Quarantine and Build…Your Acting Career!
5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Acting Career While Under Quarantine
(by Jim Webb)
(Photo: Ani Kolleshi vu Dazveny /Unsplash)
“It was the worst of times. It was the worst of times.”
That pretty much sums up life during this global pandemic. Most states are on lockdown. Good people are losing their jobs temporarily…or permanently. Good people are getting sick…or worse. Everyone is cocooning themselves in their residences. And good luck finding toilet paper! Sheesh!
The same is true for the #actorslife. There’s hardly anything going on in Hollywood or any other acting market. Few, if any, auditions, callbacks, bookings, agency meetings. It’s as if someone dropped an invisible nuke and wiped everything out.
In these surreal times, it’s easy to lose focus on your acting goals. Who can think about acting when you’re in quarantine?
Answer: You can!
You’re a dedicated actor, right? You know we’ll eventually pull through, right? You know there’s life after the Coronavirus, right?
So, why not make good use of all this free time that you’ve been – unfortunately – granted? Don’t just “quarantine and chill”, “quarantine and build”, as in, build your acting career.
Here are 5 simple things you can do for your acting career while under quarantine:
#1: Quarantine and Self-Tape
(Photo: Vanilla Bear Films/Unsplash)
Large auditions, featuring scores of actors all crowded into a waiting room, are about to be a thing of the past, at least for the foreseeable future. It’s just not safe; for the actors, for the casting directors or for the industry as a whole.
Enter the self-tape. How lucky are we to have this safe, remote way to audition actors! This relatively new way to audition is about to demonstrate its value. Rather than risk community spread of the virus, self-taping will offer actors a chance to continue to compete for roles without jeopardizing their health.
If your self-tape game needs some upgrading, now’s the time to do it.
#2: Quarantine and Self-Evaluate
Being trapped in your home, hoping to avoid a once-in-a-generation pandemic is not all bad. One good thing about it is it gives you a chance to think; to self-evaluate. Instead of shuffling from audition to audition and then to your survival job, always on the go, you now have a chance to sit back and reflect.
Take advantage of the opportunity!
Where are you with your acting career? What should be your next step? How can you make next year’s pilot season better than previous ones? Should you change agents or stick with the one you have?
Use this time to take a good, hard look at your acting career.
#3: Quarantine and Prepare
Your quarantine time is a great time to improve your marketing materials.
Headshots
Are your headshots getting you enough auditions? Is it worth the money to upgrade them?
Demo Reel
Have you included all your new footage onto your demo reel? Is there old footage that should be removed from your reel? Have you considered some of our Rules for Demo Reel?
Résumé
Is your acting résumé up-to-date? Have you included all your credits? Does it present your acting brand in the best possible way?
#4: Quarantine and Connect
(Photo: Icons8 Team/Unsplash)
With all the free time you now have on your hands, why not use it to reach out to some of your acting contacts?
Agents
Is your agent still available for contact? Consider touching base with them about ways you can help them help you.
Casting directors
Reach out to casting directors whom you have a relationship with. Follow other CD’s on social media. Now’s a great time to increase your connectivity with the people who can help you land a great role.
Acting Buddies
Hit up your old acting buddies and ask how they’re holding up during this crisis. It’s a great way to show them you care while also strengthening a personal relationship that could be professionally beneficial for the both of you.
#5: Quarantine and Read
We all love to binge-watch Netflix, or Hulu, or Amazon, or whatever. But now is also a great time to binge on acting materials that can increase your knowledge.
Did you ever finish books on acting, like An Actor Prepares by Konstantin Stanislavski or Acting in Film by Michael Caine or The Actors Life by Jenna Fischer?
Or how about reading some classic plays by Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams or August Wilson?
Or, maybe you can spend some time reading some monologues to use in a future audition or meeting.
Quarantine and Read!
There’s no doubt we will beat Coronavirus and come out on the other side. When we do, make sure that you’ve used the time wisely, that you’re prepared and that you’re ready to hit the ground running, better than ever!
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