What creative profession would you enter and why?
I would love to be a professional model / model railroad designer-builder... and add to it a store / production facility. I've been building models for almost 40 years now... from the days of balsa, glue, and tissue paper to now where I CAD draw a model and turn it out on a CAD machine with injection molding for "mass production" While I agree that video games can be "creative"... I think kids / young adults need to get off their butts and BUILD something !! Building models as a child / teen led me into a 26 year career in US Naval Aviaton... and the skills learned there gave me my current "semi-retirement" career as a rancher / farmer / vinter. When we built our house 8 years ago on our ranch... one of the things I designed in was a 60x60 foot basement for my "dream" model railroad layout and modelling / micro-machine shop. Just wish I could make a living at it !
How is being a professional actor or actress hard?
Well, if you are in high school, or college, why don't you audition for a show? If you get the part, then post back and tell us how easy it was!!
Cover letter to talent agency?
It should be from you, the cover letter tells the person reading why they have your picture and resume. a resume and a cover letter are not the same thing! A resume tells about you a cover letter tells why they should know about you. It should be polite and be to the point nothing long because no one wants to read a cover letter all day. also at the end thank them for their time. so basically it would look like this dear sir or madam; My name is (fill in the blank) I have sent you my head shot and resume beacause i am (give reason i.e. seeking representation etc.) Thank you for your time, -(signature)
Is talent a must in screenwriting? What are the core elements to be a good screenwriter?
I believe everyone has God-given talents in many areas; storytelling can be one. Screenwriting is a learned craft, and I believe one could do it with even the minimal amount of “creative writing” talent. I don't believe you need to be a “talented writer”, per se, to be a successful screenwriter. I know many comedy screenwriters who write severely funny scripts, but are the most unfunny and least entertaining people in person. Ultimately, talent is probably going to be the factor that separates the wheat from the chaff at the professional level, but, like everything else in life, hard work at improving one’s skill often overcomes any lack of given talent.As for the “core elements” to a good screenwriter:a) Know HOW to tell a basic story.b) When learning how to write a screenplay, get a solid foundation in knowing what is needed/wanted in a SPEC script. Dave Trottier’s “The Screenwriting Bible” is just $20–30, and it gives one everything they would need to learn how to write a basic spec script. Of any “online” course, Jeff Bollow’s “FAST Screenwriting” is the only one you should consider. The rest are garbage.c) Develop a concept that has never been explored before. If you have a story that HAS been done before, than do it differently. The story of the three little pigs and the wolf who blew their houses down has been told- but it’s never been told from the wolf’s perspective! Stories like “The Mummy” have been told ad nauseum, but Tom Cruise has turned that tired, cliche-ridden concept on it’s ear! You’ll never think of “The Mummy” as some gauze-wrapped creature dragging his right foot as he “chases” his victims ever again!Do these three things first, and you’ll be off to a very fast start; faster than 95% of your competition.
What should I charge a client who is asking me to design a professional movie poster for them?
I don't mean this to be offensive at all. But the fact is, if you're asking what to charge, you CAN'T be designing a professional movie poster. Or, to put it another way, you may well be a gifted artist, but there are people who specialize in movie marketing and art posters. They will charge the going rate for such things -- and this will depend on things like the type of picture it is, the size of the marketing budget, etc. With all of that out of the way, let's consider what you, the professional, talented artist (but not professional poster-maker for Hollywood) should charge. Graphic artists working on contract charge between about $50.00 and $100.00 per hour for their time, and usually, the time is charged at a minimum of at least 8 hours. In addition, expenses such as materials or shipping costs will be extra. Instead of charging an hourly rate, I'd suggest you estimate (generously) what the job will involve in terms of effort (including meetings with the client, background reading of the script, etc), then give them a fixed price for design -- say $2,500. It's likely that a Hollywood specialist could charge much more -- but you're not there yet. Use this experience to stuff your portfolio, so the next time around, YOU'RE the professional. If you're really ambitious, you could arrange and manage the printing, taking about a 15% commission on the printing costs. But you'd better be very familiar with the printing business, and be on good terms with some printers, before you do something like this. It might be a good idea to set up these relationships for the next time around. Good luck!