To:
advise@karateangels.com
hello
michele,
I'm 21 years old....I like to be an actress,
But I'm not sure if it's too late. when I
read books, I imagine my self as the actual
charater in the book. I love to act out
things that happens in the book. I kinda
wanted to do this for long time, however,
didn't know how to start it. I have no
previous experiances but when I read something
I get in to that character and I can act.
I know it's not good enough!! but I really
would like to do something I'm passanate about
and enjoy. plz give me some advice on what to
do and how to get started.
Thanks
rose
___________________________________________________________________
Rose
Let
me start at the top. First, it is very
important to work on your letter writing
skills. I know it may seem strange for an
acting teacher to tell you this but all actors
and actresses have to write cover letters when
they send their head shots and resumes to
prospective agents and casting people. You
might have been casual with me because many
folks on here are but I have made the same
suggestion on the message boards. To be a
professional at any job you need to present
yourself as a professional at the start, even
if you are a beginner!
You
did not say where you live. I am assuming you
are in the states because your grammar does
seem American. Hope I am right!
If
you have this much passion about acting you
really need to get involved in some stage work
and taking acting classes. There are no short
cuts for actors even though a myth seems to
have come along saying all anyone needed was
to look good. But even ‘hotties’ fail at
acting if they don’t learn it. Look for a
camera acting teacher near you and get
involved in any studio or black box theatre
you can find. You will get the chance to take
on many skills and learn how you will become
the best you can be. Acting is very personal
and even if you do take classes a lot of your
process will be based on who you are and what
you know.
I
tell actors they need to know more than most
people. I have a 7 year old actress who is not
afraid to do Bed wetting commercials and a 13
year old boy who just learned no matter how
cool he is he may be playing a nerd. Not to
mention a mature woman who is very sweet but
she keeps getting asked to play very mean
characters. The only way anyone gets strong at
these things is to do them again and again.
Email back with the state you live in and I
will check to see if there are any good
schools in your area. Also look around for
student films to help build a starter resume.
You
should only spend money on classes, head shots
and resumes at the start and nothing else. You
do not pay an agent to represent you. If any
agent tries to sign you before you build a
resume, they are probably taking advantage of
you. If they sign you early and don’t charge
you anything except if they get you work, then
they have faith you are a natural or are
growing and learning fast.
Sincerely
Michele
Karate
Angels
To: advise@karateangels.com
CC:
Subject: Editor
Hello.
I was google searching for martial arts film
auditions and found this web page for Michele
Seidman. I don't know who she is ... mainly
because I have a weekness when it comes to
keeping up with stars and celebrities. I read
her article on "So you want to be in a
Martial Arts Movie". Because I have
always thought that I should be in Martial
Arts Movies. I know... Like a thousand others.
Well, I have put it off for too many years
now. But I believe that I should. Others have
always agreed. I am currently in between jobs
and available for any opportunities that may
arise. Is there a place in particular that you
might point me in to really get in the door? I
may be the next undescovered talent? Humbly
speaking. I have been doing breakdancing since
1983 and gymnastics since 1989. Here is a link
to who I am. (removed to protect privacy)
You may pass it on if you know anyone in the
biz? Thanks Editor. I appreciate your time and
any assistance that you may give.
~Elsworth~ (AKA: Ninja)
_____________________________
Elsworth
I
do admire your humble way of coming at this
and yet you still seem to have great strength
and discipline from your MA training. Even if
you are a natural it won’t get you in the
door. You are going to have to make some
contacts and take some acting classes. As
mentioned in the article the action actor
needs to know more than the average actor. Not
only do they have to act and fight but they
have to cheat angles and take punches and work
with the Key Stunt person and all the safety
guidelines.
What
area are you in? I can help a bit more when I
know. Your background in MA mixed with the
dancing and gymnastics should work very well
in your favor but you still have no resume.
Have you looked to see if anyone is doing
indie or student film near you? You might land
a little non paying work and still be able to
start a resume for the acting side. Be careful
on indies because they seldom have the
insurance they need to protect stunt people.
Even if they do have the insurance they cannot
always get someone who is top notch at safety
issues to come in and work with them for free.
If you do indie projects, do not do any stunts
that seem even a little bit ‘off kilter’.
Remember
to look up the Key stunt people and offer to
intern for free for a month or more until they
see your focus and determination. It won’t
mean they will definitely hire you but it will
help you get in the door and learn enough to
keep moving forward. Do email back with your
state or country. As mentioned to a
few…please use spell check and make sure all
your contacts with possible business
connections start professionally!
You
only have one chance to make a first
impression. Luckily with me…I am here to
point those things out instead of judging
anyone on them! I did check your web site and
I admit your look is very marketable. Now back
it up with the acting classes. If I was an
agent willing to watch a ‘newbies’
progress, I would keep an eye on you. It does
not hurt we share one of the same favorite
books! Love Millman and you are a PW!
Sincerely
Michele
Karate
Angels
PS…Don’t
worry about not knowing who I am. I am a
working actor and have not been famous in so
long that it does not count!
To:
advise@karateangels.com
CC:
Subject: Michele
Hi
Michele,
My
name is Giselle and I am a 14 year old girl
that dreams of becoming an actress and/or
singer. Many people have told me that I am an
amazing singer and Iʼve sang at my
church and other performances since I was 7.
My parents have been very willing to help
me and support me and Iʼve gone to many
auditions for agencies and acting classes. But
they all turned out to be too expensive and my
mother even ended up paying about $700 which
we never saw again. So could you tell me if
there is any legit agencies or acting and
singing coaches for me that are not too
expensive. I live in
South Florida
.
Thanks,
Giselle
P.S.
Could you also explain to me how I could build
a resume?
Dear
Giselle,
Thank
goodness you are starting early because this
won’t go fast or be easy. By starting young
you will be ahead of the rest when you get
enough of a resume to get agency attention!
Since your parents are willing to support you
in this make sure they are aware of everything
you do to further your studies. They should be
involved with your contacting me because you
are under 18 and I am an adult. Always keep
them posted because you are young and even if
you are the smartest 14 year old in the
world…there are people who would not be nice
out there and you must protect yourself.
You
mentioned your parents spent $700 and never
got it back but not on what it was used for. I
am going to take a wild guess and say it was a
conference or something that claimed they
could get you an agent or modeling work. I am
going to use all capitals for a moment. I am
not shouting at you but this is one of those
things that is very important for everyone to
see and read over and over…by using all
capitals I hope everyone will stop and read it
twice.
NEVER
PAY ANYONE TO BE YOUR AGENT. NEVER PAY MONEY
TO ANY CONFERANCES OR MODEL SEARCHES. NEVER
GIVE ANYONE A DIME OF YOUR MONEY UNLESS:
They are an acting teacher and charging
you for class time, or a photographer charging
you for taking your pictures or a copy shop
for making copies of your head shots and
resumes. Other than that the rest are scams.
ONE MORE NEVER: If you go to any ‘agent’
who says you must use their photographer you
might be getting cheated. A good agent or
casting person will give you a list of names.
Prices will vary a great deal depending on the
market but $700 would have been 6 months of
classes every single week. I don’t allow
students to train with me for that long before
I kick them out to do other types of work and
even teach them how to do some of their own
training for free. They come back when they
need me again.
On
that note, take up theatre in school. I know
they do musicals a lot which will work find if
you want to do Broadway someday but make sure
to do some studio theatre and learn the subtle
acting styles for camera too. The great part
about school productions is a chance to build
a resume and even top notch agents expect
someone your age to have school shows listed
on their professional resume.
South Florida
is loaded with
acting classes and training. Check out FSU
where they make student films! They might need
a teenage actor for some of their projects and
the college kids look too old to play those
parts. That will help you build a resume and
make a few contacts. Look up teachers in your
area and check them out on the imdb.com to
make sure they are being honest about their
background. This profession really requires
you train with someone who has done it and not
just learned it out of a book. If you want
Broadway look for teachers on the bwdb.com and
check out www.sag.com lists because
Florida
does have a strong union presence. Their web
site will often list meet and greets and other
events for actors. You won’t be able to get
all of the info since you are not a member yet
and that takes time,
If
you find some schools and teacher and you are
still not sure, then email back and we will
try to do a little research for you.
Sincerely
Michele
Karate
Angels
To:
advise@karateangels.com
CC:
Subject: Michele
Hello
there
Do
you have any advise on how to find out about
opportunities in the
New England
area? I would love to find out more about the
stunt world and live in
Massachusetts
.
Thank
you!
____________
Dear
Annette
I
did some quick research was not able to find
much in your area other than filming locations
and some schools for filmmakers. I did find a
film commission listed for your area. http://www.mafilm.org/
That
might help you find out if productions are
coming to your area. You did not mention if
you have any training that lends itself to
stunt work so it makes it harder to give you
specifics. Please email back when you can and
tell me about your background. It is possible
that you may have no choice but to move to a
city like
Boston
or to another state where there are more
opportunities.
Do
check a web site called DVXuser.com. It is one
of the largest web forums for indie filmmakers
and you might be able to find student and
indie film people to get your foot in the door
on some of their productions.
Sincerely
Michele
Karate
Angels
From:
YoursTrulyYogaTV@aol.com
To: advise@karateangels.com
CC:
Subject: Michele
Hi
Michele,
I was just surfing the net when i came
across the link to your site. i noticed
that you were in The Cut Off...i think that
movie was made by Michael Di Pasquale? .
I know Michael. You may also know
Angelia Evans, based out of
california
who does a lot of PR work and some film also.
I met her because I was a spokeswoman at an
event she was coordinating--worldmasters05 out
in studio city, honoring martial artists of
film. she needed more women and because i
have a little notariety, she used my
commentary. here in
new jersey
i teach sports yoga to brazilian jiujitsu
fighters and other professionals. my
other hat is martial arts--i'm well known for
my fan technique and in 3 prestigious halls of
fame. i'd love to have anything to do
with a martial arts movie because i love
media. my tv show, Yours Truly, Yoga
aired here in ny/nj area for about 4 years
twice a week. if you have a mailing list
you could include me on i'd be very happy.
thank you for your time....be well.
khadi madama
Yours Truly, Yoga TV
www.yourstrulyyogatv.vpweb.com
Dear
Khadi
I
really don’t have a mailing list. It is hard
enough to keep up with each students needs and
take time out to answer questions for the
boards and still do my own work! I wish I had
the time to do that.
I
do know Michael but have not seen him in
years. Once in a blue moon I will drop him a
note and vice versa but often on films we get
done and move on and don’t see each other
again until the next film. Then we all enjoy
the homecoming for about 5 minutes and get
straight to work!
You
are in a region ripe with stunt people and
even a lot of the Keys who hire their stunt
teams. You have enough connections to ask
around for some personal leads. I would
suggest you grill a few of those contacts to
ask them who is actually working on MA films
in the region and then get in touch with those
people by letter, email or what ever method
won’t interrupt their working day! Your
background sounds strong enough to get you in
the door if you get to the right people. Make
sure they know you are new and willing to
listen and do things the way they won’t
them. The Key Stunt folks really do have their
team’s best interest at heart. They won’t
let you do anything they think will hurt you.
That might mean having to prove yourself more
than once and you may want to be prepared for
that. It won’t be meant in a personal way,
it will be based on safety.
Don’t
forget the old tried and true method of
picking up Backstage and seeing if anyone is
shooting an indie film that you might get
booked on for some minor stunt work to build a
resume. Check the film commission web sites
for both NY and NJ for leads on upcoming
productions and if you see any listed that
will require stunts, send them a cover letter
with your resume and make sure to tell them
you will follow direction. That is always a
huge concern when it comes to bringing in any
new stunt people and if they know you are
aware of that they will feel a little safer
bringing you on board.
Hope
that gives you some place to start. Email back
if you need us!
Sincerely
Michele
Seidman
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