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If you’re going to register for VOICE 2007 at the lowest rate, you now have only about 24 hours left (or less, depending on when you’re reading this) to get it done. More than 100 of your peers are going to be there soaking up all kinds of voiceover business goodness. Don’t you think you should be there too? Register here. I look forward to seeing you there in Las Vegas in less than a month.

Marc Cashman has written a thoughtful suggestion for those many times when you’re about to read a piece of copy that lists your part as “Announcer.” You’ll find his thoughts in this post at the Vox Daily blog.

ACTOR’S TOOL-KIT #5

TELL ME A STORY

by Bob Fraser

One of the questions I get asked frequently relates to something that most actors face … interviewing with agents, managers and casting directors.

Here’s how a typical letter reads;

Dear Bob,

I met with an agent yesterday and the first thing she said was “Tell me about yourself.” So I told her what my credits were, where I went to school, people I knew in the business and so on. She didn’t really listen. She said she’d let me know. I already know. She’s not interested. What did I do wrong?

What am I supposed to say when they say, “Tell me about yourself.”

Signed,

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

Whatever you do, DO NOT recite your resume, where you went to school, the people you know and so on. Always keep in mind the kind of work you want to do …
STORY TELLING

In the case of an agent, you are interviewing a prospective salesperson for your business. It’s your job to convince a thoroughly professional salesperson (an agent) that representing your product (you) is going to produce a lot of income.

An agent’s income depends on finding, representing and selling the best story tellers he can find. An agent learns quickly how to spot the ‘comers’ and ignore the ‘wannabes.’ The major criteria is this:

Is this actor a good story teller?

The observable reality? No agent can tell if you are a good story teller unless she sees you telling a story. That opening gambit – “tell me about yourself” – is an agent’s way of saying; ‘tell me a story.’

If you don’t comply with this request, agents become like five year olds; ‘tell me a story, tell me a story, tell me a story.’

These repetitive requests come in the guise of: “I see you went to Carnegie Tech.” “So, you’re from Connecticut.” “Oh, you worked with Woody Allen?.”

When you hear this kind of thing it’s just the agent trying to get the ‘test drive’ started. They want you to tell them a story.

KEEP THEIR ATTENTION

Okay, now that you know what’s really going on, it’s time to discover what your response should be – the next time you hear those words; “Tell me about yourself.”
What you should do is simple … TELL A STORY.

Go through your real life experiences and start creating narratives about yourself. If you have to bend the truth a bit to keep the interest up, then so be it. Fiction is our business.

(Don’t make up credits or relationships.)

For instance, let us suppose that you have only one credit in a community theater production of “Sally Of The Sawdust” – and you only had two lines as Cannonball Bill. The beginning of your story might be something along these lines:

“Well, I made my first entrance on to a stage in an unusual way – I was shot from a cannon.” (This is what we in the fiction business call a “grabber.”)

Now spin out a story where there’s a little suspense, a little joke, a little pay-off of some kind;

“One night we had an understudy who was supposed to say one line after I got shot onto the stage. He was supposed to say. “Hark I hear the cannon roar!” He was pretty nervous because he’d never been on stage before.

“Anyway, when I got shot out of the cannon with a large bang, the understudy was startled and he said, “What the hell was that?”

Don’t forget the drama! This is a scene you are playing for the agent. Rehearse it. Practice it. Play it.

Tell a story that keeps the agent interested in the outcome and you’ll go a long ways toward convincing the agent that you are a comer.

By the way, when I say create a narrative, I’m not talking about lying – I’m talking about taking the stories in your own life and making them memorable. Dramatic! Hilarious! Exciting! Suspenseful!

Now practice telling your stories in such a way that the agent can’t wait for the next line. Believe me, once you ‘hook’ an agent with a well-told story, you will get what you came for; representation.

In other words, sell the salesman.

The same advice goes for casting directors. They are the personnel department of the company you hope to work for. The same idea applies.

Tell a story.

1. Get several good stories in your repertoire.

2. Practice telling them.

This is basic, bottom-line preparation. If you don’t have stories to tell, you are going to suffer through a lot of needless rejection.

So the next time you hear, “Tell me about yourself.” you know all you have to do is be prepared to tell a story. Make it a good story, practice telling it, listen for the cue line and go.

Your positive results will soar.

NEXT INSTALLMENT: DO YOU NEED AN AGENT?

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PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint articles from Actor’s Tool-Kit, on your website or electronic newsletter.

However, in order to comply with my copyright, you must also include the following paragraph with your reprint:

“Reprinted from ACTOR’S TOOL KIT, the email course just for subscribers of Show Biz How-To — The Free Actor’s Monthly. Get your own free subscription by going to: showbizhowto.com.

Copyright © 2006 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved”

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The lowest price for registration to attend VOICE 2007 in Las Vegas (March 27 through 31) ends two weeks from tomorrow, February 28th. If you’re planning to be there, this would be the time to sign up.

While you’re at the VOICE 2007 website, notice that they’ve started their own discussion forum. Sign-up is quick, simple and free. I hope I’ll see you there.

OK. I know that’s not really a big goal for any of us, but your voiceover business could suffer greatly if you’re using marketing methods that people hate. Craig Arthur’s post at American Small Business blog isn’t about voiceover, directly, but the lessons apply.

In her The Actor’s Voice column of February 5, 2007, Bonnie Gillespie offers a brilliant metaphor for the casting process, a metaphor and story which underscore my long help view that voiceover work isn’t a competition. It’s giving the people looking for a voice the opportunity to pick you.

Sometimes they will, if you’re right for the job. Sometimes, they won’t, even when you’re right for the job. Do the audition. Make the contact. Be grateful. Then move on to the next opportunity.