What are some steps you can take if you have an agent but aren’t getting out for auditions? Maybe you have a bad, lazy agent and it’s time to get another one. But ... before you take that drastic step, let’s explore a few other reasons for a lack of auditions and what you can do about it.
Your headshots. Do you like them? Did you spend a lot of money on them? Unfortunately, those things count for very little. (See my post on “What makes a strong headshot?")
Your headshots need to fit in with what your agent is submitting you for. A friend of mine is an example of headshots that might not work for her. Her shots are technically beautiful. She is beautiful in them – in fact she looks like a model. But there’s two problems with her using those shots.
First, she had her hair and makeup professionally done for the shoot. This is not something she will want to duplicate for every audition. And second, the shots don’t really match her demo reel. In her dramatic clip, she plays a girl next door type – very down to earth. A second clip also shows her without makeup – pretty, but not at all glamorous. And these are the kinds of roles she wants to get, but she’s not getting called in on them, because her pictures don’t match the type of roles she wants to be submitted for.
Note: Because she’s in Los Angeles, even if she wanted to pursue glamorous or model-type roles, the competition is fierce. There’s just so many beautiful people for casting directors to choose from, which means she still might not get called in often. (There’s a way to deal with that that I’ll address in a future post.)
Anyway, it might be time to talk to your agent and see what they’re submitting you for, and how each of you sees you and the potential roles you want. If you don’t see eye-to-eye on the roles, that’s a bad sign.
Something else that may be the problem. What are you doing to help your agent get you in the door of casting directors? Your promotional work doesn’t stop when you get an agent. Are you doing plays, short films, stand-up, sketches (for YouTube or Funny or Die), improv shows, etc.? Find the performing areas that help you get more experience and exposure.
You also need contact your agent for a meeting (a meeting that takes place, if at all possible, in person or on the phone – not by text or email).
Note: My agent likes to hear from their actors (but only every once in while, like every few months). I notice my auditions go up after I say hello by phone or in person. If I have an audition nearby their office I might let them know this and ask if it's okay to drop by after the audition.
When you do talk - instead of asking them why you’re not getting called in for auditions, ask them what you can do to help them get you more auditions. Getting angry or upset at your agent won’t help your cause. But by asking them what you can do, you avoid accusing them of not doing their job. And you make it sound like it’s the two of you working together – which is what you want from your relationship.
When you do talk to them, your agent may have two answers for you about why you aren’t getting auditions. 1) They are submitting you a lot, but the casters aren’t calling you in. Or 2) The agent isn’t seeing many roles that fit you. Ask what he thinks you can do to change that.
If they are submitting you a lot – it may be your headshots. Talk to your agent about those. You want to make sure your headshots fit the roles you're being submitted for, so, you need to ask them about that. Do they need other types of headshots, like ones that are more commercial? Or do you need more credits? Time to get yourself more short film roles. Join Actors Access and sign up to receive notices for short films or low-paying feature films that your agent may not be submitting you for.
Finally, if nothing else works, it may be time to talk to another agent. When you contact them, you don't have to say who your current agent is, just that you're looking for new representation. And don't bad-mouth your agent - just say that's it's not a good fit, then ask them what roles they see you auditioning for, andif they can get you into those auditions.
Cheers,
It used to be that you were supposed to keep your demo reel to no more than five minutes. Things have really changed in the past ten years or so. Now, it's really about them not being over two minutes. With agents and casting people getting huge amounts of demos sent to them, they simply don't have time to watch more than a couple of minutes.
And as someone who has talked to a lot of agents and casters, as well as made my own and other people's demos, I can tell you that those agents and casters feel they can get a good sense of your acting and your characters very quickly. It's true - if you've watched enough demos, you can tell within two scenes whether the actor is good or not.
With those things in mind, you will want to put your best stuff first. And I know that if you have a couple of great scenes that run about two minutes each, you may feel like you should put all of that in the demo. Don't! An agent doesn't need to see a two or three minute scene to "get" you.
Remember, a demo reel is just that - a demo. It's a business tool, like headshots. It's purpose is not to entertain agents and casters. It's so they can get a quick feel for your acting ability as well as the kind of characters you are best at portraying.
Remember what I said about keeping it short? Imagine this - you've got two long scenes that you're really proud of - now if the caster is only going to watch half of the first scene, then that second one never gets seen, right?
And because I've directed a bunch of stuff, I've received actor's demos with really long scenes. The worst are when the scene goes on and on and there's really no change in the character's emotion. An agent or caster doesn't need to see us be sad or angry or happy for two or three minutes. After 30 seconds, we get it - time to move on.
As an actor who has some good, long scenes on my computer, I know the feeling of having to edit them down to what seems like a too-short piece for my demo.
If you only have two long scenes, then make your demo one minute. Scenes should be between 15 and 30 seconds long. I know - it seems really short, but that's all the casters and agents need.
As for the rest: I open with a quick text card that says "Michael D. Nye" and under that "Demo Reel" Then at the end I put "Contact (my agent) and his phone number and email. And keep it short - if they need to write down the info they can pause the demo. Of course if you don't have an agent, just put your contact info.
If you have other questions about demo reels, drop me a note and I'll answer them.
Cheers,
Michael
Justin B. asked the question "I've got a new agent, but I haven't been out for auditions in six months. Should I start looking for another agent?"
Hey, Justine - thanks for reading my blog. Before you can really make a smart decision about dropping your agent, you'll need to figure out the answers to some questions.
Here, in no particular order are things you have to consider:
Is the reason you aren't getting auditions because of your headshots?
Is it because your agent isn't doing a good job of submitting you? And if he isn't, is it because he's lazy, or doesn't really believe in you? Does he have other clients in your category who have better credits, so they are the ones he's submitting? Or is he submitting you for parts that are not right for you - based on your headshots and credits (or age, ethnicity, etc.)
If you have very few (or no) professional credits, your agent's going to have a hard time getting you in for guest star or major supporting film roles. So is he submitting you for co-star roles that will build up your résumé so that you can eventually be considered for the bigger roles?
As you can see, unless you get answers to some or all of these questions, you run the risk of getting into the same situation if you go to another agency.
If it's been a few months - six at most - and you haven't had an audition through your agent, it's time to schedule a meeting, either on the phone or better yet in person. If they swear they've been submitting you, then discuss the possibility that it's your headshots or credits that are the problem.
As for TV roles, realize that breaking into television is probably the hardest area in which to get a start. That's because they work fairly fast and don't have time to take a chance on someone with very little credits (especially if they have no TV credits). It's a kind of catch 22 - you need TV experience to get TV roles, but you can't get experience unless you have a decent résumé.
The thing is, you can do something about those kinds of problems. Like, get new headshots, or doing student films, videos, online sketches, plays, etc. to build up those credits (and get more experience).
As for whether your agent is actually submitting you, that's harder to figure out. If you're in a theatre company, or around a group of actors in your category, you should ask them if they're getting auditions. This will give you an idea of whether the business is just slow, or your agent is not working very hard for you.
I've been getting a lot of theatrical (TV and film) auditions, but very few commercial ones, so I asked some actor friends who do a lot of commercials (and who are my type), if they were getting out and they said that it's been very slow for them as well. So, that tells me it''s not my agent's fault - it's just slow for character actors my age in commercials.
Just don't let a lot of time go by without talking to your agent. That doesn't mean call them every month, but if I had six months of no auditions, I would be on the phone with my agent asking what was going on.
Hope this helps - let me know how things go if you talk to your agent.
Cheers,
Michael
Back in November (2013) I wrote a post called: “How do I start looking for an agent?” I'd like to update and get a bit more specific.
I'm signed “across-the-board” with my current agent – which means he reps me for both theatrical (films and television) and commercial. However, I'm considering finding and signing with a separate commercial agent. There's a few reasons for this decision. My current agent does a good job of getting me out on film and television auditions, but I think an agent who specializes in commercials might get me more auditions than I've been getting.
Most, but not all, working actors will have serrate agents for different areas of work. That's because very few agencies are good at everything, especially at the smaller, “boutique” agencies where there may only be one or two agents.
So, I'm starting to put together a new package to submit to commercial agencies. I'll include two headshots – these are the two that get me called in the most – with résumés, and a brief cover letter. The headshots are not just the same look – smiling and not smiling. They are two different types of characters that I play most often in commercials – a “professor” type, and a “farmer” type. That helps agents see a range.
The cover letter will mention that I'm looking for commercial representation, that I heard their agency was a good one (never hurts to throw out a little flattery – but don't overdo it), and that my last two commercials were nationals that ran for over a year.
I'll be preparing both a “snail mail” package and an electronic one. Some agencies like emails, some still like getting hard copies. One of the advantages of sending your stuff in by email (besides saving money on postage) is that you can include a link to your demo reel, if you have one (and you should have one if you're looking to sign with an agent).
I'll write more about my search and whether or not I deside to sign with a seperate agnecy. And let me know if you have questions about finding an agent.
Cheers,
