What did Lawrence from Office Space say he’d do with a million dollars – “two chicks at the same time”? Well, if I had a million dollars, I’d take it to the next level and do two to four JOBS at the same time (c’mon – who knows how to party?) If you’re like myself or Elvis, you like to Take Care of Business. What’s that, you say? Your calling is to be an Actor, period? My friend, my heart truly goes out to you – the logistics and challenges of auditioning can be a wooly mammoth all on its own – but is there something inside pushing you to create your very own stories you care deeply about?
This essay is targeted primarily at Actors desiring more control of their careers, feel the need to be proactive, and suspect they may have latent talents falling by the wayside, but the advice could just as easily apply to a Producer who has long been in the Screenwriting closet just waiting to flamboyantly burst out. This is less of a “how to juggle tons of jobs simultaneously”, and more of a “what kind of fortitude would I need for each said title?” Let this Mad Hatter guide you through this colorful haberdashery; we’ll dust off each of these hats and see if there’s a fit.
Screenwriter
One of the greatest strengths of being a Screenwriter is that you can do it on your own time, whenever you want – wherever you want. Who’s gonna stop ya?! Do you need an MFA in Screenwriting to get going? Not even, Steven – buy encouraging books by Pilar Alessandra, Viki King, Blake Snyder, Syd Field, etc. – read them in your spare time, take notes, write down any crazy ideas for scripts you have, and before you know it – you’ll be outlining the better ones and crafting screenplays. The key to success here is DISCIPLINE. Since no one is looking over your shoulder, you’ll have to be diligent about making time for creativity, period. But you’re a Producer, and feel iffy calling yourself an Artist? You can type an email, right? Congratulations, you have the technical skill-set for Screenwriting! Should you crossover? If you’re a creative Producer, or love telling jokes or STORIES at parties – then perhaps this is for you.
Acting
I won’t waste my breath encouraging people to become Actors – generally speaking, if that’s your calling – you already know who you are. Let’s move along, shall we?
Director
You want to be the Big Cheese on set? You’d better know your @#$%. What expletive do I speak of? Composition (which I guess would look more like this @#$%&*{}™!^). Before you consider plopping your ass in that cushy canvas chair, you need to be comfortable with the Principles and Elements of Design, so if someone placed a gun to your head – you could literally PROVE why your piece is aesthetically beautiful. If all that talk made your Adam’s Apple sink into your nether-crotch, I would definitely skip to the next section… Oh, you’re still here? Well Pardner – you’ve got chuztpah – I like that, you’re gonna need it! So why Direct something you wrote or want to perform in? If you genuinely feel that you’re the only person on Earth that can tell this story with such a singular, unique vision – then you may be right. If you hold this conviction, make sure you study Design 101. This is where the healing begins. Forget all your perceived glitz and glamour of being a Director for a moment; if reading books or auditing classes at a community college regarding the basis of the visual world fails to ignite something in you – then fuggedaboutit.
Producer
I was performing on a production, and one of the guys on set came up to me and said, “What do you wanna do?” He was aware of my hyphenate background but wanted to find out what my focus was. He said, “Be a Director man, Producers are dicks.” He was a Producer, and yet one of the nicest blokes in film I’ve ever met. You see, if you’re an Actor / Screenwriter / Director who’s nervous about having the Producer title attached to you, you need to get over yourself and whatever stigma you perceive Producers may or may not have. Producers are amazing people, and honestly, you’re probably jealous of them because they’re more organized than you are. Producers get things done, plain and simple. Will you have to crack a whip? Maybe. Probably. Definitely – but remember you can always be a velvet hammer. What you should be asking yourself is: Are you a go-getter? Do you like goal-oriented activities? Then you may have what it takes to bear this mantle – but cinch up your spandex, Robin – you’d better stretch, or you’ll pull a hammy. Before wasting money researching books or seminars on the matter – start with your daily routine. Do you make lists? Do you write down goals for the day? If you don’t do either and just sort of float like an amoeba to each random daily obligation – you’ll either need to start this habit STAT, or let this job float on by, just like your blobby, aimless friends!
In Conclusion
Should you become a hyphenate? If you told your inner child to put down the Disgruntled Pheasants game or stop texting its BFF for ten minutes and seriously chew on the questions above, and you STILL think you’re in the running – then I say go for it! Should you do them all for complete and utter global domination? Pshaw – in fact, you need to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Look at Mark Wahlberg for instance – he Produced the show Entourage, but does he feel the need to pop his mug into each episode? He knows he’s better suited elsewhere, and with that attitude of knowing his strengths and leveraging them – he continues to make Elvis and myself proud by Taking Care of Business.
Micah Moss is a Screenwriter, Director, Actor and Visual Artist who lives in L.A. – and hyphenates way too many things while driving.
Websites: micahmoss.com |imdb.me/micahmoss
