Journey 1400 Miles inside Los Angeles and feel the beat of what it takes to break into "Show Business".
Journey with Richard Pines as he travels over 1,000 miles in thirty days within Los Angeles County, equipped with only a mini-cassette recorder.Experience the daily grind of visiting over 60 of the top Casting Directors in Hollywood, UNANNOUNCED! Step inside a general audition with one of Los Angeles’ commercial agents. Go one-on-one with a top Hollywood acting coach-Howard Fine Studio. Venture inside Culver Studios and feel the anxiety as he auditions for the role of the Humphrey Bogart photo-double in Michael Jackson’s music video—Dome Project. Feel the grueling pace of the audition process as this author strives to generate his own luck and break into SHOW BUSINESS!! Arrive in Beverly Hills for a promotional television photo shoot, and receive compensation via Chinese delicacy. Go face-to-face with numerous security guards as he goes from office-to-office, not at all what you might expect. This book will put you in the mind, and day-to-day moment of an actor profusely pounding the pavement in a tumultuous city filled with happiness and despair. A must read for all who have Hollywood interests and desires.
Excerpt
“I can’t make my next Casting Director stop because some idiot criminal did what?”...
“Casting Director-restless pit bulls in Venice Beach!!”…
“Called in by a Los Angeles Agent, “Your office is where?”…
“You can’t take my Headshot and Resume because it doesn’t have postage, you’re standing right in front of me give me a break”…
“Beverly Hills Penthouse Promo Shoot, Man I could get use to this real fast!!”
Professional Reviews
Path of Glory Amazon Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Path of Glory, August 24, 2014
By Jude Hickmann - This review is from: Actor's Rendezvous (Kindle Edition)
Actor's Rendezvous by Richard Pines is definitely an illuminating book! I began reading while thinking I knew a lot about Hollywood and actors, but realized throughout the book that there's far more to it all than meets the eye. A lot of the workings for film and television industries are far more intricate than most people would think- we're used to hearing about unknown actors who get a "big break," but not about the day to day struggles of what it's really like to try and be a part of show business. Actor's Rendezvous helped me really understand that actors do a lot of work before they're ever hired for a job, and what that process is like.
Richard Pines is a likable and relatable narrator; I especially enjoyed his small revelations, such as the fact that he got his Screen Actors Guild card by working as a stand-in. Pines also gives great context about studios he mentions, so readers can get a sense of how any audition he's gone on fits into the bigger picture of the history of Hollywood. This along with his detailed descriptions of his encounters gave me the sense that I was there, standing on a studio lot and feeling the thrill and nerves right along with him. Actor's Rendezvous really showed that most actors are just like everyone else, trying to make ends meet while doing something they love
An Amazing Book Amazon Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book, August 24, 2014
By Booklover - This review is from: Actor's Rendezvous (Kindle Edition)
People who want to go into the film and television industry, especially actors, must read Actor's Rendezvous. Richard Pines spares readers like us any illusions, revealing precisely what it's like to be a struggling actor in modern-day show business. Gone are the Old Hollywood days when a chance might be taken on an actor in obscurity and they might be given that "big break." Instead, Pines lets us know the huge amount of work an actor goes through, just to land a couple of lines on a TV show.
I liked that Actor's Rendezvous didn't pull any punches. On one hand, it reads a lot like a diary as Pines spends thirty days pounding the pavement in L.A., trying to do what he loves most. Rather than the memoir of someone famous, which might project a distance from the reader (or be clearly omitting details), this book takes you deep inside Pines' life. He's completely up front, sharing his thoughts and feelings as well as some general wisdom for actors, such as the fact that there will always be someone auditioning with you who will try to undermine your confidence. His unrelenting candor is exactly what those aspiring to act need to experience to prepare them for the real world.
Such a fascinating read Amazon Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a fascinating read!, August 24, 2014
By Emma Wilden - This review is from: Actor's Rendezvous (Kindle Edition)
In Actor's Rendezvous, author Richard Pines opens a window into the everyday life of an actor in Southern California. I didn't realize that they have to work ceaselessly: submitting themselves for auditions, trying to get the attention of casting directors and agents, and always behaving professionally so that someone who didn't hire them today might remember them, and hire them another time. This process is full of naysayers and anxiety, but sometimes there are wonderful and unexpected rewards- actors' touch our hearts, and sometimes we may touch theirs in return.
From Pines' explanations of various resources for actors to his personal wisdom and experiences this book is full to the brim with valuable information for those going into the business, and simply fascinating for those who aren't. Richard Pines shows us what's behind the glitz and glamor of the movie industry, exposing filmmaking as real work done by real people at many different levels. I found Actor's Rendezvous absorbing, entertaining, and can't recommend it more highly.
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