Tonight I attended casting director Jeff Mitchell's BUSINESS BLAST!!! Caught in a moment of New Year's Resolution weakness I was lured in by the provocative email advertisement and low low $25 price for this seminar so I did it. Now that it's all said and done, my initial reaction: I want to smack this man in the head.
Right off the bat, I don't know how much power this man actually wields. I tend to see these seminars as desperate attempts to make extra pocket cash...I think most of my hostility is rooted in the mere fact that Mitchell takes 3 1/2 hours to say what should only take 2 hours max. Let me spare you the time and money and sum up every single one of his useful points:
- Headshot mailings are wasted on casting directors, so target agents. Send 1 mailing to each agent at an agency. Follow ups are bullshit, postcards are bullshit, and cover letters are overkill: use a post it.
- When emailing headshots and resumes use a hosting site to send links rather than attachments. Don't link people to personal websites, only use them after interest in you is expressed.
- Amateurish material on demo reels makes you look like an amateur. All reel footage should be from professional jobs distributed by major studios, large independent studios, or networks.
- Showcases, plays, and staged readings are only useful for expanding your craft and casting directors will not attend (or if they do, it makes them uncomfortable). The exception to the rule is involving yourself in one of these where you are working with a large number of represented actors. The agents will see you and their client perform and that is how the unrepresented can find representation.
- One on One* might feel dirty because you are ultimately paying for your audition, but do it anyway. Include a post it telling them that if they like what they see, you will work as an unpaid reader.
- Headshots should not just be of your head. Include your body to show your physique.
The things he said that I found utterly useless were:
- Youth and beauty reign supreme. Um, thanks Captain Obvious.
- If you're interested in film and television, why not pound the pavement in LA, the film capital of the world, instead of NY.
At the beginning of the session, forgive my crassness, I though Mitchell was a pussy. He took a long time making any point at all and he started with some bullshit about giving us spiritual advice?!?! Thank the lord he never fulfilled on that promise. The fact that he not only won my annoyance but also a little animosity is to his credit. Mitchell's personality and sarcasm started to come out when he read us real examples of psychotic cover letters and desperate postcards. I think he knows what he's doing. I got frustrated with him because (as seems to keep happening in my life) he kept on telling us what won't work and spent little time on what will. I really think he is just telling it like it is but I'm left feeling a little hopeless. I am not extraordinarily young or beautiful...I plan on kicking my One on One attendance into high gear, but he made some comment about if you go to 20 sessions and never hear back once, maybe you suck. It's very true and I respect his bluntness. I guess I'm scared. Scared of being told I suck. Granted, I haven't been to a One on One session in a long long time but I've probably been to 20 since I started in NY...and never...heard...back...His bit about LA over NY pissed me off too. We're in NY, dickhead. Nobody's packing up and leaving tomorrow because of you so tell us what to do here! Ugh, he's probably god damned right. He did back-pedal a little and say if you need the realness of New York City over the vapid soulless LA to maintain your sanity and keep at your art then maybe New York is the right choice. SOR-RY, but yesiree, I do need to be in NY close enough to run home to mommy and daddy and far away from the insanely gorgeous left coast majority that will make my self esteem plummet and surely win me an eating disorder. GAH!I want to fuck you up Jeff Mitchell. Yeah, you, you little hernia-surgeried pussy man! For doubting that I will get what I want, I will take you down and slap the shit out of your big weird head.
*One on One is this...weird place. I'll explain in my next post, I swear.
Thanks for this. As, I was reading I found myself laughing. I went to this seminar last night, and feel the same way you do. I respect Mitchell for his honesty, but felt he repeated himself way too much, and wish he emphasized more "what to do" instead of "what not to do". I did gain something by going, such as what casting directors to target and other venues to promote myself. I too left aggrivated with not only the buisness but a little with Mitchell himself who seemed to talk out of two sides of his mouth . He mentioned he felt for actors and understood their plight while at the same time spent 20 minutes making fun of actors that had submitted to his agency or how he gained nothing from these seminars but constantly emphasized only one photographer to use (clear indication of a kickback). I am glad you posted this, and hang in there, you are not alone, just keep doing what you love to do, no matter what age you are.
ReplyDeleteYes thanks for writing what you did! I just took the class this week, and found it to be helpful, but Jeff to be off-putting. He asked me if my agent was any good and made fun of the two of us who had gone to grad school. I asked a question, and he again made fun of me at my expense. I consider myself to be pretty savvy about the industry and went with an open mind to what he had to say. I am the first to admit that I don't know it all. But, my overall impression is that he holds actors in contempt. He sent out an email asking for feedback after his class. I responded with a very complimentary email and, as per his email request, mentioned some things I would love to hear about were he to do a follow-up class. Basically, in his reply he "blasted" me. I have met several great people who love actors in biz- not sure if he is one of them. Take the class cuz it's cheap, but keep a low profile in the class, and don't reply to his request for feedback. My impression- he doesn't want it!
ReplyDelete