Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Five Books For Aspiring Actors - Guest Blog Post


Sometimes we need to take a step back from who were are, where we are, and what we’re doing, so we can get another look at who we are, where we are, and what we’re doing.
~ Matthew Kelly, motivational speaker

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If I spent at least five minutes on any given day, just scrolling down the newsfeed of my own Facebook, there is a 100% chance that I will see an aspiring actor post something that will make me, or any of the casting directors I work with, never want to call them in for an audition.

Why? Generally because their ego is the size of a yacht.

There is a theory, which I believe to be true, that many of today’s aspiring actors want to be famous for the sake of being famous. Try and ask any eager thespian why they want to be cast, and the majority of the answers will be disconcerting, as the responses are ignorant of solid reasons. Any actor knows what to do, where to do it, who to do it with, when to do it, how to do it - but many completely miss the ball on why. To be fair, this is not exclusive to actors; over ambitious directors, producers, and models do the same thing where they talk profusely about themselves on a public forum, yet display zero substance.

If you’re an actor reading this, and your answer to the why question is: “I act for the art form”... not good enough. It’s still a better response than: “because I want to make it”, but it’s still a shallow answer. It showcases a lack in the comprehension of why you’re acting. This generally leads to delusions of grandeur, a void in legitimate support, the appearance of desperation, and the inability to grasp the awesome role you play in the modern era!

If you’re sitting there thinking to yourself, “Naw, I got plenty of Facebook ‘likes’ on my statuses”...WARNING. If you’re sitting there thinking, “I don’t need to read books, I’m currently cast in an up-and-coming web series”...WARNING. If you’re still sitting there and thinking, “I gotta remember to take a selfie when I’m on set tonight”... MAYDAY! And… you were thinking about which hashtags you’d use too, right? Thought so.

There’s no single solution to this dilemma, but what you can do is supplement your mind. Motivational speaker Matthew Kelly has advocated over and over: “Books change our lives.” It’s time to make that happen by educating yourself in building a stronger conscientiousness about the Hollywood industry. The intention of the following five titles is to expand your view-point of the filmmaking business, develop a deeper understanding of the industry, and help you appreciate how cool of a job you have. Again, supplement. These books don’t hold the secret to “making it”. They are easy reads intended to give your mind something to ponder.






A Star Is Found
By: Janet Hirshenson & Jane Jenkins



Let’s be crystal clear: when you begin talking about some “producer” who has  “connections” to Netflix, and he saw your headshot and said you had “potential”.... go look at yourself in the mirror, say the following outloud: “I am having delusions of grandeur”. Then call up your local library and have them track down a copy of Janet Hirshenson’s & Jane Jenkins’ excellent A Star Is Found: Our Adventures in Casting Some of Hollywood’s Biggest Movies.

There are dozens of considerations that go into casting. Dozens. It’s so vital to be mindful of this fact, practically essential to grasp the concept of show-business, because it’s often similar to the independent industry. Actors would benefit from understanding how the studio-system casts. Actors who are not conscious of this easily slip into the realm of wishful thinking. With story after story, Hirshenson & Jenkin’s takes you through the in’s and out’s that occur throughout the development of a feature film. Each and every movie they discuss remains a new puzzle they had to solve, and it would be a major asset to actors to get a taste of how the casting director functions and thinks. Again, dozens of variables decide casting. Don’t take my word for it, allow Hirshenson & Jenkin to educate you.






Gods Like Us
By: Ty Burr



Personally, if I was king of show-biz, I would make Gods Like Us be required reading for all inquiring actors before they’re allowed to schedule their first photoshoot for headshots. The reason being that the modern culture is all about fast action, immediate information, and instant gratification. Then posting it, sharing it, and tweeting it and retweeting it. Then go support this fan page for a my modeling career, and another for an indie project, and check out these images from a photoshoot, and here’s an inspirational quote, AND a paragraph of hashtags (this is why the “do not disturb” is always activated on my iPhone). You’ve heard it said before that we need quiet-time from all this noise, and I encourage you to devote some of that silence to history. Specifically, the history of your profession.

Let’s be honest, art school is outrageously expensive, and the majority of actors out there aren’t necessarily rolling in spare cash. Now, if you really want to make an impression on the producers and directors you meet, get to know the stuff that really turns them on (and I don’t mean mini-skirts). 99% of these guys are movie-buffs, and few books are as concise, articulate, and rich as Ty Burr’s Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame. This is a college-level class perfectly arranged into a terrific book, that takes the reader from Hollywood’s golden era to the modern day celebrity. As an actor, you are participating in a wonderful tradition - dig into its past.






An Improvised Life
By: Alan Arkin



The majority of most memoirs are a sporadic mixture of different scenes from one’s life, almost a banal narrative of the family photo-album. No so with Arkin. Rather, he splits his masterful book into two halves and keeps more structure by staying in chronological order. He begins in his youth, taking the reader through acting school, and into his career working on movie sets. Yet, Arkin’s acting craft is the dominating “person” in the book, specifically how the acting-craft developed through the years by trial-and-error. The second half departs from Arkin’s own biography, and delves into stories gathered from a monthly acting-workshop that Arkin and his wife manage. These stories, which generally feature doctors and bankers, showcase how the exercise of improv is a tremendous life tool, a form of relaxation, and mental growth.

What’s important to note about An Improvised Life is that it remains a Hollywood story that relates to the common man. This is a rare book that you could pass onto anyone who’s frustrated with the dull daily routine of life, as it showcases the brilliance of going outside of one’s comfort zone. Life’s journey is one of constant self-improvement and self-examination, and Arkin uses these themes to showcase the beauty of failure.






Killing Reagan
By: Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard



“Oh God, please don’t spoon-feed us politics!”

Hush. The emphasis here is on history, so Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency is included on the list because it serves several purposes. Consider the actor who “made it”; Reagan rubbed elbows with Academy Award winners on a regular basis and was president of the Screen Actors Guild for six years. Nevertheless, show-business remains an industry of fluctuation and Killing Reagan highlights the 40th president’s innovativeness and confidence to keep himself economically afloat. Shooter John Hinckley’s disturbing odyssey that lead him to attempting murder is paved with pop-culture obsession, so those unfamiliar with political jargon won’t be completely disassociated with the book.

Although these suggested titles have been assembled for actors, a percentage of amateur filmmakers also tend to deceive themselves with unrealistic objectives. These are the guys whose mind is filled, and I mean jam-packed, with nothing but movies. It’s good for one to take a vacation from the “hustle & grind” mind-set, and ground themselves on larger issues (yes, there are more important things in life than the title of the next 007-movie). The first third of Killing Reagan is about Hollywood, hence the material is easy to access. Hopefully you will be intrigued to keep going and consume more of the book. Perhaps it’ll be a spring-board for taking interest in the modern era. Don’t worry, social media isn’t going away anytime soon, and someone will always be waiting there to sucker you into being a background extra when you come back. If your conversations are dominated by what movie you want to see next weekend, or complaining about not getting paid for a Facebook video… there’s no nice way to say this, but that’s pathetic. Try grounding yourself in something outside of the industry. Alan Arkin improvised. Ronald Reagan improvised. You can improvise.






Conversations with Filmmaker Series
Edited By: Various Contributors



Another thing about these movie-geeks: I bet any sum of money that these guys each have a director (or two) that you are sick to death of hearing them reference. Still, there’s something to learn from everyone, and for actors, the great directors can be a source of incredible insight.

The University Press of Mississippi’s Conversations with Filmmaker Series has been around since the late 1990’s, and although not every single big name is included in the series, many of the famous directors are. These books are an excellent way to tap into the concept of directorial authorship and will help increase your awareness when watching movies independently. It’s also a fun and fulfilling activity to focus on one specific director and examine their work on your own. Again, self-education is fulfilling, and a savvy way to avoid paying heinous amounts of money for art school.








Edited by: Mary Morley


Michael Jolls is a film producer from Chicago, IL. His credits include the documentary Cathedral of the North Shore (2013), feature-length mockumenary The Great Chicago Filmmaker (2015), as well as numerous videos based off characters he co-created with fellow associates. Jolls worked as assistant editor on the book David Fincher: Interviews by Dr. Laurence Knapp. His new book The Films of Sam Mendes will release fall 2016 for Under One Hour publications.

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