CINELAND CLASS: CHOOSING THE LIFE OF AN ACTOR
- Jun 15, 2017
- 4 min read
Being an actor is not an easy road taken. The flamboyant lifestyle of celebrities may make it appear all rosy. There are a few lucky individuals but 96% of actors and actresses work their way to the pinnacle. The first few years are the most difficult if you ask because you are confronted with issues of financial insecurity, huge competitions, rejection and uncertainty. Young people are mostly exploited during these initial stages, simply because they are not prepared. Give yourself the best chance at success by starting right.
1. KNOW YOUR TRADE – Most people I have met who aspire to pursue acting as a trade often have their desire born out of wanting to be famous or because they merely admire a certain actor or actress. 90% of young people who venture into the acting space in Ghana are heavily exploited by the directors or producers because they know nothing about the trade. Just like any other job, you need to be well vested with the pros and cons of acting before you venture into the field. Do not let your eagerness to enjoy fame or early riches lead you to be exploited by your hirers. Beyond exploitation, you need to gear up for the happenings in the business. How can you be called an actor or actress when you have little or no knowledge about terms used on set? How can you be an actor or actress when you have no idea of the minimum wage for workers? How can you be an actor or actress when you do not know the role of managers of a production i.e. director, producer, D.O.P etc? Be well prepared to survive in the industry.
2. LEARN YOUR TYPE – We are taught to become people who can survive in a multiple of situation. Being in charge is a human instinct and so for everything we do, our focus is to be in the lead. Actors and actresses carry these perceptions into the field and most often fail. You need to understand yourself as a person, age, height, temperament, weight, performance range before you go in to audition for a role. Do you know about 80% of the big actors and actresses started in small roles? About 90% of the time, casting directors already have in mind who they want for lead roles. I advise - go for the little roles and elevate their worth, you may end up in that lead role. Secondly, you cannot be a jack of all trades because your physique may not fit it all. Know what you are good at and start off your career from there.
3. COMMIT – Commitment seems to elude a respectable number of actors and actresses once they find themselves casted for a movie. They want to be the one to determine the director’s plan. Once you pen your signature to a contract, know that the success of the production also depends on you. Excuses, impunctuality, unpreparedness should not make it to the table. Your luck of commitment can make or unmake you. No director will work with you twice if you become a headache to his or her production.
4. BE A GOOD PERSON – Attitude plays an influential role in where you will end your career from day one. Beyond playing a character, your personal attributes, relation with cast and crew also counts in the direction your career goes. Ruddily behaviors, uncleanliness, rebellious attitude are not things a director or producer wants to deal with every day. By these, I am not suggesting you act like a lamb being led to the slaughter even when they director or producer request of you something out of your ideals. Be polite in our dealing. Be a good person to everyone you work with and speak up in the best fashion when your rights or freedoms are tempered with.
5. LISTEN – 70% of the time, we are not paying attention. We want to talk. If you want to survive as an actor or actress, listen more and speak less. Always wanting to be heard leaves you missing very important details. Listening also means understanding your script, reading around your character, trying to get into the director’s mind. Take the initiative of listening and you will be a director’s favorite character. Speak only when you need to, do not speak because you want to or you should.
6. DO NOT REWRITE THE STORY – As a writer, one thing that gets on my nerves the most is actors and actresses trying to rewrite my story. If you wish to rewrite, then become a writer. The dialogue and sequence of events are written to achieve a certain effect. It is not your place to rewrite a story, yours is to do as the script and director says. Actors and actresses are often tempted to rewrite stories to augment their role in a production. If you want to survive long in the industry, concentrate on what you are given and play it out to the best of your ability.
7. Hard work and persistence - It all boils down to two words, Hard work and Persistence. If you do not have these at heart then it is better for you to find another trade. Being a world class actor or actress means putting in a lot of work, sacrificing and remaining focused on the goal. As the good book says, “He who does not work shall not eat.” Thankfully, it never stated how long you should work to eat. It takes time to reach the top. Work at it religiously.
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