JASMINE
A lot of my friends and fellow graduates from all different schools have had the 'you're too green, not enough experience, go do more' feedback, getting down to final rounds for things that they are perfect for and I think it would be interesting to hear your opinion of how to try and combat this!
SEAN
When someone tells you that "you're too green, you don't have enough experience", this means, in my opinion, that you're not perfect for that role, because if you were, then you wouldn't have had that feedback.
This is important feedback. It means, to me, that you may not have the performance maturity that they believe you need to handle said role. This is where your CV & experience comes into play.
The more credits you have & the more training you have, the more certain a creative team can be in your ability to be amazing both on the stage and off the stage. The more certain & comfort a creative team has in you and your abilities, the less they have to worry about you and the production when the production opens.
Thus you need to work. Go to class and continue your training. There is this mindset in Australia that I've noticed that once you've graduated, you don't need to train anymore.
Why? Because you're qualified? Your qualification means you have entry level skills to enter your industry.
Have a look at other professions. In medicine, they have medical interns that study within the industry. In business, there are assistants and interns that get paid and don't get paid in order to get the experience they need. Even students in high school get work experience to figure out what they want to do. In the beauty industry and labour industries, there are apprenticeships. So why do we, as performers in Australia, have this mindset that we don't need training once we've completed our courses?
We shouldn't. We need to earn our stripes just like anyone else. Sure there are those lucky few that get a contract as soon as they graduate and therefore are able to work on their skills IN the industry HOWEVER they are the 10%, if that! The rest of us need to work for free (I hate to say it) doing amateur productions, student films, unpaid shorts or low paying work on co-op/profit share productions, short films for festivals, etc.
Class is another place where you can get experience. A number of teachers I know are very well connected in this industry and by going to class on a regular basis, they may hear of something on the grapevine of an opportunity that you're perfect for OR some will even hire you for a project that they themselves are creating.
If you're a screen actor, another place you can get onset experience is doing extra work, or if you're lucky, stand in work. You get to see the environment of where you want to be playing right in front of you. See what everyone does on set, what their roles and responsibilities are and see the "other show" that happens behind the scenes. This can also open a networking opportunity for you with other actors and creatives. You never know who will be on set.
I was on set as a "featured extra" which is what we call a recognisable extra in Australia, and the person sitting next to me while I was waiting for the next shot to be set up was the producer & we had a good 15 min chat just about life.
Otherwise, in this day and age, why aren't you CREATING your own work and putting it out there? With the internet and social media being what it is today, there is no excuse for you to NOT make your own content.
Or why not get with your friends and film each other doing self tapes? If you want credits and experience so you're not green - you have plenty of options. But the question is, how badly do you want it to actually earn it?
ACTOR CHECKLIST:
Am in class for my accents, scene study, acting technique, audition prep?
Am I with my friends putting down tapes on a regular basis?
Have I submitted myself for student films, short films or web series?
Am I doing extra work?
Can I create my own work?
MUSIC THEATRE/ DANCER/ SINGER CHECKLIST:
Am I training regularly in all my disciplines (acting, singing, dancing, accents)?
Have I submitted for amateur/ community shows?
Have I submitted for Co - Op or Pro Am shows?
Have I spoken to those in my network who do corporate gigs?
Jasmine Sands is a beautiful musical theatre performer who has a wonderful stage presence and gorgeous voice. You can connect with her the following ways:
INSTAGRAM: @jasminesands__