The Myth of Pilot Season
January is upon us and now begins the mad dash to April. This is the time affectionately known as "Pilot Season". I use the quotes here because the basic truth is that pilot season is a Brigadoon for most actors, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Eighty percent of the actors in this town will never experience a real pilot season and most are not prepared to. I know this is harsh.
I often ask groups of actors at the seminars I give, if they are really ready to carry a pilot and thereafter a series. Do you really know what that entails and the incredible pressure that is on you when you are number one on the call sheet? It isn't just about playing your part and doing the best you can. Very often you will be on every page of the script, every week. You will have wardrobe fittings, makeup tests, photo shoots, interviews, ADR and still carry the show on set and lead a cast and crew who are counting on the success of this show to pay their bills for the next seven years. You don't know stress until you are top lining a series. That is why networks, studios and production entities gravitate toward known entities.
There is certainly a small group of actors that experience pilot season in it's full glory. Multiple series regular auditions every week for a few months. The test deals and the producer sessions mixed with the initial audition make for a blitzkrieg of activity. No one does their best, just their best with a few hours of prep time because you really don't have time to do your proper homework for each new show. Shows get cast. Those actors are blessed.
You on the other hand are not as blessed. You have to fight for the scraps and may get an audition or two during pilot season. After they have played the name game and gone through all their lists, they may throw you a crumb. If you are ethnic your odds are much better and once the actors with credits get snapped up you may get in for a few more things than your Caucasian cohorts. This is depressing. I know. But it is the reality of pilot season.
Concentrate on episodics. Build your credits. Make them hear you.
Persevere, stay strong and your chance will come.
I often ask groups of actors at the seminars I give, if they are really ready to carry a pilot and thereafter a series. Do you really know what that entails and the incredible pressure that is on you when you are number one on the call sheet? It isn't just about playing your part and doing the best you can. Very often you will be on every page of the script, every week. You will have wardrobe fittings, makeup tests, photo shoots, interviews, ADR and still carry the show on set and lead a cast and crew who are counting on the success of this show to pay their bills for the next seven years. You don't know stress until you are top lining a series. That is why networks, studios and production entities gravitate toward known entities.
There is certainly a small group of actors that experience pilot season in it's full glory. Multiple series regular auditions every week for a few months. The test deals and the producer sessions mixed with the initial audition make for a blitzkrieg of activity. No one does their best, just their best with a few hours of prep time because you really don't have time to do your proper homework for each new show. Shows get cast. Those actors are blessed.
You on the other hand are not as blessed. You have to fight for the scraps and may get an audition or two during pilot season. After they have played the name game and gone through all their lists, they may throw you a crumb. If you are ethnic your odds are much better and once the actors with credits get snapped up you may get in for a few more things than your Caucasian cohorts. This is depressing. I know. But it is the reality of pilot season.
Concentrate on episodics. Build your credits. Make them hear you.
Persevere, stay strong and your chance will come.
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