An Actor Speaks.
And yes, I said Actor not Actress. I've not once gone to see the Doctress ;-) Own it!
I was inspired to write this after a conversation I shared with a fellow actor, Lindsey, at a Women In Media event last night hosted by another fellow woman in film, Tema Staig. Wow, we are all just doing it, aren't we? Pats on backs all around.
You are making movies. Put each other in them.
Every woman who is active this industry arrived at success because they are proactive participants in their creative destiny, actors included. We are not just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. With a proactive actor, you are not just getting an interchangeable assemblage of body parts that can recite lines and cry on cue, you are getting a dynamic co-creator who just might be as passionate and committed to realizing your creative vision as a filmmaker as you are!
This may read as a call to action for some, a rant to others, but however it comes across, I do hope it inspires you to look at this industry differently and how we might judge or categorize the creative labels and stigma we attach to ourselves and each other.
While the conversations that have finally started in this industry are important and dynamic and providing TONS of amazing creative opportunities for women in entertainment across the board, I have noticed a distinct focus on producing and directing or other crew opportunities. There seems to still exist this stigma wherein an actor is embarrassed to simply introduce their talents as just such. Mind you I am speaking from the experience of a triad hyphenate of Actor-Writer-Producer, listed in order of passion.
When my team and I started pre-pro on our film WEDLOCKED - including casting - and we reached out to our respective networks of females in film, only a couple actors reached out and offered their services as a performer. They were empowered enough to step up and say "I have a tangible skill that I can offer to add value to your project." The ones who fit the bill were called in and we were and still are so pleased to have been able to draw from those amazing resources.
I know we all feel the same pressure to get the "names" attached so we can sell our scripts, films, plays, etc. I am guilty of those moments as a producer as well, but there are surely a plethora of supporting and ensemble roles for which we can offer a stepping stone, an opportunity, a moment where we say, "I support you as a creative vessel in doing what you love," to another of our collective. Those "names" we are seeking started somewhere. Somewhere along the line a filmmaker found in an actor a creative collaborator who shared the same vision and extended their hand.
We have an incredible, bottomless resource in the networks we've all created within the industry to support each other in a myriad of ever expanding ways. One of our strengths is that, while we know the rules and play them better than anyone else, we're also not afraid to write our own and figure out how to make it work our way. Let's support our actors by extending acting opportunities whether it be for staged readings, workshopping a play, casting a big budget studio feature, etc.!
To filmmakers, I challenge you to CAST from the creative collaborators, the content creators you see in your circles regardless of social media numbers or Q scores, but rather based on talent and work ethic. At the very least pull from that incredible pool of talented resources for your auditions. We have creative collaborators in these groups who have specifically trained in and cultivated skills that enable them to perform a specific task: acting, that adds unique value to a production.
To actors, shake off the shackles of shame that have led you to the false belief that your role is not of value in the creative process. You have put time, sweat and love into building a skill set that no one else can contribute in quite the same way you can. Without you there is no play, there is no film, there is no show, there is no vessel with which we can transmute our message on screen or stage to the masses.
This is our art form. This is our passion. This is our time. This is our choice.
Blessings,
Ally
The heart fire of an Actor birthing a Producer in order to empower the Writer within
www.AllyIseman.com
I was inspired to write this after a conversation I shared with a fellow actor, Lindsey, at a Women In Media event last night hosted by another fellow woman in film, Tema Staig. Wow, we are all just doing it, aren't we? Pats on backs all around.
You are making movies. Put each other in them.
Every woman who is active this industry arrived at success because they are proactive participants in their creative destiny, actors included. We are not just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. With a proactive actor, you are not just getting an interchangeable assemblage of body parts that can recite lines and cry on cue, you are getting a dynamic co-creator who just might be as passionate and committed to realizing your creative vision as a filmmaker as you are!
This may read as a call to action for some, a rant to others, but however it comes across, I do hope it inspires you to look at this industry differently and how we might judge or categorize the creative labels and stigma we attach to ourselves and each other.
While the conversations that have finally started in this industry are important and dynamic and providing TONS of amazing creative opportunities for women in entertainment across the board, I have noticed a distinct focus on producing and directing or other crew opportunities. There seems to still exist this stigma wherein an actor is embarrassed to simply introduce their talents as just such. Mind you I am speaking from the experience of a triad hyphenate of Actor-Writer-Producer, listed in order of passion.
When my team and I started pre-pro on our film WEDLOCKED - including casting - and we reached out to our respective networks of females in film, only a couple actors reached out and offered their services as a performer. They were empowered enough to step up and say "I have a tangible skill that I can offer to add value to your project." The ones who fit the bill were called in and we were and still are so pleased to have been able to draw from those amazing resources.
I know we all feel the same pressure to get the "names" attached so we can sell our scripts, films, plays, etc. I am guilty of those moments as a producer as well, but there are surely a plethora of supporting and ensemble roles for which we can offer a stepping stone, an opportunity, a moment where we say, "I support you as a creative vessel in doing what you love," to another of our collective. Those "names" we are seeking started somewhere. Somewhere along the line a filmmaker found in an actor a creative collaborator who shared the same vision and extended their hand.
We have an incredible, bottomless resource in the networks we've all created within the industry to support each other in a myriad of ever expanding ways. One of our strengths is that, while we know the rules and play them better than anyone else, we're also not afraid to write our own and figure out how to make it work our way. Let's support our actors by extending acting opportunities whether it be for staged readings, workshopping a play, casting a big budget studio feature, etc.!
To filmmakers, I challenge you to CAST from the creative collaborators, the content creators you see in your circles regardless of social media numbers or Q scores, but rather based on talent and work ethic. At the very least pull from that incredible pool of talented resources for your auditions. We have creative collaborators in these groups who have specifically trained in and cultivated skills that enable them to perform a specific task: acting, that adds unique value to a production.
To actors, shake off the shackles of shame that have led you to the false belief that your role is not of value in the creative process. You have put time, sweat and love into building a skill set that no one else can contribute in quite the same way you can. Without you there is no play, there is no film, there is no show, there is no vessel with which we can transmute our message on screen or stage to the masses.
This is our art form. This is our passion. This is our time. This is our choice.
Blessings,
Ally
The heart fire of an Actor birthing a Producer in order to empower the Writer within
www.AllyIseman.com