Disclaimer: If you've got money to burn, feel free to disregard this post. And bravo.
Disclaimer 2: These are my opinions. They're based on a lot of experience and observation, but they're still opinions, so it's totally ok to disagree.
Being an actor is expensive. Headshots. Classes. Subscriptions to industry websites. Agent and manager commissions. Wardrobe for every profession, character, and time period imaginable. There's so much we need to spend money on, it's helpful to point out a few things you DON'T have to shell it out for. Here are a few of the biggies:
Self-Taped Demo Reel Scenes
There are lots of companies that will happily take your money in exchange for writing, filming, and editing an original scene or monologue that you can use when decision-makers ask for your reel. The problem is that when decision-makers ask for your reel, they're really asking for evidence of some key things:
- That you are professional enough to land an audition and execute it well enough to get hired
- How other people have cast you and how comfortable you are in your type
- How well you can hold your own with more experienced actors and fulfill the vision of the writer and director
Self-taped scenes do none of those things.
A reel is like a video resume; it's a way for a potential professional partner to learn about you from your past work. It's not a thing to have just for the sake of having it. Spend your money on establishing and cultivating casting relationships that will help you book work you can then put on a reel. If you're just starting out and someone asks you for your reel, tell them you don't have one yet, but you'd be happy to perform a prepared scene or monologue or do a cold read so they can get a sense of your work. If they're not ok with that, they're probably not a good fit at this stage in your career anyway.
High-End Headshot Supplies
Not long ago, it was totally normal to get the following call from your agent; "We're out of headshots! Bring us more or we can't submit you!" Headshots were shot on film, printed on photographic paper, and sent out by agencies several times a day in manilla envelopes to be delivered by courier to casting offices all over town, where they piled up in huge stacks until an assistant endured a thousand paper cuts to open them up and spread them out all over the floor so the CD could choose whom to call in. Actors ordered 8x10s by the hundreds; to replenish there agent's supply, mail to casting offices in fancy envelopes, and bring to every audition. I'd say it was romantic, but it wasn't. It was time-consuming and expensive and a pain in the ass. Happily, those days are gone.
Almost all casting is done online now, and decision-makers mainly look at your picture and resume (and reel) on a computer monitor or cell phone. So there's no need for fancy photographic prints, envelopes with a clear window on the back, or custom-printed dvd cases. Keep a small number of lithos on hand for theatrical auditions. If you want to snail-mail someone your picture, send a postcard. Everything else can and should be done online.
Speaking of postcards...
Marketing Services that Do the Hard Work for You
It's sounds like such a time-saver. For just a few hundred dollars, some nice company will print your custom postcard, add the postage, and mail it to hundreds of casting offices and agencies all over town. What could be wrong with that? Well, nothing... If you're ok with trading control and specificity for a generic marketing strategy that makes you look like one of a thousand other actors. What you save in time and effort, you lose in control.
Being a control-freak isn't always a good thing, but when it comes to the business side of your career, it's important... Because no matter how much you pay, no one will ever care more about your career than YOU. If I farm the work our to someone else, I not only lose control over details like address accuracy, I also miss countless opportunities to do things like write notes to individual recipients congratulating them on a recent award nomination. And that's the difference between an ineffective mailing and a targeted, relationship-building, result-getting mailing.
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Now if I were you, here's what I'd be thinking right now; "Ok smarty. I'm on the spend-less-money train. But you're a coach. So why is coaching something I should spend money on?"
Like acting training, coaching is an investment in the long-term. Audition coaching isn't just about putting you in the running to book that role, it's about giving you new ways to approach every audition, which will help you feel more confident, build stronger casting relationships, and increase your callbacks and bookings. Career and social media coaching is about bringing your business skills up to the level of your acting skills, so you can stop feeling frustrated and powerless and start waking up every day knowing exactly what to do to create the career you want. One way to understand the value of coaching is to notice that most good coaches see coaches themselves, and have coaches as clients. Once you know what coaching can do, there's no question that the right coach is worth their weight in residual checks.
What actor expenses have you avoided or regretted? Share them in the comments and let's help keep each other's money where it belongs!
Image via Flickr at RambergMediaImages