How to Succeed as a TALENT!

Ghana has a film industry, but it’s a struggling one! Almost struggling for everything except talents! Yes, talent is the one thing ghana has in abundant yet underused due to less or no opportunities! There’s never enough chances for everyone; reasons why?

Film business is a million-dollar business and there’s never funding for filmmakers in ghana because there’s hardly the trust between investors and filmmakers, Not to go too much into details, I’ll reserve this for another discussion, in short; the Ghanaian film industry is made up of independent filmmakers, it is largely people’s businesses with hardly any support from anywhere else, a few may have secured some funding in batter for product placement and more but that still couldn’t cut it! The film business is not a “crab and snail” trade.

For this reason and more, there aren’t enough productions for too many talents, and there’s not much magic to be done!

But serious and passionate talents may still have a way around, These steps I believe could help any talent who takes and practices it seriously!

1. CONCEPTION AND BELIEF: Success begins from the mind, and humans have the tendency to challenge themselves to the extreme by just conceiving and believing it’s possible, that is exactly the kind of spirit needed by every talent especially to succeed in the Ghanaian film industry.
   Yes, the industry is tight, no opportunities, no connections, it’s almost hopeless to perceive a bright future for some talented young ones, especially those from the less privileged communities and corners of the country, yes; that’s what it looks like, but it is never actually what it is until it’s over until your life is over, the brain is the powerhouse of every human, it can make anything possible, so first, you just have to believe, believe in yourself, stay positive in the mind, if you are talented and passionate, then You must believe you can be the next big thing in the industry even when it doesn’t look like it’s ever going to happen! this helps you keep going no matter what. DREAM, HOPE, TRY, TRY, TRY, TRY. But please MAKE SURE ITS YOUR THING AND YOU LOVE IT, acting is not for everybody and everybody is not for acting, you don’t need a miracle, you will know when acting is not for you!
2. BE HUMBLE: This is the first rule in acting and it cuts across all careers, humility takes You to greater heights, this is a Straight bullet to the head, no two ways. But this I am sure talents hear every day, it’s the one advice every time for free, but people are missing the point here! Everyone is humble in the beginning, talents appear so Humble and innocent, and will practically answer “yes sir” to every command, and then when they get a few opportunities that look good for a brighter future they change and bring up their real characters! People rise and fall all the time, its natures way of telling us nothing lasts forever! Humility should be a deep seed of character, not an illusion portrayed for a short time! A Sign of success is not a success, don’t be deceived! Stay humble in life, it goes beyond your career, life itself is humble, do not switch humility on and off base on your progress! You will die before you even begin. Be humble but strong! And don’t let people who once prioritize you down! It’s a small circle and you will always meet again.
3. STAND OUT: you are probably one of a hundred thousand talents out there, every single one trying and auditioning and hoping for the best of opportunities to shine in an industry of very few capable directors and producers, also limited by funds and more, trust me you don’t want to be a red ball among a hundred thousand red balls waiting to be picked, be blue, be different, be unique, STAND OUT; how? Be prepared to nail it, don’t just spend 2 to 3 years jumping from one audition to another, spend a year or more in mastering the art; workshops, Internet tutorials; rehearsals with acting coaches! maybe some short-acting courses etc. make sure you have had enough training and preparation to turn the first opportunity into a blessing, discover your unique qualities and use them! Know yourself, know what are you, know your strength! voice, body, style, stunt act, etc Learn and master, don’t just be a part, be prepared to win, watch everybody and do something everybody is not doing, STAND OUT and you wouldn’t need to struggle for attention, everyone wants to win, but only winners prepare to win! Extra hard work will be painful but will make it easier winning, know what you want and go for it!
4. WANT FOR OTHERS WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOURSELF : This is absolute morality , it’s seemingly the most difficult thing to do , but in an industry of less or no opportunities for so many, Learn to share , be generous enough to want and wish your colleagues what you want for yourself , think about this ; every upcoming actor knows about 50 percent or more of the other upcoming actors , yes because the hustle is real , they meet very often at auditions , at every audition actors are likely to make new friends , now this is something actors can really use to help them selves, by pushing each other , when your colleagues know YOU CARE, they will care, when they get opportunities , they will recommend you or even drag you along , I have so much respect for some of our own Ghanaian actors , the moment you call them for jobs, they will straight away ask if you could hook “Ama or Kofi ” on the job , sometimes they allow their fees split because they want the others to get jobs too, this works very much in an industry of less opportunities , when you are fond of thinking of others as you think of yourself , you will grow in batches, among your batch you or someone is likely to be most successful and can easily call in a favour or favours on your behalf , this really works , people you really support may get an opportunity that’s not for them and they will instantly hand it over to you , talk for you or even buy it for you , there’s power in unity and support, it helps you grow with friends who become family , when you always think of you alone , others will leave you alone in the hustle , and trust me being all alone in an industry like that of ghana does not get you the jobs, someone always needs somebody .
5. OWN ONE OR GET ONE TO OWE YOU: Yes opportunities are less because the industry players are very few; plus no funding, so yes we have favorites, filmmakers always have favorites and priorities! now this may seem unfair but in an industry where there’s no too much to use, people often put certain people first and you can’t blame them, Now even for a fair case scenario where the cast must be the character detailed in the story, there’s a possibility of a 100 or more actors who can all fit the role! therefore someone has still got to win! it’s very easy to be a director’s or a producer’s favorite, in a natural sense you become a favorite when you are humble with a unique kind of talent, in this context ” good filmmaker’s favorite”. As to how you can own a director or a producer or get either a director or a producer to owe you, I can advise the few practices below.

Be a true fan if not a number one fan: Support filmmakers wholeheartedly, you are not obligated to support every film, but you have a choice to support good films or not, now why not chose to support? Like and share any good film (promo) wether you are a part or not; your name will likely come up every short while on the films ad or the directors page or wall, you might be a total stranger but your name will get familiar to your favorite director or producer, and just one day, maybe just one chance you to get a handshake; all you will have to do is mention your name, and it will all come clear, you have always been there and have been supporting, a thank you could be a free training session or even a cool role that could lead to a lot more in your career, it’s not a guarantee but it’s something that keeps you a step closer to that great filmmaker you have always wanted to work with, the truth is when actors support our works so much with love we automatically feel like we owe them something, don’t get me wrong, there are millions of strangers supporting filmmakers every day, most of them are not even in line of our industry, but you the struggling actor are! Your support could pay handsomely, think about this.

Grow from fan to family: Filmmakers are humans with feelings and blood too, don’t be the kind of actors who only remember them when you want a role, once you have established contact with your favorite filmmakers, it’s good you from time to time check on them, let it not be all about production, send gift cards if you can, remind them they have your support, wish them and their families well as and when necessary, this helps form a bond between you and them, and when they feel they owe you they will turn heaven upside down to help you, producers and directors could go a long way to edit a script that doesn’t have you to make room for you, some will go extra mile to make the story about you just to promote you, this is fair in some cases, some people just deserve every support they get because earned them!

NB: Don’t flirt with or overdo the bonding thing, it will send a wrong signal! You don’t want this to happen!

SLOW DOWN THE BRANDING NONSENSE
Yes! Slow down the branding nonsense chale! Upcoming actors now confuse branding for something else! Listen! Branding is not building the top floor of a house without a strong foundation to hold it! Stop that nonsense and be real with your selves! This is Ghana, even stars lobby for jobs, you can have your portfolio, you can present your image with charisma, but cut down the big boy and the boss chick levels and go out there and get what you want! The opportunities in your country are very limited, so you must follow up; the time for big boy things will come, for now, you need help, you need opportunities so go get them! Damn it, now you see upcoming Actors with not even a single good film to their credit proposing to manage their colleague’s upcoming actors! Are you kidding me? Struggling actors managing struggling actors! Every actor is now a writer-director filmmaker or whatever nonsense! Filmmaking is an art of process! It takes time to master, it takes years of practice and experience! So drop the big boy thing, take that off your profile, be the struggling actor you are and seek help! Nothing more annoying like upcoming actors with Multiple fan pages all over social media with no actual fans or even movies to their credit! This is ghana masa, it’s not that simple! May be anywhere in the world but not ghana! Get your shit together and work hard, take chances, grab what’s available and make it work for you, that’s how you succeed in an industry of fewer opportunities, more talents.

WORK WITH A MANAGER, AN AGENCY OR A GUIDE
The connection is an excellent form of God’s Grace in Ghana when you have someone connected connecting you to all the right people in the industry it helps a lot; now this only happens when there’s some form of agreement; be it management or agent-actor thing or just a person who guides your choices! DO NOT sign up with a management or Agency that doesn’t see or understand the real struggles on the ground, they probably want the best for you with their deals but may end up putting huge blocks on every opportunity that comes your way with Hollywood fees on Ghanaian budget, even directors don’t get pains enough, a lot has to produce to survive, there’s never enough for you to be paid your worth, but a job might be worth it, after all, a good management will play intelligently for you to win! Actors are worth more, YES YOU ARE THAT IMPORTANT AND WORTHY OF YOUR FEE, but this is Ghana, we aren’t there yet! The earlier you make peace with this, the sooner your acting career gets a better chance! Be humble but strong, be passionate but not desperate! Find the balance.

DO NOT JUDGE BY THE SIZE OF THE OPPORTUNITY

People are missing opportunities every day because they judge by the size of the filmmaker! Damn it! Everyone starts from somewhere! When “BIG PRODUCTIONS” call, everyone jumps on whether its good or rubbish, they just go for the big name, but when small Capable productions call, the branding and level nonsense is activated, masa , have you noticed I Try to sound like a Ghanaian who understands the struggle? Because we are struggling as an industry, no opportunity is small, every opportunity counts, any opportunity could be the beginning of the difference, sometimes it’s not what you are being called for but who you are going to meet! You may just be going to meet that director who makes the next biggest movie of the century, go make contacts, make new industry friends, you will cash it one day! You can be selective but be careful how you judge productions you think are not big for you! There’s always another turn.

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOURSELF

Sometimes you have to create for your self what the broke industry couldn’t create for you, self opportunity! Make some short films and give your best, push it to the world and the industry masters, prepare monologues of your very best acts! Share online, inbox to directors and producers! Even if they don’t respond! It’s okay if you have connections to funds! Produce your movie! Hire a good director who can direct and bring the best out of you! Make the story about your character! Make yourself! People have done it and it worked, note; don’t be one of those who want to write, direct and play the lead just because it’s your uncle’s money! That’s even worse! If you are not a writer don’t force your garbage into a movie just because you can! Don’t force yourself to be a director just because you feel you could! Hire the right team and make it count!

NEVER STOP TRYING:
Sometimes you just have to try one more time after every time you have tried! If your talent is backed by passion, then faith is next and hard work should be the rest! you won’t die till you have made it! It’s not impossible even in ghana!

LISTEN AND LEARN
Hey we know you are the smartest guy in the room, that’s okay, but let the dumbest guy in the room have a say, for he may just give you the last piece of the puzzle you couldn’t find anywhere in your entire smart universe!

Do what you have to do, but do not quit, except it’s NOT your thing, you will know!

All the best! And Don’t forget to share, someone may need it.

Author: Abu Iddris, CEO – CINE GOD Studios