It's been awhile. Sorry for the lack of posting....I've been doing a lot of writing lately and coming to post here is just one more set of writing. So, I've been a little burnt out. I mentioned it before but I'm working on a feature, have sketches to write for my sketch comedy class, we're developing a webseries so I'm helping write episodes, I also freelance blog for a marketing company and yesterday I turned in my first script reading coverage. I've been looking for a job as a script reader and a screenwriter gave me my first shot over the weekend. I'm hoping it leads to more opportunities because I really enjoyed the entire process. I'm nerdy. What can I say?
Auditions have been nonexistent the past few weeks and since I'm not in an acting class at the moment, acting has been quiet for the first time in...well, at least in the 3 years since I moved here. It is an odd feeling and I miss it. Hoping things pick up again soon! It is also why I've been writing so much. Not only because acting is slow but because acting is slow. Let me explain: Yes, I have a bit more downtime than usual. But also, it is increasingly difficult to find acting jobs that I can get a shot at. Ever since the writer's strike, the model has shifted. The volume for what is being produced is less. Established "stars" get first dibs at most jobs and since so many "movie" stars are now transitioning to television, that narrows the possibilities immensely. The market is so saturated with actors and the accessibility is so saturated, it is difficult to get into a room. Since everything is online now, a casting director will post that they have a role they are trying to cast and within an hour they will literally have thousands of submissions from agents and managers. It isn't humanly possible to carefully consider each submission. If a casting director doesn't know you or your agent, chances are you're not getting one of the 20 - 100 slots available for seeing people. By writing, I increase my chances for my work to be seen. That is why webseries are a popular new venue for actors. And it is also why four pilots that were picked up this pilot season were written by the actors who star in them. Here's an interesting article from Deadline talking about the "winds of change" that this pilot season has seen. They say that two major things happened this pilot season:
First: actors taking things in their own hands. Tired of waiting for the perfect pilot script to come along, more actors than ever went ahead and wrote a pilot for themselves this past development season. Many of the scripts went to pilot and then to series, including Whitney Cummings' Whitney on NBC, David Hornsby's How To Be a Gentleman, Chris Moynihan's Man Up and Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair's BFF.
Their success gives a little bit of hope. So does The Working Actress who's pilot got picked up. She has done other pilots before and this is the first time one went to series. It's exciting to see all that hard work pay off. I have a friend on a series that got picked up for a second season. Another friend's show was cancelled but we all know she'll do just fine. There are ebbs and flows to this business and you gotta keep rolling with the tide.
So for now, I'm off to hike with C., do some writing this afternoon and then I get to go to the American Idol Finale tonight to watch someone's dream come true. Because think about it: This show has been around for more than half of the lifespan of these two finalists. This really could be something they've dreamed of their whole life. I'm excited to see it all happen!
No comments:
Post a Comment