For Talent Link their directions are "pay the first invoice so the second can be sent to your inbox. " **BUT THEY NEVER SEND IT.** I've never had such a hard time handing someone money for services. I know it is necessary because it is all there really is. I have to use it not only as an actor but as a casting director as well. And I hate both Breakdown Express and Actors Access. But I am definitely cancelling my upgraded account when it expires next month. Over the last year I've gotten two parts in feature films that I found on my own. I live in a small market so the stuff on Actors Access is not going to be anywhere near me anyway. But what really pisses me off is I have been trying to use the talent link to send my profile to potential agents. I have heard mixed reviews about whether or not this is worth doing. But it's only $30 so I figure I will try it and then go back to having a free Actors Access account. But these assholes can't even be bothered to send me a bill or a reminder e-mail. So I keep missing the deadline to apply to talentlink and have my profile sent to agents. ​
Hi, is there a website or an app where you can find fellow actors who can give you the other character’s lines in a scene in a self tape (like via Skype, Zoom or something)? I’m asking this because I sometimes have someone to give me the lines, but sometimes I don’t and so when I don’t idk what to do and think it’d be great to have someone to say the other character’s lines. Also, I’m in the French acting business, so if there are people who speak French (or just enough to say the lines in a semi-comprehensive way) that’d be even better. Thank you and have a great day!”
Is Actors Connection legit? Also, would it be appropriate to ask casting directors for a reference letter after you have done intensives with them and you have acted in front of them? Just curious. (Would really love responses from actors who’ve used actors connection or have had some experience with it.) Thank you!
I have a quick question. If I'm a member of SAG, can I provide a Voiceover for a commercial that features non-union actors on-camera? Thanks for any feedback!
Hi all, hope everyone's having a great day! So I've been a keen amateur voice actor for a few years now. I'm also a professional musician by trade and recently decided to bite the bullet and learn a bit more about music tech with the aim of setting up a home studio (I'm a classical musician so that's a bit different from my usual ballpark). This'll included amongst other bits and pieces a high quality condenser microphone. I've chatted with various friends who know their tech and production and have been recommended the SE Z5600a II. While the main use for it will be recording music I would also like something that'll work well for voice acting as well. My (albeit) very limited understanding is that condensers are perfect for both uses so I can't imagine there would be any significant problem but thought it worth asking in case anyone has any personal experience or advice to offer. Many thanks for any help and I hope you all have a fantastic day!
Hi, I am just breaking into voiceover. I did about 10 sessions of classes with some local voice actors in the Philadelphia area, bought a microphone and DAW, have produced a decent Narration and Commercial demo and feel ready to jump in. My question is, what's the best way to get started? Which websites should I use? I see Voices123 and [Voices.com](https://Voices.com), Bodalgo, Fiverr and VoicesUS mentioned as the top ones. Looking for any firsthand info anyone has on those. Also, does it make sense to look for an agent right now? What other avenues are there besides websites and agents? Thanks!
Recently I've had 2 insecurities: 1. My skills, 2. My stretch marks (I'm a guy) 1. I think I can act, rather well if I'd say so myself, but I need to be in a certain mood to act a certain mood. It doesn't have to be the same emotion, but I just can't act ALWAYS. Idk it's weird 2. Almost every male actor has had at least one role where they have to do a shirtless scene. I can't even do a no-sleeve shirt scene because I have so much stretch marks. I honestly don't know where I got them from, I have massive ones in my hips and stomach, and smaller ones on my arms and all over my back... I really don't wanna show them. Ever. I know acting is my passion, but I've been really insecure about these things. What do you think I should do?
I will be taking acting classes at Columbia and have the choice between 2 teachers: ​ Tina C. Mitchell or ​ Sharon Fogarty ​ ​ Does anyone know which of these teachers is better or have any information and feedback on their teaching styles and acting techniques they teach? ​ Thank you!!
Hello, Due to covid its making things a lot harder to record a demo reel with other actors/in a studio, particularly where I live. I believe I have the right equipment to record a professional-esque demo reel, now I’m just wondering on what to include? Should I do monologue? A famous monologue? A monologue written by myself? Or a dialogue scene with a friend reciting back the lines? Any suggestions would be kindly appreciated!
So, I understand how it's more about uploading individual acting clips (labeled with the type/essence that you're playing in the clip) for your casting profiles (like Actors Access and Casting Networks) versus attaching a compiled demo reel of your work, when it comes to submitting to auditions/roles to the casting director online. BUT... more and more, ever since the pandemic, I'm seeing even very successfully working actors using their self-taped auditions AS their acting clips, versus using clips from their actual tv/film work! Has this become/is becoming the norm now? I thought using self-tapes as clips was only for if you're new(er) to acting and don't have any real footage yet from booked jobs, or at least clips from a studio that you paid to shoot professional-looking scenes for your reel. Thoughts???
I want to become an anime voice actor, I'm decent at it but whenever I ask some other voice actors about it they say that my mic's quality is bad, my mic isn't that bad in the first place, I have some buzzing sound while recording caused by electricity, but I can easily remove it in audacity, but my voice sometimes sounds kind of robotic, I was wondering if there are any fixes for these kinds of issues, as I have no experience with audio hardware or anything related( Im short on money right now so I can't afford a new mic at the moment)
On this subreddit, I'm wondering which popular actors and actresses had to take on most difficult or challenging roles of their career, even if they did find these experiences troubling. Roles that affected them mentally, physically and psychologically.
So often on the rare occasion I post a video of my voice online somewhere I’m told “lol good luck with becoming a voice actor” in a condescending mocking tone or if I’m going to audition for theatre i get the laughed at. And honestly I’m a social reject so my social skills and understanding of character and how to portray them up to other people’s standards is limited. However, I grew to think of acting as a process, sure some people are naturally good at it but just because I’m not does that mean I should just give up and pursue another career path? Maybe some people need more live experience, or coaching. I personally know I could benefit from live theatre experience as I’ve never taken a consistent in person acting class before.. It’s just discouraging when people make you feel like you’re destined to fail. Have any of you ever felt like this? If so how did you overcome it? I have gotten paid for voice work on voices but I want to do character work but whenever I try I get laughed at..
I understand that VO will be required for actual acting for a long time, but how long will it be required for explainer videos and e-learning videos where emotions are not usually as important? I’ve noticed even on apps like TikTok the automated voices are getting a little better (still not there but moving in the direction.) It’s something that stops me from going full time into VO work as I get a lot of this type of work. I’m not trying to be a downer, I guess I’m just looking for a little reassurance?
I'm looking for movies that I should watch if I want to become an actor. maybe the ones that are about it or the acting is amazing. documentary s would also work thanks
I’ve lived in LA since 2003. Conservatory, then On-camera and Hosting led me to Voice Over. SAG-AFTRA since 2010. I have an LA agent, a few regional agents and a manager. I’m also a member of the Television Academy. By no means am I the most accomplished individual in this sub. I still take classes frequently and I study under more accomplished coaches than myself. I truly love the industry and I love my fellow Actors. The desire which drives us all, unites us all. What’s your question? Everything is fair game.
Hey gang! Can someone who is in SAG and does Voice Overs tell me if a production company is allowed to cancel your job - after closing and giving the script, day, time ect? Or what would make them do such a thing. I called SAG and their VO person is sick - so they transferred me to the commercials dept and they said they didn’t know. I have emails from them specifically confirming me and saying I was top choice- they went back and forth with my agent and finally we confirmed. The next afternoon they canceled- less than 24 hours before the job. They’re telling my agent that it was a “Mix up” and didn’t mean to book me!! I’m a commercial actor and haven’t done a lot of VO. My agent said she will tell them to pay me. Maybe they will… I’m really just shocked that they would be so GD rude and that SAG doesn’t have my back. I pay dues to avoid this sort of thing! for a bit of reference, I was the lead actress in the national commercial for this spot and was asked to do their radio commercials as well. It’s not like they were not familiar with me so I find it so strange that they would make such an error.
Hello there! I'm one of the producers of a USC School of Cinematic Arts advanced film production entitled "Standards." Our short film is a psychological drama/horror exploring the harmful effects of modern beauty standards on the minds of young girls. We are casting for Ju-Hye Lee, our **first-generation Korean-American protagonist**, and her family members (mother, aunt, and father). We are *also* looking for a **child actor** who will portray Child Ju-Hye. \*Pronounced Joo-Hay. \------ **PLOT SYNOPSIS:** An entity, known as "The Figure," forces a young woman to say the worst things she’s ever said to herself to all of her closest friends. On the eve of her 18th birthday dinner, Ju-Hye tries her best to fit into a dress that is too small, gifted to her by her overbearing and materialistic aunt. As Ju-Hye psychologically breaks down under the pressures of looking good enough for her family, an entity that briefly haunted her on her 10th birthday dinner comes back to teach her a painful lesson about self-acceptance. After hurting everyone she loves and even losing a friend's life, Ju Hye finally faces the entity and discovers it's true identity. The entity was actually a manifestation of her childhood self, first tainted by the beauty standards imposed by her family. This **psychological drama/horror** is a social commentary on how harmful, violent, and isolating beauty standards can be. \------ **For Ju-hye, we are looking for a cisgendered Korean woman who can play 18-years-old and can speak Korean fluently or intermediately. (We are also looking for a young woman to play 10-year-old Ju-hye!)** **Ju-Hye** is a well-kempt, fiercely independent, and bluntly honest young woman. Ju-Hye struggles with body image issues, an eating disorder, an anxiety disorder, and a nicotine addiction. Falling apart under the weight of the expectations from her aunt and mother, Ju Hye reaches her ultimate breaking point. Though typically one of the sweetest people around, when Ju Hye comes into contact with "The Figure", a seemingly malevolent entity, she is forced to say all the self-deprecating things she tells herself to her closest friends instead. Ju-Hye must learn that in order to mend her freshly broken relationships with her friends, she must first mend her relationship with her inner child she has abused for so long. \------ This is a **SAG-AFTRA Union** short film made for the **USC School of Cinematic Arts**. As per university and union guidelines, though this is **not** a paid opportunity, you will receive a copy of the film, film & union credit, and free meals. Keep in mind, "Standards" is on the festival track! We will be shooting **every weekend** (Saturday & Sunday) from **January 29th** to **February 20th**. \------ If this project and/or role interests you, please contact our **Casting Director Maria Takigawa:** [**MariaTakig@gmail.com**](mailto:mariatakig@gmail.com) Send us your **headshot, resume, acting reel**, and any other information or materials you'd like. \------ For general questions about the project, please email our team at: [**StandardsFilm@gmail.com**](mailto:StandardsFilm@gmail.com) We have also posted casting calls on [Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/casting/standards-452429/?utm_source=social_share&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=casting_call) and Actors Access. \------ Thank you for reading!
I'm sorry if this is kind of a ridiculous question but I'm a little unclear about what agents do. I see a lot of voice actors on social media talking about how many auditions they get sent or how many they book and it sounds like it's a lot and I'm wondering where they're finding all of these auditions. Is it the agents that send all of those auditions? I can't imagine anywhere else where you can find so many legit non fandub projects like on casting call club.
This one apparently has been going around for possibly a few years, but I just got emailed about it yesterday, so I thought I would pass on the text of the scam so people can be on the lookout for it. I forget exactly how the scam works but it is something along the lines of, they supposedly book time at a studio for you but then for some reason they need you to cover some of the cost of the studio upfront. But don't worry! They will pay you double at the end or some such crap. Anyhow - it is a scam. There is no booked session. Most times the studio doesn't exist or if it does they have never heard of this session, etc. The 1st email I got went like this: ***"Hello, this is Maxwell. I got your contact from your website, Voice over actor needed for a commercial game host show advert project. Please respond if you are available and interested."*** I was skeptical because it was worked so poorly, but I responded to see where it would go. This was the response I got back (which is verbatim of what I have seen other people post before): ***Hello,*** ***It is an $850 voice over (Assignment) for you and it's in English. A new corporate client of mine wants to create their online website.This assignment is a copyrighted script that will be provided. We have specialists and Contract Studio Engineers who will bring real perfection to the job. It’s a two days project and wouldn't take more than 45 minutes to record for each day.*** ***Job Location:*** ***The job and the recording will be held at a rented studio close to your location, so you don't have to worry about traveling, the name and address of the studio will be forwarded to you before the date of the recording.*** ***Job Description*** ***---------------*** ***We are creating a marketing video to be distributed through web and social media. The overall video is approximately 20 minutes in length with the game show host part being about 8 Mins also. The voicemust be smooth, friendly, fun and entertaining.*** ***Sample Script:(This is an idea of what to be expected)*** ***(VO) Uh, I’m no rocket scientist but I’d say…traffic congestion.*** ***(VO) Well, I’m no rocket scientist but that’s a no brainer. Mass Transit is the better option.*** ***Expectations: You need to be in a good mental and emotional state of mind. Basically this is all that is required of you, Kindly, get in touch with me as soon as possible if you will take the job. More details will be provided to you and we can continue from there. I will appreciate your prompt response.*** ***Let me know if you will take the job to commence with the next arrangement and also send a voice demo or reel. Please I'd like you to check your email on a regular basis, I might have updates for you.Thanks*** ***Best Regards,*** ***Maxwell*** Now, not wanting to be a jerk I responded as such: **Maxwell!** **Hi! Unfortunately, I won't be able to take on this job as I just accepted a part in the off-Broadway production of "Shwifty Sessions. The Rick & Morty Live Musical!" and will have no free time for recording.** **Best of luck filling the role!** Stay safe out there folks! Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Hi guys! I'm currently in communication with someone at my school about doing voice over for some presentations/videos for a class. I'm an actor, but have zero voice over experience. I recorded and provided them a short sample, and they asked me what my hourly rate is. I have zero idea what I should request since I've never done this before. I would be recording in a studio on campus and would only be doing the voice over (no editing on my part). They said it's roughly 10 hours of audio total. Any help would be appreciated!!
hello, i would like to know what are the best schools or places to do an actor demo reel, and i would like to know how i can get agents with no experience, only with online classes.
Im 22 and only just starting to act. I am in Virginia and looking to do some student films and short films over the next couple months, as well as some theatre maybe. Outside of school productions what is a good way to find castings in Virginia? Or anywhere on the east coast at that. Ive searched here and a lot of the responses about this are a couple years old. Ive looked on places like Backstage and Actors Access, but that was mostly just to look since it costs money for a subscription.
Do you want an agent, to be a freelancer (run a voice over business), or work as an employee that does voice over at a creative agency? These are big choices that carry different implications for what it means to be a voice actor, and a point that isn't always explained at the beginning of your journey. So, what is the difference? Having an agent is what the majority of people in this industry shoot for. Having an agent essentially means that you not only have someone to negotiate on your behalf, but you also have a reputable company essentially vouching for your talent as an agency **won't** accept sub-par talent. So, what is the downside? Well, if you have an agent 95% of the time all of your jobs need to be negotiated through that agent/agency. You can't really just pick up a job and go for it (there are of course exceptions to every rule). You also pay them 10 - 15% of the gigs that they land you (If you have an agent that is charging a monthly fee or upfront costs, run). The next option is to open your own voice over business. In this case you'll get to keep **100% of the profit**. But the downside is that you'll obviously be the one responsible for finding work, reaching out to clients, negotiating your rate, and everything else that comes with running a business. The final option is to work as an employee who does voice acting, like at a creative agency. In this case you'll be paid ether a salary, or hourly, and work to fulfill voice acting gigs for the company. This can be the most stable of the three options. You'll get a steady paycheck, maybe benefits, and be able to do the work you enjoy; the downside is that they make **much** more of the profit than you. In some cases, not all, you'll be getting a base salary with no commission, if they land a $1,000,000 client, you're still getting paid your hourly rate, or salary, unless you also get a bonus that is linked the projects total profit. These are the three options that are in front of you when you go into the field of voice acting. I hope that this helps you to narrow your scope and jump in! If you have any questions for me don't hesitate to ask. Happy Wednesday let's get some work! Thank you u/talksallday & u/Separate_Safe2779 for bringing up these points in an earlier conversation. If I have missed anything, please feel free to clarify.
Hello! So I booked one of my biggest commercials in July. It was a series of 6 commercials they shot, and I was the lead in one. They were to be released as preroll ads for a popular online pop culture website. Its for a well known company, but not McDonalds, Best Buy, Target level. Non Union. They started releasing them every two weeks starting in September. The last one to be released was at the end of November, and then nothing. Of course, mine is the only one out of the 6 that hasn't been released. I'm an unrepped actress in LA, that was planning on using this commercial (and a few others I booked this year - but not as big), for my reel to pitch to commercial agents. I've just been waiting on this one commercial to be released so I could use the footage as part of my pitch package. Would it be out of line for me to reach out to the brand and ask them about the status of the commercial, and if they don't have any plans to release it (for whatever reasons) if I could get the edited footage for my commercial reel? The brand only has about 100,000 followers on IG, so they are reachable. Just wanted to get some opinions on this from some experienced commercial actors. I was thinking of giving it until the end of February before reaching out.
So I was in the lucky few (2500) this year who get randomly selected by SAG to nominate the best performances for the SAG awards. I was specifically on the "Feature Film" committee though there's a separate one for TV. I'm making this post because every time I see outrage at who/what is nominated for anything, I don't know how to feel - but this experience has shown me how complex of a process it is. **First off:** you have to watch sooooooo many films. I love films so great, but it's a lot. I wasn't able to watch all of them, and I had so much free time due to unemployment so I don't know how others with jobs would actually watch all movies. To be impartial one needs to see everything - but even then you're seeing some 3 months before voting, and others a few days before (depending on when you receive screeners/get invited to Q&As). **The Biggest Factor:** Marketing! You wouldn't believe the amount of mail I received over the last three-four months. And you guessed it - the majority came from the biggest budget movies/studios. Some movies just have insane PR behind them, while other incredible indie gems barely make it on our radar. I happen to be into indie and foreign films so I made an effort to go to those events. But truthfully, it's all about top of mind awareness and when you're thrown all these materials about the same films you think well I better *at least* watch these ones. **So much talent:** I don't know if this year was loaded or what (due to a covid backlog) but there were sooooo many incredible performances. It was ridiculously hard to pick 5 performances in each category because the acting was phenomenal. At the end of the day, it just becomes what you resonate with... but also it's very hard to vote for an indie performance where you feel like no one else will vote for them! What you see at the higher lead/supporting levels is that the categories are **dominated** by A-List talent. Of course everyone wants to go see the Q&A with Leo etc. And of course they're fucking good. And it becomes so hard to make space for the talent that really could rival them. **People have different taste:** Of course I read reviews of these films while I was watching these things, I was curious what other people thought. And oh my god, some of this year's "masterpieces" I found boring to bits, while some of the severely underrated works I thought were genius. All this shit is subjective! It's such a random clusterfuck of opinion - and each award focuses on a specific kind of person. SAG is actors, so hopefully.... At the end of the day so much of who gets seen and voted for starts not with the voters, but with the whole process of creating the movie and budgeting. And I think that probably applies to most Award shows.
A covid test kit instructional video is being shot in Atlanta and we need an actress between the ages of 23-33. Video will be 2-3 minutes in length. Must be able to do the full covid test kit in front of camera. The shoot will be at the end of January to early February If interested please send your rate and a headshot to [birdsvfilms@gmail.com](mailto:birdsvfilms@gmail.com) Thank you
I am wondering if there are blossoming or established markets that an actor should have an agent in. Like I heard Austin, TX has a recommended market. is anyone here in any state that isnt LA/NY/ATL/CHI that works on a good basis? Thank you.
I currently am working retail but it's hard to have flexible hours for rehearsals especially when I'm required to work evening shifts. Was wondering what other people do or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!
I just wanted to point out a personal experience I had while casting for a short film. This was back in 2019, so before the pandemic. So the role was for a male age range 20s-30s. The shoot was non-union and I offered $125/day for 2 days of shooting. 232 actors submitted, and 32 were chosen to tape. Out of those, only 17 actually submitted a tape. Half or so submitted on the day before the deadline. One of those tapes was so undeniably good that I changed the character a bit to fit this guy. A few things I can apply as a now actor: 1. Submitting doesn't have to be early because if it's amazing it'll still be put toward the top. I know for me sometimes I value getting it done early, but getting it to be great is more important. Obviously if it's good + early that's best-case scenario 2. There is a TON of competition. 232 actors willing to shoot a non-union short film for barely above minimum wage (SE market), or at least submit for it (considering half the chosen people didn't even self-tape). Imagine how many there are for union roles. 3. Love the art - this guy that was chosen was, in my eyes, clearly too good to be doing a non-union short film like this. Yet, it was a role that challenged him so he took the gig even though the money was miniscule. He took the time to do the tape professionally. He took time out to come to a rehearsal/scouting day at the location before the shoot (for free). Not saying it's from this short, but all of his effort/hard work/talent led him to getting a series regular on a popular show soon after. Put in the work (talking to myself especially!!!)
What happens is that I meet other actors from events, on set, or online, or at a party, and they want to meet up. Thinking that I'm going to make a new friend, I naively agree because we have such a good connection, we go for coffee. It's truly a pattern now. First, they try and suck out every piece of information and education that I paid for in one meetup. Then, they are super excited and overly enthusiastic that they want to do some scenes for their reel together. They don't have anything prepared nor do they try and want to write something. Since I'm always writing myself 1 minute scenes to freshen up my acting or voice over reels, I tell them that we can schedule it (most) any time. They just need to tell me when. So they commit to a time, I get my equipment set up and ready (and I have some great lighting and cameras), I send them the scripts to memorize, and sure enough the day comes and I wake up to really bad made-up excuses. And I don't fight it. I don't argue with them. I don't dispute it. I just get frustrated because I'm all set up and that knucklehead just wasted my energy and time. Without hesitation, they will over like and comment on all my posts on social media and then about two to three months later, they will contact me and tell me that their schedule is clear, they are finally taking themselves seriously, and when can we meet up? I schedule with them again two weeks in advance and as we are getting closer they either start getting flakey by not responding to me (sometimes completely ghosting me) or find yet another excuse to back out. If this scenario happened to me once or twice with actors, I would shrug it off. But it's happened numerous times. So I'm done! I'm done trying to make friends in the industry. I've now created some boundaries when it comes to making new acting friends because this is too much of a headache for me and too time consuming! Thank you reading this and letting me rant.
Hello, my name is Andrés and I'm a 20 yo actor from Venezuela. Lately, I've been struggling trying to keep my hopes up thinking if I will ever be able to make a living off of acting. One of my goals is moving to one of the big cities (LA/NY/Toronto/UK) to pursue my acting career, but every time I do some research on the legal processes of how to pull it off, I realize it's harder than i thought it was. Like I knew it was insanely hard, but now it seems nearly impossible. I read that post that mentioned the requirements needed in order to obtain an O1 or EB1 visa, basically you have to be a recognized actor with experience and have worked in major productions in your own country, but as you might already know, my country is going through a very very difficult socio-economic situation, currently film productions nationwide are not as common as they used to be so it's pretty much impossible to make a name in Venezuela. As of now I'm taking classes at my local theatre and just had my second play in November of 2021, that eases my mind a bit, knowing that I'm working on my craft and making small progress, but progress nevertheless. It's heartbreaking feeling how I slowly run out of time trapped here, and seeing drift away what I no longer considered a dream but rather a goal. I hope time will shed some light on me, I really don't want to give up on this, I don't even know what kind of answer I'm looking for here, I guess I just wanted to vent out, anyways thank you for reading if you did. I'm open to ideas or advices if you'd like to give some! Enjoy the rest of your day :), ​ Andrés.
hi there. to be honest, I don't know how to start these so I'm just going to get to the point. I'm a 13-year-old from Iran and I want to be an actor. obviously, every time I mention it to my parents they think I'm just joking or something. I mean I don't blame them, after all, 1. I give up on everything I have liked easily 2. acting is a rather impossible job and everyone at my age wants it and 3. there's no possible way I can prove to myself and them that I like it. cause the application sucks here. the classes, the chances, the movies none of them are good. and I do not IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE want to be an actor in Iran. \- what are some ways I can improve my acting in my case? \- what are some ways I can show my parents that I'm serious about acting? also, I apologize for my terrible English
Hello dear actors, I came to Montreal 1 month ago. I was acting in my country like 5 years. I am looking for a decent and professional acting agency. Does anyone know anywhere in Montreal? Thank you.
Sorry for then length here, but would love to discuss! I had studied with a Meisner-based instructor about a decade ago, and have since studied techniques like Method (Strasberg) and Adler-- but I was revisiting the book Meisner On Acting, and I still get a bit conflicted with parts of his teaching fundamentals and how it seems to contradict certain aspects of auditioning and performing. (For context, I mostly do on-camera work now) For example, I know that getting out of your head and acting instinctually is important, but I feel like all of my script analysis, choices, and character development in preparation for understanding the story/scene and the character's backstories goes out the window when you get a really weird scene partner or audition reader while acting off of instinct in playing directly off of their energy in that moment. To explain, while I understand that it's very amateur and unprofessional to ever blame your scene partner, (if they're new to acting or whatnot, and the scene doesn't appear to have a connection or flow) and I'm not blaming anyone, but just as an example, I had a scene partner who frankly looked physically uncomfortable acting in front of a class and seemed as though he was just focused on spitting out his lines in one note before he forgot them-- which was totally the opposite of how the nature of his character in the scene was written-- So, my instincts were playing off of that and his energy, (while sticking to the dialogue, of course) instead of trying to "stick to my choices" in my head, which would go against the very basis of the Meisner technique. Needless to say, the scene came across as extremely awkward. The instructor questioned me on why I was playing my role so differently than how the character was written, (brassy, full of sass on the outside, but secretly lonely), and it was simply because my instincts were going off how my scene partner was behaving while continuing the scripted dialogue verbatim, which understandably came across as very odd given what the scene and characters were about. This might be an extreme example in the particular scene partner I was with, but my point is that this can occur in a myriad of acting situations. Again-- I do not want to come across as like I'm making excuses or blaming anyone else for what goes on, as we know anything can happen, especially in scenarios like casting directors/readers who don't give you much to bounce off of in the audition room and we gotta make it work! But my question is how people who follow the Meisner Technique handle this approach to acting while also using their choices, backstory, objectives, understanding the story, etc. Thanks!
I find Renée Zellweger very overrated. I hardly think any of her performances are that convincing.
I usually get this kind of info from classes / my circle of actor friends but I’ve been kind of a hermit through the pandemic so putting it on here. What’s the current state of things in terms of submitting materials to agents? I have new headshots and finished putting together a new reel this week and would like to start submitting, but in normal times the next month is the beginning of pilot season. Is pilot season getting back to normal? I picked up the UTD Theatricals Agents Directory and it seems to have a lot of people looking. EDIT: Forgot to say I’m in NYC.
I'm from Holland and my dream would be to play in the big movies that pretty much all come from and are made in the US. I'm just wondering if it is anywhere near achieveable considering English is not my first language and most characters portrayed in those movies are American/English/Australian. I know you could obviously play someone that is not from there but there's probably a lot less jobs available compared to roles that have English as their native language. Also, any tips on how to make it to the US as an actor that is not from there?
I’m new to this and I don’t want to accidentally lowball potential voice talent, but I also don’t want to overpay. I’m currently developing a free to play shooter game, and I’m looking to add voice callouts and wounded sounds. (Medic, reloading, cease fire, attack, etc…) As of right now, it’s looking like there will be about 100 lines with the majority being either two to three words long or just grunts and screams. Should I expect to pay by the line, word, or hour and what should I expect to pay for an amateur actor or actress with a good mic? I’ve seen a couple of rate guides, but they all seem like they’re for much larger scale projects than this.
Lately, I've gotten in my head that I (F19) want to be an actor. The thing is, I don't *want* to want to be an actor. I've loved stories and story telling for as long as I can remember, the idea of being part of that storytelling process and becoming a character is extremely compelling to me, it's hard to even put it into words. The idea started around my sophomore year of high school but I brushed it off as a fleeting interest. But, the idea has only festered since then and now I can't stop thinking about how much I might regret not pursuing it in the future. I've started doing research about what it might take to get started in acting, but the more I look into the less sure I feel about my current path of study. I'm currently in my second year of community college and transfer to a four year university to complete my bachelors degree. After this I plan to attend law school. While my parents are supportive of this plan, and are paying for my school, I'm almost one hundred percent sure that they won't support me if I tell them I want to be an actor. The truth is, they don't even know I'm interested in acting at all. There are a couple reasons why I'm not sure if I want to be an actor enough, the first is that I've essentially been alone for the past year and the whole passion for acting might actually be me getting to invested in my day dreaming. Because of COVID, my dad lost his job and moved the family to a city in a different state. I grew up in a smaller town my entire life, and still take classes from my hometowns college because they're all online. My parents are pretty paranoid about being in a city, so they don't want me to go out by myself. It's been pretty isolating, but I don't know how to tell my parents that I feel this way (a recurring theme). Because of the isolation, I've been watching a lot of "classic" movies and tv interviews just to make the time go by over winter break. I'm worried that these things are overly influencing my newfound interest in acting. Second, I've never had any experience in acting. I've been to local theaters and shows, but I've never participated in one myself. I know the obvious answer would be to go sit in at a local class, but again I'm not allowed to go out by myself since my parents are worried. To be fair to them, the city we moved to does have a pretty significant crime rate and homeless population. Third, I'm worried it won't pay. Yeah, maybe it's shallow and maybe artists should suffer for their art and if it were just me I might be for it. As I mentioned earlier, my parents pay for my school and will be co-signing my student loans for the next two years of university. I've always been a "what ever it takes" kind of person, and am on track to transfer to a top 100 university where I'll hopefully graduate from and eventually enter the Big Law arena. Obviously becoming a successful lawyer is no guarantee, but I'll bet the stats are a whole lot better than me lucking out and becoming a successful actor. My parents don't have a retirement plan, they've invested everything that have into my siblings and I. Despite all this, I can't help but feel like I'm hurtling towards a life of discontent if I don't at least let myself give it a try. I've missed out on a lot of life experience because of COVID and moving, I don't want all of my regrets to stack up. I'm a pretty easy going person, I understand that my family isn't rich and we sacrifice certain aspects of life in order to survive. My love for story telling is something I can feel deep in my bones, the idea of being without it makes my being ache, but I also don't trust myself enough to just jump and commit when I have people relying on my future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Hi So non actor here who's experience doesnt surpass that I dressed up as a rat in a Pipe Piper school play once and did an open mic night at a comedy club and was meh. I watch movies, I watch TV and have a few acting friends(one had a role in a pirates of the Caribbean movie and then back to struggle town) and my question is this. I apologise if they are dumb but I always wondered ​ 1) - While there are some very good actors my uneducated brain seems to notice a bunch of people who kinda are average but just look the part and get a role. In a "someone good looking enough who could hold a conversation/wasnt a complete horror could probably do a year of acting classes and do that role" - Im aware of the old adage of "If they make it look easy they are good" but even so. ​ 2) what are the odds of making it as a career i..e. you make enough money from being on TV or movies and not going into other aspects of it like production etc ​ 2B) Is it like an athlete that if you aren't a name by a certain age you are kinda out of luck (I feel this could be more something female actors face with the main character a lot of the time being an under 30's girl) ​ 3) - how likely is a rocky / always sunny situation where you are unknown and write something and basically become huge. ​ finally - how important is social media and having followings on YouTube etc to be selected as I see more and more Social media / YouTubers making name for themselves. ​ final final - unrelated but I always wanted to be an extra in a movie, thought it would be a cool experience. Any suggestions on how I could do that (im aware it is 100% different to acting) just thought it would be cool ​ Thanks for taking the time
We are starting auditions this week for actors/ actress for our company. Must be 18+ this is 100% remotely work.
I'm currently a beginner in voice acting so I'm not very familiar of what typical voice actors do to get them warned up. I usually just warm up my voice just like how I would when I sing, and then I do tongue twisters and that's about it. Are there any other things I should do to make me feel more ready? Maybe it's because I'm a beginner but I still feel after I warm up I can't seem to express my emotions through my voice and I feel like that could be fixed with better warm ups?
How do you guys think actors feel from being the main role from one production to a supporting role from another production. E.g. Wentworth Miller from prison break to Legends of Tomorrow
Hey all! I’m an actor who has just begun a streaming hobby, and I’m loving it so far. I want to link up my Twitch activity with my acting Instagram, because I feel they’ll go hand in hand, but my Instagram is aligned with my real name for actor branding. I do want to make sure I’m staying safe as possible when I do this, and that I don’t expose myself to being swatted or doxxed. I’m going online and erasing accounts I have that are connected to my address and previous workplaces, but are there any other precautions I can take before I make my real name accessible to my streaming audience? Thanks for any input!
I just got a short film script of mine accepted by a producer! We estimate about $25k for expenses and film festival submission fees - of that, I am on the hook for $5k and the production company will take care of the rest. I'd receive top billing as an actor, as well as Written By and Story By as well as a 50% cut of revenues. I'll attach a blacked-out (blued out?) image of the contract with more details: [https://imgur.com/a/xI7CgQV](https://imgur.com/a/xI7CgQV) Overall, I think it's more than fair, but I just wanted some people familiar with the industry to sanity check it for me! Love you all <3
Does anyone know if central casting is accepting new background actors at the moment? Or maybe the website isn't working? I've checked multiple times a day for the past week to try and register an appointment, but the the calendar is always greyed out and the time under "checking times ..." never shows a time where they will post more dates. Any help appreciated!
Hi everyone! Sorry if this isn’t allowed - Please inform me and we’ll take the post down. Our agency is looking for a few talented content creators interested in creating content on a repeat basis at a rate of $10 / video, with each project usually including at least 5 videos, to upwards to 20+ ($50-$200). To elaborate, you’d usually be recording yourself while seated or in selfie mode reciting a script for short form ads. Brief example given here; “So I just downloaded {insert brand here} and ive been obsessed. I get the best offers sent right to my phone, so im not browsing endlessly anymore. Plus its free this week so ya’ll gotta go check it out, I already saved $300!” A read of this script would pay $10, and each project would include various scripts. We usually assign 3-4 projects a month! If you’re interested in working with large brands on a variety of products please shoot me a message and include your reel or any social media / previous work. Further requirements: - High definition visual recording capability (iPhone X+ or professional camera) - High quality audio recording capability - Lighting setup / ability to record with optimal lighting. *Please note this is contract work, and not an full / part time employee position. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!
This happened to me A LOT when I first started out. I’d be in the middle of a scene and just completely freeze out of nowhere, despite analyzing my character and memorizing like my life depended on it. I started to get really down on myself about it to the point where I considered giving up acting all together. If you chronically struggle with this I suggest that you consider whether you suffer from trauma and if you do, how do you cope with it? I personally had an extremely traumatic childhood and I learned early on to “check out” as a way to cope with distressing situations. Well that worked when I was a child but it didn’t help so much with the other areas of my life, including acting. I realized I was going blank during performances because my body was responding to the stakes/tension/conflict of the scene as if I, the actor, were in actual danger. I was essentially dissociating on stage. No amount of intellectual analysis or memorization could prevent this from happening so knew I had to readjust my approach and focus heavily on my body. Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years to stay grounded in performance: 1. If you are able, see a therapist who specializes in trauma so you can begin to process your unique responses to trauma with a safe person. IFS therapy, in my opinion is great for actors because it explores the different facets of the psyche. EMDR is also great. Both are trauma focused. 2. Ground yourself into the present moment throughout the day. Literally imagine your feet have roots that are connected to the core of the earth. 3. I know it’s cliche but practice meditation, yoga, breath work, etc. It will help you develop more awareness of your surroundings as well as build your tolerance for uncomfortable thoughts, sensations and feelings in your body. I swear by the box breathing method. 4. Take care of your body through proper sleep, rest, nutrition, hydration and exercise. You are more likely to dissociate when your body is feeling depleted. 5. Notice when/if you check out or go blank throughout your day and practice bringing your attention back to your surroundings or your breath. This will prepare you to respond in the same way if it happens during an actual performance. 6. This one is huge: DO NOT study with anyone who makes you feel unsafe. We all know the type of coaches I’m talking about…the ones who belittle, humiliate, dismiss or otherwise harm their actors. They are seriously not worth a second of your time and if you have a history of trauma you are at a high risk of getting retraumatized. Find someone you feel safe with, it may take time but you deserve a supportive coach. 7. Have a pre and post performance ritual for yourself. You don’t have to make a big deal out of it. It could be as simple as privately repeating a mantra to yourself. The idea is that the rituals will act as book ends to contain your performance and help you step in and out of character. 8. Find ways to calm your nervous system. Some examples are dance, singing, humming, yoga and cold showers. 9. Record and track your triggers in a journal so you can become aware of possible ways to approach and cope with them in the future. 10. Remind yourself that you are on stage/set to have fun! Acting is not therapy but one of the reasons it can be therapeutic is because it is playful. Put your attention on your scene partner(s) and allow yourself freedom to play. This ended up being way longer than I expected! It might not resonate with everyone but I hope it helps someone out there! A lot of acting training covers some of the stuff I mentioned but I think it might be useful to look at it from a different angle. Edit: forgot to mention to try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and drugs as these can make anxiety worse.
Hi guys! Hope you’re all doing well. I’m 20, in my second year of four at university in the UK, studying engineering. I’ve always been passionate about drama (got experience with school theatre as well as short films), and have for a long time wanted to make it my profession. Thing is, I know how hard it is to succeed in the industry, so I pursued my academic strengths and put acting to one side. The plan (agreed to by my supportive parents) was to get a degree leading to a good industry, and then take a year out straight after uni to try acting full time. If it didn’t work, I had a strong backup. I should say I do love the area I’m studying, and am not opposed to working in it later on. I’m just far more interested in acting on screen. My problem is that I’m finding a lot of family members being less encouraging about the plan as I get closer to enacting it (no pun intended). My mum and uncle recently tried to persuade me to go straight into engineering, and leave acting for when I’m 30 or so. My uncle’s slightly contradictory argument was that he once wanted to be a musician, went into law for 20 years, and then tried music, but didn’t make it and found he wasn’t actually very good. Or talked about my other uncle, who wanted to be a fashion designer, was doing well and was then encouraged by them to go into law. He’s now a slightly sad Goth who can’t let go of his youth. Tbf he does have a nightclub. Ended up just reminding me of the Going Out Of Business shop in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. I’m just worried that if I listen to them, I’ll get to 30 and probably decide that my career isn’t worth giving up for a dream I had when I was a kid. Or if I do, I’ll have missed the boat. I don’t want to be another old man who had a dream but wasted his life lmao. I’m currently waiting for auditions to a uni play to open. Can’t hurt to make absolutely sure I’m actually a good actor and not just delusional
Weeee, you found me!
I'm your buddy Bottie, I was hiding behind the scenes, but now that you've found me I'd be happy to tell you what I'm doing.
I just wrote a few fun facts about Web For Actors
Would you like to take a look?
Click here to check them out. I hope it will cause involuntary audible response.
