Ramani Leah, CSA

Terminology Tuesday: Nudity Rider

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A nudity rider, or “nudity clause”, is a contract between an actor and production that defines what will happen on set while filming nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scenes. It might also be called a nudity waiver, simulated sex act rider, simulated sex waiver, intimate scene rider, or proposed written consent.⁠ ⁠ Any actor filming a nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scene, or appearing nude or simulating a sex act on set (even if …

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Monday Myth Debunkers: We Need to See the Types of Characters You Can Play.

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When crafting your reel, what criteria comes to mind?⁠ ⁠ Showing us the best of the best, most likely, and also making sure you’re showing enough range. ⁠ ⁠ But what exactly do we mean by “range?”⁠ ⁠ A range of characters? Range of emotion?⁠ ⁠ We sort of mean both. The range of 𝗬𝗢𝗨 and your ability as an actor.⁠ ⁠ But what we don’t mean, is a digital pie chart of characters you could play. ⁠ ⁠ You …

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Terminology Tuesday: Episodic Season

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It’s August!⁠ ⁠ It’s a great time for actors to start focusing on getting their start in TV. Whereas pilot season can be a bit more competitive, episodic season is most likely when you’ll be going in for (and booking!) that first co-star role. traditionally means… 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝕖𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕚𝕔 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟!!!⁠ ⁠ Once pilots have received their pickups and series have received their rewnewal notices, writers go back to work. Typically, casting goes back to work a month or so after the …

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Monday Myth Debunkers: Breakdowns Don’t Matter.

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ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴅᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋᴅᴏᴡɴꜱ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ?⁠ ⁠ Before we release a breakdown, we always have a thorough, in-depth discussion with the creative team in order to narrow down certain traits as we go through a sea of thousands of submissions. We try to get as specific as possible in the discussion (even if we don’t end up listing all these details in the breakdown)⁠ ⁠ Generally speaking, we try and put the most important requirements of the role in the …

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Terminology Tuesday: Imposter Syndrome

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Double-tap if you’ve heard of or even struggle with imposter syndrome. ⁠ ⁠ Imposter syndrome (IS) is the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications. It’s usually characterized by chronic feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and fraudulence. ⁠ ⁠ It can feel hard to internalize success and genuinely hold the belief that you’re competent and capable.⁠ ⁠ Many actors, creatives and really anyone with goals and dreams struggle with imposter syndrome. ⁠ …

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Terminology Tuesday: Guest Star

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Hard to believe we haven’t covered this term yet but let’s get right to it:⁠ ⁠ A guest star is the term used to describe the type and size of a role in episodic television. ⁠ ⁠ Typically, a guest star will perform in multiple scenes and have a character arc in the episode. ⁠ ⁠ Importance of the character to the episode, how much dialogue the character has, who they are in the scene with, and budgetary concerns are …

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Monday Myth Debunkers: You Need A Stage Name.

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Do you NEED a stage name? SHOULD you change your name?⁠ ⁠ Does your name correlate with the auditions you get and jobs you book?⁠ ⁠ For the most part, we’d say the answer is a resounding “NO” to most of these…⁠ ⁠ With one exception. ⁠ ⁠ The only time you might want to consider a SIMPLE name change (or even just addition of your middle name) is if someone already has your first & last name in the …

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Terminology Tuesday: Shifting Eyes

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Double-tap if you’ve ever heard the term “shifting eyes” or “darting eyes” in acting. ⁠ ⁠ To clarify: we’re talking about the acting choice (not any sort of medical condition).⁠ ⁠ What is this, why do actors do it, and is this the missing piece to booking every dramatic role you go out for?⁠ ⁠ In dramatic roles, you might have (at times) seen an actor dart their eyes back and forth between the other actor’s eyes. Actors sometimes do …

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Monday Myth Debunkers: You Have to Keep Them Entertained.

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Actors: Let’s talk about the constant struggle to stay authentic and present while being cluttered by thoughts of keeping us “entertained.”⁠ ⁠ We hear a lot of:⁠ ⁠ “I know they watch so many tapes, I don’t want to bore them.”⁠ ⁠ “You have to grab them within the first few seconds.”⁠ ⁠ “The camera is always on you”⁠ ⁠ Which then turns into…⁠ ⁠ ACTING. ⁠ ⁠ Acting and not… REACTING. Which of course (all you highly trained actors, …

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Terminology Tuesday: Given Circumstances

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If you’re wondering what we mean by “do the work” — one of the most important aspects is understanding and breaking down your given circumstances. ⁠ ⁠ The term “given circumstances” refers to the “who, where, what, when, why, and how” of your character:⁠ ⁠ 🎭 𝗪𝗵𝗼 are you? (Name, age, physical health, mental health?)⁠ ⁠ 🎭 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 are you? (In a room, outdoors, on an airplane, in a jail cell?)⁠ ⁠ 🎭 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 does the action occur? (In the …

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