Actor friend creates a fanpage but many of their close actor friends haven't liked it

ugafan said:
i think the bigger issue here is why it upsets you so much that someone doesn't click a "like" button.
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Like I said, I got a thick skin and it doesn't really bother me as much. I'm used to posting vids all over the place and you get dislikes, thumbs down, negative comments, whatever. It's part of being a filmmaker, you can't please everyone and you have to have a thick skin, or you should pick something else to do. At the same time, filmmakers I hang out with closely, happen to like my stuff and be supportive. I just find it strange that it's not necessarily like that as much for actors and so I was curious what everyone thought.

I agree with the sentiment of make good stuff and let that attract people to what you do. Just keep working at it sort of deal and they will eventually come. However with actors, I mean they hang out together and they appear to be best friends in all the photos you see but they don't support each other. I'm if anything just fascinated with they dynamic of what is really going on behind the scenes with them and wanted to get DVXuser's thoughts on it. I think it's an interesting subject.
 
paulears said:
I had to smile reading this! Actors are the most insecure and insincere people you could possibly hope to meet! Paranoid would describe some, while others are totally immune to good or bad comments. 'Fragile' would be a good word. Doesn't matter how famous they are.

Knock on dressing room door, and go in to see the very well known actress, always on UK TV and has been for probably 30 odd years. Still on weekday TV every week. She tells me she hates it here, she thinks everyone hates her, and she just wants to go home. I ask her if she wants to do a BBC interview tomorrow? She tells me to tell them to f... o.. I tell the BBC she is so sorry, but she has a prior engagement. Next day in her dressing room she hears something happening in the dressing room next door - occupied by another actor. "what's happening in there?" The BBC are in doing an interview. "why didn't they ask me?" They did, you told me to tell them to f... o.. With this she puts on the makeup, does her hair and then without knocking, bursts into next door interrupting the interview "Oh, I'm so sorry darling - I didn't know you were busy..." The interviewer asks her to join in and they start by asking how she is enjoying it? "It's super here, everyone is so nice I just love coming here, people are so friendly..."

As for Facebook - some love it, but others refuse to go on - maybe even not wanting a fan page where people cannot comment. Actors can be so insecure that any form of criticism absolutely cuts them dead - they just can't take it. Put two together and they love each other, but split them apart and they both tell you how much they hate the other. Competition is fierce - the production team never have to audition for their jobs, do they? Actors go for the call and try to impress, by acting - who can tell if anything they say is the real them. They have work based bi-polar. They need egos massaged, and forelocks tugged as appropriate. They are not 'normal' whatever normal is. Social networking is very dodgy for performers because they can find out what people really think.
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Wow, thanks for sharing. That's a really interesting story. lol
 
This really is a very interesting topic (at least to me), as we (by that I mean off the radar, no budget indie filmmakers) ARE told that social networking/media is KEY to marketing/promoting yourself, lending the whole thing an air of importance, hence the gravity of "likes" or lack thereof. Is there any way to measure how many people/who simply VIEWS your posts/links/whatever? That would be a nice stat to track. See how many people that you're broadcasting to are actually paying attention.

Whoever mentioned people being lazy, I think you nailed it. Related to that, I think everyone, everywhere, is simply wrapped up in their own **** and cares very little for what anyone else is doing, unless they were a part of it ( friends/acquaintances vs crew/actors on a project). This is human nature, I think. I have a very small circle of folks that, even if I personally don't like what they're doing, I will be nice and "like" it, and even promote it, to be supportive (obviously hoping for in kind support). That said, I will not vote spam anything unless I truly believe in it (when friends say "vote for our movie on blah blah blah site so we can win this contest"), 'cause I don't think something should rise to the top undeservedly.

This happens in real life too. I've had people that worked on projects that have never been to a local screening of them, even if it was free! I find this especially strange for actors 'cause, wouldn't you want to see how people reacted to your performance?

Overall, I think people sometimes forget who they're FB friends with. I know you didn't mean to tell me, the guy you met once or not at all, the details of your recent breakup with a long term significant other, nor do I think you meant to invite me to your dance party. But there I am on your list of invitees.

It really is a very strange world.
 
paulears said:
I had to smile reading this! Actors are the most insecure and insincere people you could possibly hope to meet! Paranoid would describe some, while others are totally immune to good or bad comments. 'Fragile' would be a good word. Doesn't matter how famous they are.
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Actors can be so insecure that any form of criticism absolutely cuts them dead - they just can't take it. Put two together and they love each other, but split them apart and they both tell you how much they hate the other. Competition is fierce - the production team never have to audition for their jobs, do they? Actors go for the call and try to impress, by acting - who can tell if anything they say is the real them. They have work based bi-polar. They need egos massaged, and forelocks tugged as appropriate. They are not 'normal' whatever normal is.
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You forgot to add "...and blondes are really stupid!". That, and everything else you posted above, IMNSHO, would be complete nonsense.

I've been involved in many creative pursuits professionally; in filmmaking (including plenty of time acting and working with actors in other capacities), as well as music, art and writing. I've also participated heavily in team sports (sailboat racing mainly), have many friends in the financial, medical, and academic professions, and so on. I've been around...

From those experiences, over a great many years now, I would say that the idea that actors as a group are notably more 'socially uncharitable', if I may rephrase your position that way, is simply a myth. Are there annoyingly self-absorbed actors? Of course. Are there annoyingly self-absorbed financial industry types, doctors, writers, teachers and sailboat racers? You bet. Lots of 'em. About the same percentage though, I'd say, as all the other groups, including actors. Not to mention directors, DPs, sound guys...

The only generalization I could make about my interactions with all the people I mentioned above that could hold any water at all would be political: financial types, doctors, and otherwise generally wealthier folks not in the arts professionally tend to be more politically conservative, often very predominantly so within certain social circles. Actors and artistic types in general are pretty much the opposite, by about the same falrly large margin.

Otherwise, any given one of 'em could be darn near the nicest person you ever met, or a complete butthead. Thankfully I've met relatively few in the latter category, in any of the social circles.

People are people.

But there's a word for characterizing large groups of them in specific, negative terms:

Prejudice

You might want to read up on some of Rev. Martin Luther King's thoughts on that...
 
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I think in presenting one's opinion on the web one often has to remind people, 'imo' to discern from 'fact''. It's a fine line but sometimes some confusion happens over that in the way the opinion is presented.

I think Ted nailed it but paulears is speaking from his own experience as his own opinion. Maybe his presentation could have been capped off with 'imo'. Just a humble suggestion. :)
 
paulears said:
I had to smile reading this! Actors are the most insecure and insincere people you could possibly hope to meet! Paranoid would describe some, while others are totally immune to good or bad comments. 'Fragile' would be a good word. Doesn't matter how famous they are.
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Ha ha ha oh my. Bitten by an actor?

1st let me say this is the rudest thing I have ever seen written. Though I agree in theory that many 'talent' are insecure, etc, etc... you made a blanket statement that could be said of any human being with one ounce of creative energy, from in front of to behind the camera. The problem with blanket statements is they tend to incite anger. In my case... it made me laugh. I laughed because I know it to be true in SOME cases, but I still find it ill mannered for you to make the comment in such a way to cover all actors. Some of us are secure enough to stand our ground, be a great team member on set and still deliver a performance AND be totally honest as a person.

I think the 'insincere' comment is simply anger on your part. The best actors I know are very honest by nature and that is part of what make their performances gripping to watch. Honesty is a hallmark of great talent not of ok talent, if you ask me. So, I would like to suggest you retract or at least rethink why you used insincere as a descriptive choice to blanket on all actors!

Josh Bass said:
This really is a very interesting topic (at least to me), as we (by that I mean off the radar, no budget indie filmmakers) ARE told that social networking/media is KEY to marketing/promoting yourself, lending the whole thing an air of importance, hence the gravity of "likes" or lack thereof. Is there any way to measure how many people/who simply VIEWS your posts/links/whatever? That would be a nice stat to track. See how many people that you're broadcasting to are actually paying attention.
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Social networking is an evil thing but dag nab it, it works for getting the word out and engaging people in sharing your projects. The problem is what they are tracking....

And here is why I don't have a fan page and probably will never make one. Fans are not your friends and family. They are not the majority rule when it comes to what makes anyone box office no matter what side of the camera they are on.

I have a personal pet peeve about getting actors fan pages. My students send me theirs all the time. Some who have 1 or 2 credits on imdb.com have fan pages. This is where I say a HUGE WTF? What fans do you have? Any statistics they can garner are going to be skewed by the vast majority of people clicking 'like' being already connected to the actor in real life and that just does not equate to a fan base for one. For two, those 'fans' will rarely engage on the page and just hit the 'like' button to be nice and polite or supportive.

As for the real fan pages for actors with real followings....almost none of them are run by the actor themselves. I have some acting buddies who use facebook and they are 'big name'... and not one of them runs a fan page. In fact, a few are using variations of their real name to have a FB page to keep up with people they really know and they have no fan pages at all. Only the FB generated pages that come up for public figures.

The mentality now is to build a fan base before you have built a resume that warrants a fan base. I will never make one for me as an actor. I make pages for projects I direct and produce to share but I don't do it relentlessly and if people don't like a page... no worries. I don't tend to send them out. I post them on my own wall and if someone sees it... cool! Likes it...better. Likes it because they like it and not because they are just being polite and nice...bonus! THAT is a fan.


My dislike for these fan pages is not as our one poster has said...it is not out of insecurity or insincerity that I don't go hit 'like' on fan pages. Nor, am I some fragile wilting thing that will crumble if someone does not like my work. For every one person who likes something... another person hates it. And? That is just how it goes...art is subject to taste and anyone who takes it personal should step away from the film industry.

Fragile....lmao.... my joints might be getting fragile but trust me, that is the last thing anyone would ever say about me...an actor by the way!

(edit) Forgot my closing... no, my dislike for fan pages is not out of insecurity, jealousy, insincerity or fragility...it is out of a dislike for the 'cart before the horse' mentality alone that I dislike MOST actors fan pages.
 
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Exactly my point....taking social media to an extreme. Useless, pointless, and counterproductive. Place any additional meaning into social media and "likes" and there is a problem, and then somebody needs a serious refocus on priorities.

But there are those in society that take things too far. Stalkers come to mind. And those that think Facebook, Twitter, and the others are more than just a social media.......have the same mentality as stalkers. That is their avenue of release, and anyone not embracing them becomes their enemy.

If you have a good product.....people will seek you out. Don't depend on "likes" to stroke your ego. Let your work product do that, if you need it.
 
Yeah but in that case, how not to get lost in the noise? Upload to youtube or any similar site and youre outviewed by millions of hits because people would rather watch and share videos of a girl falling off a table. Theres no winning.
 
Josh Bass said:
Yeah but in that case, how not to get lost in the noise? Upload to youtube or any similar site and youre outviewed by millions of hits because people would rather watch and share videos of a girl falling off a table. Theres no winning.
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That's life. Have a thick skin in this industry....or perish.

Or up your game.
 
Josh Bass said:
This really is a very interesting topic (at least to me), as we (by that I mean off the radar, no budget indie filmmakers) ARE told that social networking/media is KEY to marketing/promoting yourself, lending the whole thing an air of importance, hence the gravity of "likes" or lack thereof. Is there any way to measure how many people/who simply VIEWS your posts/links/whatever? That would be a nice stat to track. See how many people that you're broadcasting to are actually paying attention.

Whoever mentioned people being lazy, I think you nailed it. Related to that, I think everyone, everywhere, is simply wrapped up in their own s*%t and cares very little for what anyone else is doing, unless they were a part of it ( friends/acquaintances vs crew/actors on a project). This is human nature, I think. I have a very small circle of folks that, even if I personally don't like what they're doing, I will be nice and "like" it, and even promote it, to be supportive (obviously hoping for in kind support). That said, I will not vote spam anything unless I truly believe in it (when friends say "vote for our movie on blah blah blah site so we can win this contest"), 'cause I don't think something should rise to the top undeservedly…...


It really is a very strange world.
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this is a brilliant post, especially the part about the laziness & people being wrapped up in their own affairs. But that doesn't explain the liking of the potato chips, target and such and such. Unless these commercial pages are really "part of" their daily life. I see many of my "friends" like that crap, but won't hit the like button my production page or band page. What gives? And at the end of the day it absolutely doesn't matter. Right? My prime motive for making a FB production page was going off heresay, "oh so-and-so doesn't even advertise, he just gets all his clients off Facebook". And on that note, it hasn't hurt to have a page up, but it hasn't helped tremendously either.

Let's put this pretty high on the list of reason why I despise Facebook.
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I despise it too, but can't seem to break the cycle. :undecided But I'm trying.
 
PaPa said:
I think it depends on the city. Here, in Montreal, the community is very tight. Everyone in a given age knows all of the other actors as we routinely see them in audition rooms. We're all friends, so there is a lot of mutual support here. Perhaps in areas with larger competition this may be an issue? I'll experience it more when i move to Toronto later in the year.
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Boston is very similar, My Boss at the (Burt wood school) has been working for Boston casting for many many years. Plus my son and daughter usually get cast through them, So I spend a bit of time hanging out there over the years. And it's the same, you see almost all the same faces constantly. Yes actors are competing for the same jobs, but from what I see, they congratulate each other, and seem happy for one another. Of course you come accross the ego maniac that figures any job someone else gets, is one taken from them. but not often. I imagine bigger cities are more competative due to the population increase.
 
Well I live in the most 'competitive' city in the world for stage actors, and I work with many of them very frequently. I just finished a recording session with a Broadway cast member of "Phantom Of The Opera" literally minutes ago. He was as delightful a human being as one could ever hope to meet, and a superb singer/actor. And he's no exception; almost every last one of the innumerable Broadway actors I've worked with has been a complete professional in every sense of the word. Same with film actors/stars...

The simple fact is that the difficult, egomaniacal types either don't get hired in the first place (and thus don't succeed in any larger way to begin with), or they get fired relatively early on for those reasons. Only the very biggest of already-stars are given significant license to misbehave (see the chapter on Charlie Sheen), but the great majority of them don't anyway. I've personally encountered only a handful of occasions where that happened, out of many hundreds of situations.

Basically, the vast majority of people don't want to have a miserable time any more than you or I do, and/or make those who work with them miserable too.

Of course, there are exceptions, but there have been far too many fictionalized (or, for that matter, true) accounts of such cases in films, plays, books, TV, etc. It creates an exaggerated sense of the prevalence of such people. Sort of like how it's 'news' that a school bus crashed into a wall, but 'not-news' that 450,000 others didn't...
 
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