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Recently I have been getting a fair few emails from people asking me to help them get into movies it is a pretty standard format:
Hi Conan, my name is x (1. we met at y or 2 I found you online), I am a really good writer/actor/fighter and I really want to get into movies. Can you help me?
Can you help me get into movies?
What a question. I do write back to all people but most never write back, or they just write thanks and that's it. Why? Because I don't give them the free ride they are looking for but instead give advice.
Yeah sure, come over, don't worry we'll pay because you are such a good actor/writer/fighter, and work in a major role in our next movie... yes, I'll recommend you to the Producer and Director even though I don't know you from a bar of soap and I'll put my reputation on the line saying that you will be cool to work with, you won't suddenly develop an huge ego and you will do as you are asked for the next 6 weeks and you won't fight with anyone......
.... yes, I'll do all this in return for..... nothing?
That is the deal I am looking at.
I get this person whom I do not know very well into a movie and they offer me nothing in return except that they may ruin my reputation and ruin the movie we are working on.
I see lots of negatives there for me and no positives - now why the heck would I do something like this?
The thing that is really amazing is that most of the people contacting me have NO showreel, NO professional photos (photos taken in your lounge room are not professional regardless of how good a photographer you think your mum is).
My first response to these people is to get a showreel made so they can show me how good they are, also if they have some professional photos send these too - that usually scares off most requests. How serious do you think they were? Yet they were asking me to spend my time, energy and my friends money to help get them into a movie.
Wow they are prepared to put in zero effort to attain their 'dreams' that they 'are really interested in'. Sounds like they need to read my article wishful thinking.
Others ask if I can get them in as extras, sorry can't do this either though this is a plausible request, as I am not an extras agent and having never worked as an extra have no contact with the extras agencies, though again I have written an article on how to become a movie extra which covers process.
Then at the extreme far end I get people contacting me like ARA PAIAYA who writes, produces, directs his own movies from Scotland. Now if Ara was to come to Bangkok I would do my utmost to help him get work - why? Because he has put in the effort, he has shown that he can work in movies, he has showreel material and most important of all he is doing everything he can to be in movies. Go and check out his site and watch his latest trailer, some pretty good moves and effects there from a self made one man movie production studio.
Also Neil Fingleton is another fellow who has contacted me through my site in an effort to get more info on working in movies. Neil is an ex-NBA basketball player and is 7'6" Britain's tallest living man in fact. Now Neil is another fellow I will help because he is already doing as much as he can to get in the scene, has worked in Theatre and some TVC's and is willing to go the extra mile to get involved.
There have been a few others who have contacted me over the 3 years of this site, but my advice is always the same - you have to be here, live here and be available at very short notice to get into the film industry in Thailand, most of this is covered in How to work as a stuntman in Thailand.
There are already many very talented guys living and working here, you need to be here to compete head to head in the movie auditions to get the roles.
To note also is that Ara, Neil, Dan Cade, and the others were interested in an exchange. An exchange of information, none of them came straight up and asked me to get them into a movie, they were enquiring about the state of the industry here or for any helpful hints that I might have.
Also they wrote back to me as normal people, we had conversations and have become acquaintances, maybe one day after we meet we'll be friends.
The people who write asking the world then do not respond after I give them a few pointers are just rude, which instantly fails them in the most important skill to have as an actor .
To finish up I would also like to mention a fellow who had no acting experience but wanted to be in a movie, he ended up in contact with David Ismalone and then he FUNDED the movie "Aukmen" that then starred himself.
AUKMEN TRAILER
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Dedication in whichever form it comes in is the difference between those I help and who make it and those who go back to trawling the internet looking for a free lunch.
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