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The Next Step
In every career path, the way forward is not always clear. In film, the paths that appear, disappear immediately after they are know. I've sat down with many filmmakers, many actors and we fretted together about what the next move is. We know we have to make our own things; as an actor, I know I have to do that as well as audition for other things but the barriers, the walls are high. I find myself, quite often, staring at my blank desktop screen and wondering how the fuck I'm going to stand out amongst the faces out there.
There's things like Karmalicity, a way to 'boost' your Views and Likes on IMDB, Facebook, YouTube, etc. organically; with other actors just like you. And I've started this; I don't know how much stock I place in it but, I figure, it can't hurt. But browsing sites like this, I get a sense of the futility of it all. I mean, I am among all these actors, all following the same advice, trying the same stupid things; all for a chance to be seen, all looking for the next stair up. Some of them seem better off; they've appeared in "actual" shows you can see on TV like Boardwalk Empire. Some have a lot of credits; a few have over a hundred acting credits. And a lot of these guys have made their own projects too.
So really, what chance do any of us have? At the moment, it just seems like a game of persistence that a lot of people that "just move California" can't maintain. They run out of cash and have to go back home to middle America or wherever else. It seems like the game is to just keep showing up and being aggressive; nudge your way into things that maybe you shouldn't be in. It's the bold that seem to excel.
Case and point; why do we know about Escape from Tomorrow, a little independent feature film from a first-time director? I mean, other than the fact that, in my opinion, it's a great film; it became known to a sect of "the masses" because the filmmaker illegally shot it inside Disneyland and Disney World. So, not only did he do something bold; he spread the news about his bold move [to someone that would listen in the right way] and thus - now he's a little more known. I would argue, he's moved up a step.
That's what all of us are trying to do. Because it's no longer just about creating something; you have to create something different, use some "gimmick," if you will, that will only work once. Other filmmakers may try to shoot illegally in Disneyland now but it will never have the same power that Escape from Tomorrow had, because it was the first film to do that. Not to mention, Disneyland security has probably been retrained for this sort of thing to avoid it in the future.
There's something out there, the next big bold move is out there and someone will grab it; and we'll talk about him or her as we sit, bitterly, and think, "Well, fuck, what are WE gonna do to get that kind of attention?"
There's things like Karmalicity, a way to 'boost' your Views and Likes on IMDB, Facebook, YouTube, etc. organically; with other actors just like you. And I've started this; I don't know how much stock I place in it but, I figure, it can't hurt. But browsing sites like this, I get a sense of the futility of it all. I mean, I am among all these actors, all following the same advice, trying the same stupid things; all for a chance to be seen, all looking for the next stair up. Some of them seem better off; they've appeared in "actual" shows you can see on TV like Boardwalk Empire. Some have a lot of credits; a few have over a hundred acting credits. And a lot of these guys have made their own projects too.
So really, what chance do any of us have? At the moment, it just seems like a game of persistence that a lot of people that "just move California" can't maintain. They run out of cash and have to go back home to middle America or wherever else. It seems like the game is to just keep showing up and being aggressive; nudge your way into things that maybe you shouldn't be in. It's the bold that seem to excel.
Case and point; why do we know about Escape from Tomorrow, a little independent feature film from a first-time director? I mean, other than the fact that, in my opinion, it's a great film; it became known to a sect of "the masses" because the filmmaker illegally shot it inside Disneyland and Disney World. So, not only did he do something bold; he spread the news about his bold move [to someone that would listen in the right way] and thus - now he's a little more known. I would argue, he's moved up a step.
That's what all of us are trying to do. Because it's no longer just about creating something; you have to create something different, use some "gimmick," if you will, that will only work once. Other filmmakers may try to shoot illegally in Disneyland now but it will never have the same power that Escape from Tomorrow had, because it was the first film to do that. Not to mention, Disneyland security has probably been retrained for this sort of thing to avoid it in the future.
There's something out there, the next big bold move is out there and someone will grab it; and we'll talk about him or her as we sit, bitterly, and think, "Well, fuck, what are WE gonna do to get that kind of attention?"
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