Hello everyone, and welcome to the blog about everything that happens in front of the lens. My background and my love is camera acting, so this blog will be all about the acting scene from that angle. From commercials to industrial films to short-films to feature films, I have done them all at one point or another, so I probably have a good deal of information that would be important to you if you wish to pursue this path. You may want to keep it bookmarked or set up as a RSS feed so you will get the an update when I do a new post and answer questions from your fellow actors, or even your question.

I have been a working actor for going on 14 years now, and I love it. From my first monologue, I was hooked. Nothing gives me a high like being in front of a camera and performing, it is the single most invigorating thing to me, and I attempt to exercise that muscle as much as possible. If you're saying "that sounds like me!" right now, this may become a very important blog to you.

Remember the only stupid question is the question not asked that may help you in your career. So ask away!

To begin with, camera work is unique in many ways from any other form of acting, because the camera sees everything. The most subtle movement, look, or change can make a huge impact on the screen, whereas on the stage, it would have to be overly exaggerated to be noticed. The first thing you need to know is education is not only encouraged, I would say it is imperative you find a good coach, and constantly be searching out new educational sources (classes, seminars, and etcetera). Education in the acting business is an ongoing process if you want to keep up with everyone else. Don't be fooled, competition is fierce, and unless you have the tools to make yourself stand out as a unique talent, you will blend in and get overlooked. That can lead to many rejections, and lots of frustration. Something I learned early in my acting career that I believe saved me lots of wasted time and frustration is: find a good acting coach/mentor.

A few words about getting a good acting coach:

Acting training can be the difference between "living" the part and getting the part, or "acting" the part and not getting the part. A good teacher knows the difference, and how to get the "living" the part to come through. Even though we are called actors, for on-camera work, we are usually called upon to "live" more than "act" a part. You have to "be" the person you are portraying, or you will end up with fake and unaffecting work that is dull and uninteresting.

I have taken a fair amount of acting training over my years both before and after I became a working actor (yes, I still take courses when I can), and I have had many different teachers. Good teachers are hard to find because everyone is different, and a good teacher for one person may not be effective for the next. In addition, the really good teachers are usually teaching in a conservatory or someplace like that where the work and the pay is steady, unlike a freelance teacher. However, I have found some great freelance acting teachers/coaches that aren't in these places; you just have to know where to look. Your first place to look is anyone that you know that is in the business already (a working actor). In fact, I met my personal acting mentor through an acting friend of mine (networking is VERY important in this business if you didn't know that already). I call her my mentor because she took me under her wing, and I became more than just another student to her, I became a protégé. Here where I live (Seattle Washington), there are some great teachers, Valerie Mamches being one of them. As I said before though, you have to evaluate which one is the right teacher for you. There are also some bad ones out there as well, and here are some questions to ask, and qualities to look for to help you figure that out:

• What do other actors say about their teaching or teaching style?

• If they offer it, have you audited one of their courses?

• Do they offer a free preliminary audition? (in my experience, most of the good ones do)

• Do they teach for the type of medium you are interested in? (Camera, Voice, Stage, etc.)

• Do they change their teaching approach to the approach that works best for you? (this is the hallmark of a good teacher, but difficult to detect without an audit of their course)

• Are they or were they actors themselves? (this doesn't gaurantee anything, but if they were previously actors themselves generally they will be better in tune with your needs as an actor)

• If they were actors previously or currently, are you able to see them acting in anything? Were they "living" the part?

These are all good questions to ask depending on how well you know the person that referred the teacher to you (if someone did), and what you can learn about them through other means.

My acting mentor Valerie Mamches was an actor, and she offered a preliminary audition, and she allowed audits of her courses, and...you get the idea. Beyond that, we just seemed to hit it off when we met for the first time, and to this day, she can take my acting a step forward with just a few key words and direction that she knows will work specifically for me. A teacher that is well-versed in on-camera acting, and knows how to get the subtleties to shine through is what you need if you wish to pursue on-camera work. If you are looking at getting into acting for on-camera work, and you live in Seattle, you should look Valerie up (I can give you her contact information if you send me a message and ask), she just may be your ticket to the next step in your acting career.

Well, that's all for now. Till next time...