It seems Director Mira Nair looks not happy with the mistake made by an actor |
You’ve finally got a role! What should you be doing? Posting it on Facebook? Celebrating all night? Yes, of course. But you don't want to prepare for this amazing opportunity. You don't feel like being successful in getting a regular 9 to 5 jobs.
You just have a passion for, but don’t forget it is your JOB and you are in a business and therefore have to be professional about it.
1. You Don’t Prepare
- When you get a role, you will get a script or your lines. But you don’t work on it.
- No script or character analysis.
- No perfect memorization
Solution
Work day and night, but prepare. Too much is at stake for you as well as for production. Remember, no excuse is accepted except death! Nobody cares what techniques you use to prepare.
2. Not Knowing the Difference between Working for Film, TV Serials and Ads
You go for a commercial ad and give an exaggerated performance as if you are working for a film steeling the focus from a product or a prop. Have you watched TV Serials not as a viewer, but as an actor with the sound off? Watched how characters perform
Solution
Find out from casting directors, Asst. Directors or search internet for the difference
3. You act the same way, whether playing a Lead or Supporting Role
Lead
- There is a completely different approach when performing a LEAD and a SUPPORTING character.
- You never talk with director extensively if you have a lead role.
- Later you most probably will have not the chance to talk to the director extensively about your role. The result is you are not ready for a go when the camera is on.
- Remember, from the moment you’re on a set, you should have NO questions about your character and should be ready to go.
Supporting
At the beginning of your career you will get small or supporting roles and as the word implies you are there to ‘support the lead actor’. If the lead actor is the ‘funny guy’ you are not there to be funnier than him, you are there to support his jokes. If she is the ‘sexy girl’ you are not there to compete with her in beauty, just to support her conflicts. All the attention and probably the focus is going to be on them. So be aware and work for the type of the role as a team member, the same way the whole team is working for.
4. You are Inexperienced and Disrespectful
What are you coming to do on set? Remember, simply to ACT. One of the surest ways of proving you’re inexperienced is to direct other actors. Impose your acting technique; trying to teach actors and crew like on shots, camera, ads etc. All those initiatives and decisions AREN’T yours. By interfering and not respecting the director’s choices you are being unaware of all the work he has previously done. You don’t know what his overall objective and intention is with this and he might not share that with you. Nobody cares about your directing experience while filming videos for your YouTube channel. Today you’ve been hired as an actor. So please let Directors work.
Solution
Please be especially respectful with fellow actors. You get to know a lot about other actors on set because a big part of our job is to wait for everything to be ready. Normally you wait in the same place as other actors and there’s always memorizing lines, group chatting, some reading, others on their phone, etc. Nobody is judging you when you’re spending that time speaking about your weekend plans or taking selfies. So if you see others working or sitting alone, please don’t go and disturb them. Let them do their work, especially if they are on their character or emotions. You’re unaware of what their needs are and how annoying it is for someone to disturb them.
5. Your Ego
Are you the one who has an exaggerated self-importance and who sometimes thinks that he is more important than anybody else?
- Do you hate people who do not agree with you and you don’t forget this?
- Do you always try to be different than others, whether right or wrong?
- On a set, like to pose alone in pictures?
- Do you use “I” often than “we” and “you”
If you have one or all the above behavioral traits, you could have a serious problem as an actor and your acting career could be short lived.
Solution
Leave your ego at home!
Never forget you’re all on the same boat, all working for the same project. So instead of letting your ego upset the shoot, leave it at home.
Don’t get too self-centered and obsessive when you’re on camera. If the other departments say ‘OK, let’s move on’, it means it’s working and they’ve got what they needed, despite your opinion. So try to avoid the ’Was it ok?’, ‘I could have done better if-‘’, etc.
There are so many departments working that nobody wants to deal with the actor that wants extra re-takes for the ego or performance insecurity reasons.
Develop a vision
The best possible way could be to see and behave looking at a larger and whole picture. If an actor is repeatedly committing the above mistakes he/she is never considered for the future.
The loss is more of an actor than anybody else.
The reason is simple-More supply less demand for actors!
There are thousands of actors in Mumbai and in the rest of India as
Acting is a piece of a BIG puzzle; no piece is more important on a puzzle as the objective is to have the project to be finished successfully.
Hello sir,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to know what is the best way to reach You once I get to Mumbai. I will be coming soon to start my struggle to become a bollywood actress and needed your support and help throughout the journey. I have emailed you before but never got a reply.
There is no way to become an actor without a professional training. Get trained, first. You can meet me but you will have to pay Rs. 1000 for my consultations for one hour.
DeleteI was surfing net and came across this page I like your blog
ReplyDeleteMy background I am from Delhi ncr working in IT
I am looking for a mentor
Regards
Ankit
Email I'd ankitnakra@gmail.com