Monday, February 27, 2012


1.       What is the best advice you can give to an aspiring actor?
2.       Where should I go when auditioning?
3.       What are the types of questions casting directors ask you?
4.       How to get noticed?
5.       How to pick an agent?
6.       How to avoid acting scams?
7.       How to start an acting career?
8.       Should you move to another state to start an acting career, if so where?
9.       What are some acting tips that will help me succeed in this career?
What is the best advice you can give to an aspiring actor?
Just being an actor isn’t good enough these days. Actors in current times are triple threats. They can sing, dance, and act. Therefore, it would be in your best interest to be skilled in some other area. Learn to play an instrument. You need to stand out from the rest of your competition. It’s best to have other talents than acting. Just like college directors, casting directors want a well-rounded person who can offer more to them than just one thing.
Where should I look when auditioning?
If the director doesn’t tell you where to look, find a place on a wall and focus on that spot. Speak to the wall. Don’t constantly look around talking to random objects then the casting director. You want the scene to be realistic. In real life the person you’re talking wouldn't be jumping from one place to another when it comes to monologues.
What are the types of questions casting directors ask you?
Casting director’s questions range from asking about the last production you were in to what are your hobbies. Think of it as a job interview. They just want to feel what kind of person you are and if you qualified enough to work with their company. Be genuinely. Don’t try to give the answer that you think they want to hear. You don’t know what they might be looking for. Don’t give scripted answers. Answer the questions sincerely and professionally.
How to get noticed?
In order to get noticed you need to put yourself out there. You have to be driven person because there are so many people in this business who are. If you let them, they’ll get right in front of you. You can’t be shy. You have to let your friends and family know that you’re trying to get into the acting industry. Therefore, if they hear something about an audition they can let you know. You can’t let your goal be a secret.
To get noticed, you might want to get an agent. Agents connect you with casting directors who will give you a shot to be in their production. A way to get notice you can be in multiple plays, movies, TV shows, commercials, etc. To get notice you have to stand out and you have to work hard.
How to find an agent?
Research about different agencies out there and invite one of them to see you perform. If they would like to represent see how many people they represent. This gives you an idea on how much time their probably going to devote to your career. For example, if one person is representing 100 people then you might not get the best representation you could have. If your acting career is just starting it might be a good idea to start off with a small agency. One way I found my agent was by representing myself and bumping into one on set.
Was this advice helpful to you? Do you do something differently? If so, What? Do you have any other advice you would give an inspiring actor?
Demi LavatoMiley Cyrus and Selena Gomez

Friday, January 27, 2012

Profiling

On Oct. 31st 2001 the article, “Airlines, passengers confront racial profiling” was released on CNN by an un-named author.  The article spoke of specific incidences of unjustly racism on airplanes. It’s purpose was to inform the intended audience that racial profiling was not ok.
In order to prove the author point he used the technique of pathos. She/he tried to make the reader feel for the victims in each occurrence of racism. For example, the author stated that the passenger “was so embarrassed.” And that he never made it to his brother wedding due to discrimination. The passenger asked if he did anything wrong to raise suspicion, they told him the pilot didn’t like the way he looked. The passenger was told to get off the plane because the crew did not feel safe flying with him.
Khan (the passenger) was then let back on the plane to get his backpack. If he was considered such a threat why was he allowed back on the plane? This is backward logic. The author made his point by using this logic to show to the reader that this doesn’t make sense. It proves the point that profiling is wrong.
The article spoke of the tragedy on Sept. 11 when two planes got hijacked by Al Qaeda, with 92 people on the flight, it crashed into the world trade center. The author was using Logos/facts to explain the reasoning why there’s racial profiling on planes ever since 9-11. It was then stated that the FBI and the airlines are now working together to fix the problem. The FBI is held high in society. By having this agency work with the airlines proves that racism is wrong and they are finding ways to stop it.
At the end of the article, the author included a number that can be used to report hate crimes and discrimination. This helped the author prove his point that racial profiling is wrong and needs to be reported.  Over all, the article used pathos to connect with the reader and logic to prove their point. The article succeeded its purpose.
Before “Airlines, Passengers Confront Racial Profiling,” was posted John Stossel posted on abcnews.com on n Oct. 3rd 2001 about Racial profiling and when it’s ok? He didn’t necessarily say he was for racial profiling. It was detailed article on how racial profiling can be helpful. The article gave the reader to information and the final the decision if it was ok or not was left to the reader.
For example, “Though black males aged 15 to 24 are just 1 percent of the population; they are responsible for up to 20 percent of violent crime. So if you stop black men, say many police officers, you’ll catch more criminals.” When John interviewed a bulk of black people each one of them stated they want cops to focus more on Arabs. When John informed them on the statistics on the black crime rate and if all black men should be stopped they had second thoughts.
Similar to the “Airlines, Passengers Confront Racial Profiling,” article abcnews also spoke of the racial profiling of Khan on the airplane. It stated that, “Six million people in America have some connection by descent or religion with Arabs or Islam.” This statement defends that racism is wrong.
“When is Racial Profiling Ok?” Mostly used one main persuasive technique which is logos. The article was much shorter and gave only a few pieces of statistic. It also didn’t try to convince the reader to think a certain way. The author informed the reader and let their final thoughts be their own.
Even though both articles came at the reader from a different approaches. Both articles show that if everyone is treated like their criminal then there would be no need for racial profiling. Everyone should be treated fairly. In the end racism is never ok.