Breaking into Acting For Dummies. Larry Garrison

it, which is called writing a script on spec (short for speculation). As an alternative, or in addition to writing spec scripts, many writers hire themselves out to work on various projects.

      

Many directors and producers write their own scripts to prevent someone else from messing up their original vision for their story. Actors sometimes write scripts so that they can create roles specifically to showcase their talents.

      In the world of theater, the writer (known as the playwright) wields enormous power, sometimes equal to that of the director. A director rarely changes a script without the playwright’s approval, and the playwright may also be involved in casting and rehearsals.

      In rare cases, a producer may actually start filming before the script is even finished. On television sets, writers may write (and rewrite) scripts right up until the time of taping (and then they may rewrite the scene afterwards for another take as well).

The Studios: The Ones That Make Everything Possible

      Studios represent the business end of show business. Studios typically provide the following for a film or television project:

       Financing to get a project started or completed

       Sets and production facilities (such as cameras, editing equipment, and even food services)

       Marketing and distribution to advertise a project

Getting a job in a studio — whether you’re working as a security guard, a janitor, or a secretary — is an excellent way to meet people and find out more about show business from an insider’s point of view.

      

Studios are in the business to make money, so on any given day, a studio may rent out its facilities to various productions shooting a film, a TV show, or a commercial. If you’re on a set where another production is filming, stay within the confines of your own set and don’t go sight-seeing on a different set because you’ll only get in the way (and then you may get two different directors or producers mad at you).

      The following sections examine in greater detail two important tasks the studio does: financing a project and marketing and promoting a project.

      Financing a project

      Every film or television project needs money. Although a producer can raise money from a variety of sources — including individual investors — many projects eventually need the financial resources of a studio. (Occasionally, studios even collaborate with each other to share the costs and risks of a project, such as Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount Pictures did with Titanic. That way, if the project bombs completely, neither studio loses too much money as a result of diversifying their risks.)

      

When a producer tries to convince a studio to invest money in a project, the producer is said to be pitching the idea or script to the studio. Pitching a project involves convincing the studio to help get the project completed. Getting a studio to agree to fund a project is still no guarantee that the project will ever get done. Sometimes a studio may decide to kill a project for political reasons (maybe the new studio executives don’t want to complete any projects started by the previous corporate executives), and sometimes studios kill a project because they think it’s going to bomb so they want to cut their losses.

      Sometimes, big stars and directors may invest their own money into a project to ensure that the project gets made and to earn a bigger share of the profits. Kevin Costner invested his money to get Dances with Wolves completed, and George Lucas put in his own money to finish Star Wars.

Although studios have millions of dollars in resources, they can’t finance every possible project. Instead, they must selectively choose which projects they think will succeed and pass on those projects that they think won’t make money. (Of course, every studio has passed on projects that turned out to be blockbuster hits, which only goes to show you that nobody can predict who or what will hit it big tomorrow. Just ask the people at Universal Studios who thought Star Wars wasn’t worth financing.)

      

When a studio commits to starting a project, that project is said to be green-lighted.

      Marketing and distributing a project

      After a studio has created a project, the next step is marketing and distributing. The premiere of every film involves advertising in magazines, on television, and in previews shown before currently running films. After a film is released, the studio may also pay for the principle actors to publicize the film on television and radio talk shows.

      

If a studio thinks that a film is really bad, it’ll try to cut its losses by eliminating most of the marketing budget. So if you ever appear in a really awful film, take heart that at least you got paid, got some experience, and did your best in your role. Then worry about going out and getting your next role that will hopefully put you in a blockbuster hit the next time around.

      Through their marketing and financial power, studios can ensure that a film appears in as many theaters and Internet streaming sites as possible. Without the backing of a major studio, a film may appear in a few cities or in the smaller (and less profitable) independent theaters (although in rare cases, positive word of mouth can boost a film from the independent theater circuit to the wider mainstream theater market).

      

During the initial release of a film, the studios earn the majority of the ticket sales. The longer a film plays (which, in show business terms, means that the film has legs), the more the theater gradually earns from ticket sales. If a film is doing poorly, distribution centers will yank that film to make room for a new film or for an existing film that’s doing well.

      Besides marketing and distributing a project to theaters, studios may also market and distribute films to television and cable networks, foreign markets, and the home entertainment market.

      If a film or TV show has any tie-ins (such as books, action figures, or video games), the studio may negotiate the licensing fees for these as well. In some cases, a film may make more money through foreign or television network distribution than they do during the initial run in theaters.

Casting Directors: The Gatekeepers

      Casting directors may work directly for a single production company, or they may freelance and work for several production companies on a temporary basis. Casting directors do the following:

       Audition actors

       Choose several potential actors for each role

      Casting directors use breakdown services that describe the roles that will be cast for their project. On occasion, they may have an open casting call, but for all intents and purposes, they’ll make their suggestions for talent that may fit the role. That’s where you can use websites like L.A. Casting to present your resume, photos, and clips to place yourself in front of the casting directors with the help of your agent representation or without an agent. Chapter 7 addresses this in greater detail.

      

They set aside time to audition actors