Читать книгу The Reality Of Hollywood - Benjamin Schnau - Страница 7

Congratulations you made it, you are in Hollywood, Los Angeles. A step that needs courage to take. It’s the place where you always wanted to be, the place where actors make their dreams come true, right? But now what? How do you start all that? First and foremost you need to understand that this is going to be a marathon and we are usually talking about years. It’s important to put all of it into perspective. If you believe you are making it here overnight and don’t have what it takes, then you should overthink of making it as an actor in Hollywood is the right thing for you. OK, you think you got it. Then let’s move on and discuss the mental state you must bring to the table to survive and make it in Hollywood. Believe it or not part of the reason why people leave Hollywood broke is cause they couldn’t deal with the challenges, ups and downs, the uncertainty this industry brings with it which can affect your mental health. Therefore we will talk about the key things you should have mentally as a human being or an individual but most importantly an artist to be able to break through this mass of people who want to do and achieve the same thing as you.

Be confident but grounded

The title says it all. Be confident and grounded, but what does it mean? In this industry, you are the product if you want it or not. You need to understand what you are worth and use it to your advantage. A lot of people always have the misconception that being confident comes across as arrogant, but it’s the way HOW you present yourself. That’s why you should always think about where you are coming from every single day. Then always remind yourself, the success that you live today or tomorrow can be already gone the day after. It’s a fast-paced environment and you have to accept that. So knowing who you are and what you are capable of makes you stronger in believing yourself and how you carry yourself on the outside. This has an effect on people which turns into respect, trust, and value of the person. Always make sure that your actions speak for themselves and louder than words. I specifically want to point out that not everyone in this town is that way, that’s why trust became such a valuable asset. People in this industry like working with people who know what they can bring to the table and in the end deliver. Let them FEEL that you are that person instead of saying it.

You might ask yourself, OK, but what am I good at? What am I worth? That’s a great question. The answer is ‘Reflection’.

Reflection

At the beginning of your journey in the world of acting and film, you are excited about the medium. In a later chapter, we are also talking about the business side of things, but one key aspect of this is already the way how you reflect on yourself and your environment. Have you ever asked yourself who you are as a person, as a human being? If not then it’s time. It is not just a valuable exercise to learn about yourself in general but discover your strengths and also weaknesses we all have as human beings. In the world of acting, as you know, it’s fundamental to understand characters in how they think and say certain things. But before you can do all that you need to learn about yourself first. What makes you feel happy, confident, strong, what sad or even mean but then, how do you feel about it, say or think and how does it reflect your facial expression and body language. I don’t want to sound like an acting teacher here but these discoveries are tremendously important as they will show you the emotions and behaviors you know well and are good at expressing.

As soon as you have a better idea of what that is, look more to the outside world, in your case, the film industry. What characters are being cast? What does the industry look for and how do you fit into that with the strengths you have?

After you have done that and think you have a good feeling about it, it is equally recommended that you talk to people you know but also to strangers and ask them how they perceive you when they look at you. It might sound weird to you but it’s even more powerful to determine how you should go about your career. Now you might hear things you don’t like or can’t see yourself in and it’s probably the complete opposite of what you discovered. If that’s the case don’t freak out, you took an important step in the right direction. These impressions you received by yourself and also by the outside will help you over time to nail down what your strengths are, where the parallels are, and what you should be focusing on especially at the beginning. Some of it might not be what you wanted to do as an actor or how you have seen yourself for such a long time, but trust me if you fight that especially at the beginning you might find yourself in a catch22 as what you want doesn’t equal to what the industry wants or sees you in. Believe me, when I say that I even thought I could do everything, I’m diverse and I trained for all of that for so long, but I learned how to put myself into their shoes and look at me from the outside. It’s a mind-blowing experience. Once you have done that, you will recognize certain things about yourself, you couldn’t even think of. We are talking about ‘Typecasting’ in a later chapter as well so you understand even better where I’m going with this. Yes, it’s real.

Another way of nailing down your strengths and things you should go after is by being honest and realistic to yourself at all times.

Be honest and realistic to yourself and others

I think this topic is maybe one of the most delusional ones for many people as it takes away the dream thinking at the beginning and puts it all more into perspective making it a reality. I also thought when I was younger, I could be a superhero type and that’s what I wanted to go out for right from the get-go, always the good guy doing the right things. But again I learned very quickly that’s not what it is and how it should be done. These dreams shouldn’t go away but also not blocking your view on the real steps you have to take to maybe get to your dream role. If it is to play a superhero character then use that as motivation, your daily engine but live every day realistically and clear-minded as the steps and characters you might play at the beginning don’t have to be the same you could play in the future. What we discussed in the chapter prior is the reflection of yourself by yourself and others. By the time you become more established and have a name and status in the industry, you will quickly see that people’s perception of you might change and might give you opportunities to play what you already wanted to do twenty years ago. Therefore don’t stop dreaming but as I always said and still do, be a realistic dreamer, envision your dream but see the journey and all that it takes in front of you as realistically as possible so that you eventually get there.

What do you want to achieve in your career and why?

Different people have different dreams about their lives, they want to achieve what they believe accomplishes them and makes them happy. Acting is a passion and most actors I know do it for the love of the art while they try making a living off of it. Being an actor is a very unpredictable journey especially at the beginning as you need to stay financially stable and continue doing it over time. It’s therefore critical to know what you want to achieve and why are you doing it. You pretty much recognize certain people who want to do it for fame, being on the red carpets and in every media of the world possible. If that is what you want and it’s your main driver then you might suffer from the journey ahead of you as this clearly shouldn’t be your main purpose of becoming an actor. Don’t think about the fame and glamour of being in the spotlight if you are serious about acting and feel that it’s the freedom to you, a form of art to express yourself, something that makes you happy and fulfills you and the people around you. If you do it for the love of doing it and people realize and feel your talent which makes them want to see more, then fame and everything else will come anyway. But if that is the only thing you are striving for using acting to get there, then this might not be the right profession for you. It sounds hard but it’s key to ask yourself that as I want to prepare you for the emotional roller coaster you will experience. If you don’t see the bigger picture acting has for you and your life then really go deep within yourself and think twice if you want to pursue it. Commitment is one of the key elements necessary, but commitment can just exist if you understand the real value something has for you. On the other side it’s important to not lose yourself in the art of acting but always come back to it if you start questioning everything in hard times. We are talking more about your inner belief system to be fully prepared for what’s ahead of you.

Be prepared for the hard times

We already mentioned the hard times, but let me tell you it doesn’t need to be hard if you follow what we are discussing in this book. Of course, you always have downs, questioning everything but it shouldn’t get to that point where your existence is in danger financially, physically, and mentally. Living in Hollywood and Los Angeles can be quite toxic, don’t forget a lot of people come to this town having the same desire as you have. Therefore you must create a foundation for yourself that is completely separate from the entertainment industry. What I mean by that is that your private social life shouldn’t be just connected to the industry. You need to understand that this is your dream and you give everything you have in life to establish yourself, but at the end of the day there is another side of life you shouldn’t and can not miss out on which is family, friends especially people that you can trust, who have your back and be there for you. I personally also made the mistake at the very beginning of focusing my whole life 24/7 towards acting and the industry. I put myself under a lot of pressure almost to a point that I was suffering that I wouldn’t be enough as a person if I don’t get certain parts I auditioned for. That almost really put me in a place of isolation, where I beat myself up over things I haven’t accomplished. My mind got so closed off that I didn’t even see a life outside the industry anymore. It took me a while to realize how unhealthy it was for my mental state even physically to live like that. The industry took control over my life and not the other way round. It took me more than 2 years almost to realize what happened. I felt miserable about myself and it wasn’t even about a certain part anymore I didn’t get, my whole mindset shifted to a negative, pessimistic, and skeptical outlook on my whole life. The dissatisfaction of one part of my life was now controlling my whole life, letting me forget who I am as a person and what I’m worth. When I realized that by reflecting on myself I knew I have to do something. I just stopped, stopped running around like crazy hunted by this inner pressure that told me for so long that I have to do even more. I paused, looked around me for the first time, and acknowledged that it was all me doing this without having any control over it. I lost myself sacrificing so many other things in life. And then I understood. In Hollywood there is just so much you can do to get where you want to be. I always describe it as the 90/10 rule. You can just do 90% of what is in your power and control, the other 10% is something which is totally up to Hollywood and the industry which has so many factors you as the individual actor can not influence like who gets cast for what and why. If you understand that, then it puts everything more into perspective. Until today I still do everything I can to further my career but I learned that the 10% is out of my hand, the only thing you want to make sure is that you gave the best you can within your 90%. And then you do something, that is hard for many people at the beginning especially myself, you LET GO. Let go of the audition, the workshop, networking event, whatever it is you had expectations of and move on with your life. And with life I mean having fun, go out with friends, make new friends, and surround yourself with people you love and who love you. If you then hit a point in your career where you get stuck, then trust me it will feel differently as you already know by then that the industry and your success will not define who and what kind of person you are. Never forget that.

Think big but in small steps!

We already talked a little bit about dreams in an earlier chapter. Dreams are pretty much the reason which got us on the journey of becoming a successful actor in the industry. You should use exactly that to your advantage. Always stick to that dream, even remind yourself of it but you must see the small steps in front of you to get there. I always say Hollywood and the industry are far from being linear. Sometimes you might do certain things by turning left or right for a certain amount of time to find your way back on the main path. If you expect to reach your ultimate dream right at the beginning of your career you might experience a lot of disappointment as that is usually not how it goes. Don’t let yourself dazzle from these so heard ‘overnight’ success stories. They might exist but are very rare and usually don’t happen as often anymore like back in the golden age of Hollywood. Bottom line is, take steps that you feel comfortable about but have a sense of what could further your career. In today’s market, it’s all about exposure and collaboration with other people in the industry. If that wasn’t part of your ideal plan then think twice. Every step in this industry can count sooner or later, it’s about the people you meet and projects you work on that can determine and lead to later projects and roles you want to do. Hollywood is a big net of people you wouldn’t even expect are connected. Therefore be grateful for every opportunity that comes your way as it might be the first connection to the bigger puzzle in this industry.

Wear your business head!

Wait, acting is a business. Yes, that’s right. It’s a business like any other with the exception that it’s the art you live and breathe. I met many actors who are truly artists which is great but I also realized that many of them are truly JUST artists. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being just an artist, but to survive and establish yourself there are certain steps necessary for you to take that get you there. You need to see yourself as the CEO of your business that you are running. Think about it like your own start-up you just founded. You are the main person wearing different hats at the same time working towards making it a success. And what is important for a start-up to get where it wants to be? Exactly, sales and marketing. If you can’t generate sales by putting out the right marketing and sales strategies no one will be interested in buying from you, more so investing in you.

As an artist, it’s therefore key to combine both within you. I was lucky in a way as I had a sales and marketing background before I started acting which I used and still do to my advantage. So what do I do? Well, I kind of divide my workflow as an actor into exactly these two parts. I’m the artist as soon as I’m in the audition room, preparing or being on set. But the whole pre-production part, as I call it, is me being the sales & marketing person for my own business. Try to see every situation with these two different perspectives to decide when you should do what. To give you an example. I have a certain routine of going about my sales and marketing strategy. Besides being on all the platforms obviously, you also need to be proactive. Never think that people will just find you and give you a role. The market is exaggerated these days, so the chance to be discovered are very rare. You need to step in and make them want to discover you. Therefore the right reflection of yourself as discussed earlier combined with the right research gets you closer to the target group that might be interested in you and your type. Create an email template with all your information which means have your showreel clips, headshot, and resume ready and try to send it to exactly the people you put down where you feel they might look at your material. We are talking more about different strategies in later topics. I therefore can’t stress enough to transform into that chameleon of being both as it will help you towards your dream. It is like a catch22 as well, if you don’t want to put in the work as you being the CEO it is very unlikely that you will be able to get into a position to live what you are passionate about which is being an established actor working in the industry. If you as an artist might feel you are not made for being that person, then I can just tell you if acting is truly what you want to do then there is no other way to get the exposure you need by being out there and creating that buzz yourself. Trust me it might doesn’t feel comfortable the first time but you get used to it the more you do it and see the results that come with it.

Hustle, Hustle, Hustle

Hustle, the word that you will hear quite often in this town. People use it to express that it’s all about the hustle, the energy you put in is what you get. For me, it’s more a construction of the right mindset than an expression. A lot of people say they hustle, but do they really? You will realize that certain people in this town say things because they sound nice and everyone says them. Hustling though is something you commit to by having your mind fully invested in it. It means you go the extra mile whenever you feel necessary. Hustle smart, not hard. What I mean by that is that just working a lot doesn’t mean it will get you closer to your goal. You need to understand how this city works but also trust your guts and recognize an opportunity when it crosses your path. And trust me the opportunity will come to you. Another thing is that hustling to me means creating even your own opportunities. In our earlier chapter, we already talked about being the CEO of your business selling and marketing yourself, but to do that you need something you can sell. Just being yourself gets you so far, you need to be able to create a certain momentum for yourself. And this starts usually with you creating your own material that you can chop around. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are struggling at the beginning to be even cast in small indie productions for whatever reason, instead of beating yourself up for it, shift your hustle towards your own little production you can develop. This brings me back to ‘reflection’ which we discussed earlier as this is a great opportunity to create the characters you identified for yourself and get them on tape. You’ll see in just a couple of days or weeks you will be able to have some material you can show to potential casting directors, producers, writers, etc. The bottom line is that your hustle should be focused on things that further your career the most and if that means you have to shoot your own projects cause nothing else is coming up, then that’s what it is. Personal connections in this industry are extremely important but at the beginning, your work and material you can present are going to reflect on you as a person and what you can bring to the table especially when no one knows you yet. Think about it and put yourself into their shoes. Someone is coming to Hollywood that wants to break into the industry. The first thing people want to know is what projects you worked on or what material you have. It’s a process of building trust and credibility by putting in the work yourself first showing them how serious you are about it which then also reduces their risk in investing in you. Sometimes you have a great situation that you even get to know someone and build a personal relationship mainly based on just meeting that person. That is even a greater opportunity as your relationship is not just defined by the industry or any acting material of your past projects. Even then, when it comes to the point that you talk business make sure that your material speaks for itself and clearly shows your strengths as an actor. Besides that, don’t stop auditioning for other projects cause the more people you meet the more you build your network in this town that will help you leverage other connections later on.

Now that you hopefully have the key mental steps ready let’s dive into the next part that makes it possible to stay in Hollywood long-term by staying financially stable, keeping a roof over your head, and food on the table. Sounds scary? It doesn’t have to be.