We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeta Vidovic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeta, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I was always insecure about my writing. English is my second language, and with that comes certain limitations – especially since I was self-taught, for the most part. The more I trudged into the deep waters of filmmaking, the more I realized that I would have to put this fear behind me. I wanted to write my own stories and not hire others to do it for me.
Over a decade ago, I made the decision to write one page a day for thirty days, and finally get to finishing one of my treatments.
I set an alarm for 5:30 every morning – the only time I had for myself, being a mother of two small girls at the time. I called this hour “my date with my pages and morning cup of coffee,” and wrote for sixty minutes every day before my family woke up. My daily minimum was at least one page. I know to some, it probably seems like, “What the heck is so hard about that?” For someone who edits everything she does though, it was a huge step to force myself to not go back and edit, but to simply move forward. I made myself stop thinking about how the screenplay for Chinatown was so darn perfect, and how I am so far from delivering anything that can even come close to that. I stopped asking myself the same old questions like, “What the heck am I trying to do here? Kathryn Bigelow already did everything right.”
Well… if everyone thought that way, then no one would dare try singing after Aretha Franklin sang her first song, right? So, I pushed through all that noise and thirty days later, I had my very first draft of my own screenplay!
I learned a lot from my daughters when they were taking their very first shaky steps. They became stronger and more confident with each one of those baby strides. Not much changes when we get older and decide to embark upon either learning new things or fixing what’s not working. It’s the noise from the outside world that makes us believe we have to be perfect the moment we take off running. The patience, the “I can” attitude, and utilizing one’s individual voice is a great start.
Fifteen years later, with over a dozen short and feature film scripts under my belt, it’s still clear as day that insecurity is an incurable disease. I faced mine head-on by silencing the noise in my head and allowing my heart to speak. My advice… approach your insecurities with those baby strides, tons of patience and by facing them head-on every day. Then sit back, have a cocktail and marinade in the great results that follow!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an acting coach and filmmaker originally from Los Angeles, with three decades of experience in the entertainment industry.
My clients have worked on major studio and network projects, including CW, NBC, Freeform, Disney+, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate, to name a few!
My unique set of skills were shaped by my extensive background in acting, producing, writing, directing and running a production company where I’ve produced and developed over a dozen projects. This has given me inside information about the ins and outs of the film industry that I love passing onto my students. I love teaching them how to draw inspiration from their own unique personalities and life experiences. This way, they can leave a lasting impression with industry professionals, improve their booking ratio and have a long and satisfying career.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When embarking on the acting journey, the most important thing that one can do is train as much as possible. Any profession that one chooses to do requires education, and acting is no different as it requires a specific set of skills that cannot be obtained overnight.
A great start for anyone who chooses acting as their profession is to start with scene study first. Understanding how to break down a scene is a crucial and necessary foundation for all other work.
Next would be cold reading technique, because it’s a great way to get out of your own way, trust your instincts, and put all your attention on your scene partner. It truly teaches the art of listening which, in my opinion, is essentially what acting is all about.
When ready to get out there and audition, a really good audition technique class is a must. Mastering the art of auditioning is the key to getting callbacks on your auditions and ultimately, booking work.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
They agreed to let me come to the States so that I can spread my wings and go after my dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://planacting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planacting/
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