Although breaking into a field is never easy, it's even tougher when you're in the performing arts. For actors, there's an enormous amount of competition for even the smallest parts. Even those actors who are fairly established can have a difficult time sustaining and growing their careers. We've all seen even big-name performers who seem to fade from sight for several years after, for example, leaving the cast of a television show. The same holds true for crew members. Cinematographers, film editors, costume designers, makeup artists, and others have to continually highlight their best work to successfully hunt for the next job. Thankfully, there are new avenues opening up that allow actors and crew members to link up with film production companies, find out about casting calls, and gain exposure in the worlds of television, filmmaking, and theater. And it's all thanks to Web 2.0. While Web 2.0 is often characterized in terms of user-generated content, we all know that social networking is a cornerstone of today's online communications. After all, the success of MySpace and Facebook attest to that. But while those huge social networking sites are valuable, they have the disadvantage of being open to everyone. That's contrary to the other founding principle of Web 2.0 - highly targeted, niche markets. For actors and crew members, it's great to have a profile on a large social networking site, but the chances are good that those sites won't facilitate connections with other people in the business. For that, you need a highly targeted site that is specifically designed to link talented actors, DPs, costume designers, and others with those who are doing the hiring. Thankfully, vacuums are meant to be filled, and we're now seeing online vehicles that provide actors and crew members with the opportunity to create profiles, post their headshots, and upload their reels. More importantly, these sites are also tapping film production companies and others who are in a position to hire, and convincing them to post job openings. In this kind of arrangement, everyone wins, since actors and crew members don't have to mail out so many reels and books, and those doing the hiring don't have to sift through mountains of materials. Instead, they can proactively look for the right people for the job and contact them. If you're an actor or a crew member, how do you tell the great social networking sites from those that are ho-hum? First, ensure that the site is a networking and employment site that serves film, television, and theater professionals worldwide. Second, make sure its search engine is designed in such a way as to increase the types and number of collaborations for the people who use it. The third criterion is probably the most important, and differentiates the best from the rest. You must be able to upload high-quality video, audio, and photography, as well as documents. The quality must be better than that offered by, for example YouTube or GoogleVideo. When that's the case, the playback quality has HD clarity and can display at a large size - making you look and sound your best. Lastly, the site should have direct access to industry job databases and the inside scoop on film production companies, film festivals, casting calls, and so forth. Generalized social networking may be the hallmark of Web 2.0, but in this niche, a networking site is also a vehicle for actors, crew members, and producers to find one another.
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