It has been proven time and time again that if your goal is to be rich and famous, you won't make it in Hollywood - just ask Mike Fenton.
Fenton is a well-established casting director in the Hollywood. Fenton has a casting agency called Fenton-Cowitt Casting in Encino, Calif.
Fenton has worked in the system for 31 years on many well-known films like the "Indiana Jones" trilogy, "Footloose" and "Aliens."
Fenton was a film student at UCLA who couldn't get work after graduating and started in the bowels - otherwise known as the mailroom - of the most famous and prestigious casting agency in Hollywood at the time, MCA Artists.
Because of his experience in film, he was guaranteed a job as a casting director right away.
If he was pursuing this career now, he said, it would take at least five to six years to get to where he is now, going from interning at a casting agency, to assistant at the agency, to associate and finally, to a full-fledged casting director.
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When a film chooses the lead actor, usually a well-established star, then the casting director will look at rÇsumÇs, headshots and reels and recommend actors who will create an on-screen chemistry with the lead or leads to the director.
The casting director is very important because "they have to get into the head of the director," Fenton said, and find out the director's tastes and satisfy those likes in casting.
Fenton said Hollywood is a system that has inner and outer workings and to get into this system, you have to have the know how. The first step is getting the job.
Fenton is willing to help with this, and has recently released a workshop video called "Mike Fenton's Actor's Workshop." He says this video will help any actor, at any stage in the game, learn the inner workings of the system.
This "video bible" starts at the beginning, by talking about headshots, rÇsumÇs, reels - a video of clips of the work an actor has done - in addition to managers, agents, and most important, auditions. This video is a compilation of lectures, Q & A and scene work, using 40 aspiring actors aimed at helping actors at any level.
Fenton has a wealth of knowledge about the industry. He doesn't give you any bull about how to be a star because "it is impossible.
If an actor's dream is to be rich, they are kidding themselves," Fenton said.
When asked if he believes that the harsh realities of the business of Hollywood and acting discourage many people, Fenton said, "Definitely, because of the huge financial drain when many are doing things that wouldn't help them."
He said that a lot of actors don't understand that most casting directors want headshots, not three-quarter length shots, because they want to see their eyes. Fenton added that "eyes make stars," and overlooking that fact in choosing photos can be the difference in getting a job or not.
If the actor doesn't get the role, it shouldn't discourage them from acting. There could be a number of factors.
So what does Fenton look for when casting actors? Is it a look, a type, a sense of character, talent, professionalism or all of these things?
"Everything," he said. "What the casting director hopes to achieve is to try to get as close to what the writer wants and what the director wants. You can't put Joe Bifflestick in the role when they want Jack Nicholson. The casting process is totally in line with the business aspects of selling the film."
"Actors are truly some of the most fragile people on Earth," he said.
Actors are as fragile as they are brave and his reason for releasing "Mike Fenton's Actor's Workshop" is not unwarranted.
"Any number of people, whether they live in Hollywood or not need to learn how to get into the system," Fenton said.
Fenton has an opinion on how Hollywood has changed over the 31 years he's been in the business.
"There are two enormous problems," Fenton said. "We pay millions to major stars and no longer have money for secondary actors."
When a secondary used to make $60,000 or $80,000 a film, he said now the studios can only afford to pay them "scale plus 10" amounting to 20,000 dollars.
So if you can't be the star, aim at being the secondary character on a movie.
"Mike Fenton's Actor's Workshop" is available at www.mikefenton.com.
