NAVIGATING PILOT SEASON - It takes more than a map

   He's packed his bags for a three day journey across the western half of the United States to Hollywood -- where he'll move his entire life, make a temporary home, and try his second attempt at landing a job on the silver screen during pilot season.

   And he's just 16 years old.

   Chicago native Trevor Oliff has packed his bags for every kind of part imaginable - skater, prep, Army and punk, to name a few - and will try his act at this year's television show pilots, commercials, movies and perhaps even independent films. Forty-five auditions last year landed him a few callbacks for commercials - but nothing else. Yet the experience was enough for him to know he was meant for this industry.

   This year, he'll try again.

   "I was getting a chance of a lifetime to work on a show or a movie," Trevor says of his first pilot season experience - one that convinced this A-B student to leave his premier public high school and be schooled at home, "and it was surreal for the first couple of months. It was a dream, really. This time out it's going to be more of a focus on getting something. And I know what to expect. That's a huge leg up on everything."

   Trevor is far from alone. Pilot season draws thousands of actors each spring to the notorious Hollywood hills - young, older, professional and novice. More flock to the "episodic season" in the fall, when guest stars, co-stars, on-liners and other smaller roles are cast.

   What should you expect from this most competitive audition process? To answer that, Best New Talent asked Oliff, as well as leading casting director Harriet Greenspan (Dynasty, Loveboat, Benson, Laverne and Shirley, Three's Company); theatrical agent and former manager Mitchell Gossett (Mae Whitman of State of Grace, Jungle Book, and Independence Day; Hayden Panitierre of Ally McBeal and Normal; and Skye Mccole Bartusiak of The Patriot and 24); and up and coming actor Arlen Escarpeta, who plays Sam Walker on NBC's new series, American Dreams.

   Despite the stiff competition? Pilot season can be anybody's game, they say.

   "You should never second guess yourself about your reading because they just might like your look," Oliff says. "In this business, it's all about the right look. The kid standing next to you could be a phenomenal actor, but not have the right look. It's definitely a gamble."

   And that gamble often involves behind-the-scenes politics, says Escarpeta.

   "It's sad, but it's true," he says. "And you can't really ask why you didn't get a part because there's so many politics. Somebody might have a grudge with your agent, or they need to cast someone at a certain height, or maybe a producer knows a certain actor and they're looking after their career."

   Greenspan vouches for this hard reality as well.

   "There are various reasons you might not get the role you were hoping for, or that you felt so great about, which might not have anything to do with your performance," she says. "It could be chemistry between actors. The producers could have changed their mind about the type of actor they originally wanted. And remember - when it comes to T.V., the network and studio have the final decision!"

   It does help to stand out, however. To be an oddball.

   "It makes you distinct," Escarpeta says. "You need to put in face time. You need to get out there and meet people."

   And that means networking. You want to get to the point where they don't just see you as another actor, because there are so many actors. You want them to know you, Escarpeta says.

   And the opportunities to introduce yourself might be closer than you think. Escarpeta once attended a Q&A with several casting directors and agents at a local library. And calling the Screen Actors Guild, regardless if you're a member, or reading industry-specific publications such as Backstage West, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety can lead you to other open forums and functions, he says.

   "And just talk to everyday people. Don't bite your tongue, because you never know" who you might run into, Escarpeta says.

   Talk of all this political posturing is not to minimize the importance of staying on top of your game when it comes to your craft and the etiquette of the audition process. It is absolutely vital that you are prepared for each and every audition, meaning you bring your picture and resume. You show up on time. You dress the part (but don't overdress!), and you know your lines, your character, and who and what you are auditioning for.

   Sound easy enough? It's not as easy as you think.

   "Those who really stand out in the auditions - they're ultimately prepared to the teeth," says Mitchell, and that means that they've been coached. "The best actors - even those who have been on TV and landed a show before - they coach," Mitchell continues. "Learn the lines. You should be practically off book."

   Greenspan agrees.

   "You should never walk in a casting office with excuses, including 'I just got the sides!'" she says. "What you are saying is 'I'm not prepared.' In that case, you shouldn't be there. It makes you look bad, not to mention your agent and manager."

   Beyond your lines, know the show, its directors and casting directors. Do your homework, Mitchell says.

   "Know what other shows and work they've done, and know the style of the show you are auditioning for," he says, adding that www.IMDB.com is one of the best Web sites to find that very information. "Is it a half-hour sitcom or an hour sitcom? Each will require that you have different strengths. It's like auditioning for a Shakespearean play and a Neil Simon play - both are plays, but you use and apply different tools for each of them."

   Escarpeta says this "homework" can help you achieve that "oddball" status - to be the actor who stands out.

   "And it doesn't hurt to massage their egos a little bit, too," he says. "But don't let that be your whole focus."

   Instead, make the character your focus. In fact, make it your whole being, Escarpeta and Mitchell advise.

   "Let it come from someplace real," Escarpeta says. "Casting directors are really good about picking up on that - they can tell when an actor has made it their own, and when they can't tell you apart from the character, that's when they know they've found what they want."

   That's why Escarpeta coaches himself to get inside his character roles.

   "'How can I bring myself into this?' That's what I say to myself," Escarpeta explains. "Use what you have, and use what you've been through."

   And if the script seems gray to you? If you're not sure who the character you're playing is, or how he thinks? Ask questions.

   "There should be no guess work. You should map it out like a skate course - every word you hear and say," Mitchell says. "Once you've done that, you are free to just play, which is to me what an audition is all about. You are free to be in the moment - you're not showing, you're doing, and just being. To me, that is a perfect audition -- when your preparation allows you to just be."

   And when you don't have time to prepare? When the lines aren't available until you're in that room?

   "Just make choices," Mitchell continues. "Make choices and commit to them. Sit there and make a choice on every line even if you don't know why."

   To do just that, improvisation skills can help immensely, Oliff says, speaking from his own experiences.

   "It's a last second thinking," he says. "Even if you have a script, if you freeze up and you don't remember it, but you know the gist of it, it can help you a lot."

   The ability to cold read is equally vital, Oliff feels.

   "That will definitely impress a casting director," he says. "And you never know, they can change the script on the day of the audition."

   So … you have all of the above, you say? You've coached. You've done your homework. Maybe you've even networked. But if you don't have a manager or agent? Don't take a chance at pilot season. Not yet.

   "If you don't have any representation or specific plans, don't come to Los Angeles -- unless you are very wealthy and can afford additional rent," Greenspan says. "Short term leasing or rent in L.A. is high. A one bedroom is typically in the $2,300 a month range and a two bedroom around $2,800. And if you didn't drive your car to L.A., then you have to rent one."

   From an actor's point of view, Oliff agrees.

   "You never want to come out there without a manager or an agent," he says. "And parents, don't uproot your family just because you think your kid has talent. Look for an agent in the summer," he says. "Getting an agent in your home town - one with a sister agency in L.A. - is a good start."

   Then again, pilot season can be full of surprises. It's a time and a place where anything and everything happens.

   "Once you get into that room, it doesn't matter if you have an agent or a manager," Mitchell says. Without an agent or manager, "it's a long shot, and I wouldn't hang my hat on anything like that, but it's possible."

   After all, Escarpeta has a good friend who's stuck to leads he's found by reading Backstage West, "and he's done five independent feature films within the past five months," Escarpeta says. "He's learning how to work on a set, and how to speak to the directors so that when he does get a manager and an agent he knows what's going on."

   No matter what, "just keep moving forward," Mitchell says.

   "Take risks. Take big risks. If you're going to fall, fall hard," Escarpeta adds.

   "And when you leave an audition? And you felt you did a great job - that you were prepared, and that you did the best you could possibly do? Pat yourself on the back and move on," Greenspan says. "Just keep going. Keep your passion, your spirit, and your great attitude. Good luck."