Actors rarely find themselves working all the time. You should be proactive, engage in the off-stage part of your career as well.
What happens when the industry is ground to a halt because of a pandemic?! No one expected how this would affect our industry. So, what can you do during this time to be proactive?
- Write!
Write that project, that one idea you’ve had percolating in your brain for years. As a creative person, you should feel free to let your imagination spread into creating your own work. Lots of people feel like they should stay in their lane, and leave the writing to the “real” writers. If we all did that, we’d never have gotten Fleabag, and Emma Thompson wouldn’t have written the award-winning script for Sense and Sensibility. Don’t stifle your creative urges, let them soar. It’s almost a cliché at this point, but this really is the best time to get writing!
- Take a class.
With nothing happening, our bank accounts are very precious at this point. However, there’s a lot of people out there providing classes and recourses for free during this trying time. They understand that this is an extreme situation. Keep stimulating your mind and body, take the opportunity to better yourself in whatever way you want. It doesn’t even have to be an acting class.
- Watch movies/tv.
With Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and other streaming services, our access to high quality cinematic experiences has never been easier. Keep that analytical brain working whilst you watch. Pay attention to the acting. Try and notice directorial choices, cinematography, and smart screen writing. The more accomplished you become at analysing why cinema/tv is objectively “good” the better you will be able to apply your own skills to the industry.
- Network.
Casting Directors have reached out to unprecedented level online. Many of them are accepting unsolicited self-tapes or showreels. They are running online casting sessions. Get on Twitter and start following casting directors, because there has never been such a good time to get your showreel seen. They are looking, they are watching, they are responding. You can keep networking even when you can’t meet people face-to-face.
- Update your CV.
Consider freshening up your Spotlight CV. If you have any alternate headshots that could breathe some new life into your image, rotate them in. Make sure you’ve got a showreel of some description up there, AND a voice reel. Make sure your credits and skills are up do date. Even with nothing happening, your still should present like the professional you are! We are also happy to review and discuss with you the presentation of your Spotlight CV.
