Hi-ho, friends! This is THE 201, a blog about acting, the business of Film and Television, what’s good (to me), what’s not (to me), and any other little thing I can think of that you might find interesting.
Why “THE 201”?
Well, as I’m sure you know, there are countless other blogs, books, podcasts, videos, and classes all geared toward teaching actors how to act, how to audition, how to GET THAT GIG. Which is amazing. God, I love all of them (and have used a great many of them to get a toe-hold on my own craft and career).
What makes THE 201 different is that it’s geared more towards those who’ve already booked the job and are trying to figure out what to do next.
Like, what kind of paperwork can you expect to fill out? What happens when you arrive on set? What’s the difference in acting for film and TV? How do you navigate the job when your scene partner is a major celebrity? All those questions that come later on, all those questions you might not think to ask in advance.
I know I sure as hell didn’t!
So many resources are available to help you get a foot in the door. But once you do, you have to know how to open it the rest of the way, walk across the threshold with confidence, and not let the knob smack you in the ass as it closes behind you.
Hopefully, this blog will offer a little help with all that.
So it’s not your typical 101 beginner’s seminar. It’s more of a 201class. Eh? Eh? Get it? GET IT???
I have a long list of topics to discuss, but if you have any specific questions you’d like answered, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line here on the site, by email at contact@peterdiseth.com, or tweet me a twit on the twooter (@peterdiseth).
But before we do anything else….
A CAVEAT:
I am a white, cis-gendered, heterosexual adult dude.
In other words: I have lived a life of extraordinary privilege.
Does that mean everything has been easy for me during the 40 years I’ve roamed this wild earth? Of course not! But I’ve had it a lot easier than my women, LGBTQIA, POC, disabled, and non-binary neighbors. And literally anyone else in the world who identifies as a member of a historically (and/or contemporarily) disadvantaged group.
By comparison, I’ve had it very easy.
And I recognize that my privilege no doubt extends into my acting career. So. Please bear in mind that any advice I have to offer comes from my own personal, privileged experience, which is almost certainly going to be far different than yours. If you feel like calling me out on anything I post, PLEASE DO. My life is a work in progress, and while it is not your job to make me a better human, I would appreciate to know if anything I say or do here (or elsewhere) is hurting you—so that I can knock that shit off posthaste!
And as with anyone’s advice, your mileage may vary.
But hey, listen: advice is like one of those $6.99 all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants. Most of it isn’t gonna sit well in your tummy, and some of it will down-right make your innards revolt. But now and then you’ll come across a chocolate-banana pudding or a mini-chimichanga or a simple breadstick that rocks your damn world. So eat that thing, enjoy the hell out of it, and just avoid the other crap. Right? What’s good for me, may not be good for you. And what’s good for Uncle Frank, isn’t good for anybody else.
Now that I’ve wantonly trespassed into the territories of any number of hackneyed metaphors, let’s get back to the main one:
Welcome, to THE 201. Class is now in session.
(Ugh, that was awful. I promise I won’t stretch the metaphor any further.🤞 )
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