So I've turned my hand to modelling

Most actors will tell you they don't really do anything other than acting - perhaps just the odd bit of this or that during down times but the way I see it, we need to be as versatile as possible to stay on top of things, especially with cuts in funding, less being made and the increase in bollocks tv shows such as 'The Only Way is Essex' or 'What Peter André Did After Breakfast.' If I've offended you, then I urge you to stop reading immediately, consult an anaesthesiolgist and beg them for an overdose.

Anyway the more we can do that adds to our employability -whether it be honing a skill, keeping fit, training further - we ought to do it - and if it brings in the Benjamen's in the mean time - great!

Now I'm not going to kid myself that this next casting of mine is going to set the world on fire - but a smart man from our industry once told me that "Nothing in this industry is for nothing," by which he meant that you get something out of even the smallest venture - be that a contact, some money, an appreciation for another artform or simply life experience.

I have a friend who is an extremely talented casting assistant/director Leanne Flinn who often casts music videos and films, adverts and also finds time to sing in the kickass Blues Brothers Banned as well as having her own films shown at Cannes. She recently asked me if I would like to put myself forward for a hand modelling project and whether I had any experience? I answered the only way an actor can, when a casting director asks such a thing:

Casting Director

"Oh, and how are you at ...... {the Mongolian Anal Flute}?"

Actor

"{Mongolian Anal Flute} you say? Oh Grade 8 ... Yeah ... My parents wanted me to go pro actually ...
I won the School's National Championship in 2007."

Thankfully she only required a couple of photos of my hands rather than a rendition of the above so instead of sending in the boring photos I thought I'd put together a short clip of my skills in action, to show that I really can point at stuff all by myself.

The following montage, and many of you will find this hard to believe, was produced entirely in-house (literally) ... all the way from the creation of the concept, through to scripting, story-boarding, casting, direction, lighting, sound (including ADR), manicuring and shooting to everything else in post such as grading, editing, foley and special effects, all within 15 minutes.

I am incredibly proud of how the finished product turned out - at times I never dreamed it would ever be finished, and I couldn't have done it without my girlfriend who stood beside me the whole time (again, literally) without whom none of it would have been possible (I couldn't hold the camera and point all at once). I hope you enjoy it. N.B you will need the sound up to appreciate the oevre to its full effect. Those without flash player (iPhone and iPad users) view here.

Well there you have it folks, I gave a little more than was asked of me and (for whatever reason) I got the job. I film for a week (an entire Week!!) for this commercial and it sure as hell beats working for a living. I can't think of many other professions that allow you to do the sheer variety of things I get to ... It just goes to show that 'nothing is for nothing.'

LA on a shoe-string during pilot season!

Hi guys. These are my top tips for tackling LA during the pilot season, or any time, on a shoe-string,

Accommodation
Well you're gonna need a place to hang your hat of an evening and you can end up paying a fortune if you don't box clever. There are more than a few complexes that will offer you everything you could need - self-contained with gyms, pools, printing facilities, maid service, shop etc but as far as I can tell, they all cost a small fortune.
I can recommend craigslist for finding a place if you don't mind sharing, or even for furnished/ unfurnished apts. There are plenty of hostels to stop for a week or two while you're looking for a place that suits and fits your budget. I wanted to be near the beach so immediately set my heart on Santa Monica (now of 'Battle LA' fame or Venice Beach as I blogged earlier. I managed to bag a Californian king-sized ensuite bathroom with 2 other house mates (that were never in) for $700 a month inlcuding bills!

Car
No question: you need a car in LA. It can't really be done unless you don't mind walking for hours after taking the pathetic attempt at public transport. Apparently all plans to develop the current system are opposed vehemently at every stage for fear of bringing more hobos and lower socio-Eco class to the coast!! There are plenty of rental places that you've already heard of. If you want a good-as-new car, this is obviously the way to go but be sure NOT to pick it up from the airport as you'll get stung with an extra tax for no reason other than - because they've got you by the balls!
If you're going to be staying a while then it might be worth buying a car; and obviously all the caveats for 2nd hand dealing apply. So make sure you test-run the shit out of it - checking absolutely everything -because the last thing you want on a shoe-string budget is a money-pit-mobile that leaks 3 months later when you hit the rainy season and the guy you bought it off has moved to TJ!!!
As I posted earlier I cannot fault "rent-wreck" they let you walk off with a heap-of-shit-mobile but at least it's honest- and all of the risk is in them. If it breaks down they'll come and sort you out for free. If you're stupid enough leave the lights on they will come and charge it back up for free, if you lock your keys in they will bail you out there too (but be sure to expect some chastising for your troubles) all for free instead of added extras that you'll find at a standard rental place.
They throw in a free GPS. And if you opt for a real beat-up one they either won't be able to discern any fresh damage from the old - or they'll waive it like they did for me.
They're not like any other car rental company:
"You'll notice son, we don't carry clip-boards and we don't wear ties"

Petrol/Gas
Shop around a bit but really...life's too short. Oh and be sure to point out to your fellow American how much it is in the UK when he's spitting with rage over the latest 2 cent increase!

Gym
Your right to work-out in LA is comparable to your right to vote or to not be discriminated against. There are about as many gyms as there are people and they all offer a FREE WEEKLY trial to entice your custom - and because they can guarantee you'll be driving there, they can put them anywhere rather than shoe-horning them into some dingy basement like we're used to.
Obviously you can pay a fortune and have a health-spa attached to your gym but I was content to jump from free-trial to free-trial simply printing off a different voucher every week. That is at least until I went to Bally's which was about half the price again. I ended up paying $50 for my remaining 7 weeks!! Apparently it gets super busy in the peak times but being an actor I never had to contend with the masses and could rock up to an empty studio at 11.00 every day. If you're in for the long haul however, and want a chain with frills, you should budget about half of what you would pay in London.

Printing
Don't waste your time driving to an Internet café to print off a script or spend your evening squinting at your laptop screen to get it read. Buy a printer as soon as, and get toner online at half the price. You can get a ream of paper for $5 as well as a scanner/ copier/ printer for $60 at your local Office Depot. This will save you a fortune in the long run.

Headshots etc
American casting directors like a colour 10" x 8" for starters and you should also have a colour body-shot to boot. Again if you're gonna be there a while it might be worth getting new ones done rather than taking a colour version of your current spotlight pic. There is arguably a differnce in style and lighting to our rather staid English counterparts and it's generally accepted that your headshot should be the best you could POSSIBLY look, so be sure to get it air-brushed (out there). If you need new ones you should be looking to spend between $100 and $500: Outside of this and you're wasting either your time or your money.

    

Groceries

Get a loyalty card to one of the larger chains. My rent-wreck key-chain came with one of these already on for 'Ralphs' which saved me what must have been hundreds of dollars by the end of my stay. Rather than discount coupons that you never use, they charge a different price to 'valued customers' for virtually everything, you simply have to make peace with the irritating greeting at the checkout when you swipe it.

Phones
Your best bet is to take an unlocked tri-band phone out there (so you don't have to buy one) and get a pay as you go sim. If you have it, turn data-roaming off or pay the consequences, and just use it for wi-fi. Failing that you can buy a very crude model out there that just about makes calls, for $15. There are deals such that you only have to pay $2 a day if you text abroad or call domestic which is ideal for a pilot-season length stay. Longer and you may as well take out a tarrif with a monthly plan.

Acting classes
There are loads of websites touting sessions with casting directors from 'Lost' or from the latest hit series, to feature films. Inevitably they're not cheap and usually concern a room full of hopefuls listening to a casting ASSISTANT who is supplementing their insufficient income off the back of a tenuous association with something successful - with your hard-earned cash. There are however worthwhile classes to be found with talented acting coaches. If you are over for pilot season I recommend you do your research ahead of time as you often have to attend a minimum of a month's worth of sessions in order to get your money's worth. Some promise genuine castings through links the tutor has to casting directors, which may materialise (I can't say either way) or may not, but isn't this effectively paying to audition?!

Visas
If you're going for pilot season you may want to simply go over on a visa-waiver (your basic holiday visa) for a maximum of 3 months, from late January to late April. But when they grill you at the US border it's probably best to keep your auditioning plans to yourself and play it as a long holiday funded on savings! (My God that was a tense 5 minutes). This will realistically enable you (manager or agent willing/capable) to be submitted for the very best parts on offer i.e the leads in up-coming pilots/ features. Naturally you will have to be an absolute perfect fit for the role. If you fit this criteria there will be a shiny new visa pushed through for you in record time, the cost of which can simply off-set with your significant pending pay-cheque.

If you want to open up your options to a wider number of roles (and play more of a percentage game) you will need an '01 Visa' which is for 'an alien of extraordinary talent'(that's you!!) and you will need to submit documentation to prove that you are a significantly big enough deal that nobody in the States could perform this particular role quite the way you will. This will involve letters of recommendation from anyone in the industry you have worked with (who are still willing to vouch for you); screen grabs from your performances on both Tv and film, programmes from plays you've participated in; proof of earnings; awards for performances; specialised qualification certificates- the list goes on...and on...

You will also need an immigration lawyer to submit your case. These vary astronomically with predictable differences in price. The best piece of advice I can offer is shop around and don't be afraid to haggle. I managed to get $1,000 deducted off the first attorney I consulted with and then used this as a basis to undercut a further $500 off another lawyer simply by playing one off against the other. You can pay as much as £6,000 (££££s not $$$s!!!!) if you need it in a hurry, or just as part of sorting your 'offer of employment' and this is key to the application. Even the shortest cv can be dressed up to look impressive but you need someone to say that they intend to hire you on a project filming in the U.S. Even if it doesn't transpire in the end. So if you have contacts abroad who can make this happen, great, but if not there are companies who can sort this for you ... you guessed it - at a price. I have settled on a quote from an outfit that submits through Vermont (rather than California where most are input, running a greater risk of rejection) and currently has a 100% success rate thus far, at a price of $4,500. Fingers crossed. Email me for contact details.

Subscriptions/Submitting Yourself
There is an equivalent to castingcallpro over there where you can submit yourself for projects being cast daily and there is always imdbpro and the local rags: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Empire which keep you up to speed and informed / occupied.

My final point is really about how to live out there. The people are friendly and genuinely interested in how you are and what you're up to - and I mean the average stranger you exchange pleasantries with waiting in line at the coffee shop, supermarket or simply walking down the street. I distrusted it to start with but as an Englishman in LA it's not the easiest to make friends straight off so I would say, embrace it. Next time I'm back I plan on joining a sporting club that meets regularly (Santa Monica rugby club) and plan on putting down a few roots. Whilst LA wasn't the networking frenzy I'd been led to believe I did find lots of like-minded individuals at the BritBreakfast in West LA that I went to with a couple mates as wing men. Not a bad way to spend a morning but I'm not sold on the likelihood of lasting professional partnerships as yet. Make the most of everything out there - enjoy the sunshine and the laid-back style of life, the smoothies and the trashy food too, take up a hobby and never ever ever ever give up. I hope this has been of some use and raised a few points you hadn't yet thought of. Good luck.