The commercial market is booming! Companies are making lots of new commercials, and they need child actors to fill roles. Why is now such a great time for kids to audition?
1.Sales are up
Company profits are up, and the hope is that good money now is great money later. Grocery store chains have seen sales skyrocket throughout this Spring and Summer, and they are expecting a lot of hungry shoppers when football season rolls around. When companies want to make money in the near future, they advertise. That means lots of commercials.
2.Old commercials are just…old
Have you seen a commercial lately where someone is wearing a mask? That was filmed since quarantine started. Before the start of the pandemic, companies would never have thought to make a version of a commercial with actors wearing masks. With our changing times, commercials need to be updated.
3.The challenge of making a commercial during quarantine
Due to the restrictions that Covid put on all of our lives, very few commercials were filmed during quarantine. The ones that were had to take extensive precautions. One actor talks about a commercial he filmed:
“I got cast as the lead in a national shampoo commercial. I flew out to LA and was immediately tested. It came back negative, and then they put me up in a hotel room…for 12 days! My food was brought to me, I could watch TV and read books, but I could not leave the room for fear of contamination. It was very pleasant, just surreal. When we finally filmed, I wore a mask and face shield on my way back and forth to set, as did everyone else. The only time I took it off was when we were filming. Everyone there, the director, the camera people, the make-up artists, were covered head to toe and behind plastic barriers. Luckily, no one got sick on that shoot. I appreciated the precautions that were taken. It was just an example of the extreme times we are in.”
4.Commercials over Zoom
Now kids can star in a commercial and never leave their house. Many commercials are being filmed over Zoom. Producers give the talent high-end webcams and lighting gear, and families become their own film crew. Directors give the kids direction and shoot over Zoom. One child actor loved the experience.
‘My dad did the lighting, my mom did my make-up, and my little brother was the sound operator. He got on a ladder to hold the boom mic above me. It was hilarious! After an hour, he demanded a break. He said, ‘I’m union. I get cookies every hour, or I walk!’”.
Did you know Theatre of the Imagination offers 1-1 Zoom coaching sessions for kids who want to break into commercials? One hour sessions run $50. Contact us at 816-561-2787 or drama@dramakc.com to book. Your road to Hollywood starts here!
Theatre of the Imagination is your place for drama classes near Overland Park and Kansas City. Check us out at www.Dramakc.com.