A Clumsy Little Welsh Girl!

I have to be the clumsiest person on the entire planet, seriously! I'm pretty sure that if I had a camera crew follow me around all day it would be a hit comedy series (theres an idea ;) ). Only a few days ago I was in the lovely London going to one of many auditions, and decided to be all fit and cool by running up the escalator. BIG MISTAKE! I trip and fall flat on my face right in the middle surrounded by loads of Mr Important Business People and loose my shoe only to have a lovely man hand it to me whilst looking at me like I'm a crazy person..... Oh dear :/. The worst part is; of course this isn't the first time this has happened to me!


My other underground mishaps consist of getting stuck with one leg on either side of a revolving gate at Euston and repeatedly falling flat on my face. If you're on the underground and wonder who that complete fool of a girl is....yeh, its me!


Happy Laughing xXx

Progress with my inquiry!

 I have documented all the reasearch I gathered in LA. This includes acting classes, interiews with directors, agents, managers and performance law experts.

 I have documented and reviewed observations I did whilst in LA.

I have conducted observations of a film company I have been working with.

 I have documented both personal and group Interviews from my time in LA.

 I have arranged to hold an interview with an up and coming director and had his persmission to film and post the interview.

 I have planned to conduct surveys with directors.

 I have planned to conduct surveys with Actors.

 I have documented and reviewed my experience of fiming a show reel and how this has benifited my career so far.

 I have decided on reviewing the following literatures so far; The Lyndon Technique created and written by Amy Lyndon, The "Booked It!" Book by Lesly Kahn, Acting for Film by Michale Caine and Dreams Into Action by Milton Katselas.

 I plan to find more book reviews also.

I have documented the networks I have created with industry professionals.
I have sent out permission forms to make sure my inquire follows the  correct ethical requirements.
 

I have conducted interviews with directors who are in different stages of their careers as well as performers.

Data Collecting Tools- Pilot Survey Review

I created my survey on BREAKING INTO A NEW AREA? around 3 weeks ago and was pleasantly suprised to find how easy it was to do. I used Survey Monkey as advised and found it to be a very good means of collecting data. Once I knew which questions I wanted to ask it took no time at all to create. I then posted it on the facebook page as well as on my professional profile and awaited the responces. On reflection I feel I should have posted this sooner in order to give people sufficient time to take the survey as I did not get as many responces as I'd hoped. However the resonces I did get were very helpfull as not may questions were skipped and most people filled in the comment boxes which has allowed me to gather sufficient information for my inquiry.

Here are the results.

1. What area were you trained in?

Acting - 0.0%

Musical Theatre - 69.2%

Dance - 30.8%

Other, Please Specify - Teaching 7.7%

I was not suprised that the majority of the people who completed my survey were trained in Musical Theatre as I know this is a background a lot of people have on this course and also this is where most of the individuals I know prior to the course have started out. I was however suprised that noone taking the survey trained specifically in acting! Could this be a reason why some are finding it difficult to break into something new?

2. Are you currently working in that area?

Yes - 50.0%

No - 16.7%

I have in the past, but am not currently - 16.7%

Im trying to break into a new area - 16.7%

Other, Please specify. - 0.0%

I was happy to find that 50% of the individuals who answered the survey were currently woking in the area that they trained in and are clearly happy with their choice. However it was interesting to discover a significant number of people were either not any more, had never and were trying to break into something new. This supports my theory that a large number of performers change their direction after their specific training as it makes them realise that what they trained in isn't exactly what they want to pursue as a career.

3. If you're trying to break into a new area, which one?

The responces were either Television or Solo Singing. As television os something I am also trying to break into after having trained in Musical Theatre this beggs the question; is this a popular choice?

4. What do you find are the main obsticles when trying to break into a new area?

Contacts - 66.7%

Showreels - 33.3%

Lack of a good agent - 33.3%

Not knowing where to start - 66.7%

As I assumed most individuals find the lack of having the right contacts within the industry your trying to break into to be one of the main obsicles. This backs up the saying 'it's not what you know, but who you know' which has proven to be very true when disscusing the performing profession. A large amount also have the dilemma of not knowing where to start and I believe this is something that deters a lot of performers from trying out something new. This is an obstacle that I have overcome with persistance and advice from idividuals who have been working as performers or directors for many years. Having a good agent is very important and research is essential. However there are a lot out there who may look fantastic but actually end up getting the performer little if no audtitions. This is something i feel that is slightly trail and error based as well as researching as much as you can. A lack of a showreel is something that has been a huge obstacle for me with trying to break into television and film but also with research this is something I have found a solution to.

4. (sub question) What measures have you taken to tackle this?

networking, courses, reseearching agents

4/20/11 8:04PM

I am trying to get an agent but its proving difficult as not many open their books more than once a year and the ones that do may not be suitable for me.I've just had a new showreel made so I'm hoping this might prove useful.

4/20/11 5:43PM

Build and wait

4/13/11 7:35AM

Trying to make contacts

4/13/11 1:24AM

Using contacts for advice, Forming a step-bystep plan

4/11/11 7:02PM

Talking to friends

4/8/11 2:10AM

Trying to get hold of footage to put together a showreel myself, asking others in that area

4/7/11 11:40PM

I was happy to see that some of the idividuals facing these obsticles are biting the bullet and taking measures to overcome these obsitcles. Persistance, dedication and self motivation are essential in going after your dreams and I hope they are successful in the measures they have taken.

5. Has this been a succesfull process?

Yes - 57.1%

No - 42.9%

Please comment.

successful so far but work in progress!

4/20/11 8:04PM

I've had a few enquiries and auditions but nothing that has led to a job ofer yet but I still feel it is a positive step in the right direction.

4/20/11 5:43PM

If you are good enough and confident contacts will grow eventually. Just be patient!

4/13/11 7:35AM

Little response, and none positive

4/13/11 1:24AM

I am still too reliant on others, I need to find away to get somewhere souly by myself.

4/11/11 7:02PM

I was happy that the persentage of people who had found this a successfull process was higher than those who hadn't. However peristance is key and was pleased to see some who responded realise this and patience is also important. I am also happy that those who have not yet been sucessfull are begining to realise what they need to work on to change this.

Overall I found this tool extremely usefull and it is one I will use throughout my inquiry as it enables me to collect a number of resonces in a quick and east way and I was pleased that people commented when asked as this gave more insight into their answers. As stated above in future I will aim to give more time for people to respond however, a very sucessfull process that I have learnt a lot from!

Literature Review: Actors' Handbook

A piece of literature I have chosen to review is the Actors' Handbook, casting call pro. This is a piece of literature offering advice to actors throughout their career, from choosing and preparing for drama school, agents and then 'getting work'.

This piece of literature has an interesting section on Showreels not only re-instating the importance of having one in our modern age of technology but also advice on how to put one together.

'With broadband connection speeds improving and DVDs cheap to reproduce, showreels have become an increasigly important way to market yourself. A showreel provides "moving image evidence" of what you are like as a performer. Without it, a casting director or agent can only assess you on the strength of your CV and photograph, which by their two-dimentional nature can only provide part of the picture.'

The piece states how a traditional showreel is made of work one has already done and advises on how to choose the best of your work when building a showreel. The piece basically re-instates what we are all taught at drama school which of course is to showcase our best work possible.

'You're looking for clips which best show you off.'

This section also provides advice to those who do not have sufficient showreel material and how a showreel can also be made of a collection of original scenes specifically created for ones showreel.

'Many leading showreel companies now offer 'shoot from scratch' services in which they'll work with you and shoot your scenes.'

This is information that some actors may not have and is very useful solution for those who are constrantly hit with the dilemma of being asked for a showreel in order to 'get work' without having done the sufficient work to put a traditional showreel together. Knowlege of this information enabled me to research into having this done and I am now glad to say I have booked my filming day for my showreel and the scripts are being specifically written for me as we speak.

'The advantage here is that the scenes are being shot specially for you, the focus of any scene will be on you.'

However, the handbook also advises actors to combine these with some 'actual past work' when possible in order to give your showreel more structure.

This handbook is an excellent guide to any performer trying to break into the industry; what it may lack in depth it makes up for in focusing on getting to the point and offering clean cut advice. It is a great basis for a performer to begin researching and pursuing a career in what is a very difficult area to become a success. Not only does the handbook provide advice but also advertises serivces for headshots and other tools that are important for an actor. This is a great way of finding these services if one is clueless of where to begin.

A good read for a performer starting out in pursuing their dreams!

References

Actors' Handbook 2009-10 Your guide to getting work and getting noticed, Casting call pro
Actor's One-Stop Shop, http://www.actorsonestopshop.com/

Rationale for Award title

The award I seek as a result of doing this programme is BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts).

After a lot of thought into what I want my award title to show I have decided on this title which not only relates to my previous study but also to other areas I wish to break into of performance. This titles shows where my skills and knowledge lie without limiting me to specialise in one area or another. My research has shown how common it is for performers to make transitions between one area and another and how something as simple as an award title can affect this; therefore this has proven to be the most logical choice for my award title in helping me pursue a career in performance.

Prior to studying my degree at Middlesex University I trained for two years under the title Musical Theatre towards a Trinity Diploma. Although the course was titled as Musical Theatre the training it provided was specifically focused on preparing performers for all areas of the performing profession. It had the three main elements of a Musical Theatre course; dance, singing and acting but also focused on classical text, acting for camera contextual studies. This was an intensive training course running on a minimum of 37 hours a week which helped me develop the skills to pursue a career in performance in a variety of areas of the industry

From a young age I have always been involved in performance both in my education and as extra curricular training. At the age of sixteen I enrolled into a BTEC National Diploma course in Performing Arts achieving the grade of triple Distinction as well as studying towards a BTEC National Music Award achieving a Distinction and a BTEC National Technical Award achieving the grade of Merit. During this time I also trained outside my education towards my grade 6 LAMDA, grade 6 Singing and Intermediate and Advanced grades in various areas of dance. This gave me not only the opportunity to perform in various areas of amateur performance but also the means to work professionally for the Welsh television channel S4C as a guest actor and extra and for Ballet Russe as a lady in waiting for their local performance of Swan Lake. This not only helped towards supporting my main study but also to the beginning of a career in performance.

As well as having performed in many amateur performances both within and outside my education I have been successful in gaining professional experience playing the lead in a road safety tour for Health Challenge Wales, lead roles in theatre productions in all areas, lead and supporting roles in short films and television, modelling work in an advert as well as touring pantomime and performing in musical festivals.

Since completing my training I have continued to perform professionally in all areas. I have been successful in gaining an agent and promoting myself as a professional performer as part of my professional practice. I regularly travel across the country to auditions for both paid and unpaid work creating networks with industry professionals such as production companies, directors and other performers. I not only do this through my agency but also independently. This has resulted in gaining successful connections with many professionals whilst pursuing a career in Performing Arts.

Working towards my degree at Middlesex University has been beneficial to my professional practice in many ways not only helping me develop new skills in the way I conduct myself in the professional world but also by helping me use the skills I have already gained in a more academic and sufficient way. It has enabled me to promote myself professionally by using the experiences of others as well as my own. It has given me the information I need to showcase my skills academically whilst promoting my transferable skills as a performer.

My short-term goals have been to use my previous training in the Performing Arts to gain employment in a variety of areas and make connections within the industry. I have succeeded in doing this and will continue to pursue these goals throughout my career because of my love for performance. I now aim to focus on certain areas of Performing Arts separately enabling me to solidify my connections and establish myself as a performer without limiting myself to one area or another. I will not only be able to use the skills learnt whilst studying my degree at present but it will give me the academic back up and knowledge to branch into the areas of the performing industry I desire and long to be a part of.  

In conclusion; I have chosen the award title of BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts) because it represents the vast amount of previous training I have gained as an amateur and professional performer in the industry. A career as a multi-skilled performer is one I intend to continue pursuing as I have a love and passion for many areas of the Performing Arts and want my award title to represent this.

BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts)

I've finally chosen my award title! BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts).

I've spent ages trying to think of the right award title. Althought I trained in Musical Theatre I didn't want to limit myself to just this and have recently been following more of an acting based career. There is a huge stereotype in the industry against people who trianed in Musical Theatre who are trying to break into 'serious acting' as it is assumed they are not as capable as one specifically trained in Acting. However I also felt I didn't want to limit myself to just acting either. At the moment I am mainly focusing on the acting side of the industry but also want to leave myself open to the possibility of working in Musical Theatre. As you can imagine choosing my award title became quite the dilemma!

I eventually decided on the title Performing Arts as this covers both area's but does not limit to one or the other. This will allow me to enter into both without any stereotying or pre-consceptions  professionals may have.

I always remmember a question and aswer session I was involved in with a director of a Shakespeare play. Someone asked;

What do you look for when auditioning an actor?

His answer was simply that first he would look at where they trained and secondly what they trained in, and if one was trained in Musical Theatre he would not consider them for audition. Although this view isn't necessairily right but the cold hard truth is that this is the way the industry works and something as simple as an award title can have a huge affect on peoples opinions of a performer without even having seen them perform!

Delicious Page

I've just set up my delicious account. This was so quick and completley fool proof! This is a very good way of keeping track of the different web based tools I use from day to day as well as a good source of gathering data from websites others who have accounts use!

http://www.delicious.com/ceri_morgan/Bookmarks_Menu