Reel Talk with Producer / Director Daniel Brea
I’ve seen so many actors fail and continually fall on their face because of minor mistakes in their career that could have been avoided if they just followed certain principles, made certain decisions or more accurately DIDN’T make certain decisions.
Today I’m going to share – from my point of view as a producer and director how you can shift your acting career in the right direction, and stay there.
- Be you. yes, #beyou. Bring yourself to your auditions, to networking events. Directors want to know that who they are going to be spending HOURS a day on set with will be someone easy to get along with, easy to work with and someone who cares about their vision. Leave the diva at home, relax, and have fun! You’re doing what you love – always remember, actors in other countries or even states will never get the opportunities you (in LA) get unless they move here so don’t take them for granted, even if it’s just a small role on a small film. (granted the online submission world is rapidly changing this but that’s only the first step – a person in Sioux-City, Iowa may submit online but if he get’s a callback that means getting on a plane and spending a lot of money to come to LA for a maybe…appreciate it if you live in a major market – it’s a blessing)
- Invest in yourself. Yes, to get money you have to spend money and a lot of time and since time is money..well, you get it. It’s expensive to pursue one’s dreams… This goes for anyone ever in the history of freelance – not just actors. You are an entrepreneur and your characters are your product. You’re not immune to start-up costs. Just be thankful that you don’t have to raise a million dollars to launch a software company! but you do have to invest in professional, clean, good headshots. If you have no acting material for a reel, get some made and don’t cheap out on it. Good content is not and should not be cheap, do not get cheap reel scenes shot they will get you nowhere. Producers and casting directors can smell a bad production from miles away and it’s a major turn-off and makes you seem like an amateur. Get something done that really exposes your range and your talent AND has high production quality, do it once, and do it right. When you show companies that you care about yourself and your acting they know you will care about their project and take it seriously. Remember that the average film costs 500K-1Million dollars a minute. So If you have to drop a few grand for a great reel that will actually get you auditions…it doesn’t seem so bad. You can find out more about reel mistakes on our site dreamreachmedia.com
- Social Media. Unfortunately, I have no alternative answer than what you’ve been told. Yes, it’s very helpful to have a solid social media presence to stand out a little more these days. The hard truth of it is: if you don’t have those AUTHENTIC followers, your consideration for a role MAY be effected, but don’t panic – it’s not a deal breaker but you need to give yourself every edge that you can so why not start beefing up your instagram account. Now it’s not always the case and it depends on what you’re going for, and ultimately raw talent wins over all things in any serious production…And it’s not as big a concern for smaller roles on major films or TV, Nobody on the NCIS team will care if you have 100K followers on instagram if they are bringing you in for a guest-star role but you better bet that an indy film producer will take that into account for her low budget feature film if she’s considering you for the lead or any role for that matter. And it’s a bit of a tie-breaker too. When you and another actor are both equally talented and being considered for the same role, but they have 30k followers and you have 400…. why would the producer not choose the one who is going to mean better exposure for their small movie? It’s just the sensible thing to do. If you can afford it, get yourself a good social media manager and keep your posts consistent with your brand as an actor. If you can’t afford it, it wouldn’t hurt to just have an active account and try to gradually increase your followers by posting interesting pictures (or tweets or other posts, depending on the platform you focus on) that have to do with acting. Over time your influence will grow. But again – look at this as a secondary bonus – tie breaker. If you have to choose between social media management and acting class – go to class!
- Stay Non Union as long as you can, but when you’re ready CONVERT! The bottom line is this: When you join the union you put yourself in a different playing field. One that you may not be qualified for yet. Many young actors I have seen join SAG prematurely and, unfortunately, their acting career freezes or they find themselves having to break union rules because they are not experienced enough or don’t have a good enough reel to impress casting directors and producers who are making content under SAG-AFTRA contracts. Be patient. Build up your credits, experience and resume and ride the non-union train as LONG as you can. It’s hard to know when exactly to switch, it’s a step that only you can decide on, everyone’s journey is different but a good indication is once you have a good manager and agent from reputable companies and you have a substantial portfolio – a few indy films, an award wining short, a successful web-series – anything that would make a producer feel comfortable with hiring you on a Million+ dollar film. Think of it like this – if you just got your regular driver license, would a freight trucking company be eager to hire you as a driver? Even if you got your trucking license right away, they would likely want a few years of regular driving experience, maybe a year or two of small trucks or delivery van driving on your record before putting you into an 18-wheeler. It’s the same for acting. You should go union…but only when the time is right. If you’re already in the Union and are struggling to get work – the best thing you can do is have high-end content produced for your reel, content that’s on point with your brand and portrays you in the most professional way possible as the characters you’re best at playing. To find out more about that you can watch our reel training video on dreamreachmedia.com .
- Finally – NETWORK. I can definitely tell you that from personal experience, more than 1/3 of the actors I have cast have been actors I’ve met at film festivals, friends of friends, clients who have come through Dream Reach Media – or just friends. Nepotism is a real thing. Get out there, make friends with producers, directors, other actors – DP’s, hand them your card with a solid headshot on it and a link to your amazing reel, be you – be someone they want to spend more time with on set, follow them immediately on your social media and ask them to follow you – over time, networking is the best way to get work. In any business referrals are the most important and valuable way to get in doors. I’m producing a small 400K film right now and my lead actor has referred three actors for other positions already, one of which I hired without even putting up a casting notice for the role. For the other roles we will continue to ask around and post notices until we find the perfect people but that’s the game. Get to know as many industry people as you can and over time your network will grow and work for you. But I can not stress how important it is to have professional, relevant headshots and an amazing reel or at least a great scene or short for people to watch. Without those assets, all the connections, all the social media and all the hustle is a completely moot point. The only reason I hired the referral I mentioned before was because his reel was sent to me and he was exactly what I was looking for. If you want to learn more about what makes a good reel – come to dreamreachmedia.com and learn more.
Also – feel free to follow me on instagram @thedanielbrea (it is a private account but if you look friendly, I’ll let you in 🙂
And feel free to follow my company @dreamreachmedia for cool BTS shots and other fun stuff!
Best of luck out there, stay strong,
Daniel Brea
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