Perfection Points PART 4: Be Professional and Passionate, Not Perfect

When I get into discussions with people about acting and performing, I find that so many people believe that it is all about "talent" and performance ability.  Many people think it is about the perfect final product, the polished and pristine look, sound and feel.  This is actually understandable because it is usually what they see.  Audiences and those outside of the industry often only see the final product. They don't see the behind the scenes work, or the hours of time and effort put into a project.  

Perfection seems real because so much time, effort and capital is put into making the final product look great.  And the final products SHOULD be great.  But that great final product often comes with a price: blood, sweat and tears to say the least.   

Over the past series, I have been honored and blessed to work with Wonder Russell and Jennifer Fontaine; two actors/artists who have a deep love, respect and passion for this crazy thing called acting.  They are humble, wise, humorous and engaging.  I am so thankful for the time and effort that they have put into this project and hope that all of you readers have too as well.  With ease,  excitement, (and a little "casting" magic by good friend Marci Liroff) they joined me graciously on the journey into this Perfection Points series.  We have presented a path to look at perfection as an illusion, make it more about the process of the work, and find ways to remain patient with your work and career. I am so happy with what we have put together.  It truly has been a beautiful partnership.  With that aside, as this series draws to its conclusion, there is one more piece to this perfection puzzle: the power of passion and professionalism.       

If you talk to industry insiders, they will tell you that talent and skill will only take you so far.  They will tell you that when you commit to the industry, you are going up against thousands of people who are equally talented and gifted as you are.  What then will separate you from the crowd? What will help you to stand out amongst the masses?  The answer is your ability to remain passionate about your work while possessing a strong sense of professionalism in all that you do.  I did a series about a year ago on professionalism where I broke it down into 5 separate categories:

1.  Be Prepared
2.  Be Punctual
3.  Be Passionate
4.  Be Personable
5.  Be Poised


The main theme of that series centers on what it really means to be professional.  I believe that those 5 Ps still are relevant today.  Almost one year later, here we are once again still talking about the power of professionalism now under the auspices of dealing with perfection.  Why?  Because being professional is paramount.  

Jennifer Fontaine drives this point (and our series) home with:  

PART 4: Dump Perfection and Go Steady with Passion, Professionalism and Perseverance!
By Jennifer Fontaine

Let’s all be honest here; perfectionism is a personality trait generally brought on by some deeply rooted fear that creates anxiety within us which leads us to believe that nothing we do is good enough. That is certainly not a place from which inspired work comes. To quote one of my most favorite people in the industry, veteran Casting Director, Marci Liroff: “Perfectionism is boring. I’m not interested in watching an actor who strives to be perfect. I want to see actual human behavior – which is messy, flawed, and sometimes truly ugly.”

So, let’s move away from the need to be perfect and examine the three things that will actually benefit you in your career as an actor! Passion, Professionalism and Perseverance!

Your passion for your work and your process is tantamount to anything else. If you don’t have the passion, trust me, you won’t stay for long and that’s probably best. Choosing acting as a career is as humbling as it is gratifying. You must be prepared for the life of a freelancer, always in the process of procuring work. You must know how to be your own CEO and publicist because no one will believe in you more than you. You must know how to be self-motivating and regimented, waking up every morning with an agenda and a career to do list.

I look at my professionalism as the cornerstone of my career. If I make a commitment, I follow through. Whether I’m writing my own script on spec or shooting a 3-day guest star, I always adhere to these pillars of professionalism:

1. Integrity:  Do what you say and say what you mean!
To me, integrity is everything. It is all that I am, all that I give out and all that I get back. It’s not just a career choice, but a life choice and my word is ME. In an industry where many can be less than truthful and sometimes downright deceitful, choosing integrity sets you apart from the rest and defines you as a true professional.

2. Expertise:  Know your industry!
Your job as an actor is not just knowing how to act, but also taking the time to learn how a set works, so when you get there other professionals on set aren’t spending their valuable time trying to explain to you why you should stay out of the way of “hot points." Learn the lingo. Do extra or background work (it’s a great way to gain on-set experience when you’re just starting out). Research who the players are, know who is casting what and which directors have projects in the pipeline. You may not think it’s doing you any good, but when you expose your mind to the information and become knowledgeable about your industry, it opens up your consciousness to all that is happening and the possibilities surrounding you start to manifest themselves in your own life.

3. Anticipate:  Always be ready and accessible to your director and fellow actors!
Whenever I’m on set, I hang out by video village with one ear on the radio, so when they call first team the A.D. (Assistant Director) doesn’t have to come looking for me, I’m there ready to go. If the director wants to discuss the next shot all he has to do is turn around and if the DP (Director of Photography) needs a light reading I can jump right in. Staying close by (but out of the way) while the crew sets up for the next shot, can be an invaluable opportunity to stay in the moment and stay connected to the process. 

4. Communicate:  Become an effective communicator!
One thing that I love the most about my job as an actor is that every time I walk on to a new set I see an exciting opportunity to put my communication skills to use. Being in a creative industry, the one thing you can always count on is change. Everyone has their own process, and their own unique way of communicating their needs. Having an understanding and empathy for that will aid you in finding commonality and cohesiveness which hopefully translates to the screen. It’s a beautiful interpretive dance, improvising and listening while trying to ensure our ability to convey our own process and needs in return. 

5. Share: Share what you know and see how much you’ll learn!
No matter where you are in your career, chances are there will be a whole lot of people to the left of you with more experience and knowledge and a whole bunch of people to the right of you with less experience and knowledge. There are few words to express how grateful I am to those who stopped along my path, so far, to impart wisdom, unlock a door I thought was tightly closed and even simply to hold my hand and walk side-by-side for a while. If we are fortunate to have had that leadership and guidance from others, we should make it our practice to pass it along to those who may be looking for help. You certainly won’t stand to lose anything and you never know what you may gain!

6. Gratitude: Saying 'thank you' goes a long way!
I’m from the south, New Orleans to be exact, where saying 'thank you' is a more than just good manners, it’s a virtue! Saying 'thank you' is not just those two little words.  It shows your respect for others, how much you value others and lets them know immediately that you appreciate them. It’s so simple. Try it once as the 2nd A.C. (Assistant Camera) places a mark down for you and you’ll see how quickly it can lift up the energy of the set!

Of course you can have all of the passion and professionalism your heart can muster, but without perseverance, you won’t get very far. I recently read something Tom Hanks said and it resonated deep down in my soul; “It’s like a love affair with someone you’re gonna live your whole life with.” For 99 percent of us, there is no overnight success, just a long and winding path full of lush, green meadows, long dark hallways, seemingly insurmountable walls and perfect-looking doors. Lots and lots and lots of doors! Choose wisely, choose thoughtfully and choose often!

About the Author
Hi! I'm Jennifer Fontaine! In addition to my newest title, Blogger, I am also a wife, a daughter, a sister, a cat lady, a chef, an actor, a film producer and a screenwriter!

Bio
Born and raised in New Orleans, Jennifer Fontaine has been in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera, for almost two decades. By 14, Jennifer's playground was the backlot of Universal Studios, Orlando giving her the unique opportunity to vigilantly observe the inner workings of production. Surrounded by many gifted and passionate mentors whose influences helped guide the development of her talent and professionalism, in 1996, Jennifer's dedication to filmmaking brought her westward.



Most recently Mrs. Fontaine enjoyed her starring role as Jodi McKenton, a driven war journalist in the Indie feature Aaseamah's Journey. Jennifer's propensity for realism brought her to the role of Louise in LOOK, a voyeuristic feature that captures the secret lives of people through surveillance cameras, directed by the creative Indie powerhouse Adam Rifkin, as well as the starring role of Detective Reynolds, in the film Drop Gun, a performance which brought Mrs. Fontaine a Best Actress statue from the Iowa Motion Picture Association. As the meddlesome private eye Juliet, in Lauren Hollingsworth’s Interference, audiences applauded her starring performance from Montreal to the UK, Los Angeles to New York and even in the Deep South and her first collaboration with, now writing/producing partner, Marlo Bernier on The Last Time We Were... won the duo a Silver Remi at WorldFest Houston 2006 for Best Original Narrative Short.

  

Jennifer also has a deep affinity for the stage, deviating from mainstream productions; she opts for creative transformations and diverse characterization. In 2004, Variety heralded her work as 'ideal' in the critically acclaimed production of Bogosian's suburbia at the Skylight Theater.  The LA Weekly deemed Jennifer 'Impressive and Moving' for her ballsy portrayal of Elly in Sunday On The Rocks. Backstage West defined her talent as 'Triumphant' and The Palisadian Post said '[Fontaine] embodied the Lucy-ness of Lucy' for her portrayal of Lucy Van Pelt in Janet Carroll's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.

With a dedication to spotlighting new and emerging talent with visionary ideas, in 2001, Mrs. Fontaine alongside husband Kerem Hanci, founded Scorpio Rising Films, a film production company which remains committed to supportive collaboration with devoted and impassioned artists, encouraging original and inspired material. 

This duo focuses not only on achieving the highest possible level of personal performance but also on fostering an atmosphere of cooperative creativity in each project they undertake.

SRF has effectively piloted several projects, including Mementos, an award winning short spoof of Christopher Nolan’s thriller Memento and The Clown Project webseries, Season 2 of which, is currently in development. 

In 2004, they embarked on their first foray into feature producing with Scott Somerndike's romantic comedy 3 Wise Women and their film, The Last Time We Were..., was honored with a Silver Remi at the 2006 WorldFest Houston, which also played to packed houses at The Los Angeles International Shorts Film Festival and The Beloit International Film Festival.

Since joining forces with Marlo Bernier's Jackie Frost Films, Scorpio Rising Films has wrapped several meaningful projects including the heavy-hitting short Stealth which is currently being developed into a feature and the family feature Aaseamah's Journey, co-written by the duo, directed by Bernier and produced by Fontaine. 

Next in the pipeline for this team is the neo-noir crime thriller Glass Houses to be shot in New Orleans. Their development slate includes eight more features; The Blue Motel, The Taxi Bride, Liz, LA Talking, Thunder on the Mountain, Anna, Meat Men and Stealth.