A few weeks ago a location scout for a network sitcom approached me. They were going to be filming one scene at the house across the street from mine. They were offering me $1000 to put some polar bears on my lawn. After playing hardball and getting them to $1100, the deal was made. On the day of filming I realized that four other of my neighbors also had also agreed to have Christmas decorations up. So that had to be upwards of $5,000, and then the actual house they were filming at must be getting well over that much. Close to 100 people and dozens of trucks showed up the next day. All this for one scene. Over a million dollars for a 30-minute show. Being on the outside and watching this production gave me a different perspective of what’s at stake when we walk into an audition.
In class last night one actor mentioned that she feels like she gets smaller when she walks into an audition room. That nerves or any number of insecurities can pop up and get in the way. I brought up the business side of things. If I’m a producer I want to see that I can rest a million-dollar show on your shoulders—whether it’s a one-line scene or a lead. So if we let the nerves take over, then we are significantly diminishing
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