This panel discussion included casting directors Matt Huffman, Donna Morong, Rick Pagano and Gary Zuckerbrod.  The discussion was moderated by actor Michael Bofshever who asked the panelists to share their experiences and perspectives to give actors an insight into the overall casting process, along with tips on how to make the best of the audition process and maintain a professional attitude towards continuing to promote an active acting career.

Casting director Rick Pagano considers Los Angeles to be like “The Olympics of Acting”, where the best actors come to showcase themselves.  He had a wonderful tip on how to keep a positive attitude when going into auditions, suggesting that an actor walk into an audition as if they were the host of the party.  “Leave the room quickly, leave the building slowly”, said Rick, just in case the Producers or Director might decide to invite the performer back into the room again.

Matt Huffman finds that being involved in theatre and with other performers can help to make an actor familiar with current projects and the people who are working on them.  He’s a member of The Actors Gang Theatre Group as both an actor and director and considers it a valuable resource for casting his independent and internet based projects.  Matt also spoke about the benefits of being willing to take a lesser part and how doing a good job can sometimes lead to more acting work.  In “Letters to Iwo Jima” when Matt stepped in to assist with casting, he said there were several actors who had accepted background parts that were later upgraded on the set as they were casting characters with dialogue.

As for when actors audition for an episodic, “on an established show, it’s important to know the show”, said Gary Zuckerbrod.  With current technology, episodes of all kinds of shows are usually available to view online through either the network website or other resources when the show is not currently airing. Using available technology can help actors stay educated and aware of current trends in casting too.  Gary suggested that actors try to gain access to as much information about the show and the character they are reading for, prior to the audition, by reading the sides for other characters in an effort to get a better idea of the full script.

Donna Morong admitted that she doesn’t heavily rely on current technology to find new talent, but she accepts postcard submissions or good reviews for consideration, to be able to discover new talent and keep up with the actors that she’s auditioned.  Her perspective, along with supporting comments from the other panelists throughout the evening, was a great reminder that success in the entertainment industry comes down to maintaining professional relationships over time in order to sustain a long-term career.

For more details about the event and each panelist, see: SAG Foundation Casting Director Event

On Thursday, February 26th the Screen Actor’s Guild Foundation hosted a seminar lead by actor Michael Cohen.

In this workshop Michael Cohen discussed how actors can apply 12 Guideposts from Michael Shurtleff’s  book “Audition”.  Cohen reviewed how to understand and create the “guideposts” in the characters and choices actors will make, and how those choices can also be used in an actor’s career path.  They were: Relationship, Conflict, The Moment Before, Humor, Opposites, Discoveries, Communication & Competition, Importance, Find the Events, Place, Game Playing & Role Playing, Mystery & Secret.

Being able to break down scripted material to build interesting characters is part of the basic foundation of any acting performance.  This workshop was a great reminder of how complex and unique each opportunity to audition can be as we exercise our creativity.

On February 3rd, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation hosted the seminar “Making Friends with Rejection: Empowering the Working Actor”. David Ackert taught this useful workshop.  He is pro-active, working actor/producer, author, educator and public speaker that is known for his positive approach to the business side of acting.

What I enjoy most about David’s workshops is that by being a working actor, he has the ability to be compassionate and humorous while he teaches other actors good business skills. David used dice as a metaphor to explain the emotional aspects attached to the audition process.  He explored ways in which we can play the numbers game to the best of our ability by controlling the elements we can control and using perspective with the things we can’t control to feel empowered.

According to David, there are 2 main ways to increase a booking average (a.k.a the bottom line):
1. Increase the number of auditions, typically based on headshots.
2. Increase the number of bookings based on performance, training, and being properly prepared for an audition.

Now that submissions are mostly digital, many casting directors make their “first cut” based on the online thumbnails of a headshot.  David gave us tips on how to discover how others might envision us and how to translate that into images which will represent those characters, increasing the likelihood of getting called in to an audition.

Another element of dealing with rejection is to gain perspective by identifying any self-destructive habits we may have learned during our journey as performers.  By reducing any rejection and pressure we might be projecting onto ourselves, we can increase our overall self-image.  Several actors were able to share their experiences and ways to cope with or change bad behaviors, illustrating how once we are willing to acknowledge where we can improve, it’s possible to choose our path thoughtfully to get better results.

This workshop was full of great reminders to have faith in our abilities and the wisdom to keep learning. David has a talent for being able to help people embrace the lessons learned during the pursuit of their dreams – not only actors – any individuals who are courageous enough to create from passion and inspiration.

After a special screening of the “The Dark Knight”, John Papsidera shared his perspective on the casting process and gave a more in depth view of how some of the main and supporting cast were chosen for this film.  He spoke about Heath Ledger’s meeting with the film’s director Christopher Nolan and how other actors were also chosen based on the versatility that they could bring to the various scripted roles.

John Papsidera’s casting credits include “The Dark Knight,” “Batman Begins,” “The Prestige,” “Momento,” “Enchanted,” and HBO’s “Carnivale.” Papsidera has a diverse background which made him choose casting as a profession.  He also has a current partnership in the restaurant, The Waffle.

David Ackert has applied his acting experience and business skills to help other actors in our community better understand how to plan for and reach their career goals.

At this workshop, David provided a Business Plan for Actors handout, which clearly and concisely provided the structure and key points of a typical business plan. He then guided us through the steps of how to apply that outline and process to the entertainment industry, so we could personalize our plans.

Rather than a lecture, this event was interactive and David encouraged actors to ask questions and participate in a dialogue about recognizing and utilizing our existing resources. His own background as an actor and his obvious respect for other actors created an environment that made it easy for participants to have fun during this valuable learning experience.

David empowered us by giving us insight, structure and enabling us to be pro-active by creating a plan that each person can make their own. He also reminded us to keep our integrity and abide by our personal mission statements, so that we can feel more confident about our choices, not only as actors but also as individuals as we go through life.

This event was hosted by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to assist, educate and inspire actors.

The Business of Voice Overs Seminar featured a panel of working voice over professionals, casting directors, an agent and producer in order to provide a comprehensive look into the voice over profession.

Since I’ve worked primarily as an on-camera actress, my voice over experience has been in ADR.  So far, I’ve voiced a Reporter on the TV show “Clueless” and a Nurse on “The Young and the Restless”, in addition to looping lines on other projects.  Each time, I’ve worked in a studio environment.

Over the years, technology has really changed the voice over industry.  Gone are the days where an actor/voice over artist goes into a booth at their agent’s office to audition.  The internet has made it possible for artists to record at home and e-mail material to their representatives.  The upside is the convenience, the downside is that there is no longer the benefit of being directed in a session.

The panelists were:

Bob Bergen (Animation V.O. Talent, Animation instructor), Carroll Kimble (Casting Director, Carroll Voice Casting), Don Scotti (Producer/Director, SweetSpot Productions), George Whittam (Technical Engineer, Owner of El Dorado Recording Services), Joe Cipriano (Promo V.O. Talent, Announcer for the Emmy Awards), Marabina Jaimes (Hispanic V.O. Talent), Paul Pape (Moderator/V.O. Talent), Rodney Saulsberry (V.O. Talent & Book Author on the V.O profession), Vanessa Gilbert (Co-Owner, TGMD Talent Agency).

We discussed the most common types of voice over work:
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), Animation, Books on Tape, Commercial, Narration, Navigation, Promos, Radio, Radio Imaging (Station Identification), Trailer, and Voice Prompts.

If you are looking for a way to stay current in the voice over field, two resources that were mentioned during the seminar are the websites for Voice Over Universe and Voice Over Bulletin Board.

When you are browsing voice over blogs, it’s worth mentioning that a friend of mine, Dina Sherman, is using her voice philanthropically. For the next year, she is donating 50 per cent of her net earnings to the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s always inspiring to have a fellow performer put their talent to use to support a worthy cause.