Dead Echo Creations

2009-12-22T15:15:00.002-05:00

Working on Bill's reel was a lot of fun. A twenty-year vet of the business with just as many IMDB credits to his name, Bill brought an eclectic array of projects to the table and really challenged me when it came to choosing his best performances.

What we ended up with was a crisp, energetic collection of his two decades in front of the camera - take a look!

"Crunch Time"

2009-12-02T10:26:00.001-05:00

"Crunch Time"" by Rideout163... the brand new music video post-produced by Dead Echo.

Check it out!

Deloris Rabinowitz

2009-11-30T17:22:00.001-05:00

Seth Godin wrote an entire book (“Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable”) about the way a small percentage of highly-successful companies stand out and become successful. According to Godin, having genuine talent or a superior product is just not enough in today’s marketplace; the key to success revolves around marketing yourself in a way that nobody in your field has thought of - being a ‘purple cow’, as the book suggests, in a field of black-and-white Holsteins.

One of Dead Echo’s latest projects, a custom reel for Deloris Rabinowitz, epitomizes this concept to the T.
A product of the Coral Springs Community Theater, this fierce Floridian/grandmother of two is a triple-threat and a force to be reckoned with when she’s up on the stage. She is also a character, a fabrication conjured up by Marc De La Concha, a New York-based actor in his mid-twenties trying to make a name for himself on the national theater circuit.

When Marc isn’t touring, he is Deloris, a genuine and realistic phenomenon which makes the twenty-something De La Concha virtually disappear behind a pound of makeup and a wig that simply…. well, just take a look at the reel. De La Concha is doing something that nobody else is doing. Sculpting Deloris as an elderly, pitch-challenged retired grandmother, he is gradually gaining a following around New York and Pennsylvania. He is approaching his career via risks which no other actor in the New York area is willing to take. His reel was a pleasure to work on - check it out!

Writers Write

2009-10-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

Imagine for a moment that your job suddenly allowed you the privilege of only showing up when you felt inspired to do so. What if you were only required to wait tables, deliver pizzas or compile TPS reports when your passion for the aforementioned arose? How often do you think you’d actually make it in? Probably not very often. With that in mind, when was the last time you treated your passion like a job? When was the last time you committed a significant amount of time to your craft during periods of extreme fatigue, an overwhelming work schedule, etc.?

Ask yourself (and be honest) - is your art a job or is it a hobby?

If it’s something that you do when inspiration strikes, then it is nothing more than a hobby. As a writer, I often struggle with sticking to writing schedules.

I often struggle with a somewhat peculiar commitment complex when it comes to many of the scripts I’ve worked on in the past. As any seasoned vet will tell you, the job of a writer is rather simple - writers write. Ten pages a day. Not four…not seven… ten. Every day. Some of those pages will move into the pre-production phase. Some will move into the recycle bin. As long as you just keep writing, none of that really matters. There’s really nothing worse than staring at an empty word processor, the cursor teasing you mercilessly as you search for brilliance that just never seems to come. This is a really good strategy for averaging a page per month, before throwing in the towel on a script that (because of your inactivity as a writer) lacks focus, is under-developed and um… really sucks.

Over the years, I’ve slowly uncovered the limitless benefits of the editing process when it comes to screenwriting. When it comes to writing, it’s a lot easier to mold something than to build it from scratch. With time, I think I’ve gotten a lot better but feel that there is always room for improvement when it comes to my discipline with my writing.

I really want to do ten pages today. I think I can make it happen. Of course, I still have to get around to the inevitable and that’s actually naming the two brothers (main characters) in the story. For months, they’ve been simply “Older” and “Younger” throughout the draft.

Ten pages is my goal for today. What’s your goal for today?

Shawn Ehlers Photography

2009-10-05T02:00:00.005-04:00

The website has been up for a little over a week now and things are really moving. Launching the site and expanding my business gave me the chance to reconnect with a lot of my old clients and see how their careers are progressing. Networking has also proven to be a good experience. About a month ago, I connected with Shawn Ehlers, a seasoned, talented photographer who has been doing actor headshots for 10 years in the New York City area.

In her many years in the business, she's accrued an impressive portfolio and has worked with countless actors and models. After an extensive past as a former Ford and Elite model, Ehlers moved to the other side of the camera. If you're an actor or model in the New York City area in need of a headshot (or just need some quality, professional print material), I highly recommend Shawn Ehlers and her studio for the task.

Definitely check out her website and her blog.

Please Typecast Me!

2009-09-30T13:02:00.003-04:00

I’ve found that many actors seem to be playing against their type when it comes to how their reels are put together. It’s a bit of a touchy subject with several components at play.

Many people are firm believers that an acting reel should be as eclectic as possible and it makes sense. What actor wants to portrayed as a one-dimensional, one-trick pony that can only play one type of character. Earlier in the year for example, I cut a reel for an actor who was a bit frustrated by the roles that were being thrown his way. A full-time member of the NYPD, he was also pursuing a career as an actor. Producers looking to cast police officers in their films were lured to his natural, authentic portrayal and cast him as such in their projects. I believe he only had one clip in which he was not playing a cop.

The logical solution for the aforementioned is for the actor to expand the type of projects he pursues and slowly shed his reputation as someone who can only do one thing. But is it possible to have a reel that is too diverse?

… Sometimes it is very possible. For any actor, the question of whether or not to really diversify their reel ultimately boils down to one very simple thing and that is just being honest with yourself. If you’re a primarily dramatic actor with 7 quality clips, are the 2 comedic pieces you have as good as the dramatic ones? No… are they really as good? Chances are that the answer is no. Too many actors diversify their reels just for the sake of diversity, just so show casting directors that they “do everything”. This is a mistake. Chances are that you can’t do everything. Now, I don’t mean for that to sound harsh and you really shouldn’t feel bad because I don’t think anyone can do everything.

Denzel Washington is my favorite actor working in Hollywood today but if you really think about it, he has just as many limits as the rest of us. Has he ever been in a film in which he wasn’t the coolest, most confident mofo on the screen? He’s been a corrupt cop. A homophobic lawyer. A drug dealer. A basketball-obsessed felon. Malcolm himself. Indeed, he’s had a diverse array of roles and has portrayed many, many different characters but he’s really only played one type of role.

And he’s one of the most successful and accomplished actors in the history of cinema. Maybe one day, you’ll be right there with him but until that day comes, one of the purposes of your acting reel is to lessen fear and reassure producers and casting directors that you are right for the role they are acting.

I say yes to diversity only if the material does not vary in quality as you progress thru your reel. The one thing I will almost always advise against is when an actor has a multitude of similar clips and ONE clip that’s just out of left field.

This too, is far from a “rule” but something that I will adhere to most of the time with the people I work with.

Thoughts?

Just Follow the Rules and There Won’t Be Any Trouble

2009-09-29T14:03:00.000-04:00

Let’s face it - everyone knows that there is just a certain way that an actor’s reel should look and deviating from these strict, ironclad rules often has dire consequences for any actor searching for work.

Of course, that isn’t true but the number of people who adhere to the “rules” of reel editing is quite staggering. I really hate to call them “rules” because they are really anything but and can best be described as just really solid ideas that, more often than not, are the way to go. While the actor’s reel will generally follow a certain format, I’ve always felt there really is quite a bit of wiggle room for what makes the final cut. No two actors have the same amount of experience, the same type of footage, etc., and therefore, it is my belief that no two actor reels should ever be alike.

The headshot debate is a popular topic. The vast majority of editors, casting directors, etc. will tell you that beginning your reel with a headshot is the kiss of death and should never be done… and I agree with them (for the most part). While I too never want to start any of the reels I cut with a headshot, there is always an exception to the rule. Once in a while, an actor will find him/herself with a handful of really great clips and a small problem that often proves to be a huge problem once that actor’s reel falls into the hands of a producer or casting director. If an actor has a handful of clips - a dinner scene with two other actors, a commercial with three other actors on screen all at the same time - identifying who the reel actually belongs to can often prove to be a challenge. This problem can, almost always, be rectified with a five - ten second montage of the actor in the beginning of the reel (non-speaking inserts, b-roll type shots of the actor, etc.). If this kind of footage is unavailable, I believe that breaking this first “rule” is much better than having a casting director mistake your reel for someone else’s. That short montage in the beginning can often be a lifesaver.

But what about montages in general? Many people shun them just as quickly as they shun headshots but oftentimes, they are necessary and often result in a terrific reel for the actor. One of the last reels I completed is a perfect example. Adonis Williams, a terrific young actor I worked with about a month ago had roughly 15 clips (maybe a few more) for me to cut. The vast majority of his material was comprised of music video work, which made cutting a “traditional” reel impossible. I had no choice but to create a 1:36 montage of his work and we both loved the result - a crisp, quick exhibition of his experience as a background dancer, his non-speaking music video work, etc. Some stay away from montages, some don’t - there really isn’t a rule; it all depends on the footage. For me, the pacing for every reel I do is different.

At the end of the day, a talent reel only has one objective and that objective is to get the actor working. Essentially, the actor’s reel is nothing but a resume - a visual resume of what they consider to be their absolute best work - a brief showcase of their abilities in front of the camera. With a reel, one should never forget about the first and foremost tenets of effective resume writing, for it is my believe that what works for resumes also applies to reels.

Three years of experience as a waitress isn’t going to get you a job as an accountant and as a result, does not belong on an accounting resume. Keeping that in mind, if you don’t think that the student film you did your senior year is going to yield any future work, than it doesn’t belong in your reel. Don’t be afraid to cut footage from your reel (no matter what the footage is) if it doesn’t showcase your skills. If you share the screen with Angelina Jolie for 20 seconds as cop #4, that does not mean that it belongs in your reel. If you’re not acting, then it just isn’t reel material. This is hard for a lot of actors to accept but the simple fact of the matter is that many casting directors just don’t care. The fact that you were in the background of a scene that had Angelina Jolie in it isn’t any type of proof that you are right for the role currently being cast. Your reel is about your skills as an actor, not a who’s-who list of the people you’ve met in the business.

I’ll be covering more of these “rules” in later posts but just remember that there really aren’t any to begin with. Leave some comments and let me know what you guys think.

Welcome

2009-09-25T11:34:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Dead Echo.

After about a year of cutting acting reels in and around the New York City area, I’ve finally launched the website and am excited about all of the changes that await Dead Echo later this winter and in 2010. I’m going to begin posting daily starting this Monday, September 28 and while the blog will serve partly as a portal to Dead Echo’s news and expansion, it is my hope that it can quickly become much, much more.

Specializing in acting reels, a big part of this blog will center around the craft of acting. Given that I can’t act my way out of a closet, I will be observing this fine craft, admittedly, as an outsider and someone who will never willingly step in front of the camera myself. I do however reside on the opposite side of the camera and hope that my exploration of acting - over time - will enable me to become a better writer and filmmaker. Furthermore, I just hope that the aforementioned will make me a better reel editor. All I want to do here is present ideas and receive feedback and interact.

Technique, headshots, auditions, my own pursuits as a filmmaker, profiles of my clients… I hope that this blog can become a unique platform for it all.

See you Monday!