Universe Multimedia

You Can Be a Movie Star Too

2011-10-22T15:26:00.007-04:00

By Pedro Sabino

Most of the film fans would probably cherish the idea of being able to someday meet and interact with their favorite movie stars. Achieving this goal seems to be very difficult for an average person that is not related with the Entertainment industry. However, working with your favorite movie stars could be easier than you think. In this article I will explain how you can accomplish this and possibly be on the way to become one of them.

On each film there are different roles played by different categories of actors. Among these roles there is one played by most of the people who work on the film industry, the extras, also known as background actors. Though the distinction is valid, many in the industry call them indistinctly. These are the people walking on the streets, driving vehicles or just walking behind the principal actors in the film.

You probably know this, but if you ever thought that these people you see playing these roles are just casual pedestrians who happened to pass by during the film shooting, think again. They are background actors, who are paid to do this job.

Many of these people are professional actors, members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), who work playing these roles to gain experience while they work their way up the ladder in search of that key principal role that may launch them to stardom. In the meantime, they keep themselves busy working as background actors, commonly known as extras. It is a dignifying and well paid job if you are unionized.

Though getting to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is not a given and sometimes can take a few years to accomplish, some people are lucky enough to get the three waivers in a few months. This depends on a specific production needs and of being in the right place at the right time. The waivers, are payroll vouchers given to non-union extras when the production company cannot recruit enough union actors to comply with a required quota of union actors employed in each union film. It may just happen too that they could not find the union actor with the specific traits or abilities they were looking for to play very specific roles. These vouchers open the doors of the union to non-union people.

To be eligible to become a member of SAG, which represents most of the professional actors of the United States film industry, the non-union worker needs to get three waivers, which means that this person must be hired three times and be paid at union rates. However, there are other shortcuts to become a SAG member. If you get a speaking role on a SAG signatory commercial or film, you can join the union after paying the fee, which is around $ 2,200.00 in L. A. and N. Y. and 1,700.00 in Boston.

Working with movie stars, though, does not mean that you are welcome to approach them and start a conversation while you are on set with them, as you would do with your best pal. There are strict regulations in the industry in terms of the type of interaction that is allowed with the principal actors. This is because for you it may just be fun, but for them is hard work. They have to focus and work hard to play their roles in the best way possible. However, if they approach you and start a conversation, you are welcome to engage them until they decide to withdraw. After that, just keep doing your job and let them go back to do their own.

Some movie stars are very kind and affable and they start conversations with the background actors, regardless of their union status. One of these cases is Henry Winkler, the actor who played the role of Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli in the 70's 80's Happy Days sitcom. Winkler was a major player in the film Here Comes the Boom, starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek, which is currently in post-production. He not only frequently engaged the audience during the down time, he even allowed people to take pictures with him, something mostly forbidden on set.

Now that you know how you might get to work with your favorite movie stars, you need to take some steps if you want to make it happen. First, register yourself in all legitimate casting agencies in your state and other states in your region. By doing this you will be able to receive casting call messages to which you can submit. However, only do so if you are available and committed to go to work. Casting directors have very good memory and they hate no-shows.

Now if you really have the drive and passion to get involved in the film industry, you just need to take action. Who knows you may become a movie star too. However, you don't go to battle with bare your hands. Get the tools you need, take some acting classes, improve yourself every day, and be ready when you get your opportunity to shine.

In respect to the casting calls, you need to be a little skeptical with some of them. Most professional actors recommend you not to pay any casting agency to get you work, this is because casting agencies work for the producers not for you. The only ones you should pay a commission for getting you work is your agent. However, before you can get an agent you need to gain experience. They will not take you if you are just starting, unless you are already a celebrity in other field of life.

Finally, you must have tough skin because may be your friends and even your family will not support you and may instead make fun of you. Just don't pay attention to them and work hard every day, keep focused, as in any other career, and you will make it. At the end, what really matters is that your dreams are yours only and they can turn in goals if you work systematically to reach them. You have the right to work in the job you love so much, do not let anybody discourage you, do not let them take away your right.

Central Casting New York

Central Casting Los Angeles

Grant Wilfley Casting New York

Grant Wilfley Casting Connecticut

Boston Casting-Boston

CP Casting-Boston

LDI Casting-Rhode Island

Communicate Effectively on the Radio

2009-12-03T16:33:00.009-05:00

By Pedro Sabino

Working on broadcast media since 1986 has been a learning experience day after day. This has been a thrilling journey that has taken me from a local station to working at a nationwide TV news network, breaking news on satellite radio, and freelancing for the worldwide news network CNN en Espanol Radio. In this article I will explain basic principles that have helped me through this journey and could make a difference in your broadcast communication career.

I will describe each basic step of the communication process and how you can capitalize each one of them to gain the respect and approval of your listeners, while making a place for yourself on the spectrum. This guide will walk you through the process to achieving an effective communication.

The Communication Process

Communicating effectively on the airwaves is a complex process, but we should start with the five basic components: The message, the transmitter, the channel, the receiver, and the destination. An effective communication achieves the intended goal, which could generate a positive or negative reaction, depending on the diversity of viewpoints of your listeners. The message, however, was received effectively. This is a matter for wider discussion. The other basic components of the communication process are the sources of the message and potential noises.

Let us talk about a radio announcer or DJ, who is also known as a radio personality. If you break the term down you have radio, which means in simple definition, communication system that uses the hertz waves to broadcast a message; and personality, which in basic terms is the sum of all the characteristics of an individual. When people talk on the radio they are broadcasting their personalities. Regardless of what type of personality you have, you can get to communicate effectively on the radio with the proper training. One basic requirement for this is to choose a program genre that fits your type and, again, receive the proper training.

The Message

One of the most important components of the process is the message. If the message is impacting, your work will be easier because the audience will center the attention on the content, not on the messenger. In consequence, if you want to have an impacting communication, broadcast impacting messages. In order to have an impacting message, its connection to the audience is capital; consequently, when you decide to communicate a message, make sure that it affects your listeners or present it in a way that they see how the message affects them. Do not waste your audience time speaking irrelevantly or you will be left alone "on the air". How? The fact that the radio is on does not mean that the person is listening to it.

The Sources

If you want to have a powerful message to transmit, make sure you get powerful sources; these are people who have authority in the topic from both sides of the story. Obviously, you have your opinion and principles to stand by and you do not have to be impartial, but being objective is a must if you want to make a bigger impact on your listeners and gain their respect. You can be on one side, but still be objective telling the story the way it happened and allowing dissenting voices in your show. Being an opinion show, you are entitled to have yours too. This does not mean you are supporting their arguments, you are just being fair by letting them express their points, which will give you more authority to contest them. Keep in mind that showing respect for the dissenting opinions shows good character and helps you gain the favor of your listeners.

The Channel

Your channels are your voice and the radio system; therefore, you must know how to use them properly. You need to get training so you can use your vocal resources fluently and be savvy in the operation of the studio equipment; this way you will not get distracted by technical glitches and can focus on the main issues. Your audience can barely hear you; therefore, add color to your delivery broadcasting your body language through inflections of your voice, fluency in your words, and applying voice acting techniques to make your message come across precisely.

The Destination of your Message

A fundamental element for communicating effectively is to define your target audience; then, make sure that you get to know them well. You should know their tastes and preferences, the idioms they use, their cultural background, and ideological approaches to life. Other inputs you should get from your audience are their problems, their dreams, and obstacles to accomplish them. By knowing all these facts you will come across more effectively to them since you will create empathy with your listeners.

You as a Transmitter

By the transmitter we do not refer to the electronic equipment that broadcasts the waves to thousands of radio receivers; we are talking about you as a radio announcer or voiceover. Besides all those elements we mentioned above, the communicator needs to take into consideration the boundaries of language; what language is acceptable and what is considered offensive. You do not want to have your audience turned against you. Though sometimes a little bit of that can spice up the taste of your program, offending your audience might have a cost that is too high: You can lose their respect and consequently lower your ratings.

Broadcast your message genuinely. Do not try to be somebody else; be yourself, but do it in your most interesting style. To be a good communicator you must be self-confident, demonstrate an excellent handling of the topic in discussion, and be honest when questions arise that you do not have the answers at the moment. Recognize the listener for raising a good question and promise them to research and provide the answer later. Allowing participation of the public to express their evaluation of your program will give you authority, because people tend to recognize the accomplishments of your show when you give them this opportunity. You might as well get some harsh criticism; therefore, you should be ready for this and be graceful.

Avoid Noises

In the communication process, noises can affect the way the message reaches the destination or intended audience. I am not talking about the static sounds that sometimes make it difficult for the listener to understand the message transmitted. Some of the noises I am referring to include differences in core beliefs and cultural background between the speaker and the intended audience. You must get familiar with the core principles of your audience so you can be on the same page.

Other noises could be language barriers. A communicator with a strong language accent should use this as an asset and not as a liability, meaning that you should not try to fake an accent unless you can do it perfectly and without effort. You might have better results if you can speak properly and confidently with your own accent, but do it graciously to gain the approval of your audience. In your path to becoming a better communicator, practice is crucial and for that purpose you will need your home recording studio. There are many affordable equipment and tools that will help you achieve this. Here is a good way to start. Click the link below to start your own home recording studio, which will allow you to record commercials, practice on air delivery, record internet podcasts, and make your own music beats and sound effects. Copyright @ Pedro Sabino 2009.

How to Start a Voiceover Career

2009-11-02T14:26:00.011-05:00

In the over two decades I have been working in the media industry, friends and listeners have asked me in many occasions to offer classes or coaching so I can share my experience. These requests were the motivation for me to start writing these media related articles. In this issue I will provide information on How to Start a Voiceover Career.

Voiceover artists offer their services in a wide range of fields. You can hear their voices on the radio, television, and Internet commercials; you can also listen to their versatility and acting capabilities in video games characters.

Other opportunities for voiceover talents include telephone messages that you hear when you call any company or government institution. Finally, one that many people overlook, but that requires voiceover talents to be experts in their craft is the cartoon voices. Just imagine any cartoon that you ever watched on television. Did you ever stop to think who is doing those voices? Voiceover talents.
If you want to be a voiceover talent, first thing you should know is that you will not be alone, but the opportunities also will be extensive. Did I mention book narrations? Just think about all the CD books that people can buy or just download and listen to while traveling on their cars. It is a convenient way of making good use of the time people otherwise waste on traffic jams during rush hours or in long trips. This article also will give you information on how to start and master your recording studio.

Launching your Voiceover Career

For a start I must warn you that it will not be easy to succeed in this career, since the competition is so huge that it is all over the world via the Internet, but the good thing is that now the industry is at your finger tips. If after these facts you still want to become a voice over actor, then you should follow these steps:

Start training your voice and your phonal apparatus. Start by warming up your vocal chords humming for 5 minutes the National Anthem or the national hymn of your country, notice I said humming, not singing.
After the warm-up, start reading aloud different type of materials and keep reading for at least an hour every day. Read naturally and clearly, do not affect your voice in your reading trying to imitate the announcer's tonality. Be yourself.
After you have done this for a week, start recording your sessions in front of a mike or a digital recorder; however, I need to warn you, be ready for disappointment! Most of the professional voiceover artists disliked their voices when they first heard it on recording and many of them still do. However, this is a necessary step, since you need to start listening to yourself so you can start noticing your mistakes.
Start listening to commercials on TV and radio with a critical ear, now paying attention to the enunciation of words, tonality and fluency of the voiceover talent. Do this systematically. Also, watch a lot of cartoons since this is an industry where voiceover artists have a big market.
Even if you feel you sound like Don Lafontaine, you still need a lot of training, keep practicing.
Use your recorder and record a commercial playing on the TV or the radio, type it into your computer and record it in your own voice, then compare it with the commercial you recorded from the radio or TV.
Now that you've done this, if you have a good sense of critique, then you realize that it's time to take your career to the next step, take it seriously and hire a voiceover coach who can lead you the rest of the way. If you need help, I might find sometime in my agenda to accommodate you.

Seven “don'ts” of a Launching Voiceover Career

Do not offer your services before you are ready.
Do not offer your services until you have a voiceover demo.
Do not pretend that you can be self sufficient. In this career you will need critique, your voiceover coach will provide that input.
Do not create your voiceover website without a professionally produced demo.
Do not set your expectations too high that you are going to be famous and successful in a few months just because your friends tell you that you sound great.
Do not stop practicing, even when you think you are ready, then is when you need more practice. Trust me on this.
Do not rely on yourself. The steps I gave you will set you on the path for a great career, but you still need plenty of training and guidance.

Keep the Focus on Your Goals

Last but not least, remember that your dreams belong to you and nobody else. If you dream with being a professional voiceover talent, you probably have what it takes to become one, just put enough hard work into it and the results will show.

There are big rewards too; some voiceover talents like those who do Simpsons' voices have millionaire contracts. Just think how much money made the guy who did the voice of Hulk in the last movie or the voiceover talents who do video game character voices.

In order to be an effective voiceover talent you will need your own recording studio. Here is a good way to start. Click here to start your own home recording studio, which will allow you to record commercials, make your own music beats and thousands of sound effects. Copyright @ Pedro Sabino 2009.

How to Become a Radio Producer

2009-10-07T14:51:00.060-04:00

By Pedro Sabino

Broadcast Radio is one of the most fascinating media ever invented, one that brings great satisfactions. In the 22 years span of my career I've had the opportunity to share the studio with radio personalities of the highest caliber, such as former Fox Sports commentator Juan Baez. Other highlights were the honor to interview on my program some of my colleagues at CNN en Espanol, where I served as a freelance reporter for eight years, such as news anchor Jorge Gestoso, CNN reporter Jose Levy, CNN en Espanol General Manager Chris Crommet, and former Miss USA Susie Castillo.

Though Internet has created a massive expansion and Television has the advantage that "a picture is worth a thousand words", the Radio is undoubtedly the most penetrating medium.

Just think about this. You can cook, wash the clothes or do any home task, even go to bed and perfectly continue to listen to the radio; most drivers have their radios as their companion through their daily commute, especially as a relief to the rush hour jams.

Being that radio is so penetrating, it is also a medium suitable to make money, make yourself famous, or just have fun and make hundreds of friends. Here I will explain how to become a radio producer.

Something to Communicate with Passion

One thing that characterizes successful radio personalities is their passion for the job or hobby. They love talking to people, entertaining others, or just keeping them informed.

Before you even consider having a radio production, think and make sure you have something important to communicate: It could be your enthusiasm for life, which you can transmit through a musical program; your career knowledge, which you can share in a talk show; your passion for a hobby, social, and political issues, on specialized productions. You need to have something that is of common interest to a vast audience and will help you make a connection with them.

The Production Profile

Now that you have something to communicate, there are many things you need to define. The next step is to sit down and plan your radio show production. Define the following topics:

Target Audience: Define whom you want to reach with your production.
Frequency: Once daily, multiple times a day, weekly, or more than once a week.
Length: How long will each broadcast be? Half an hour, one hour, two, etc.
Genre: Musical, News and Information, Talk Show, Specialized Topic Production.
Format: How you plan to present this product to your audience... is it going to be news reports with a news anchor, interactive news talk and comments, interactive humor talk show, musical with a DJ animation, Interview or presentation of a topic with a single host and no interaction? You decide.
Appeal: Whatever format you choose, you need to make sure that the product is going to be appealing to your target audience.
The brand name: The name has to be catchy, easy to pronounce and remember for even the least educated portion of your audience. Be creative.

The Channel

Once you located the station and hours available, start making a budget including all the costs associated to the production:

1. Weekly airtime rental.

2. Music albums, if it's going to be a musical.

3. Transportation.

4. Personnel, if any.

5. Background music theme.

6. Any other miscellaneous expenses.

Now, you need to find sponsors to whom you can sell advertising spots that can help you offset the costs of the production and make some benefit for you. You need to make a budget that includes a salary for you, the producer. You are going to be spending time, which is money. Additionally, work to double the budget estimate because even if you are a good sales executive your ad sales proposals return should be between 10 and 30 percent of the total submitted.

Pre-Production and On-the-Air

Finally, you have almost everything done to have your radio show on the air, but still you haven't organized the product you are going to present on the air. This is what you need:

1. A bumper: Have a professional voiceover talent. Do not be cheap on this, since this will be the image of your program. You should have one for the identification and another for commercial breaks.

2. A theme: Buy a library theme or a music and effect production software on the Internet, according to your program genre, but regardless of the genre, the music bed must be a dynamic rhythm that can keep the audience active, not something that invites them to sleep.

3. The content: You need to write a sketch with the content you are going to bring to your audience, then write down data and relevant information to read them on the air. If you are going to have interviews, I recommend you to write the questions beforehand. These are the basics: Who is doing what and why, where, when and how are they doing it?

4. Now, before you rent the air space and go on the air, rent a studio or make your own home recording studio and record a pilot of your first program. If you haven't had any broadcast communication training, you probably will find out that you need some help, probably from a voice coach that can help you communicate your message more effectively.

Universe Multimedia offers private coaching that will put more than 20 years of experience at your fingertips. You can send us a message at info@universemultimedia.com. If you can't afford that at this moment, don't break the bank! In the next lens I will explain the basic steps to be an excellent communicator.

In order to be an effective radio producer you will need your own recording studio. Here is a good way to start. Click here start your own home recording studio that will allow you to record commercials and make your own music beats and sound effects. http://psrmultimedia.com/About_the_Artist.html Copyright @ Pedro Sabino 2009