YES, YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE AS AN ACTOR!

Acting Is Everything you do, you are,
you have been or hope to be in your life.

What you need to know to master acting is
everything you need to know to master your life.

Welcome to Acting Is Everything. In this 11th Gold Classic Edition, I will guide you toward fulfilling your dreams, giving you important information about developing the actor inside you. I share ideas, facts and many special secrets for establishing your career.

If your dream is to live your life as a professional actor, your first tool is your basic acting craft. Good training helps you discover the power, control and confidence to act. Once you have confidence and know how to interpret a script and develop a character, then the business side of acting begins. It takes desire, guts, preparation, discipline, talent and luck to have an acting career.

This advice has helped bring a great deal of success to countless readers and many of my students over the years. I hope it will do the same for you.

Judy Kerr,
Studio City, California

I BELIEVE... 

• That we can fulfill our dreams.
• We must accept responsibility for our actions and choices.
• We choose our paths daily and are offered many opportunities.
• It takes extreme focus and clear intentions to fulfill our dreams.
• We need tenacity not to give up and to see adversities as opportunities.
• It takes extreme curiosity.
• We must use time and organizational skills to our advantage and respect them for the power they give us.
• When we operate from poverty thinking, we will always be lacking.
• Without a developed spiritual life and fundamental values/beliefs, we will not experience real joy and are likely to feel empty.
• Having fun can be the most important goal in life.
  
  I've written this book for you.
  I want to help you design an artistic career and to live life as an actor. . .

so the journey begins..

BEGINNERS: HOW TO GET STARTED (page 14-15)

Actors are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, actors face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get “real” jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every role, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life—the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.

But they stay true to their dream, in spite of the sacrifices. Why?

Because actors are willing to give their entire lives to a moment—to that line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul. Actors are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another’s heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.

To download Sections 1 & 2 as a PDF file (shows the actual book format), click HERE .

• Remember your teachers and give them thanks in your Oscar acceptance speech.

• Besides my husband and children, these are the teachers I want to thank: Bill Kerr, Greg Quandt, Bob White, Rick Davis, Samantha Harper, Joan Darling, Steven Nash; current acting coaches Caryn West, Scott Sedita, Kimberly Jentzen; life coaches Dee Wallace, Wendy Haines and literature tutor, Chuck Rossman.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. - William A. Ward

Great teachers have always been measured by the number of their students who have surpassed them. - Don Robinson

• It takes many teachers in life to develop an actor. Following are teachers, tools, suggestions and recommendations that have helped me and others to develop our lives and careers. There are countless paths, and part of an actor’s job is to keep exploring new ones.

• You should always be studying. Your training will be a constant expenditure
so don’t skimp in this area. Your technique and acting knowledge will make you more employable.

• Choosing an acting coach is an important choice, but it is not a life or death one. Choose one, take a month’s classes, give it your all and then evaluate what you have learned. If you’ve improved and others in class have grown and improved, then stick with it.

• Jeffrey Marcus, an inspiring acting coach, answers, “Why train?”

• An athlete, musician or doctor would never ask such a question. If acting
  were such an easy career, why wouldn’t everyone want to do it?
  
  
• Acting is a discipline that demands such skill, and yet, can be done without any. Of course, we can all act passionately and emotionally all by ourselves. But when the stakes are high and tension and self-consciousness creep in, we need techniques to fall back on in order to soar.

• William H. Macy, when asked in Back Stage West about what kind of teachers actors should seek out, said, “I believe that an actor is held in better stead if he doesn’t rely on his talent. What you rely on is technique. Talent is given by God and there’s no negotiating. Technique is something anybody can learn, and for a technique to be a valid technique, it’s got to be scientific. It’s got to be repeatable. It’s got to be testable. That’s what they should look for in a teacher.”

• Eve Brandstein, Casting Director, Producer, Career Coach, says about choosing an acting coach:

• I think you have to see a teacher work. You could have heard that this is the greatest teacher in the whole world and they’ve taught some of the biggest names in the business, but if there’s no chemistry, forget it. Some actors are better off in a negative situation and others in a positive one. One teacher says, ‘Why do you bring that piece of s— into class? You’re a terrible actor; who ever said you could act?’ And this inspires the actor to greatness. Another teacher says, ‘That was beautiful work, but what about this?’ And that works for that actor. You have to find out if the teacher and you are magical together.

• Joan Darling, legendary acting teacher and director:

• Q: Should working actors still go to class?
  If you find yourself starting to be disappointed after you finish a job instead of feeling that you grew and things are wonderful and you can’t wait to act again—then you should get into a class where the working on one’s art is respected and you have fun. If you don’t exercise your acting muscles at top capacity, you’ll lose them.
  
  
• Q: What if an actor can’t afford to study?
  Find a teacher that you can apprentice yourself to. Or get other actors with the same desire and meet in your living room once a week. Ask a friend who knows about acting to conduct this workshop for you.

• Larry Moss, respected acting coach, when asked about acting teachers in a Back Stage West interview, said:

• I believe that the aim of a teacher should be to help the individual students find the tools to realize their greatest potential. When you try to teach from a singular point-of-view or method, you’re going to hurt the student.

• About the expense of acting classes.
I have actors who hold down two jobs in order to take class. I think that your education as an actor is something that you pay for because you care about it. It’s like therapy. I had a therapist who once said to me, “If you don’t think enough of yourself to pay for therapy, how do you think you’re going to get well?” I don’t think the classes would be as productive for the students if they weren’t making some sacrifices. I don’t think that life is about getting it easy. I don’t think being an artist is easy. I think you get to earn things in life.

• Cherie Franklin, actress, acting coach and well-known dialogue coach on feature films and television:

• Q: What should an actor gain by working with a coach?
  The value of working with an acting coach on an ongoing basis is this: they can offer a safe environment that can allow you to reveal your fears and bring your work to a place where you can face your truths. This work state will invite you to trust in yourself, creating confidence and steering you clear of self-sabotage throughout your journey as an actor.
  
• Q: Who is your ideal student?
  One who is committed to excellence, to daily homework, to investigating
  his emotional levels, to understanding his blocks, and understanding what he does and doesn’t do well. Someone who wants to be the best actor they can be, who is willing to do all that it takes to get what they want. Homework might include journal work to discover emotional blocks, practicing cold reading, vocalizing, the reading of a play, seeing a TV show or a new director’s work and so on. Bottom line, an actor should remember that perfect is an end state. Therefore, as actors, we have the privilege of becoming a better craftsman with each new day, whether working on set or at home. We can continue learning and advancing as the business changes.

SECTION  TWO

PICTURES AND RESUMES
HOW TO TAKE GREAT PICTURES

• Your 8x10 pictures put you into the acting business; they are your most important career marketing tools. An 8x10 picture or a small online image is usually your first introduction to the people who will be calling you in for interviews and auditions, and casting you in their productions. You must have pictures, they must look like you, and you must like them so you never have to apologize when handing them out.

• Color pictures are recommended when submitting for castings in Los Angeles. Black and white pictures are used for specialized submissions.

• Agents, casting directors, producers and directors will arrange to meet you because of something they see in your eyes, attitude, look or style. An actor always brings an 8x10 picture to every interview; or at least has them available in the car. Actors at a higher casting level no longer bring a picture. Agents and managers send headshots to the casting office electronically.

• Consider your photo shoot an important acting assignment. You will be investing a great deal of money, time and energy. Preparation is the key. To research various looks, characters and attitudes you can play, use the pictures from the websites, tear pictures out of magazine ads, watch shows, commercials and rent movies. Gather the appropriate clothes for these aspects of yourself from your wardrobe, thrift stores and new purchases. Don’t borrow clothes; what you use for your photos will soon be your audition wardrobe. Have the clothing items altered, cleaned, ironed and ready.

• Here are recommendations from renowned photographer Ray Bengston for different looks to consider when shooting headshots.

• Men
  • Scruffy/Tough Guy: Unshaven, garage mechanic, criminal, grunge, undercover cop
  • Business Man: Suit, power look, glasses
  • Dad: Smiley, warm, casual shirt and khakis
  • Sexy Leading Man: Best outfit
  • Goofy/Nerdy Guy: Grad school geek, Laptop/software whiz, witty techie
  
  
• Women
  • Down and out/victim: No makeup or hair styling whatsoever
  • Casual Mom: Smiley, warm
  • Working Class: Blue collar look, earthy
  • Secretary: Quirky, cute look, funny assistant
  • Business Woman: Power suit, hard-edged, ice queen
  • Sex in the City: Attitude, sure of herself
  • Lawyer/Doctor: Nurturing professional

• Your first step is shopping for a photographer. Study the photographer websites in the following listings and on my website: JudyKerr.com. They use their best pictures in the latest Los Angeles styles on the sites. Look at the pictures of people who look like you. If you have blue eyes, check out the blue-eyed actors to see how the eyes look. How do they handle your gender, ethnicity and age bracket? If you are 18, don’t look at the 30-year-olds. If you are 40, don’t look at the 20-year-olds. If you are a woman, don’t look at the men’s shots. Print out shots that you would like to achieve for yourself. Narrow your photographer choices down to three and interview them.

• The photographer’s personality and environment are very important. You must feel comfortable in order to take the risks of letting the camera see inside you. Certain personalities click with our own and others make us uncomfortable. Your instincts will tell you what feels right. Don’t ignore your gut feeling and go with someone because all your friends got great shots or the photographer is famous.

• The price for a photo shoot can be from $150 to $900 plus makeup for women and also men who need it, though some photographers do their own. My students and I have obtained good pictures from photographers in all price ranges. If the picture helps you get interviews,
it has done its job. Pictures are one of your biggest expenses and greatest payoffs. This is the place to use a good percentage of your available promotion dollars.