Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with actors

Speak the speech trippingly. Or pitched low. Or with a mumble.

grumblebee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:07:15 -0800

Is there a resource that lists and explains the various effects one can use to accessorized speech, such as altering pitch, speeding up, slowing down, etc.? As a director, I often have to help actors make vocal choices. My company regularly employs doubling -- that is using one actor to play multiple parts. So that the audience doesn't get confused, it's great if the actor makes each of his characters sound different.

Some actors are naturally gifted this way. Others need help.

Note: like most modern actors and directors, I take a psychological approach to character work. So I would never simply tell an actor something like "speak more quickly" or "raise your pitch." But once we've done the psychological work, it would be awesome to see an array of choices from which you could pick an appropriate set of effects.

The vocal instrument is flexible but not infinite. There are only so many things one can do while speaking: add gruffness/gravel, change the pitch, change the speed, change the degree of annunciation, try an accent, etc.

I would like a complete list. The perfect list would include effect, example (e.g. an actor who naturally talks with that effect, such as George C. Scott for gravel) and any hints/pitfalls to help create the effect without hurting your voice.

I have a bunch of Voice-For-The-Actor books, but none has the list I'm looking for. If such a list doesn't exist, maybe we could compile one together here.

What do commercial actors get paid?

arm426 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:53:05 -0800

What do actors in nationally televised commercials typically get paid? Do they get paid each time it airs or a flat fee up front? An example: An actor in a Flomax commercial...he's on TV probably once every hour--if he's getting paid per air, he's probably raking it in...I just have absolutely no context for what he'd get paid. I guess if people know how the salary might differ for just voiceover, that'd be helpful too.

"Mmm... you're a dandy!"

brittanyq — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:38:54 -0800

What are the best Old Hollywood (auto)biographies? I've recently become fascinated by a number of old movies (1930s to 1950s) and the actors in them. I'm having trouble sorting through the bajillions of biographies out there - what are the best, juiciest and most interesting biographies of the stars of this time period? The actors I'm particularly interested in are James Stewart, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe and Katherine Hepburn, but I'm open to others.

Casting calls for hired goons?

anti social order — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:13:12 -0800

Casting calls for hired goons? Counter-intuitively, I may have a 'look' for movies/TV. Do I? If so, what do I do with it? So a random discussion with a friend who's minorly in the film industry (done stuff for film festival movies, a few commercials for local TV) a few states away led him to mention offhand "(they) never find people with your look. You'd get lots of work if you were an actor." I didn't think I had a 'look' so I ask you guys:

1) Is big guy a 'look' people want? (6'4, 280lbs, former football lineman, still carded buying beer)

2) If so, then what? would I contact some agent person locally (DC area) to let them know I exist?

Google returns nothing I can make sense of. I'm not trying to start a career in hollywood or pay for pro headshots so a lot of the advice I saw online seemed not to apply.

So what's the next move?

How to get someone to actively listen

miles1972 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:35:23 -0800

How do I get someone to focus and pay attention more? I am directing a play. I have directed many plays and this is a professional production with full technical support.

Myself and the entire company are friends, we laugh a lot we are generally having a good time in rehearsal. We've had a very productive first week, morale is good. The room is open to try things, everything great.

One snag: I have an actor who continually does not pay attention when I am talking to the room. I will tell everyone what we are moving on to, everyone begins to get ready for the next section, except for Don, who looks around, asks, "What are we doing?" He usually doesn't pay attention unless I preface everything with "Don!" wait for him to look at me and then give instructions.

Is there some other way that I can get him to be ready and attentive?

I'm not sure exactly what is pre-occupying his mind in these moments - it does seem to be his own script, etc. So it's not like he's checking text messages or something. It's just that I continually have to work so hard to get him to pay attention the first time.

Anyone, fellow theatre artists, teachers, leaders, etc have any tips or methods with dealing with this type of thing?

Where is the film Ross Kemp made on STDs?

pootler — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:29:08 -0800

Ross Kemp on...... condoms and STDs? I remember seeing this video a while ago, and then promptly forgetting it. Ross Kemp, in a very early acting job, made a film for the British armed forces about preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Today I found out that someone I know was in it, playing an Amsterdam hooker. :-) Now of course, that I want to see the film again, I can't find it! Google and youtube have failed me. Does anyone know where it is?

What's essential to have in a HD movie collection?

thewalrus — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:06:47 -0800

What do you consider to be the best or most important movies of the past 20 years, whether Hollywood or international? I'm rebuilding much of my movie collection in 720p H.264 (approx 5GB each) or 1080p and want to be sure I don't miss anything. There's a lot of content from the 1990s I want to keep on hand in a high quality format, from a variety of genres... Everything from Gattaca to Baraka. Can anyone suggest some 'essential film' lists or provide input from their personal collections?

Swapping spit with strangers- is it fun?

bluekrauss — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:13:30 -0800

Something I've wondered about for many years: how do actors get through love scenes? How do they get so up close and personal with strangers? How can they even stand seriously making out with a stranger, especially if they're with someone else in real life? Don't the significant others get jealous? I understand that shooting a love scene is anything but a romantic experience, that it's all very dry and technical, but how on earth do you get through a scene in which a stranger's tongue is in your mouth while you're lying there practically naked in eachother's arms? It sounds like the most uncomfortable situation imaginable! Any actors out there who've gone through this and can share their experiences?

Name that Movie!

tesseract420 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:35:36 -0800

Ciaran Hinds is an Irish actor who played one of the Israeli operatives in Spielberg's Munich. I saw a snippet of a movie in which he played a bald literature professor. There was a red-haired woman who was his co-star. Does anyone know the name of the film? Thanks.

Help me provide the coup de grace at this event!

Not in my backyard — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:51:10 -0800

Where can I hire actors and actresses in Chicago to play flappers/gangsters for a prohibition era party? I need about 4 actors for 2 hours. Where can I get them? How much will it cost?

Web site to find shared cast members?

Merdryn — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:29:18 -0800

My Google-fu is weakening with age, and I can't seem to find a web site that will let me type in two movies (and/or television shows; ideally, both) and get a list of cast members shared between the two entries. Does such a thing exist?

Why do some actors use their own names in TV shows?

ranglin — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:26:42 -0800

Why do some actors use their own names in TV shows? To clarify, I mean an actor playing a role, but using his own first name. The two examples that come immediately to mind are Michael J. Fox playing a "Michael" in Spin City, and Charlie Sheen playing a "Charlie" in both Spin City and also Two and a Half Men.

This came up between my wife and I today and we can't work it out. It seems fairly inconsistent, with some actors doing it, and others not. At first we thought it might be a fame thing (like calling it the Bill Cosby show or the Lucille Ball show, to make sure your audience knows what they're getting), but other equally-famous came-from-the-movies actors do it as well and I don't see it with them (think Keifer Sutherland in 24, or James Caan in Las Vegas).

So, what's the story here? Does anyone have any insight?

(I promise my next AskMe won't be about TV shows, my history is getting a little one-dimensional!)

Residuals for the working man

zerobyproxy — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:09:58 -0800

If Steve Guttenburg never, ever worked again, how much money would he earn yearly? This is not a dis of Steve Guttenburg. Flipping past HBO and I saw that they were showing Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment. I realized that I had not seen anything with him in it for a while. So I took a look at IMDB. There, I found that he has many film acting credits, some of which were very successful (Three Men and a Baby, Diner). I have absolutely no idea how much an actor of his experience earns in residuals so, any of you MeFites who know, give me a clue? Are we talking $1,000 or $100,000 a month? Can you explain how it is determined (structured)? I always have wondered which actors, who I would never guess, are set for life because of well negotiated contracts coupled with high grossing films (or well received television shows).

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Unknown upcoming actors/actresses

idontpay — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:20:55 -0800

Does anyone know where can I find information on the internet about unknown actors(even though you recognize their faces) that appear on certain commercials on national TV spots? I look at a lot of commercials and I am curious about who some of these unknown Actors and Actresses are, they mostly appear on National Commercials spots and am trying to find a website that might have info on them. Does anyone know where and how I can start. I've googled them but mostly just find the videos under Youtube.

"He always plays himself."

amyms — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:02:56 -0800

What are some examples of actors "playing themselves" (not someone purposefully featured as themselves, but someone whose personality is so powerful that it overwhelms the character he/she is supposed to be playing)? For instance, some people say that no matter what movie he's in, Jack Nicholson always plays "Jack Nicholson." Other people say the same for Robert DeNiro or Clint Eastwood. I'm looking for some actors and roles that are the embodiment of this notion.

Good space for a casting call?

names are hard — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:03:15 -0800

I'm trying to host an open casting call for actors/models in NYC. Any ideas for somewhere professional, yet cheap or free? We are expecting a large number of people to try out for our show. It is legit, but we don't have a lot of money yet so would rather not pay a lot. Is this the type of thing people rent an office for a day for?

Any other ideas?

Can I legally use celebrity's names in a browser-based game?

slater — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:54:46 -0800

In a browser-based game, am I allowed to use the real names of actors and actresses, or do I need to use similar sounding names so as not to get into legal trouble? The game would be a kind of "hollywood simulator", you start with a coupla million in play money and make movies. You select the actors/actresses from a list of names, then select the director, and so forth

Server location would be @ dreamhost (I believe they're in LA? Or San Francisco. Either way, in the US), but could be moved to Switzerland if necessary.

Arts Mentor seeks NYC Youth

twistofrhyme — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:52:05 -0800

Know any performing arts-related youth mentorship programs, where artists can teach kids & teens, in the NYC area? I'm looking for info about programs where professional artists can mentor or teach kids/teens in the NYC area. Preferably programs that pay at least an honorarium.
Bonus points for the following types of programs:

ARTS-RELATED - stuff where the youth are encouraged to create art (performance, writing, visual, music, whatever) in collaboration with adult artists.

PERFORMANCE-RELATED - programs where adults work together to make educational or empowering shows that they perform for kids / youth, in or out of the school system.

SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY CENTRE-BASED- existing youth programs that already have, or would benefit from, an arts-eduation for empowerment type of program.

The thing you might read between the lines is that I'm a professional artist with experience teaching & mentoring youth (and a BA degree, and a lot of professional cred, and expereince teaching drama, writing, and music), and I'm looking for work in the NYC area. I love working with youth, so being an artist-mentor would be an ideal job, I think, and I have the energy and experience to design my own program if need be.

Specific names & contact info for anyone I can contact for tips or send resumes to would be awesome,
and much appreciated at shinyshinygoodgood@gmail.com.
Thanks, hive!

What is this real life diorama called? Kind of like a frozen scene from a play.

barnone — Tue, 01 May 2007 20:12:43 -0800

What is this 'live photograph' called? I'm forgetting what this experience/event is called. The basic idea is actors posing in a scene - they're not moving, and I believe the 'audience' can move around and through these posed people. It is kind of like a real life diorama; I believe it was from the late 19th century; the term itself may be French; I'm making myself crazy trying to find this. I don't even really know how to explain this, but I remember reading about an 'event' or a kind of performance art, I believe from the late 1800s, where actors would pose in a kind of scene -- this may have been a response to photography, or it may have been something else altogether. It may have been a kind of parlor game; think of a frozen moment from a play, but not specifically on a stage. What is this experience or event called? Am I making this up?

Other jobs ideas for a talent agent?

bydar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:37:24 -0800

Hi, All, Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated..What type of jobs would I be qualified for? For the last 8 years I've worked as a talent agent (representing actors, models, voiceover talent for commercial projects) and seek a job/career move into a different area/field. Side note: My prior experience is in the music business (primarily as a lyricist/songwriter/musician). Although I plan to go back to college to finish a under grad (Psychology) and then seek a Masters (Clinical Social Work), I'm really trying to move into a work situation that my experience in the entertainment business can transfer over to. Being that I presently do not have a college degree, I've felt my job options have been rather limited. I also have a wife (who works) and a 2 yr old child. As a talent agent I work as a liaison between an actor/talent and a client (Casting director, ad agency, production company, end client) Negotiate rates for broadcast and non broadcast jobs (ex. TV/Radio Commercials corporate videos, etc.) Interview prospective talent to decide whether they rae marketable Direct and record TV and Voiceover auditions What I enjoyed the most about this type of work was educating the talent in terms of what areas they needed to improve, thus helping those I felt had/have an ability to be relatively sucessful in their careers. I'm planning on teaching some classes in the acting business as well, but that wouldn't be steady. Given that information, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas.. Thanks so much in advance

Popular expat American actors?

Brian James — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:09:13 -0800

Are there any popular American actors/actresses that do mostly productions not targeted for Americans? I don't mean American actors in American stuff that catches on overseas, or an American that does a guest star or cameo bit in a foreign production. I mean an American who lives in and works on primarily stuff produced in another country, maybe even non-English speaking stuff, and has been fairly successful doing so.

Hallucinogens at Titanic cast party?

alltomorrowsparties — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:57:58 -0800

Does anyone here remember an incident that may have happened during the filming of Titanic? I remember a story that I read in the newspaper around that time saying that several people were taken to hospital after unknowingly ingesting a hallucinogen at a cast party. As I remember it, dozens of people were involved, including cast members and crew. There may have been something in a stew or soup. I looked for some follow up story at the time, but never heard anything else. Does anyone else remember this story or am I having flashbacks myself?

Why can't Spanish actors play "American?"

generic230 — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 16:01:06 -0800

If British and Australian actors can do a convincing American accent, and American, Australian and British actors can do convincing foreign accents, why can't Spanish or French actors do an American accent? When I say Americans and Brits can do convincing foreign accents, I mean like Jodie Foster being cast as a French woman in a French film (A Very Long Engagement) and speaking fluent French. Not Kevin Kline doing that horrible French accent in "French Kiss." I mean, if British, Australian and American actors have the ear to recognize those differences and can be trained to be some other nationality linguistically, why wouldn't a French or Spanish actor be able to do that?

Decent music by famous non-musicians?

Plutor — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 04:12:20 -0800

I'm looking for music written and performed by people who are famous for something besides being musicians. Some of my favorite examples include Phantom Planet (ex-drummer Jason Schwartzman) and Marine Research (keyboardist Cathy Rogers). I'm interested in music that's worth listening to even without knowing the artist. (This, for example, would exclude Bruce Willis's The Return of Bruno.)

Extra points for music written and performed by people who are also not actors.

Help me, Mr. Computer!

grumblebee — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 06:37:46 -0800

Scheduling meetings: I need software (or a good human-based procedure) to help me juggle complicated schedules for a group of people.

I direct off-off Broadway plays, which means that there's no budget to pay the actors. So I have to schedule rehearsals around their conflicts. Yesterday, I spent SIX HOURS trying to come up with a workable schedule. I'd get it almost done, and then one of the actors would call me with new conflicts, and that would mess the whole thing up and I'd have to start over from scratch.

Every time I do this, I feel like it's something a computer should be doing for me, but I've never found the right piece of software. My current system involves a whiteboard and dozens of index cards, and it gives me a headache.

Here's the info I'm juggling:

-- eight actors with available times, conflict times, and times that they'd like to have off if possible.

-- some actors have flexible schedules, but I can only use them for a total of X hours. If I use them for X+1 hours, they can't square that with their day job.

-- a list of scenes, each of which uses some of the actors.

-- every scene MUST be rehearsed for X number of hours (I go by pagecount).

-- it's nice to be able to rehearse scenes at least roughly in chronological order. It's okay to fudge a little, but it sucks to rehearse scenes from act five before we've even started act one.

So the ideal piece of software needs to allow "weighted" data. So-and-so MUST have 7/11 off. So-and-so would LIKE to have 7/11 off. This scene MUST have at least four hours of rehearsal. It would be great if it could have 8 hours of rehearsal.

I would enter all this data and out would pop a schedule. If a piece of data changed (e.g. a new conflict), I could enter the change and the app would generate a new schedule.