Module: Artistic Development: Arts Industry (SHR5C004A)
Assignment: Portfolio (SHR5C004A~001)
ARTS INDUSTRY
INTRO.
To prepare for third year this portfolio has given me the opportunity to reflect on my big learning moments throughout second year and how this ties to the current industry. Understanding what work I enjoy being a part of and what agencies reflect this in what they specialise in. At the start of these classes I was overwhelmed with what I would need to balance when graduating, unsure of how to successfully market myself, communicate with new industry connections and to then nurture them. It all felt new to me and I didn’t know how to go about starting, but being able to tie my reflections and moments of inspiration to what I want to continue on with to the industry helped to ground any concerns. It also allowed me to have more realistic expectations in what it means to be a new and aspiring actor in this business.
BIOGRAPHY.
I have never written an acting biography before so I followed the guidance and layout of different examples that ranged in acting experience from websites online. (4) A big part of second year is becoming comfortable with being able to sell yourself or even just talking about your accomplishments and what you want to achieve in conversation with agents and casting directors. So it came as a surprise in finding it difficult to try and create a summary about my experience and feeling self-conscious of sounding arrogant. But that is an insecurity that needs to be thrown out the window because no one is going to keep waiting for me to have my turn. I wanted to keep a simple structure that didn’t overcomplicate what I was trying to say but didn’t strip it bare to make it seem I was just listing off facts. Showcasing my current experience but also gave an insight into the type of person that I am beyond the performer.
HEADSHOTS.
When I started to look for photographers I didn’t fully know what I wanted. I’ve never had headshots taken before so I wasn’t entirely sure what I needed to look for and what style would best suit me. My starting point was referring to some of the photographers that were used by the third year’s and began to build an idea of what I did or didn’t want. It was important that the headshots captured what I look like on an everyday basis and not a posed and done up version that casting directors would never see when meeting me. Reminding myself the goal of these headshots is to capture what people are going to be met with when I walk in the room. Even though I am based in the north it didn’t bother me if I had to travel to get them done but I was still aware of the fact when signing with an agent they may ask you to get them redone so I didn’t want to invest money that wouldn’t end up being worth it. I narrowed my search down to two agencies, David John Headshots and Aktaphotography.
Aktaphotography has made it clear they want to make their services as accessible as possible offering a ‘pay what you can’ for your headshots, this helps take the pressure of needing to stretch my budget. Looking at the reviews the environment they create seems to be very positive and productive which is always reassuring when stepping into a new space (appendix 2). What really grabbed my attention was the range of people they photographed, providing different coloured backgrounds that best match their individual features. They also had a really natural and relaxed finish to the photos that really focused and kept the actor in focus and their eyes bright, instead of being swallowed up by a dramatic background (appendix 1). What I liked about David John Headshots (appendix 3) was the student prices, (£140) and similar to Akta the versatility in background colours, having the option to experiment with what fits the best with my own features. They are also based in Manchester, even though it isn’t a deal breaker to commute further away it’s an added bonus, so it would be an easy and inexpensive journey. This provides more flexibility with when I would be able to book to attend the sessions as I wouldn’t have to factor in the time and expenses of going to London. From screen class with Matt Looney I was made aware of experimenting with a character outfit as well, playing into your cast type with accessories, hairstyle and clothing to paint a clearer picture for what characters casting directors and agents could see you play.
Appendix 1.
Appendix 2.
Appendix 3
CV.
When it came to creating my CV i was in similar territory i was in with my biography with never having created one before. I was only able to add the credits of my year 2 projects but obviously these are credits that will be replaced with professional credits in the future. I left a blank profile picture in the place of where I would place my headshot and I just kept the layout of the page as simple as possible. The writing of the CV felt more robotic compared to the biography, I was trying to avoid writing plain facts in the biography but for a CV that is the expectation. When filling out the skills section it made me aware to keep practicing my skills to ensure they are used to being performed and practised in my body. It also made me want to explore new skills and really commit to me learning Spanish, a skill that requires a lot more attention and focus. But a possible avenue could open up with me wanting to explore work abroad in Spain/Spanish speaking countries.
AGENTS.
I want to work in film, tv and stage and since I live in the north east and am doing my training at Leeds I would want to work with northern based agents since this is where my creative pool and connections will mainly be. Northern Lights management is based in Yorkshire between Manchester and Leeds, specialising in northern based talent. What I really enjoy about this agency is that it was founded by Maureen Magee who worked as an actor and then went on to set up an international arts council funded touring company. She has first hand experience in the industry through two different lenses that aims to create a personal style of management and has been over the past 25 years. Urban Talent Actors is based in Manchester and has a growing buzz as an inclusive boutique agency outside of London. They work in TV, film, radio and advertising globally that actively nurture ability from all backgrounds. This agency interests me because knowing the work for actors going into voice acting/radio dramas is coming to be in higher demand is exciting with an agency that focuses on that skill set.
REFLECTION ARCHIVE.
Movement has always been an element that has felt comfortable for me to push the boundaries with, testing and trying new ways to relate to my body that can develop more detail into character. However, I found my comfort zone stayed in the abstract of the movement, I wasn’t scared to take up space or hold an intensity that drove my movement because existing and playing in the abstract meant there weren’t any rules I felt I had to follow. When it came to developing this movement and enclosing it within a character as a human I immediately stunted the growing possibilities. But at the start of second year I found a process through LABAN that grounded my physicality and created a map in order to step into somebody else’s. Playing with space, weight and time and simplifying a character’s needs through the different efforts helped me to hone down my intentions. A standout moment for me was when we were working on PUNCH, an effort that is hard to control abstractly and even harder to contain when applying it to a human’s body. My fear of letting this effort ooze out of me and take up space, trying to control it and how the tutor perceived me made the emotion bubble over in real life. Instead of letting go of any shame attached to being moved emotionally through the work and celebrating my body’s connection and reaction to the effort I tried to suppress it. On reflection, being more aware and open to how PUNCH sits within me, or any effort, creates a better understanding of what I am accessing for a character and where my interpretation of punch ends and the character’s starts.
Our first American project was the Rimers of Eldritch. I had never worked with a director before and I hadn’t had my whole attention and work ethic being put into one play. So walking into the start of rehearsals I didn’t know what to expect and how much I needed to give myself to this next process. The first half term of second year was building your own process, through research, script analysis and movement and voice, this was the first test of how my process that I developed a lot through LABAN would stay the same or adapt to Jess’s. Not having the schedule of the different classes didn’t mean throwing everything out the window and jumping at the first full script for the first time but taking my time adjusting to having a lot less guidance to tackle new work. I also feel I began to understand my role in an ensemble and became kinder to myself of where I naturally sit and how I process and create new ideas. Throughout first year I felt this pressure of not contributing enough in big ensemble pieces but with the American projects I found my rhythm with giving myself enough time to explore the work individually before reconvening with the group to share my ideas. This block was also a reminder of how important it is to prioritise your health, how not being in the rehearsal room affects everybody else and how smooth the day runs. So ensuring I was treating my body with the correct care, for example, fueling myself, getting enough sleep and staying on top of my vocal health.
The Shakespeare block was a new challenge. Alex mentioned at the start of the block what we want out of the next 6 weeks. I wanted to explore a wild female character that wasn’t two dimensional and was layered with details that widened her reality. My challenge came with being cast as Macbeth, a role written for a man that I was going to be tackling with the intent of playing Macbeth as a woman. Trying to balance the differences of having a woman be in this position and not just sinking into how it has already been performed and showcasing another element of fighting against being crumbled under the power, being afraid of chasing her ambition in fear of ending up just like the men she wanted to kill. I really tried to work on my connection with my scene partner, Oryna, I wanted to show that there was love and respect and admiration for one another. Working on our physicality for our characters through the physical push and pull between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This block also taught me more about resilience in learning a new skill, specifically on tackling language and uncovering its meaning. Shakespeare at times felt like if I failed at it I wasn’t completing my skill set as an actor by not doing the famous writing justice. Reminding myself that no one else is going to provide me with the want to put in the work or the reassurance that I am doing a good job, I need to find that resilience within myself when stepping into a harsh industry.
The Leeds international screen dance competition held a Q and A with the directors and creatives of the works afterwards. Going to this event made me step out of my bubble of actors and gained inspiration for movement and detail of character from a different creative standpoint, dance and film. How they build connection with the multiple characters in the scene but also with their environment with pure physicality. Their bodies are broadcasting the internal monologue of their bodies and emitting it into space. Using film to capture the audience as a part of their bodies through their communication. Spoken Movement Family Hour by Daniel Gurton held my eyes to their work the longest just through the use of breath and exchanging of oppressive but wild energies between the ‘father’ and ‘daughter’. The film festival was a reminder of why I am in Leeds and how it is a creative hub that holds endless inspiration that I can translate back to my acting. It also showed me I don’t need to take on a huge project to get stuck into experimenting with film, I can create short bursts of moments that don’t need to follow an order. Expanding my circle of creatives from actors to film students and dancers/choreographers.
SUMMATIVE STATEMENT.
Getting ready to enter into third year seems to already have the start line as the end of year auditions weeks. From being more accustomed to an audition environment from visiting casting directors like Suzy Catliff, I want to put an emphasis on wanting a successful audition experience. To walk in fully prepared and treat it like a performance that I can play with and be redirected on. To build confidence in communicating who I am and what I am aiming for without apology or hesitation. A hopeful development from the initial struggle of writing a first biography to proudly representing and showcasing my ability in the room where it matters. A lot of third year is working as an ensemble and us running our own warmups together, I want to step into the responsibility of taking a lead with the movement side of strengthening and conditioning our bodies. Heightening our awareness of what we need to do for ourselves and for each other when working on a play together for a block of time. Screen with Matt Looney made it clear when recording your show reels how important the first impression is and filling up the character’s world. How to use your edges of frame in the most efficient but interesting way to hold the audience’s focus. So I really want to hone down the different skills it means to act from screen then it does for stage, understanding my responsibilities as an actor when on set and in front of a camera. Linking back to when I watched the internal screen dance competition, I want to explore and develop the beginning skills of filming and manipulating angles and creating my own projects. I don’t want third year to feel like a finished product, I’m still in training and have the time and the opportunity to craft more avenues to express myself creatively. It’s also really important to start and nurture connections with people in the industry, particularly in the north, not just with agents but with other creatives that aren’t at LCON. Because when will there be a time when we are all together and are putting all our time into our projects. I am really excited to tackle any classical text or on the flip of that comedic text, within Shakespeare I found an easier way into the wildness of a character through the extravagance of the language and with comedy I found a vulnerability in trying to be funny. I want to continue to push my boundaries of what I’ve built to feel comfortable and apply my movement heavy process in becoming a character through the elements and LABAN. In conclusion, I feel I have a strong foundation to fully commit to the whirlwind and expectations of year three. Holding each other to a professional standard to propel our progress forward before stepping into the industry.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
- https://www.aktalondon.com/gallery
- https://davidjohnheadshots.com/1tmvqz4cxdearxhxktapp8gnnz7iq2
- Leeds International Screen dance competition – live recorded performance
- https://www.mandy.com/uk/magazine/article/what-should-you-include-in-your-actor-bio-78955/
- https://urbantalent.tv/about/
- https://northernlightsmanagement.co.uk
