what does it all mean??

[whateverlife]

I need some advise. I sent an email to an agency who represent some really big actors. I don't have an amazing cv and my head shot is 3 years out of date. I knew that it was highly unlikely to get any kind of response. i just sort of did it spontaneously. Anyway, i received a reply from an assistant saying do you have a showreal and if not maybe we could arrange for you to meet.
so i replied saying unfortunately i do not have a showreal.
but i havent had a reply. So was he being serious or just polite ? are the interested? Now that they know i dont have a show real will they not bother?
How long will it take for them to respond? Or should i email again saying that i can film my self doing a monologue and send it to you?
xx

[KayeRoibenRye]

Firstly: Well done for grabbing their interests!

I think you should e-mail them asking if its acceptable for you to perform a monologue as you don't have a show-reel.

If you don't mind me asking, which agency did you apply for?

[whateverlife]

Thanks Kaye. I have PMd you about which agency.

[KayeRoibenRye]

Got your PM and: WOW!

That is great news and such a great achievment. Please keep us up to date with the process.

[whateverlife]

haha, if i GET a reply.. i'm checking my email every 20 minutes. Its driving me insane.

But thanks! x

[Holland Park]

If I had to guess, that sounds like a Debi Allen-type agency?

My concern here is this - you sent them an out-of-date headshot and you have no showreel. Incidentally, first lesson in approaching casting people: learn how to spell things like 'showreel' - God knows you'll be asked for it enough.

Anyway, they're expecting a version of you that's three years younger. You'll have changed a lot in that time - if I used a three year old headshot now, people would be very surprised when meeting me - I keep a beard now, for a start, and I have much better hair these days. Oh, and I'm a stone heavier.

You need to give them a call, explain that the headshot was a few years out of date, explain that you don;t have a current one but can provide a non-professional recent photo. An easier way of getting professional headshots is this: Go to a modelling website and find a photographer on there who's looking to do some TFP/TFCD portrait work. They want photos for their portfolio, you want a headshot. Everybody wins.

As for your lack of showreel, this can be easily fixed. Either do as the poster above suggested and offer them a monologue or arrange to showcase yourself somewhere and either invite them along or film it.

Incidentally, it's worth noting that, as a director, I hate when potential cast members do monologues, you can't tell a lot from them. And the actor has performed it so many times that it's become mechanical for them. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. I mean, it's easy to perfect a monologue. I can do Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, word for word, copying his voice and mannerisms if I want to. Doesn't make me a great actor, it makes me a great mimic. Same with traditional monologues such as the Alan Bennett stuff or - and I sincerely hope I don't have to watch another horrible actor break this one out - the Richard III opener: "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house, in the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are out brows bound with victorious wreaths..." YAWN.

If a monologue is all you have, go for it. Agents love that stuff, so do inexperienced casting people. I'm not a fan, like I say, and I know a few top directors aren't either. Then again, a few actors have been cast that only had a headshot. Such is life.

A showreel isn't horribly difficult to get, either. Phone your local university, ask for the film department, explain that you're an actor in need of a showreel and ask if they have any student productions in the works that you can get involved with. Most will only be too happy to help in some way. I have a friend who started out when we were at secondary school. He needed a showreel, so we borrowed a camera and stayed late one night to perform a few scenes we'd learned by rote from Grange Hill. Then we filmed it and sent it off. I think some of it was still on his reel a few years later and he's in the West End now, last I heard.

[whateverlife]

If I had to guess, that sounds like a Debi Allen-type agency?

My concern here is this - you sent them an out-of-date headshot and you have no showreel. Incidentally, first lesson in approaching casting people: learn how to spell things like 'showreel' - God knows you'll be asked for it enough.

Anyway, they're expecting a version of you that's three years younger. You'll have changed a lot in that time - if I used a three year old headshot now, people would be very surprised when meeting me - I keep a beard now, for a start, and I have much better hair these days. Oh, and I'm a stone heavier.

You need to give them a call, explain that the headshot was a few years out of date, explain that you don;t have a current one but can provide a non-professional recent photo. An easier way of getting professional headshots is this: Go to a modelling website and find a photographer on there who's looking to do some TFP/TFCD portrait work. They want photos for their portfolio, you want a headshot. Everybody wins.

As for your lack of showreel, this can be easily fixed. Either do as the poster above suggested and offer them a monologue or arrange to showcase yourself somewhere and either invite them along or film it.

Incidentally, it's worth noting that, as a director, I hate when potential cast members do monologues, you can't tell a lot from them. And the actor has performed it so many times that it's become mechanical for them. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. I mean, it's easy to perfect a monologue. I can do Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, word for word, copying his voice and mannerisms if I want to. Doesn't make me a great actor, it makes me a great mimic. Same with traditional monologues such as the Alan Bennett stuff or - and I sincerely hope I don't have to watch another horrible actor break this one out - the Richard III opener: "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house, in the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are out brows bound with victorious wreaths..." YAWN.

If a monologue is all you have, go for it. Agents love that stuff, so do inexperienced casting people. I'm not a fan, like I say, and I know a few top directors aren't either. Then again, a few actors have been cast that only had a headshot. Such is life.

A showreel isn't horribly difficult to get, either. Phone your local university, ask for the film department, explain that you're an actor in need of a showreel and ask if they have any student productions in the works that you can get involved with. Most will only be too happy to help in some way. I have a friend who started out when we were at secondary school. He needed a showreel, so we borrowed a camera and stayed late one night to perform a few scenes we'd learned by rote from Grange Hill. Then we filmed it and sent it off. I think some of it was still on his reel a few years later and he's in the West End now, last I heard.

Thanks. I actually work for Nina Gold so i sort of know my way around things. Obviously in the email i sent to the agency (which was not Debi Allen, it was Curtis Brown now that everyone is asking) i checked all my spellings carefully.
As i have already sent the email and received a response, i am pretty sure they understand that my headshot is out of date. They will know what kind of change that will mean as a 13 year old does look very different to a 16 year old. I have sent them my out of date headshot. The thing is, i look older but i have not changed so dramatically that i am completely different. I have very distinct features.
When i suggest a monologue, i was thinking of letting them decide between types of monologue; one for theatre and one for Film.

The thing that i want your advise on, is now that they have replied asking for a show real or a meeting, are they genuinely interested or are they just being polite? would they send that to every applicant without a showreel?

[Holland Park]

I honestly can't tell you if they'd do it for everyone, but I can't see why not. I've had no dealings with Curtis Brown, either, so I'm not qualified to speak of them so much. I'd set up a meeting and go from there. It's odd, though, I never think of CB as a 'big' agency, I think of them as a mid-size. For me, when you say 'big' I always assume you mean CAA, ICM, etc.

Sorry if you took offence at any of my last post, too. I'm still trying to get a feel for where everyone on here is at - answering this question from someone fairly new requires a slightly more detailed response than someone who's been around a while would, so I aimed for safety

[whateverlife]

Ha ha. Fair enough. I think i judge a 'big agency' depending on who they represent. for me the ones that i would be extremely lucky to be represented by would be ARG, Hamilton Hodell, United Agents, and Curtis Brown.
A mid size one would be someone like BWH.
But thats just my veiw and the ones i've heard of. There are so many around its hard to know really.

So are you a director/ actor/ parent?

[Holland Park]

Ha ha. Fair enough. I think i judge a 'big agency' depending on who they represent. for me the ones that i would be extremely lucky to be represented by would be ARG, Hamilton Hodell, United Agents, and Curtis Brown.
A mid size one would be someone like BWH.
But thats just my veiw and the ones i've heard of. There are so many around its hard to know really.

So are you a director/ actor/ parent?

Ahh, see, you'd be more than extremely lucky to get a CAA or ICM - among their collective client bases are Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet. LOL.

I'm many things - an actor, director, producer, writer, comedian, parent, child, human and cyborg.

I made one of those up in an attempt to be funny. I'm not really a human.

But yeah, umm, I'm pretty much a jack-of-all-trades. I'm hoping to keep my kids away from performing, actually. I guess it's one of those things where, when you grow up performing and you see the darker side, you try and protect your own kids from it. I mean, I wouldn't stop them doing it if they wanted to, but I'm not going to push them into it, either.

[xebonykissesx]

It's good to have you here Holland Park, you seem like a wealth of information and experience like our PG!

And second, well done whateverlife, obviously they saw your first email and seem interested so if you don't hear back for a week or two, i don't think it would do any harm just to email them again to make sure they recieved your email with the same information, you never know if it got accidentally deleted or whatnot. Good luck with it anyway!! And keep us posted of course.

[missmoneypenny]

Great news whatewerlife - Curtis Brown represent some great actors (well, ones I like anyway). I would give them a call and set up a meeting, then they can decide for themselves about the 3 years older you

It's great having you on here Holland Park - it is so interesting having 'insider' views and the advise is much appreciated by a relative newbie like me - it is so easy to get things wrong (and believe me, I speak from experience!!) x

[Holland Park]

I'd hate to be confused for an 'insider' - I've been around the block a couple of times, I read a lot and know a lot of industry types, but I'm not an insider or an expert in any way - I'll just try and give you the benefit of my exerience where I can.

[missmoneypenny]

Oh, sorry Holland Park - no offense meant - was just trying to say thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[meadow3]

Hi Holland Park! Welcome!!

I have a question about when you said you should have a manager if you have an agent, could explain this

Many thanks

Bizzy.



PS: Hi MMP xxxx