LOS ANGELES EVENTS

I'll be in L.A. 2-8 August to launch SECRETS FROM THE CASTING COUCH. Please join me for one of the following events:

4 Aug, Wed. 6-8pm *CASTING SYMPOSIUM WITH BREAKDOWN SERVICES

7 Aug, Sat, 11- 1:00PM, COLD READING SEMINAR AT SAG FOUNDATION

7 Aug, Sat, 4-6:00PM, **GLOBAL CASTING AND THE INTERNET PANEL WITH THE SNIPER:RELOADED PRODUCTION TEAM AT SAG FOUNDATION

*What: A free casting symposium, sponsored by Breakdown Services, designed to help actors prepare for the upcoming audition season and the launch of Nancy Bishop’s new book, Secrets from the Casting Couch. Casting is now happening fast, online and productions are conducting international searches with the Internet casting systems, giving actors new and unique opportunities. Seven leading casting professionals will explore the changing nature of casting in the Internet age and advise actors on how to gain an edge in the market. There will be a one hour panel followed by a Q+A session.

When: Wednesday, August 4^th, 2010

6:00 – 8:00pm PDT

Refreshments and book signing reception to follow symposium

Where: Showbiz Café

500 S. Sepulveda

Ground Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90049

Booking information: to reserve contact Jenna Albrecht, jennaa@breakdownservices.com

Who: Nancy Bishop, International Casting Director headquartered in Europe (“Prince Caspian,” “The Illusionist,” author of Secrets from the Casting Couch)

Bonnie Gillespie (moderator), Casting Director and Author of Self-Management for Actors

Meg Liberman, Executive Casting Director, CBS/Paramount Gary Marsh (sponsor), owner, Breakdown Services 
Rick Pagano, Casting Director (“24,” “X-Men”) 
Paul Weber, Casting Director (“Stargate” series) 
Gary Marsh: Head of Breakdown Services

**GLOBAL CASTING, AND THE INTERNET

JOIN THE SNIPER RELOADED PRODUCTION TEAM FOR A PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT CASTING AT SAG FOUNDATION

WHAT: CASTING PANEL DISCUSSION

WHEN: 7 August, Sat.

TIME: 4-6:00pm

WHERE: SAG Foundation

5757 Wilshire Blvd. - Mezzanine Level

Los Angeles, CA 90036

To Book: Contact Rochelle Rose: RRose@sag.org

The production team for the latest film in the Sniper series discusses the immediacy of internet casting and how it impacts working actors.

Casting is happening quickly, globally and online. *Sniper: Reloaded demonstrates a trend of how many productions are now casting. As a South African/German international co-production subsequently acquired by SPE, both American and European actors were pre-selected, interviewed and then hired entirely based on their readings posted online. Actors sent Breakdown Services links to their auditions and the director, Claudio Faeh, conducted his final interviews on Skype.

In this climate, actors must develop not only their acting skills, but also their technological know-how to be ready to book a job.

Casting Panel:

Nancy Bishop, CSA Casting Director, and author of Secrets from the Casting Couch

Claudio Faeh: Producer and Director of 'Sniper Reloaded'

Gary Marsh: Head of Breakdown Services

Derek Power, Executive Producer of 'Sniper Reloaded'

Partner in Kahn Power Pictures/The Derek Power Company

RUSSIAN SPEAKING ACTORS FOR LARGE SCALE STUIO PRODUCTION SHOOTING IN PRAGUE IN OCTOBER

I am seeking Russian speaking actors, who also speak English, for a large scale feature film shooting in Prague in October.
Types:
Secrets Service Agents
Prison Guards
Prisoners
Businessman

Please send photo, resume and video clip to: casting@nancybishopcasting.com

Turkish Production looking for Slavic Actress

Turkish Casting Director, Sinem Sengulen, is looking for cast.(www.rendaguner.com). ACTRESS: between 17 – 22 years for leading role for a new TV. series.
Production company: Tim’s Production, (www.tims.tv).
Synopsis: “hurrem sultan” who has a big place in turkish history. Hurrem is a girl taken from her parents from Russia to become a slave, then given as a present to a Sultan, lived in harem and then become the most powerful women at the palace.

The actress must be beautiful, innocent looking and also feminine but most important she must be a very good actress andshe doesn’t have to know turkish (will take her language courses. )The shootings will be in İstanbul. And will start in a month

Please contact: sinem@rendaguner.com

PRAGUE FILM MAKER CASTING INDEPENDENT FILM

Isaac Hurtado is looking for two actors for main roles.

Old lady: 60 to 75 years old. Medium complexion.

Young kid: 6-7 years old. Medium complexion. 

Film will be shot in Czech, but actors must be able to communicate in English with director

Both actors should be skilled enough to perform emotional arcs

in their characters fluctuating from different anemic states.

Shooting:

Independent short film to approach film festivals.

4 days shooting out of Prague.

Transport, Accommodation + meals, granted.

Paying: Open to Negotiate.

Some references for Isaac'swork: http://vimeo.com/isaacth

Interested please contact: Isaacth@filmstudies.cz

California Gov passes laws to protect Actors from Shady Workshop Organizers

MYTHS AND RUMORS ABOUT THE NEW CSA GUIDELINES FOR CASTING DIRECTORS TEACHING WORKSHOPS

Recently, while in New England, I sat down with Bradley Van Dussen from New England Actor, and he asked me if I heard that casting directors aren’t allowed to teach workshops anymore. I realized that there must be a lot of rumors flying around about this, which I shall attempt to debunk.

Firstly, I’ll say that I am a member of the Casting Society of America (CSA) and have no problem with adhering to the guidelines and shall continue to teach my master classes.

The main areas of concern in the new CSA guidelines are as follows:

“WORKSHOPS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IT IS PERMISSABLE FOR CASTING DIRECTORS / CASTING ASSOCIATES TO RECEIVE A STIPEND FOR TEACHING SUCH WORKSHOPS IF THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ARE ADHERED TO”

I have always tried to make this clear in my classes in the first place. I’ve noticed the occasional mumbling over the internet. Occasionally someone will anonymously write to me and suggest that this is a conflict of interest to both teach and cast. Or they will accuse me of favoritism towards people who have taken my classes. These guidelines will protect me from these accusations and make it clear to the actors who don’t come to my classes that they will not be discriminated against either.

“The Casting Director/Casting Associate (and Casting Assistant) (CD/CA) may not use workshops for the purpose of auditions, "pre-reads" or suggestions of future employment.”

In other words… the concern here is that actors should not be paying for job interviews. And the money paid for the workshops should not be perceived or interpreted as a bribe.

I personally am very happy that this clause is included. I remember one time, an actor who had taken my workshop, very rudely confronted me at a later date, demanding to know why I hadn’t called him in for any castings after he had taken my class, as if I owed him that.

Do I remember the actors from my workshops? Yes, I never forget a face. Have I cast people from my workshops? Yes… if a role comes along that is right for them, then yes I have called workshop actors in and they have on occasion booked the role. (Karim Rohoma, for example comes to mind, on a recent Fox pilot called Masterworks. He heard about the casting when I announced it on Facebook.)


But the purpose of the classes is NOT to audition actors or find actors for a specific project. The purpose of the workshop is to share useful information and above all to educate. A possible role in the future is a fringe benefit for the actor and the CD, but should not be an expectation. 

“The CD/CA may not retain a student/actor’s headshot, résumé, business card, reel, DVD, other electronic media, other promotional material, or any links thereto.”

OK so here’s the real kicker. I know this clause is upsetting a lot of actors. You’re thinking, So what is the ***king point of meeting a casting director if you can’t give her your material? Well actually in the case of my workshops, I already have a rule that I don’t accept headshots etc because I’m usually traveling when I give class, and I don’t have the room in my suitcase for thirty show reels or whatever. So I’ve made that my policy anyway.

However, in my case, I have a website that is public domain. Anyone and their mother can submit material to me at any time. Many of us CDs don’t like to collect paper copies anyway because we have a problem with storage space.

What this means in that you can meet the CD in the workshop, learn from her whatever is valuable then WAIT until a time when she is casting a project with a role for you THEN submit your headshot to her at the RIGHT time. I emphasize these words because it is a point that I’m making over and over again in my classes. Agents are talent oriented and casting directors are project oriented. We’re interested in specific actors at specific times. We don’t generally collect random resumes anyway. It’s understandable that an actor would want to shove one in our hand… actors are always looking for work. But that is my advice for the best way to use a CD workshop. Make the connection, learn and then keep an eye on what she’s doing. That means reading Backstage (US) or The Stage, (UK) keeping an eye on IMDB Pro, and in the case of my work, it’s easy (I keep a blog!)

Furthermore, the workshops organizers are required to take out a $50,000 bond with the state of California to confirm their legitimacy against fraud. This obviously does not apply to workshops taught outside of the state, but if you are in CA, you can check this out to make sure they're legit. 

This is a short article, but if you want a long and thorough explanation of the history of why this legislation came to pass, please see Bonnie Gillespie’s excellent analysis in the Actors Voice: http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/2010_05.html

In short the new law is designed to protect children and actors who are being ripped off by shady workshop organizers who are exploiting actors with false promises. It’s certainly correct and fair that actors should not be paying to audition, which is what was in some cases happening.

ACTORS CREATING THEIR OWN WORK: WEB SERIES

Anyone who has taken a class with me or read Secrets from the Casting Couch,  knows that I'm really big on actors creating their own work. The entertainment world is going more and more in the direction of webs eries. My attendance at a panel discussion yesterday at the Karlovy Vary Film Fest, called Interfacing with Hollywood, confirmed it once again.  Leading Hollywood professionals are looking for content from small time actors and producers who are clever enough to develop ideas and produce them in web series.


Here are a few of my favorite ones. Please let me know which web series you recommend as well.

VERY MARY KATE:
http://vimeo.com/11139998
This actress is hilarious and is smart enough to keep her spots really short.

http://www.thedayplayer.com/
Helenna Santos is a PR machine, and has a wonderful sense of self mockery

Also her husband: Barry Levy has created the fun Ex Convicts Guide
http://www.helennasantos.com/The_Ex-Convicts_Guide/home.html

Lastly, Bonnie Gillespie turned me on to:
Etta Devine's hysterical Mary Olsen, the Girl's Night Out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxot1Ng6YCo