

[@tribrofilms]

Create your own material. Don't wait for someone to choose you. Especially if you know you're good. Put your work on display.

[@ariyafaith]

4:18

[@cashholiday8911]

For someone with no screen experience. Is it ok to use one 2 min scene for my real?

[@OdeeOz]

Question: Which would be the better investment between, AgencyPRO, and Actors Access? I am leaning more towards AA, and would appreciate any feedback.

[@StephenGeorge]

Actors Access is pretty much a must.

[@OdeeOz]

Stephen George Seems to be the case.

[@tehanaweston2495]

can self-tapes or just random scenes as a self-tape be apart of your reel??

[@lucasrozmus9388]

in a reel, would that actors work over rule the production?

[@kiralu2273]

What's a reel?

[@arvold]

Hi Kira...great question. A reel is a carefully selected montage of an actor's work. Here's a helpful article about just that subject. www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/no-footage-demo-reel-heres-your-solution/

[@lucasrozmus9388]

basically just clips of you acting

[@Marzeliax]

... Meals for Monologues?? Can we talk about that...? :D

[@beastmasterbg]

what ??! seriously you don't watch the reel fully ?!? All those actors working hard to manage and you can't even respect them enough to watch everything . Pff disgraceful

[@cata9223]

You won't take me in as a prodigy