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Mad Men Mad

Posted on: April 27th, 2013 by wmapother 9 Comments

In anticipation of my guest spot on this week’s episode of Mad Men, below are some Q&A submitted by folks just like you.
Please feel free to submit further questions in the comments. To left, you can sign up for my (occasional) newsletter. And I’m on Twitter @williammapother, and on Facebook here.

[Here is AMC’s post-ep summary and wrap-up.]

Q: Will you be giving out any spoilers in this Q&A?
A: No, of course not.

Q: Grrr. What about at least discussing the –
A: No, I’m sorry, I’m not even going there.

Q: Okay, fine. Whatever.
A: Sorry, is that a question, or … ?

Q: Damn, dude, just give me a second, would you? Okay, Mad Men is very protective/secretive about information on upcoming episodes. Lost was, too. Which show’s Powers That Be would you rather face after having given out spoilers?
A: Probably Lost’s. As geeks themselves, Damon and Carlton would probably buy the explanation that I got over-excited and overshared. Matt Weiner, however… I just had this vision of confronting him in a sort of Mad Matt: Beyond Madison cage, and it involves ritualized disembowelment, humiliation before the secretarial pool, and a very bad wardrobe. I’ll take the smoke monster and polar bear, thank you very much.

Q: So what can you tell us about your character?
A: He’s got two arms, two legs, and speaks English…intelligibly, on occasion.

Q: That’s hysterical. Really. ADD LINKS But based on your previous characters, does he maybe live in the jungle, or get inhabited by an alien, or munched by a ghost, or mummified and buried by underground creatures in the Old West, or even haul his 800-lb body around in a motorized lounge chair (and here’s a photo, in case you forgot)?
A: I’m not clear…what’s your point, exactly?

Q: Oh, I think I made it. Back to the puffballs: How did you get the role?
A: I auditioned. It was set up by my agent. I’d gone in once before, but it was a couple years ago, and I don’t recall for which character. I read for Matt, a casting director, and a few other people. After the first time through, Matt gave me some good notes to tweak my performance, and I read it again. I think there was another note or two, and then a third reading. A day or so later, I heard that I got the role.

Q: What was Matt like during the audition?
A: Respectful, smart, focused, funny, specific, and serious about the work. About what I expected.

Q: Did you get to read the script for the entire episode?
A: Once, yes. A day or so before the ep started shooting, there was a group script reading. A number of shows do this. The entire cast, plus some others (execs, production team, etc.), gather in a big room and read the script aloud. As you can imagine, it’s a good opportunity for everyone to get an overview of the episode and make tweaks as necessary. For actors new to the show, it also helps bring them into the fold a bit, so they’re more a bit more acclimated when they start to shoot.

Q: Who knew that you were going to be on the show? Was it hard to keep it a secret?
A: Only my agents and manager, and my family. (I shot in December and had to change my travel plans for the holidays.) It actually wasn’t difficult to keep it a secret. MM was emphatic that they expected that, and I’m accustomed to generally keeping quiet about projects until I know I’ve survived post-production.
[Most actors have either experienced or heard horror stories about being cut out. (Back when actual physical film was used, it was called “being left on the editing room floor.”). A friend was in a movie, and another actor in it flew his family out from the Midwest for the premiere. He sits down with them, the movie starts, and he’s not in his first scene. Or his second one. Or any of them. The movie ends, and his family was, like, “Where were you?” The producer/s never told him (forgot? afraid to?) that his part had been entirely removed…]

Q: Was it fun to work on the show?
A: Yes, it was a blast. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. And working with a cast and script like MM’s is always a privilege.

Q: Do you have any ideas or hints about where this season of MM is headed?
A: Zero. And if my picks for this year’s NCAA basketball tournament were any indication, you really don’t even want me to guess.

Q: Your character is planning a trip to a desert island where he’ll be alone. Because he’s one of your characters, this is not considered unusual behavior. What are at least five things he takes?
A: A Native American headdress; the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour”; “How to Lie with Statistics”; the collected works of Aldous Huxley; and his ongoing list of the best and worst things about G. Gordon Liddy.

Q: WTF? Thanks for nothing on that last one, man. Moving on…. Do you have any preference about working in TV or film, big-budget or low-budget?
A: Not really. There are benefits to each. I’ll go to wherever the work is good, or, more specifically, where they’ll hire me.

Q: So, Mr. Picky, I’m on the other side of the deserted island from your character, and I have nothing to entertain me but all the projects you’ve been involved in (as this Q&A weirdly starts to bend in on itself). First, though, because it seems more interesting, I count all the grains of sand, then clean my toes with palm fronds, and finally lie back and try to make heart stop through sheer willpower. Then, with nothing else to do, I decide to watch some of your work. Where do you suggest I start?
A: [All links are to Netflix] Movies: drama In the Bedroom; sci-fi Another Earth (video & HBO); horror-western The Burrowers; horror The Grudge; sports film Without Limits. TV: Lost (11 eps) and Justified (2 eps). IMDb page.

Q: Do you ever play characters who aren’t, you know, weird or creepy?
A: Sure, plenty of times. Another Earth, FDR: American Badass!, Citizen Gangster, Moola, World Trade Center, The Lather Effect, The Grudge, Without Limits —

Q: Okay, I get it, thanks. Maybe I’m lucky and packed some movies besides just ones you’re in. What are some favorites you can recommend which I might not have seen?
A: Most of these are older…Buster Keaton’s The General and Chaplin’s The Circus. Cult comedy Withnail and I. Hitchcock’s sexy thriller Notorious. The fantastic Shampoo. Action epic Bridge on the River Kwai. Screwball comedies His Girl Friday (1940), Nothing Sacred, and The Lady Eve. Some Like It Hot, of course. Six Degrees of Separation. More recent: Wonder Boys; Superbad, and the French drama Dreamlife of Angels.

Q: What’s coming up for you?
A: As usual, I’m attached to a few films due to shoot later this year, and I’m waiting to hear back about a couple more. A few of my indie films are in post-production, and the indie Underdogs was just accepted to Newport Beach Film Festival.

Q: Anything else about you I should know before I finish this and resume my life?
A: I co-founded the premiere online film finance marketplace, Slated.com, which connects independent filmmakers with investors worldwide. I also do voice-overs, write, and invest in/advise start-up companies. I’m a spokesperson for Elder Abuse Awareness, on the Board of the Community Foundation of Louisville, a co-founder of the Flyover Film Festival, and a member of the Kentucky Film Commission. I have a B.A. in English from Notre Dame and lose my voice during football season.

Finally, my previous Q&A’s are under the “Interviews..” category, to the left. And I write occasional posts with information I hope will be helpful to young actors. Those are to the left, too, under “Acting<Acting Tips…”

Posted in Acting Projects, Acting Tips & Info, Favorites, Interviews and Q&A's, News & Events, Press, Recs, TV

Slated is BackStage

Posted on: September 20th, 2012 by wmapother No Comments

BackStage, the go-to place for actors to find career advice and casting information,
has a good piece on Slated, and our recent announcement of high-profile partners..

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Film, News & Events, Press, Slated

How to Make It

Posted on: August 9th, 2012 by wmapother No Comments

These six points don’t cover everything you need to know to make a career in this business, but they’re a good foundation.

One additional piece off the top of my head: Take the long view. Focus not on what you’re doing today or this month, but on whether today or this month are taking you toward where you want to be in a year or 10 years. It’s commonsensical, but when we’re frustrated / angry it’s easy to forget about the journey..

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Recs

I Know It When I See It

Posted on: April 15th, 2012 by wmapother 2 Comments

(Another in a series of posts to actors. For more of these check out the ‘Info to Actors’ category at left.)

Recently, I discussed with a casting director how much more competitive
it’s become for actors in Hollywood. She was sympathetic—up to a point. Because when actors face more competition, it’s also means that her job has become that much more difficult, i.e., she’s drowning in photos and phone calls. (I was sympathetic—up to a point.) Her rough numbers, which, per other CD’s, are very representative:

Submissions for one guest star role on a TV episode: 1,000.
Number of those actors she has time to audition: 10-15.

Okay, pull yourself up off the ground and get some caffeine.

A few takeaways from this example:

A. It explains why it’s tough to get seen for roles that you’re not known for or a natural at: The CD has a very limited opportunity to find the right actor for the role.
B. The general odds: 1) of booking an audition: one in 12, and 2) of getting an audition: one in 83. Lesson: It’s far harder to get #2.
C. You must be sure to allocate efforts to just getting auditions—it’s the best way to boost your chances of booking. Duh, right? Of course you need an audition in order to book a job. It seems obvious, but in my experience most actors don’t focus nearly enough on this step.

So how, exactly, do you increase your chances of getting an audition? [Note: Whether or not you have an agent or manager, many of the steps are the same.] There are a number of things you can do, and each slightly increases your chances. And that’s what you’re looking for: anything that will give you an edge. Of all the steps you can take, though, perhaps the most important tool of all is your reel.*

Reels are important because the casting director needs proof that you’re worth that prized audition slot. It’s not enough to have just headshot plus the word of honour from your rep (i.e., agent or manager). Further, reps themselves usually need that very same proof before they’re willing to take you on as a client. They need to know a) that you’re good, and b) that you’ll provide them with the tools to peddle, er, hawk, er, sell, er promote you. So you need a reel to get a rep, then the rep needs the reel to get you an audition. In this respect Hollywood’s like everywhere else: They know it—and believe it—only when they see it. Lesson: You. Need. A. Reel.

So if you already have filmed scenes, cut them together. (Or find someone who can do it for you. No need for fancy transitions; just fade out at the end of the scenes.) If you’ve shot some things but don’t have copies, contact the director/producer to get a copy. And when you shoot in the future, be sure to get their contact info at the time and be clear that you’d like your scenes as soon as possible.

When selecting the material, aim for a balance between including your best work and showing your range (of characters, genres and appearances). There are lots of different opinions on the best length for a reel, but somewhere around 3-5 minutes is safe. That should cover a few different scenes.

But this raises a common issue among actors, who often see reels as a catch-22: If I need a reel to book a job, how do I get a reel before I’ve got a job? And that’s the point of this post: Just get yourself on tape. It doesn’t have to be a polished production, just good enough to show what you can do. And who cares if it’s from? If you’re good in it, the source is of secondary importance.

You must be proactive about this. Find listings for student and short films which are looking for actors. Check with film schools, local papers, Craig’s List, etc. You may have to make a few films to get some usable footage, but even the non-usable material has benefits: you got acting experience and did what you (hopefully) love, right?

No luck finding a short film? Then maybe hire someone to shoot your work. Companies in NYC and LA specialize in shooting actors for auditions. It costs money, but the lighting and camerawork is usually good. And it’s better to at least have a monologue on tape than nothing at all. (If you’re not in NYC or LA, check with a local commercial house.)

Or you can be extra-proactive and produce the shoot yourself. Find a director and someone to shoot it, and they’ll usually know other crew members. Directors and cinematographers use reels, too, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find some who would love to shoot just for that purpose, same as yourself.

For material for the scene, you can either write something new yourself or find someone who will, or use something already written. In that case, though, it’s usually best to avoid something very recognizable. Maybe find a great older play, or a good movie that might not have been too widely seen.

The point is to get yourself on tape, even if the production quality is not ideal. That’s okay, because you’ll use that to get cast in better productions, which you’ll then put on your reel to get cast in even better ones. Think of using your reel as a way of boosting yourself up to the next level of production. It’s a powerful means of self-leverage. But you can’t start with nothing. You need tape to get better tape. So get thee in front of a camera.

*A reel is simply a video collection of your scenes. [The individual scene/s are sometimes called ‘footage’ or ‘tape’ (eg, “My reel’s a bit outdated. I need to find some new tape for it.”).] Because video files are usually too big to email, most reels are now stored online—either on the rep’s or actor’s website, or, if necessary, on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. This allows the rep (or you) email just a link.

[This is another in a continuing series of potentially helpful, hopefully practical posts to actors on practicing their craft or surviving the trying. I bear no responsibility for how this or any of my posts might ruin your life, lead you to law school, or make your parents sick with worry. For more of the same, click the ‘Info to Actors’ category at left.]

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Video (Online & Home)

Work Begets Work

Posted on: March 31st, 2012 by wmapother 4 Comments

(Another in a series of posts to actors. For more check out the ‘Info to Actors’ category at left.)

When we’re growing up we’re subjected, for better or worse, to our parents’ musical taste.

(Oh, how I don’t miss the colossal 8-track.) For me that meant 50s rock-n-roll from my dad, and great songwriters from my mom. One of my mom’s favorites was the 50s jaunty folk trio The Kingston Trio. (You can hear strains of their style in early Bob Dylan).

I remember many of their songs, but one in particular has stayed with me. ‘Desert Pete‘ tells about a pump in the desert and a note left there, with instructions for users to leave a jar of water for the next visitor, so he can use it to prime the pump. It’s vaguely socialistic, if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, but the message is good: “You’ve got to prime the pump, you must have faith and believe, You’ve got to give of yourself ‘fore you’re worthy to receive.”

I’m going to co-opt that message and make it, as so many actors do, about myself. (Or you, in this case.) Here it is: Work begets work. Jobs almost never come from nowhere. You must build some momentum to them. You first have got to prime the pump, as it were. Take small, non-paying, non-glamorous jobs. If you’re attentive and determined to learn, they’ll be a reward unto themselves. But they’re also the path to bigger and better jobs, even if you can’t see how while you’re suffering for free.

I’ve lost track of many times this strategy has paid off for me. A few years ago I went to NYC for the summer to participate in the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare Lab. It was a great opportunity, but it was also for no pay and no guarantee to ever appear in one of their prestigious productions. While in NYC, though, I arranged some general meetings with casting directors, and one of those turned into my role in Another Earth.

More recently, I read for a small indie that I wasn’t sure I was right for, but the casting director remembered me the following week and put me in a web series for the new content YouTube is commissioning for itself.

Several years ago I did a tiny indie for almost no money, and that led to voice work on a couple eps of Robot Chicken. And a weekly writers/actors cooperative (i.e., non-paid) lab that I’m a member of led to a few webisodes of I <3 Vampires. Finally, doing a little computer tutoring for someone back in 2003 led my getting a role in The Grudge.

And I have even touched on how many times I’ve been rehired by the same people, or by people whom I met when I was working, or people who saw work I did for little or no money. Working = keeping yourself busy, meeting new people, learning lessons about yourself and others, developing skills that might be called upon, perhaps practicing your craft or getting tape for your reel, and a hundred other benefits.

The bottom line: Whether it’s acting in a short film, working on a webisode in some capacity, making short films on your iPhone just for the hell of it, writing a script to see what’s that like, or even something as apparently unrelated as helping a neighbor rebuild his shed, getting involved and producing work of any sort pays off. Even if at the time you can’t possibly imagine how. Just get yourself out there. Give of yourself before you’re worthy to receive.

* Peter O’Brien, a longtime friend and a very good writer, suggested that many of my ‘Info to Actors’ posts apply to younger writers as well. I wouldn’t presume, but…well, thank you, Peter.

Posted in Acting, Acting Tips & Info, Film, Music, Video (Online & Home)

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