Twice in one week, I've been for auditions for rather large sums of money. I have tried not to think about those sums but if I'm honest, I already have the money spent. It is the curse of being in the running for commercials.
I can almost understand why some agents don't bother trying to find their actors dramatic work on stage or small parts in TV; they go for advertisements and voiceovers because they have that wonderful word in the invoice, 'Buyout'. And it's always for a few grand. 15% of a few grand is better than 15% of a few hundred pounds for a week on a stage. So very sad but so true.
Adverts are so hit and miss for me. The directors tend to see me in the role but the client - Michelle the product manager - tends to stick to a safer choice of actor (home counties and the guy next door). I'm neither of those things so I personally don't hold out for getting much ad work.
I have to say though that some of the lengths you have to go to during an ad audition, you'd swear they were casting for The Godfather IV. Some of this is all for a mere second of the ad. I remember going for an ad for a van driver that was being filmed in Prague. They got me to do so much improv and called me back three times; when the ad eventually aired on TV, you saw the safe choice of guy they eventually chose in the van for a fraction of a second. And they were paying the jammy beggar five grand! It's crazy money. He couldn't quite say, "Look mum, I'm on TV!" but he got a holiday or a 'new' car out of it...
So wouldn't it be mighty if I hit pay dirt and got one of those well paid ones. It's unlikely but wouldn't it be luverly. Luverly. Loverly. Luverley. Lovely.
