Friday, May 30, 2014

Some reasons to make your own videos

Hello all!

I've been working on finishing the edit for my new video for the website, “Funny or Die," and I got to thinking about reasons why we creative people (especially actors) should make our own videos. Inexpensive cameras, and editing software, make creating a video possible for almost all of us, so let's take a quick look at some of the reasons to make one (or more).

Looking to get experience performing on camera. This is a great reason for someone new to the business to get in front of the camera. You can do as many takes as you want, and watch yourself. You'll get a good sense of your mannerisms, and “on-screen” presence.

Looking to break-in. People do watch videos. And not just “regular” people, but also people in the casting business. Often a casting director will have his or her assistant prowl around the internet looking for interesting new performers.

Getting feedback. If you put a video(s) up on a site like “YouTube,” and do a little social networking, people will see you and give you feedback. Yes, sometimes people will say crappy stuff about you, but then some people say crappy stuff about Brat Pitt, so this can be a good way to get used to it. And some people may compliment your work as well, and that's a way of seeing what works (and doesn't work) for you as a performer.

You're Looking to change your image. I just saw that Charlize Theron is going to be in a comedy film. And that's interesting because she has mostly been known for doing very serious roles in films like “Monster,” and “North Country.” But in the last few years she's been doing comedy sketches on Funny or Die and and now she's in a comedy film.

You're looking to boost your career. Sometimes an actor's career just seems to stall and not only can you get yourself out their and be seen, but it will really make you feel better about yourself if you're doing something proactive.

You want to expand your talents into writing, directing, etc. Many actors like to also write and/or direct, and doing this a few times is a great way to not only get experience, but also to figure out if it's something you want to spend more time pursuing.

You want to express a personal point of view. Sometimes it's very satisfying to be able to express yourself as yourself and not behind a character. You can talk about anything: politics, why people should adopt animals, or just what's going on in your life. You can do this with a regular blog, or as I plan to do in the near future, with a video blog (or vlog).

Finally, maybe you just want to express your own artistic vision. When we do this, we're not going for some specific goal, like getting discovered – we just have something to say and we make some kind of artist video to express our inner self. You just do it because you want to do it and it can be weird, or silly, or just a bunch of swirling colors pulsating to a friend's musical score. Whatever.

So, there you go – a few of my thoughts about doing videos. And now it's time for me to get back to work on my own video and get it finished and online. Even though it's just a silly little improv I did with a friend, I like it and that's what really counts when you're doing your own stuff.


Cheers,

Michael

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