My Barry Shapiro commercial class started this week. I wasn't sure what to expect, but so far I like what I saw. He's not a scary guy, but he's a no bullshit kind of guy. My favorite kind. Also, the type of teacher that will demand things of you that force you to stretch yourself to do good. At least this is what I gathered from 2 1/2 hours with him. For example, two people were late for the first class so he made them stand in the corner. While he did not draw it out and make them stand there all that long, this was not a joke, and I appreciated that. Besides, what asshole shows up for their first class with a working commercial casting director 20 minutes late?!?
About a week ago I met Amy Davidson and David McDermott on two consecutive days at Actors Connection. Despite a rough around the edges, tough love Q & A with Davidson I had a really great private meeting. It's absolutely the best I've ever felt after one of these things. I chalked it up to practice, I've gone to 5 or 6 of these by now and perhaps I've hit my stride. The next day, however, I had a just-ok meeting with McDermott. I've been using the fairly consistent notes that I've gotten: make it real and focused, not general and over the top and they were what Davidson was looking for. Conversely, McDermott encouraged me to go farther with it.
After thorough obsession I might have figured out what went wrong. The commercial copy I'm using is about someone going to "the biggest party in high school". I am quite obviously older than a high school student. This is something I've been slightly self-conscious of while using this copy, but I've held onto it because it is a lot more fun than most other copies I've read through. Nobody seemed to mind that I was "in high school" when I auditioned, I guess they were dismissing that small detail too. McDermott didn't, though. A high school student is excited for a party in a much different way than a twenty something gets excited for a party and so he wanted to see me go there. I was so used to scaling it back that I still didn't go as far as he wanted me to.
After class the other night I went up to ask Shapiro what he thought of the whole mess. "Easy," he said, "just change it to the biggest party since college." And that's it. Problem solved. I hope.
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Can you post that commercial copy you were using?? I'd be really interested in seeing it because I'm 18 and trying to break into the commercial business, and it's been really hard trying to find commercial copy that is right for me! It sounds like that copy you were using would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is so delayed:
ReplyDeleteIT'S THE BIGGEST PARTY IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I HAVE TO LOOK MY BEST.
SO I CALLED MY FRIEND HEATHER TO SEE WHAT SHE'S WEARING.
"HI HEATHER. IT'S ME HEATHER."
AND SHE SAYS, "HI, HEATHER."
AND THEN OUR OTHER FRIEND HEATHER SAYS "HI HEATHER, IT'S ME, HEATHER."
SEE, WITH GTE 3-WAY CALLING, WE CAN ALL TALK AT THE SAME TIME.
SO I SAY, "HELLO' AND HEATHER SAYS, "HELLO" AND HEATHER SAYS "HI!'
AND THEN MY DAD, WHO'S BEEN LISTENING, SAYS 'GOOD-NIGHT, HEATHERS."
PARENTS...THEY REALLY NEED TO GET A LIFE!