Monday, July 13, 2009

Part Two: Getting a Job

PART TWO: GETTING A JOB!

YOUR AGENT
Every game week your agent will present you with a number of Offers for roles for which you may wish to Audition.

Some of these events are randomly generated, others are authentic player-controlled Projects for which you fit the bill. These roles are presented to you based on your age, background, attributes, availability, salary requirements, etc. At first you have low Presence and an unfamiliar name, so it’s not likely you’ll have your pick of plum roles. Listen or not, the more roles you take, the better your agent can determine which roles suit your personality.

PARTS
Lead Male/Lead Female: The personalities driving the plot and drawing the crowds
Supporting Male/Female: A major part of the plot whose Presence will put butts in chairs
Supporting Cast: Involved in the subplots of the Leads but probably not on the poster. These are speaking roles with a moderate amount of screen time.
Cameo: A star who appears in a small but notable speaking role
Bit: A small speaking role
Extra: Appear on screen without speaking

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Sample Offer Sheet Sample

Message from Agent Bernie Hughley[click here for agent sheet]

Here's what I've got for you this week:

OFFERS
Film - None

TV - "Crime Show"[click for notes]
Budget: $100,000
Episodes: Pilot
Role: Supporting Cast(Semi-Weekly), Supporting Female (Semi-Weekly), Extra (One-shot)

Commercial:"Spirit Soap" Budget: $500

AUDITIONS
An Audition is the act of submitting your resume to the Producer and Director of a project. When your name is submitted, the Producer and Director are given an interpretation of your Audition performance and a quick evaluation of your Chemistry with other personnel of the project. How accurate the interpretation is to some extent determined by the extent of their talents as much as your own.

It takes one game day to Audition, as it takes one game day to hold an Audition.

SAMPLE UPCOMING AUDITIONS SHEET SAMPLE

Film

Beardcore: The Movie [click for description, cast and production notes]
Budget $1.3m
Auditions: Buddy, Reality, Extra

A Walk Under Rainbows
Budget $40,000
Auditions: Supporting Female, Bit, Extra

TV
"Republicrats"[click for production notes, including genre and primary attributes]
Season: 22 Episodes
Network: Premium Film Television [click for Network schedule and production history]
Medium: Cable
Auditions: Presenter, Reality
Frequency: One-Off (single appearance)


Commercials

Open Audition: Yes or No [set your preference]

Production Notes:
[If yes:Character auditions up to 5 times that week]

[Working actors will audition less. Disciplined actors will work more. More competition; less success]


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DIRECTING AND PRODUCING AUDITIONS
When actors show up to audition for your show, you get to wade through a bunch of these submissions:

A sample Audition Interpretation sheet would look like this:
Name : Johnny Dipp
Age: 24
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 170
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue

Country of Origin: USA
Paternal Origin: Caucasian
Maternal Origin: Native Hawaiian

Primary Language: English
Secondary Language: None

Presence: 0
Credibility: 0
Discipline: -5
Chops: 0
Salary Requirement: $1000/week

PERFORMANCE
Beauty – 45
Conditioning – 37
Agility – 40
Timing – 5
Voice – 8

Intelligence – 35
Intuition – 30
Improvisation - 30
Diction – 15
Wit! - 5

AURA: Medium

AGE RANGE
Primary: 20-29
Secondary: 17-19
Tertiary: 30-34

CHEMISTRY
Lead Actor - Awful
Lead 2 – Poor
Supporting – Rubbish
Supporting 2 - Good
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ROLES AND TYPECASTING
Taking on roles that are similar to those you have played before can make you more and more proficient. Doing this can earn you bonuses but taking on the same part too many times will make you typecast. Typecasting can bring on penalties when attempting roles that are too much of a stretch. Typecasting happens to most people, though, and can be very hard to break.

Some roles/typecasts you may acquire include:
The Hero
The Villain
The Victim
Buddy
Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Presenter
Reality
Starlet
Scientist
Cop
Alien
Cowboy…(you get the point)

Or even…
Film Actor
TV Actor
Commercial Actor

TALENTS
Tinseltown characters have thousands of hidden talents. Find the few that appeal to you to begin the game. They may come in handy. Some film roles that you take will help you acquire new Talents or enhance the ones you have. The more you work, the more well rounded you will become as an individual.

Just a few…
Horseback Riding
Leaping
Bellydancing
Drumming
Fishing
Juggling
Dolphin Training
Whitewater Rafting
Tai Chi
Opera
Knitting


CHEMISTRY
As an up-and-coming player in the industry you must find your niche. You may have great personal relationships with other player characters but this may not translate well onto the screen. This is because of Chemistry, the mysterious friction between two characters which can either set off artistic sparks or dreadful dullness (or even abject hatred).

Chemistry between characters is not determined until they meet on the set, so audition in many different settings and with a wide variety of character types to find your homeys.

Once Chemistry is determined it can be brought around to the positive but what they say is true: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.



HELP WANTED
But Tinseltown is not a place where mere numbers determine whether you land a role.

Tinseltown’s message board also allows you to contact the Production staff of a project, make friends, create enemies and otherwise represent yourself in the public eye. Represent yourself well and you may win a role against an equally-matched opponent.

As Producer or Director of a project, you may use the message boards to hype your production and attract interested talents.

$$$VIP$$$
Your personal resume is a key tool in capturing the eye of a prospective employer. The Resume is available to VIP donors to the site.

Blog your character's happenings to the world as a VIP of Tinseltown.

THE THING ABOUT NUDITY
Yes, you will be offered roles in which you may appear in various states of undress.
Choose wisely. It will affect the way you are viewed…literally.

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