Dammit Jim! I'm an actor, not a techie!
Throughout my time at the University of Ottawa, I avoided crew work like the plague. Except for the few assignments I needed for credit, I never volunteered for any production positions.
It wasn't because I thought being a crew member was beneath me, far from it.
Crew members are the hardest working people on a production. They are the first ones to arrive and the last to leave. They end up working crazy hours to get the job done. They also happen to be the ones who get the least amount of recognition and respect. No, being a crew member just never appealed to me.
Now, if you take a look at my imdb credits, I should techinically have more crew credits than performing ones (imdb still hasn't fixed the problem where my one online acting credit is under someone else named Nancy Kenny).
That, on some level, is starting to bother me.
Karyn keeps telling me to stop finding other people performance work and get some of my own and today that rang true. I've just spent the better part of the last 24 hours trying to get a friend to take a job as a Stand-in. Three weeks of paid union work on set all because he happens to be 6'2". A few weeks ago, after getting cast in Unwritten for a part that requires 1 day of shooting, I was asked by my director friend if I could assist him on the production (haven't been able to yet due to my workload). Now I've just been asked by another friend if I would be interested in working as the Production Coordinator on his next film.
Doesn't anyone want me as an actor anymore?
Ok, I know I'm exagerating because I have just finished the runs of two shows. And it is nice to find out that there are other things that I can do (and do well I might add) in my field.
But just to be safe, I've booked an apointment to get new headshots done on Tuesday.
It wasn't because I thought being a crew member was beneath me, far from it.
Crew members are the hardest working people on a production. They are the first ones to arrive and the last to leave. They end up working crazy hours to get the job done. They also happen to be the ones who get the least amount of recognition and respect. No, being a crew member just never appealed to me.
Now, if you take a look at my imdb credits, I should techinically have more crew credits than performing ones (imdb still hasn't fixed the problem where my one online acting credit is under someone else named Nancy Kenny).
That, on some level, is starting to bother me.
Karyn keeps telling me to stop finding other people performance work and get some of my own and today that rang true. I've just spent the better part of the last 24 hours trying to get a friend to take a job as a Stand-in. Three weeks of paid union work on set all because he happens to be 6'2". A few weeks ago, after getting cast in Unwritten for a part that requires 1 day of shooting, I was asked by my director friend if I could assist him on the production (haven't been able to yet due to my workload). Now I've just been asked by another friend if I would be interested in working as the Production Coordinator on his next film.
Doesn't anyone want me as an actor anymore?
Ok, I know I'm exagerating because I have just finished the runs of two shows. And it is nice to find out that there are other things that I can do (and do well I might add) in my field.
But just to be safe, I've booked an apointment to get new headshots done on Tuesday.
posted by Nancy Kenny at
11:26 AM
3 Comments:
Well it seems to me that if you keep working behind the scenes in your field instead of being in the spotlight, so to speak, people in your field will begin to only see you in that category. Am I wrong?
By
Mme H, at 12:12 PM
Karyn's right, sadly. People identify you according to what they see you do... not what you say (or don't say) you'd LIKE to be doing. Don't get painted into a corner!
This, of course, is more easily said than done, yo. Back whan I was still thinking about being an engineer, I never was able to get work within my field of specialization because I did an internship as a software designer... and then ended up working as a software designer (or related jobs) for the next eight years. It's tricky to keep on top of what you want... so you have to work hard at it.
By
Anonymous, at 4:14 PM
Ooo. Or do what I did: do your job badly, on purpose, so that people have to find other things for you to do!
By
Anonymous, at 4:15 PM
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