The Actor's Road to Hollywood

The Actor’s Road to Hollywood

By John Lizzi

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 1997

Revised 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 by John Lizzi

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

All rights reserved. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Thank you for your support and thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

So You Want To Be an Actor

THE ACTOR PREPARES

The Artisan

Learn Your Craft

Media Categories

Actor Categories

Actor Types

Actor’s On-Screen Billing

Communications

THE ACTOR PROMOTES

Photographers

Principal Actor’s Photo and Resume

Commercial Actor’s Photo and Resume

Background Actor’s Photo & Resume

Photo & Resume Reproduction for Distribution

The Internet

The Union - SAG-AFTRA & Affiliations

THE ACTOR PURSUES

Talent Agents

Talent Managers

Call-in Services

Casting Directors

Auditions

THE ACTOR WORKS

The Job

Safety

THE ACTOR SURVIVES

Income

Transportation

Shelter

Taxes

Epilogue

END CREDITS

Basic Map of Los Angeles County

Major Studios in Los Angeles

SAG-AFTRA Local Offices

Terminology

Sources

Skills & Abilities

About the Author

Other Books by the Author

PROLOGUE

This guidebook is for actors who are considering a professional career in film and television. After you have completed your training and have gained some experience, this book will guide you forward as to what is required to be a working professional actor.

Throughout the book, I’ve included screenshots from some of the films and shows that I worked. Hope you enjoy them as I did working on them.

Using my experience and knowledge of being a professional actor since 1969 and using credible sources as references, I’ve compiled the information in this book to take the mystery out of what it takes to be a professional working actor in Hollywood which is a community within Los Angeles and are both synonymous when referring to the entertainment industry.

There are five main sections of information in this book; The Actor Prepares explains what training and knowledge the actor should possess before attempting to compete at the professional and national level. The Actor Promotes discusses the tools of the trade such as photos and resumes. The Actor Pursues shows the process of finding work. The Actor Works describes what is expected of the actor once they get the job. And The Actor Survives simply gives the actor a perspective as to living in Hollywood/Los Angeles.

I will use the term Actor in the generic sense to refer to both male and female performers. Everyone is an actor to some degree or how else would we be able to convince our boss that we deserve a raise? Acting cannot be taught, but it can be developed to acute levels by learning and practicing the techniques and mechanics of the craft. Most professional actors are artisans or skilled craftspeople and a few actors are able to transcend the craft of acting and bring it into an art form. They are the ones that captivate us when they perform. To begin a career as an actor one must start at the beginning and that begins the paradox.

Here is the paradox. The entertainment industry is an art form that is a business. It is a highly competitive business because there is a lot of money at stake. There is little room for error yet there are no set rules for success. There are actors who command multi-million dollar salaries and never finished high school (caution: these are few and far between and I still strongly urge actors to get their degrees), there are other actors who portray less than intelligent characters yet have IQs that would gain them entry into Mensa and still other actors who have a wide range of talent but are always typecast in limiting roles.

There are more than 160,000 professional actors and media performers nationwide who are members of the actor’s unions. About 0.1% of these actors are the major stars and co-stars that bring in the big paychecks, they are the ones whose names and faces we usually recognize and motivate us to go to the movies or turn on the television. The rest of the actors may earn a livable income with constant promoting, auditioning and knocking on doors and yet some may still need other sources of income to make ends meet.

This is not a profession of the fainthearted or weak or character. If I may paraphrase the actor Fernando Lamas who once said, In this business, it’s not how you feel, its how you look, therefore, one must always keep a positive, professional and confident attitude and appearance. If you can do all that in the face of these odds, then you will be developing your acting skills and may be on the road to a successful career.

The purpose of this guidebook is to assist the freelance actor with information and guidelines for working in Hollywood. A freelance actor is an experienced actor who is not under a long term contract for steady work, but rather, hires his or her talents out on a daily or per job contractual agreement.

This is not a book on the art or craft of acting. When you are ready to utilize this guidebook, you should already have a strong foundation and training that has prepared you to embark on a professional acting career in Los Angeles or other national and global markets.

The principles of this book may apply to other cities, but it is primarily geared for the freelance actor in Los Angeles. To work in film and television, most actors make the journey to Hollywood because it has long been the film capital of the world and the bulk of work still initiates from this area.

When we choose or change careers we should review as much information as possible to determine right choices and success factors. In today’s work world, we can change careers and jobs several times. We all possess skills and abilities and we can broaden those skills and abilities as we gain knowledge and experience. A career in acting means to work in a very ambiguous and subjective business with luck and timing being influencing factors. This guidebook can present the facts and information to function in this industry but luck, timing and the skills to earn a living depends upon the individual.

Hopes and dreams are the power that propels the human experience forward. The physical rewards are in the accomplishment of those goals, but the spiritual rewards are in passing this knowledge on to others. Hopefully, this guidebook will make your journey a little easier. May you be guided on a happy, adventurous and successful road to Hollywood!

SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ACTOR

Then you should consider the following six questions… answers are provided.

1. WHY do I want to be an actor?

The Right Reasons

I love to act.

I love to bring the written word to life.

I love to communicate thoughts and emotions to an audience.

The Wrong Reasons

I want to be a star.

I want to be rich and famous.

I want to date my favorite celebrity.

2. HOW do I become an actor?

Go to school

Listen to your teachers, they want you to succeed.

If you are in high school get your High School diploma.

Attend an accredited acting school or college with a good theatre and drama department because this is where you will make your future contacts.

Get your college diploma; it will be a resume asset should you find yourself looking for work in between acting jobs or if you decide to go into a different career.

If you already have your college diploma and it is not in theatre or drama, then take some acting classes at college or a reputable acting workshop.

Sharpen your skills and talents

Become involved with school shows and local theatre companies.

Study your craft.

Learn the terminology of the business.

Read books on acting styles and techniques.

Suggested Reading List

Acting in Film – Michael Caine

Action! – Robert Benedetti

Acting is a Job – Jason Pugatch

How to Audition for TV Commercials – W.L. Jenkins

Acting: The First Six Lessons – Richard Boleslavsky

3. WHERE can I work as an actor?

Local Market

The local market is usually your hometown and is the best place to start to see if you really want to be an actor. Unless you live in New York City, Los Angeles or other major markets, working locally is done for the love and experience of acting since there is usually little or no money involved.

You should try to be active in all your local community theatre groups.

Student films at local colleges and universities are excellent places to sharpen your skills and