What is an Open Call When Referring to Auditions (Showbiz Term of the Day)?

Open Call, Getty Images via @daylife

When we talk about acting and modeling auditions, it is important to know what it means if the audition is an Open Call. Today’s Showbiz Term of the Day is “Open Call.”

My daughter went to Open Calls a couple of times for shows such as America’s Most Talented Kid before we moved to LA. Those were not experiences I really wanted to repeat!

We arrived early in the morning for one particular Open Call. We sat in the waiting room with hundreds of other people, trying to pass the hours. We did not know that other people would arrive long before the open call time to get in line, so there were many people in front of us.

After waiting for many hours, my daughter was finally told she would go in next to audition. She was very exited. She warmed up, practiced, and got psyched and ready to go in.  The assistant came back, and my daughter stood to go in.  But then the casting assistant informed us that casting was going to take a lunch break, and that she would be first after lunch.

My 5-year-old daughter, who had been waiting happily and patiently for 5 or 6 hours, then started to cry. She had been all excited that she was next, and being told she’d have to wait some more was upsetting to her. She was hungry and tired, and we were not sure we even had time to get her lunch before they called her in!

Her Dad rushed off to pick up some lunch (along with hundreds of others). When he finally got back with food and my daughter eagerly took her first bite, smearing ketchup all over her face and hands, the casting assistant showed up to take her back to audition!  I quickly tried to wipe her hands and face, and she finished chewing that bite as we walked back for her audition.

She was not really at the top of her game when we went back to audition. Of course, that was not surprising, given how things had just gone. But she was a trooper and did her best, and I was very proud of her even though she was not selected for the show.

If you are not in the LA Area or NY Area or other areas where theatrical auditions (see  Do You Know What Theatrical Acting Auditions Are?) and commercial auditions (see What Happens When Your Child Is Auditioning for a Kid Commercial) are common, an Open Call may seem like the only way you can be seen by entertainment industry professionals.

So, “What Is an Open Call When Referring to Auditions?”

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If Your Child Auditions for Professional Acting Jobs, Should You Participate in Community Theatre?

Image via Wikipedia, Acting Jobs or Community Theatre?

If your child auditions for professional acting jobs, being involved in community theatre can sometimes result in unexpected dilemmas. Certainly, your child is auditioning hoping to get acting jobs. But you never know when a booking will occur.

You don’t want your child to just sit around doing nothing while waiting to hear that an audition resulted in a booking. So it makes sense to allow your child to participate in free and even pay-to-play projects, such as community theatre (see What Can Musical Theatre Do for Your Child? for more on this topic), to get experience and build his/her resume.

Your child probably loves to act (and sing and dance), and that is why (hopefully) they are auditioning for acting jobs in the first place. So he or she is probably happiest when working, whether for free or for pay, and whether on stage or for film and tv.

My daughter just finished performing in a community theatre production of “Alice in Wonderland Junior.”  Many of the kids who participated in this production are also pursuing careers in the entertainment industry just as my daughter has been. This is very common in the LA area.

An Unexpected Booking Conflict

Just a few days before the show opened, one of the children participating in this musical theatre production booked an acting job — a national commercial.  This acting job required her to work on one of the days when there were two performances of the show.

This booking, one that normally would have been extremely exciting, caused the girl’s mother a great deal of stress. She never really thought about this conflict occurring nor how she would feel if it did nor how difficult it would be to handle if it did occur.

Needless to say, it also caused a lot of stress for the director, the child, and others involved in the play.  The director had to find another child who was willing and able to learn the part in four days and able to fill in on the day that the other child was working.

The mother spoke with me about how incredibly awful this experience was for her.  She is not a person who takes her commitments lightly, and when she was faced with this unexpected situation, dealing with it was very traumatic.

Expectations of Talent Representatives

Her child’s talent representative was not happy about it and explained that not taking the acting job could have negative consequences for her child. The casting director and others involved in that booking and job would be likely to avoid contact with her in the future. And Hollywood is a “small town” because word travels fast when actors do things that are viewed in a negative way.

She learned the hard way that you have to always expect and prepare for the unexpected when it comes to the entertainment industry.  While you always want to do your best to honor any commitments you make, when your child is pursuing a professional acting career, you have to put that acting career first. Otherwise, your child’s talent representation is likely to get very upset and perhaps even let your child go.

So, “If Your Child Auditions for Professional Acting Jobs, Should You Participate in Community Theatre?”

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What Is Improv? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

Improv, Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Today’s showbiz term of the day is “improv.” If you type the word “improv” into just about any editor where spelling is checked, the word will be flagged as being spelled incorrectly.

But in the world of acting, the word “improv” is a term that is used regularly. It  is one of many showbiz terms that you encounter as you venture into the show business industry that you are not likely to totally understand.

You may have heard the term “improv” if you ever watched the hilarious tv show “Whose Line is It Anyway?” with Drew Carey and Wayne Brady. My daughter and I first encountered the term when she joined “Giggle Gaggle,” a kids comedy and improv troupe with Joy Theatre in North Hollywood.

As an actor, you are quite likely to be asked to do improv in a comedy class or show. It is also sometimes done in regular acting classes, particularly good acting classes. You may even be asked to improv during an audition.  If you are trying to become an actor, you’d better know what improv is and be ready to do some whenever you are asked to do it.

So, “What is improv?”

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Does Your Child Need an Entertainment Work Permit in States Other Than California?

Previously, I’ve discussed entertainment work permits for children working in the state of California. But there are many of you in states other than California who are wondering if you need an entertainment work permit for your child.

If you are looking for employment within the state of California, refer to my posts concerning entertainment work permits in California (see “Where Is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?“, “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?“, “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?“).

Currently, about half of the 50 states in the United States require work permits for minors working in the entertainment industry. So you are wise to look into the laws that are specific to a particular state before your child obtains employment in that state.

If your child lives in one state and gets employment in another, you can certainly get assistance and advice on how to get that work permit quickly when it is needed. Often, the production company can advise you on what to do when the time comes.

So, “Does Your Child Need an Entertainment Work Permit in States Other Than California?”

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When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild When You Are an Actor?

When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild? sagindie via Flickr

So many actors and parents of child actors seem to be concerned about not being in Screen Actors Guild (SAG)  (See “What is SAG?” and “What Does SAG Stand for?” for more about what SAG is).  They wonder exactly how to join SAG and whether they will be seen for SAG projects if they are not in SAG.

When we first came to Los Angeles for my daughter to become a child actor, I was told that it was almost impossible to get into SAG. I thought being in SAG was essential and that my daughter would be passed over for just about everything if she were not in SAG.  Of course, I soon  learned that this was not really true, particularly for children.

I started researching how one goes about joining SAG (see “How Do You Qualify to Join Screen Actors Guild?” for more on what needs to happen before you are allowed to join SAG). I slowly began to understand more about it, and honestly, it was not until it became the time that we had to join and after that I understood the full implications of it.

I also learned that an important question to ponder is “When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild When You Are an Actor?”

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What Is a Callback After an Acting Audition? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

Acting Audition Callback

There is a chance that your child will get “a callback” after an acting audition if that acting audition goes well and your child is right for the part. When your child gets a callback for an acting audition for the very first time, you may not know exactly what that means.

My daughter got a callback after her second acting audition, and after the initial excitement was over, I realized I really did not know what that meant or what to do. I had to call her agent back a couple of times and ask lots of questions.

Since I knew very little about showbiz when we first got started, whenever we did something new, I had lots of questions.  And I was embarrassed to have to ask so many questions.

On the other hand, I knew it was important to find out everything I could about her first acting audition callback to make sure we did what we needed to do.

So, in case you are wondering exactly, “What Is a Callback After an Acting Audition?”

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What Is a Go-See? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

At a Go-See a Photographer May Take Some Test Photos

If you are starting a career in showbiz that includes modeling, you have certainly heard, or will very soon hear, the term “Go-See.” Today’s Showbiz Term of the Day is “Go-See.”

My daughter was almost 6 when she had her first “go-see” for Pottery Barn. She did not even have a comp card or headshot yet. We really did not understand what we were doing. And I really would have liked more information.

For a model to book a print job, it is very important that the representatives from the company employing the model see what the model looks like and how well the model photographs. It is also important that  the model’s look and type match the company image and the type of products being advertised.

Those hiring the model also need to have a good feeling about how easy it will be to work with the model. For that reason, just taking a look at some photographs of the model may not be enough to allow the company representatives to choose the right model for a job.

So, “What Is a Go-See?”

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What Skills Are Helpful When You Become a Child Actor?

Learn to Play Guitar When You Become a Child Actor, Image via Wikipedia

When you become a child actor, it is important to work on your acting skills.  Being a good actor is certainly important when you pursue an acting career.

But when you become a child actor, it is also a good idea to work on other skills. Learning to do a variety of things helps you to become a better-rounded individual, with many different life experiences to draw from in your acting.

Possessing a variety of skills can also help make you more employable in the entertainment industry. Casting directors are sometimes looking for individuals with particular skills for a role in a television show, movie, play or other performance. If you have the required skills, you may be called in for auditions you might not otherwise be invited to attend.

We know a young and very talented piano player. After someone heard him accompanying a singer at a competition, he was invited to audition for a television show.  He wasn’t even trying to get into tv or film.

But this young man is great on the piano, and guess what! When he went in for that audition, he booked the job. So now he is appearing on the tv show Glee.

So when you become a child actor, what skills (besides acting, which is very important) are useful to you for a showbiz career?

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