#actor goals

[wwxadhd]

Mad | Nov. 14 prompt: OP Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian November Mayhem event by @pocketfulofrecs

Here's this maniac, throwing arrows at people, crying and laughing at the same time. We love him.

[newagewasteland]

Johnny Depp’s accessories <3

[blunt-talks]

My goal in life is to land a recurring role on a show like legends

[alladoreqi]

Fucking yes Viola Davis

You fucking deserved that!!!!!!

[yesitsscarybutyourebrave]

Yesterday, I walked home with one of my classmates. In the acting class, we did this exercise where one person interviewed another and then the interviewer told the interviewee's story in first person. My classmate made a comment that made me feel really good. She basically said that she found my self-inspiration to be an amazing feat and inspirational in itself. Those are the things I love to hear. That my life story has an impact on other people. That's goals right there.

[actorgoals-blog]

8 Challenges of the Non-American Voice Actor

Forging a career in voiceover is a challenge, even for the most honey-voiced “everyman.” The Internet has massively increased the talent pool, and awareness of this corner of the entertainment industry has increased exponentially. But what if you are not a native of the country in which you work? What if your voice has a certain exoticism? Does this increase or diminish your opportunities?

While I would never describe my own voice as exotic (outside of marketing materials) my innate Britishness has certainly served me well in the United States, a country of Anglophiles. But how restricting is it to have a defined accent in America? And how does that affect your ability to work in your own domestic market?

After an exhaustive, “Revenant”-style trek through my own experiences, and in talking with some of my fellow “funny-sounding” peers, here is my list of pros and cons of being a non-American voice actor living in America.

1. Reduced competition. This sounds wonderful, but it goes hand in hand with a reduced amount of jobs. You may even find that your competition is more fierce as a result of the limited opportunities.

2. Unique work. This somewhat contradicts the aforementioned point— the sheer amount of work only available to the non-American. Dubbing and re-voicing commercials, video games, training videos, etc., is comparatively plentiful. While this may not pay quite the same or come with the cachet of the original, many voice talents forge their careers on the back of this kind of work.

3. Culture clash. It is inevitable that at some point you will be asked to say things that make you culturally cringe. A cliché about your homeland, geographical, historical, or political mistakes, and inaccurate terminology all occur with rampant frequency. Unless it is especially offensive, it is wise to engage your sense of humor and remind yourself that voiceover is one of the best jobs you can have!

4. Unexpected opportunities. Some talent have an accent that is hard to place. They use this to their advantage, marketing themselves as “global” or “European.” Paul Strikwerda is a Dutch native who lives in Easton Pennsylvania…

“Demand for a Dutch narrator isn’t exactly overwhelming, and thanks to the Internet, my competition in Holland is only one click away. My real niche is in ‘neutral English’ voiceovers, meaning my accent is neither British nor American. It’s more of a European twang, and businesses wanting to increase their global appeal hire me because of my international sound.”

5. Alienating your domestic market. In most cases, the biggest market for your voice is in your native land. If you live abroad then finding representation, booking jobs that you can record remotely, time differences, currency conversion, and money transfers can make your life particularly difficult. Hiring you becomes an unattractive proposition when compared to local talent. You can find yourself in a no man’s land between your bountiful domestic market and the ultra competitive niche American one.

6. The perception that you are expensive in your homeland. Countries with an economy that isn’t as strong as the U.S. rarely hire talent in America. Simone Fojgiel is a Uruguayan talent based in Tampa, Florida...

“For me, it has been practically impossible to be considered for possible castings/auditions for the Uruguayan market after I moved to the U.S. Sometimes when we make it in this country, those who see us from our own origins think that we are in an “upper level,” making hundreds of thousands a year.”

7. Pigeon-holing yourself. Great, you have a marketing angle! But when that promotion borders on the caricature, you may have a hard time presenting what makes you unique. People have a picture of the foppish, bumbling Englishman that I occasionally play up, but that doesn’t fully reflect me as a person or as an actor. Sometimes I even do emotions!

8. Accent drift. It is very common to unintentionally incorporate American syntax and inflection into your voice. Surrounded by it day to day, it can easily seep into your delivery. It is important to recognize and control this, and use it to your advantage. I will receive feedback like, “Great, Jamie! Let’s try it one more time, but a little less British, please.” (It is important to note that when working in your native country, you will have to readjust back, and this can be harder than you’d think!)

Working as a non-American voice actor in America can present a broad and unique palette of work. It can be a precarious tight-rope walk, with the occasional light collision of cultures. But embracing and capitalizing on your own culture and unique talents can really pay dividends in a very competitive industry.

[actorgoals-blog]

Acting and setting “SMART” goals.

Pursuing your passion will allow you to live a life that you have likely only dreamed about.  Now is the time to start living your dream, my reader friend!  If your dream is to become an actor, you’re likely experiencing many feelings of excitement, as well as feelings of uncertainty.  These feelings are completely understandable - especially because there is no set path, no one “right way” and no “sequence of steps” that will ensure your success as an actor.  There is only your way.  Creating that life of your dreams involves making a commitment to yourself that you will not give up, making a plan, and starting!  Setting a "SMART" goal can help.  

Whether you’re brand new to the pursuit of becoming an actor, or if you’ve been working in the business for several years like me, it’s crucial to have a plan.  This business is massive, and targeting what it is that you want to achieve will help you to reach your goals.  Don’t allow the size of this industry to intimidate you.

There is only one of you, and

you’re unique

!  Trust yourself and your choices, jump in, and move forward on the path to fulfilling your dream.  The First Step:  Make a CommitmentIf you’re new to our industry, coming up with a plan for success in the massive entertainment industry can feel like a gigantic task.  The first step in coming up with a plan for success is to make a commitment.   Are you ready to be a part of this incredible, vivacious world?  If the answer is yes, it must be understood that success rarely (if ever) happens overnight.  Making a commitment to be in this business for the long haul is crucial.  Having an idea of what you want to achieve and in what area (TV/film/theatre/commercials, for example) is also important!  Your path may lead you in other directions, but choosing a focus will be helpful.    When I first started out as an actor, I recall meeting with

acting coach Carolyne Barry

and explaining that I wanted to “have some fun, and try this for a few years.”  The reality is, however, that this business doesn’t have a “time-line” and Carolyne explained to me kindly but firmly that I would need to commit to being involved in this industry for as long as it would take to succeed.  The Second Step:  PlanThe good news is that we can create tangible goals that can be achieved in a timely manner!  Having a personal plan for success in this business will undoubtedly help you to stay on track and to achieve your goals!  Consider Setting “SMART” GoalsWhen you work as an actor, you’re working for yourself and you’re running your own business.  There are quite literally a million things that need to be done in an acting career.  The idea of having so much to do can become quite overwhelming at times!  Consider setting “SMART” goals for yourself and for your acting career.  This acronym stands for “

Strategic, Measureable,Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound

.”  For an example of a business “SMART” goal,

click here

.“SMART” goals are helpful because they are attainable and are able to be accomplished in a timely manner.  Creating a “SMART” goal will help you to organize your thoughts and your actions in order to reach your objective, as opposed to setting a “general” goal without following through with all of the necessary steps required to achieve it.   I’ve found that setting smaller goals, one by one, is more effective than setting a goal that will be extremely difficult for you to achieve.  At the beginning of the New Year, I sat down to plan certain goals for myself and my career.  One of my goals was a fairly general one:  “Book National Commercials.”  I thought to myself, “This goal is challenging, yet attainable.”  My twin sister, Shannon (who is quite an academic) advised me that - although this goal is attainable - create a goal that is tangible, and be as specific as possible.  I revised this goal to be: “Book One National Commercial.”  It became much more attainable when I was able to use the “SMART” goal system to break down the steps which I would need to take in order to achieve this goal, including setting steps to meet commercial casting directors, sending my headshots to commercial casting offices, and taking more commercial audition classes by a certain date.The Third Step:  Jumping In and Starting!Though planning is crucial, executing your plan in a timely manner is equally important, which is why setting a “SMART” goal with a time-frame is helpful.  Time is of the essence in the entertainment business (as well as in life)!  In any business, setting a goal that’s unattainable is just going to create stress – even in our day-to-day tasks.  As

Backstage

’s “Secret Agent Man” points out in a wonderful article, having a specific focus is important.  He explains in his article:  “Action without focus accomplishes nothing.” He goes on to say, “I was all about making a massive to-do list every morning and then setting out to conquer it.  I rarely did, so the stuff that didn’t get done would roll over into the next day’s list, which in turn would roll over into the next day’s list, and so on and so on.  As a result, I was doing a lot of stuff every day but I wasn’t really getting anything done.” (

Click here for the article inBackstage

.)Even if you do not achieve your “SMART” goal by the date that you have set for yourself, you will undoubtedly be much closer to achieving your goal than you were before you started planning and executing your plan.  As an update on my “SMART” goal; I recently joined a brand new commercial audition class. I’m happy to report that I’m on track to achieving my goal, and you can be, too!  Planning a tangible goal works!Plan, and jump right in, my friends!   

[actorgoals-blog]

How to set goals for your acting career

Targeting Your Goals

Actors should set very clear goals in order to succeed in the entertainment industry.  Pursuing a career in acting and entertainment means that there is a lot that is out of our control work-wise. There are endless reasons why we do or do not book a role, and often times it has nothing to do with how talented an actor is.  We go from auditions, to callbacks, to sometimes not getting many auditions, and also sometimes never booking a job for months!  That being said, there are lots of ways to be proactive in your career, and take as much control as possible of your career in entertainment.

Target Exactly What You Hope To Accomplish

The first step in seeing success as an actor is to set clear goals for yourself.  As I mention in my articles about finding a talent agent (click here),  it is crucial that you know what it is that you're targeting. Research is very important.  Are you going to target work in television, film, theater, commercials, print, or all of these areas?

Far too many actors come to Hollywood without a clear plan to execute, and that can leave him or her feeling very lost.  I can promise you that if you don't have a clear plan, you will not reach your full potential as an actor (and also, as a person).  You are much too talented and incredible to allow that to happen!  It is essential that you understand your goals and how to bring them to life.

In order to help you determine exactly what you want to accomplish in your acting career, as well as other areas of life, I suggest writing down all of your thoughts and also creating a "vision/goal board."  This is a board on which you may post pictures and/or quotes that can help to keep you focused on goals that you hope to achieve.  In turn, it will also help you to narrow down what it is that you'd like to achieve.  Hang it up in a place where you will often see it!  For more tips on creating a "vision board," click here.

Once you determine exactly what you want to accomplish, dive into the work!  If there are multiple areas of entertainment that you're targeting, start by targeting one area at a time.  Give that area your full attention. (Click here to read more about this!)  

Personally speaking one of my goals as an actor was to work within the soap opera  community and daytime television.  Therefore, my goal became:  "Book Work on the Major Soaps."  I wrote this goal on a piece of paper and taped it to the wall above my desk.  After targeting a goal, it's time to break it down. Now, the first step that I took to accomplish that goal was to research who casts these shows.  You can find information about most casting directors online.   Check out "The Call Sheet," published by "Backstage" or check out a service called "Casting About."  Sometimes, I'll research casting directors by utilizing the "SAG-AFTRA Showsheet," which is available to SAG-AFTRA members and includes information about who casts what show. 

The next step that I took was to plan to meet each casting director and casting associate.  I chose to do this through reputable and educational casting director workshops and classes.  By focusing on my specific goal, I have been able to meet (and form great business relationships) with all of the casting directors who cast the major soap operas in America!

Once you target a goal (in my example daytime television), you can move forward with doing the work to accomplish that goal.  An exciting note here:  I have worked on all of the major soap operas as of now, (so far it's been extra work and a few under-5 line roles).  I am currently not a "contract player" or series regular, but I have still made my way onto all of the soaps and have actively been achieving my goal!!  And I cannot tell you how fortunate and excited I feel for booking these little roles!!

You can truly achieve anything - through hard work, determination - and goal-planning!