I am not an actor nor would I have ever thought I would have a chance to do acting at all so I’m a little confused by the process. I am a full time highliner and I was contacted by Subaru to highline in their National commercial. I sent in a self tape about a week ago and they start shooting mid April. how long does it take to hear back about a really specialized role like highlining? Do you think it would take a while for them to choose someone? Also how many people do you think got contacted for such a niche role? Anyway I’m stoked for the oppertunity and hopefully you wonderful people can shed some light on my situation:) Thanks!
I host the podcast [Actors With Issues](http://youtube.com/actorswithissuespodcast), where I interview working actors from TV, film and Broadway, many from popular films and series, about the career obstacles they've faced, the lessons they've learned and advice they'd give to young actors. I want to integrate listener/viewer questions more often so I'm asking for anyone to submit their questions here and we'll possibly feature them on the show. These can be about any topic because I interview such a wide range of actors on our show: audition anxiety, imposter syndrome, mental health, diversity, etc. The one thing I ask you **NOT** to ask is regarding "how to get an agent or manager" because you'll just get their story and not really concrete advice because as we all know, there is no one way, right way or normal way to get one. Actors self-submit, others are referred, some do a workshop or a showcase, and my agent found me themselves. Thanks in advance for your questions!
Anyone have experience taking her class? I’m looking into the weekend intensive class as I’ve heard her name around town but want to hear if it’s worth it to take as a trained actor.
So for context I'm a voice actor, I know redundant. I also have a large non toxic multi nodule goiter. Dont look it up, basically my thyroid is enlarged and lumpy. Ive been told to think about removal. With a thyroidectomy there is a chance at damage to the RLN nerve the nerve that controls the voice box. Along with all the other horror stories like if they find something on my larynx, poof gone. My question is. If you lost your voice, be it completely or you sound muted/ its extremely painful etc. What are you doing? How do you find meaning after that? Sorry if this doesn't make sense spent all night worrying about this.
There's a lot of chatter going on right now with a possible strike by the WGA, whose contracts expire in May 2023. Many in the industry are saying it will happen, but the reality is that no one knows what will happen until it happens. That hasn't stopped widespread speculation that it's a certainty, affecting decisions that affect us actors directly. This post is not to debate the merits of a possible strike, or its demands, but just to share some of my experiences as an actor over three decades. In 2007, I was acting in shorts, independent films and some theater, and for work, I was a utility stand-in on a network comedy, so I was on set a lot when the strike approached, was called, and in effect. Though the Teamsters have long had clauses in their contracts forbidding them to strike in solidarity with striking creative unions, SAG-AFTRA will not cross picket lines when the WGA strikes, and in 2007, this was true: SAG and AFTRA had not yet merged, and were both in solidarity with the WGA. However, it was not considered scabbing to shoot and act in TV and film whose scripts had already been written, so there was several weeks of work after the strike started still to be had for actors (and the rest of the crew and production), as long as the scripts were produced exactly as they had been written. On the show I was working on, one of the series regulars had a penchant for improvising and riffing, and the script supervisor who was used to letting it go for this actor had to work extra hard to get our star to say the line EXACTLY as it was written in the script: if one word came out of their mouth different from what was written on the page, it was considered new writing, and was a violation of the strike. A couple of episodes still in draft form went on to get shot, and it showed in the quality of the writing in the final product. Though the strike concluded in the first few months of 2008, the remainder of the season had already been scuttled by the networks and there were only 12 or 13 episodes made in what would have normally been a 22 episode season. It's an interesting endeavor to look at episode lists on Netflix or IMDb of shows produced in the 2007-2008 season that had abnormally low episode counts, and by many viewers' take, some of those episodes' writing was weak in comparison to other seasons'. The strike ended with some concessions to the WGA, and it didn't fully impact major changes in the industry. In fact, some might say that this was the beginning of TV's new Golden Age, as scripted shows became more in demand around this time, and the general consensus was that the writing in those shows was getting increasingly better. In 2001, I was acting in theater at night and working during the day for executives at one of the big networks, and early that year, everyone on the network side was convinced the WGA would strike as SAG had done the year before over commercial contracts. At the time, two huge hits on network TV were *Big Brother* and *Survivor*. Because both shows used non-actors (contestants) and didn't use pre-written scripts, they were out of union jurisdiction. The network started green lighting every reality show that came across their desks, expecting a strike would last at least through the beginning of the shooting for the 2001-2002 season, and with the added bonus of reality shows costing as little as 10% of what a scripted union show might be, and audiences were eating them up, the era of reality shows had come into full strength. Also, stars who had little theater experience started getting booked in limited run theater stints so they wouldn't be idle during the strike, as well as to keep their names in the public eye. That summer in New York, Shakespeare in the Park alone had at least a dozen actors known more for their film than stage work, and they were runaway hits, thus starting the trend to pepper theater productions with big screen stars, regardless of their theater chops. The trend of casting famous screen actors (though theater novices) in plays because of their ability to drive ticket sales came into full force at this time. Also, some of these same A-listers, traditionally "above" the mundane work of shilling for products in commercials, started booking voiceovers and on-camera roles on TV ads, both for the exposure and for the money that wouldn't be coming from TV and Film sources during a strike. The strike never ended up happening, but just the specter of it altered the professional landscape forever, making it that much more challenging for actors who weren't famous trying to get ahead. Speaking of the 2000 commercial strike, which lasted about 7 months IIRC, I wasn't in the unions yet, and was suddenly getting random calls for "non-union" commercials. At the time, the only non-union commercials were low-rent ads like local attorney commercials, small market ads, and 900 numbers. So when, during the strike, a non-union actor got called in to a non-union commercial for a major brand, they'd end up in front of a casting office with a picket line from SAG members at the entrance. Commercial productions started looking overseas to shoot, and after 7 months and little gains for the actors, the strike was over. Commercial producers had figured out ways to bypass their union agreements for major brands, like shooting in other countries, or ad agencies with agreements with SAG opening up separate "boutique" firms (like Ogilvy's Gramercy Park Films) to sidestep their agreed commitments to the unions. Thus started the decline in union commercial production, and now, it seems the majority of commercials shooting are non-union, and paying as little as 10%-5% of their union counterparts for national spots. I am 100% pro-union. I have been a member of various actors unions for at least 20 years, and should a strike be called, I won't scab. But this is also an illustration of how risky a strike can be on how actors can make their living, or even their ability to make a living. Strikes are absolutely necessary, but the decision to call one is a very serious decision to make, and should only be taken as a last resort. The results can be a breakthrough to getting working artists to be fairly compensated for their huge contributions to making a show a hit. But they can also alter the working environment forever, for better or for worse. Some actors during these times may have experienced these events differently and I'm interested in hearing those takes in the comments. I just thought my experience might be informative to those who have yet to experience labor turmoil in our industry. In solidarity, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ EDITED for grammar
I have a problem that makes me uncomfortable. An actress is interested in acting in my film that included nudity and intimate scenes, but she looks pretty young. I asked her her age but she wouldn’t tell me, which makes me suspicious. She claims that she is legal, but I have no « proof » and there is almost nothing about her online, not even her real name. I only found her profile on Linkedin and even though her jobs are most often done by adults, they are still open to minors. I also have no proof that she did work there. How do I make sure she is not lying and that she really is 18 + to make sure I don’t break the law and don’t hire a vulnerable teenager girl? (note : I’m a female actor and this is a feminist project. I’m not interested in portraying teenagers in a sexual way, which is why I want to make sure she is legal).
taking into account both of their films, to settle a dispute i’m having with a friend. [View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/11z0z9p)
For context, I’m in Canada where co-star roles are usually billed as either ‘Actor’ (typically less than 5 lines of dialogue) or ‘Principal’ (typically 5 or more lines of dialogue or a large amount of onscreen presence but not large enough to be considered a guest star). I recently booked a role, where the breakdown identified it as an ‘actor’ role, however, after I booked, my contract said ‘principal’ and I was paid principal rates. I had fewer than 5 lines of dialogue but quite a bit of silent acting on camera. Should I go off what the contract says or the initial breakdown? Is it safe for ‘principal’ to go on my resume, instead of ‘actor’?
I'm interested in voicing both commercial gigs such as advertisements and explainer videos, as well as acting roles such as animation.
Im not sure if these posts are allowed but I’m genuinely so excited to be following my passion!! I don’t need any advice or anything (against this subs rules I think?) but I didn’t know who else to share this with :)
We are open to an exclusive role for a LGBTQ+ Asian/Asian-American Voice Actor & Metal Musician. All info is here: https://twitter.com/AllAgesofGeek/status/1637891213989650458?t=BfwmWW16bpYGSCE87ZKdQw&s=19
Hiya, fellow thespians! I am playing a heroin addict locked in an apartment by his father and sister. The family is trying to get him clean so they are slowly decreasing the supply of heroin and they are making him wait for it longer and longer. I’ve worked out the stuff that goes on inside of him, got all the emotional work behind me now and have done huge progress on the technicalities of preparing the injection, the body’s reaction to it, how it begins to work and what happenes when it fully kicks in. This is all going in the right direction. What I’m kind of stuck with so far are the physical side effect of withdrawals which I really need to nail down too. Anything that you’d recommend I look into? Anything that I can do to myself physically (besides going through withdrawals) to enhance the performance? I’ve watched pretty much every heroin or drug-themed movie out there, looked at documentaries, short raw clips… but acting out the withdrawals is difficult as hell, probably the most difficult thing that I’ve done as an actor so far. Any help will be much appreciated!
Since I don’t know anyone else I could ask, I’ll do it here. I didn’t manage to get a single job since december 2022 so for 15 month. I actually don’t know if this a normal timeframe or ridiculous but I rather think the second one. I applied for surely over 200 jobs from commercials to movies and also student productions. I have two agencies one in the UK and one in Austria, they send me jobs although rarely but when they do it is usually big stuff (Netflix etc.). I do my casting tapes but almost never get an answer what I know of is fairly common. I keep my profiles up to date, new headshots etc. just my showreel is a lil outdated. So I ask honestly - what the hell can I do? People always tell me to - network - but I live in Vienna there are no “actor” event and I don’t know anybody from the industry. Or that I should update my showreel but if I don’t get any jobs (shorts included) how can I do that? Just fyi - i’m a 33 year old male I’m very close to just give up and delete/deactivate my profiles, so any help would be appreciated.
My first episode has non-union actors has principals. For the next episode I have some SAG-AFTRA actors in mind for co-starring roles. Is it possible to make my production SAG-AFTRA at this stage in the game, or is to too late and I'd need to make it a whole new series? This first episode was released within film festivals and played virtually at at least one film festival; it isn't publicly streaming or on TV.
Hi, I’m Brent Mukai! I’ve done a few of these in the past, and love helping the community. For credibility purposes feel free to look up my IMDb. I’m here to answer your voice acting questions, I’ve worked in most of the genres at this point, but the four in the title are my primary specialties. I’m going to take questions until this Friday, compile a list of them and answer them in a video. Since I don’t want to break any rules I will let everyone know where to find this video on Sunday (I don’t want to break the self promotion rules) So ask away, I look forward to seeing what you want to know!
... without any experiences or diplomas. To make it short, I am 26, french and I am a software engineer, I want to move to the US to pursue this career in a few years (NY or SF). My main motivation to move to the US is to "try" to be an actor, if I work as a software engineer there, can I auditions for part in play, short films, etc ?
I realize the best use of my time is spending as much times as possible preparing my auditions, not so much group classes anymore, but private coaching for each audition.. like I can do it a couple times a month tops, but I really want to find a way to work with a group of actors more regularly specificly working on each others auditions. i'd love to be working with a coach around the clock for my sporadic tapes but thats just not feasible. how do you tackle this?
It’s always been my dream to pursue acting, but the truth is as a teen I never really believed in myself enough and never saw it happening. But now I say enough of the self-doubt, I can make this happen. The problem is the only thing I have under my belt is GCSE Drama, and I know that doesn’t really count for shit. I’ve been doing some looking around and I definitely cannot afford proper drama school, at least not yet. I did however find the City Academy in London and I’m really considering starting the Screen acting lessons there. They do look very professional and will teach me a lot about the industry and skills as an actor. As far as I can tell though, these don’t leave me with any sort of official qualifications. My question is this: how will agencies and casting directors see these lessons qualification-wise? What will they mean on my resume? I’ll leave a link to the website for people to check out, I’m wanting to take the screen acting introduction class all the way to level 3, and also the showreels. [City Academy](https://www.city-academy.com/screen-acting) Any thoughts/ help will be greatly appreciated, thank you. Also I should add that I am from the UK (if you couldn’t tell already) and hoping to be successful enough to one day move to the US.
does anyone else have this sentiment? it just seems like the volume has gone so, so down across the board speaking with my actor friends. even if you're with someone who has connections, getting seen theatrically has become fewer and further between. that being said, we have to learn how to play the game. what got us here won't get us there. so how can we do to change the mindset from waiting for our agents to email us to instead productively and proactively using that time to move up?
Had quite a situation on set today. I booked a non union commercial and agreed to work as a local hire in a smaller market as I have housing accommodations. However, after five minutes of shooting, they did not end up using me for the commercial because the client said I l looked too young. This is AFTER they requested that I clean shave for the shoot after I had stubble/ a light beard in my self-tape audition. My call time was 11AM, but I wasn’t dressed until 4PM. Yes, that happens all the time, but the 1st AD admitted he messed up the schedule and called me in way too early. Other actors were in an out in an hour. After I was told I was wrapped, they asked if the jacket I brought to set they could use for 10 minutes as someone from production filmed my role. I said fine, but it ended up being another hour because I was providing I was basically working wardrobe for them. All and all, I was on set for 7 hours, and filmed for 5 minutes before they released having me shave was a mistake. Someone from the agency and the 1st AD were very apologetic and kept saying that I would get paid. Is this the case?The client seemed a little dumb- is it fair game for my agent to ask for extra money on top, maybe a kill fee or having them add the usage for the renewal for messing up asking me to shave?
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the community, I have learned a lot through reading the subreddit. I am currently actively seeking commercial and print representation. I am based in Los Angeles. My main goal is to become a film/tv comedic actress, however I got a referral to a commercial/print/voiceover talent agency so my plan is to focus on commercial/print and then segway to film/tv representation in a few months. First, what is the best way to seek commercial/print/voiceover representation? Or even film/tv representation? I have a meeting through a referral to a reputable commercial/print/voiceover acting agency next week, but there is a chance that I might not get signed. I hear that making an account on LA Casting or Actor's Access and sending out a reel and headshots would be useful. I don't have a resume, but I'm wondering if a standup comedy reel and headshots would be useful? I can make a resume but it would only have improv comedy, standup comedy, and acting class experience on it. Also would cold emailing a bunch of talent agencies work as well? Second of all, how would I prepare for my commercial/print agency meeting? I do not have any experience booking commercials and print modeling, however I do have the drive and willingness to learn. I will research the agency, bring a few types that I can play in commercials and print modeling, give them my experience, and state my goals for my career. Any help is appreciated, currently overwhelmed by the entire process. Thank you.
Hey! i am graduating from school in New Jersey with a major in musical theatre, but there’s a divide between my peers about wether to move closer to NYC or to Philly, and i’m not sure what other people’s perspectives are on the topic. i really am an actor who sings (and not a standout dancer). I thrive in new work, and have a limited musical knowledge; as well as also being a kind of everyman with a lot of range i think. think big energy comedian who does serious roles with heart. i just wanna hear more people talk about this so i can get a lot of input before i go somewhere too long that i have to fight against. let me know i appreciate anything you can say
So I do both comedy and drama, would it be wise to focus on one of those or can an actor starting out be able to showcase both ? I mean in the way of building a specific brand towards on how people view me as an actor.
Hi all. I’m curious as to what classes LA actors have felt are worth it these days. I prefer to have class in-person, but I’m not opposed to virtual if the class content is worth the time. Thank you!
I had an agent for 2 years, but things weren't going well, despite having some interesting auditions, I can literally count on one hand how many I had during the 2 years I was with them – but maybe it's also fair to consider the lockdown time. Still, very little visibility. He is a nice person but wasn't working for me as an agent. Six months ago, I left that agency and signed with a new agent who, despite the initial conversation being good and interesting, I see that I'm not getting the visibility I expected – and I'm not saying this with arrogance, but as a disappointment really. With her, I had an audition in the first week for a small project and then never had any more auditions for audiovisual projects, which is my focus and we talked about it. I had a few auditions for commercials, and last week she sent me a project which is a photoshoot for these girls that are graduating. I don't think I'm "too good for this" by no means, is just that my agent sending me a student project shocked me a bit because I expected her to be representing my profile for other projects. Like, this is why you get an agent, right? Now, a new agency that seems interesting has shown interest in my material and sent me an email to schedule a meeting because they are interested in representing me. This agency is small but better known, and I'm just starting out, so of course, I'll be represented at the beginning by a smaller agency. My acting teacher is also represented by them, so I asked him about his experience. An actress I know from a short film I participated in is also represented by them, so I asked her as well. The agency itself is better known in the market, as far as I can tell, compared to the one I am with currently. At least, that's my impression – I'm new to the market though. But I wonder if it would reflect badly on me if I change agencies now after 6 months with my new agent. I don't have enough experience to know if this is a very short time to end this or not. When I asked her about auditions and opportunities, she just said "it's too early, we need to wait," which frustrated me a bit because I'm tired of these vague responses. What would you do in my place? Should I consider the fact that 6 months is too soon to change agents, or should I give it a try?
I got an agent after getting a role in a Hulu docu series about creatives in NYC - I got this role 5 months into moving to nyc off backstage if you can believe it. Long story short, it was weird. I'm a young actor with this one main credit (in every episode) and i turned it into getting an agent. Not much work has come from it bc the amount of times i'm shown acting is <1 min. but a lot of time spent on my budding bisexuality which i was severely under compensated for. Anyways I have this agent, and she has good clients, hasn't signed a contract with me but has me in her roster, told me she realizes i need more development, wont drop me bc she believes "i have something special" and I just am in constant limbo with her. I don't really know what to do. any advice
I know that it’s been dry out there for many actors recently but it has been what feels like forever since I have worked. When I started my initial full time acting run in 2021 I booked a small part in 2 indie features and a couple more small things and ever since then I haven’t had any work. It’s been a little over a year since I got my last job and I have gotten about 2 call backs in that time frame. Wondering if there’s something more that I could be doing? Any advice helps!
I’ve looked everywhere backstage doesn’t really seem real or like there would be many popular productions. I have no clue where to look making sure it’s not a scam or that it’s real or anything. It’s actually making me pretty frustrated. I personally would love to be apart of a on set family like modern family or something. But I’m at a weird age for that because I’m a “child actress” but also not that young on the spectrum idk. I feel like most the time child actors parents do this stuff for them but not min
Now that West Side Story is out on streaming services, Shazam 2 has been released and Snow White is in post-prod I've been looking up Rachel Zegler and saw multiple articles saying that Spielberg and one of the WSS producers helped her with the agent scouting process. She also mentioned that she was initially auditioning for broadway with no representation. So is this something that is common when brand new actors are offered roles while having no rep or is this a one-time thing? edit: she also told Variety that she only signed with an agency AFTER the movie wrapped and Steven had helped her with the process.
Hey Guys, I am a fairly new actor and I was curious what the best course of action is to start acting in movies. Any help is appreciated!
Working on my first audio drama and aside from crowdfunding it would be have very little budget. Because I'm writing it and will handle audio the outside help I will need would be voice actors. Is it insulting to offer everyone a gift card of some sort? Or what is an expected pay rate for a small passion project? I'm not trying to be cheap or anything just very transparent and respectful. And if it's popular enough for Kofi or Patreon obviously those funds could be applied to the actors after production. PS this isn't an official casting call obviously that will occur down the road.
Hi everyone! I've been acting for a couple of years now, and accordingly I'm still in low-level productions. Lots of theater projects in black box theaters with uneven flooring and peeling paint. My issue is that I have been in at least three productions now that have over-promised and under-delivered. What I mean is, I'm in a project that is either paid or unpaid, small black-box theater production, okay to not-so-great scripts. But the main draw is that the leadership will say things like 'we're inviting industry people, people from such-and-such an organization will be coming, there will be all this exposure, it will be great.' But inevitably, as the time for the production draws nearer, we don't accomplish whatever the leadership had in their heads and suddenly the industry people are not coming anymore. Then the production turns into yet another sparsely attended friends-and-family show. Some of you may know what I mean. I'm just tired. I'm tired of pouring my time and energy into these shows that don't become anything and will never be seen by anyone that doesn't know me or a cast member. Is this just another thing in the long list of dues you have to pay when becoming an actor? Am I just not vetting my shows well enough? I'd like to hear your insight.
\[I'm sorry for any English mistakes\] I was with an agent for 2 years. In those two years, I only received a few auditions, very few. The most exciting audition was the one I ended up in second place to star in a series by a great streaming service, which made me very happy – also very frustrated for not having been chosen, but I know that this is due to many different factors so I chose not to think a lot about. ​ My biggest problem with this agent was precisely the lack of auditions and, perhaps, visibility. Anyway, we always had a good relationship and the few auditions that came up were good, for good roles. I try very hard to keep my material up to date, I'm a good student and I'm constantly looking for feedback on how to improve, and I've heard from different agents and producers that my material is good – some even said they don't know how I'm still out of work , which I don't say with arrogance, but to show that maybe it's an industry problem in the country where I live, I don't know. Anyway. ​ After 2 years with this agent, and this frustration of the lack of auditions, I decided to end my relationship with them and look for a new agency. It's extremely difficult to balance being a new actor and needing to show work to get an agent but needing to have an agent to get work, right... ​ So I had a conversation with a new agent back in October and things seemed to line up. I switched to this new agency. At first I got an audition for a small role with only a week at the agency, which sounded great to me, I was excited. Since then, zero tests. By the way, I receive a few publicity auditions, which I said in the initial conversation was not my focus, but I send my material anyway as the agent says is good for portfolio. In addition to, again, the lack of auditions, my profile visibility on this online service we have here for actors and casting producers dropped dramatically, practically zero. With the old agent at least I saw more visits and selections of my profile, so maybe visibility wasn't really an issue as I thought it was. I even asked my current agent about it, and the only thing she said was "it's too soon, we need to wait". I asked if it was something I needed to improve on my profile, if it was something with me, what is happening since the market is busy (her words), and this was the answer: too soon, we need to wait. I'm so tired of these vague responses, honestly. ​ But something happened this week that actually made me rethink a lot. What happened is that she sent me an audition for a university project, with a very low fee (almost zero, symbolic) and the project would be a photoshoot inspired by two well-known singers in the country. I was disappointed with that. Not for the project itself, in no way do I put myself in a place where "I'm too good for this", ever. Actually college projects is how we build a portfolio to get an agent most of the time. But that's the thing, in addition to very few tests, the test I get from my agent is a university and symbolic project, and I expected her to be working with my profile in another way, submitting my material and profile for projects that are in fact aligned with what I'm looking for, as we talked about in our first conversation. I don't think it's arrogance, but a breach of expectation. ​ With all this, I was seriously considering texting my old agent. We ended things on a good note, and at the time I explained that I would change agencies to try something that was more in line with my profile, but unfortunately that is not happening. I'm looking at other agencies as well, but none are willing to talk right now, the eternal problem for actors who are just starting out. My former agent is known for helping actors starting out, and in fact, many actors at the agency are actually working, although it wasn't working for me at that time. But I wonder if I made a bad deal switching agencies, and I regret it now. Is it really stupid for me to talk to him about this and see if there's a possibility that I could go back to the agency? I see that maybe it would be the best way to actually start working and, in the future, get better roles and better representation with the new projects. But I feel bad right now, to be honest. I feel dumb and I feel like all the effort is for nothing at the end.
i wonder if people not liking me is going to make me unsuccessful as an actor/artist or something...is that me just being a bit neurotic or does it really actually matter who/how many people like you in order to have a successful career?
Hey fellow actors/aspiring actors... What are your favorite coping mechanisms for dealing with rejection This is the first time I've had to go through this and its a bit of a blow to my confidence but i have a show coming up in a few days so I really need to get over this so that I can perform at my best... Any advice would be great thanks
So I’m a UK actor and filmed a role in a major British drama and was playing the role of a masked robber, I had a lot of dialogue but never took the mask off, would it be good to use for footage in my showreel based on the production it’s come from ?
Just feeling a bit frustrated and needing to vent a bit. I’m about a year and a half into acting and I’m finding it a bit jarring how much actors are pressured to sacrifice their entire lives for this career. I booked out several months ago and it was the first time I ever booked out in over a year. I reminded my agent and turned down an industrial audition that would potentially overlap (I have also NEVER turned auditions down unless I had other acting gigs that conflicted and I consistently book industrial/commercial work). My agent told me to submit anyway and that they would make it clear that I had a conflict on one of the days. I end up booking it and they need me the day I am booked out. My agent then gets passive aggressively upset that I can’t do it. The pay was also not a lot— had it been something groundbreaking that would grow my career substantially, I would have swallowed the sunk costs (personally and financially). Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for how hard agents work, but I can’t help but feel frustrated since I communicated everything upfront and thought I did everything I needed to do. I love acting but is this what it takes to be in this industry?
I know actors access is not a scam and that it is for inexperienced actors trying to start out especially without representation. However, can there be a scam post? I just saw a commercial post on breakdowns that is over seas* and it pays 12k for a huge phone company… is this real? Also, as someone without representation how else can i get jobs? Thanks!
Hi everyone. Could anyone suggest me some sides for a high energy, happy-type character. Male age range from 16-24 I would say. I apparently give off a boy next door vibe and have been compared to actors like tom holland and timothee chalamet. Almost all of my teachers have requested I use sides which are more upbeat, high energy, happy, can be hallmarky, etc. I usually bring dramatic, gritty material and apparently I’m good at it but they want more. It’s a little bit of a foreign area for me so I’m not sure where to go. My class is tomorrow so I need to find something quick. Thank you!
Hi everyone. I'm pretty new to LACasting and have been on Actors Access mainly. I noticed for LACasting, a lot of the projects (Specifically student films) require you to submit an audition with your materials instead of just submitting your materials and getting a notification that they want you to audition for the role after reviewing the materials you've submitted. I heard there was controversy with backstage and their prescreens. Are prescreens here basically the same thing on LACasting? Thank you in advance!
I’m about to become SAG-E and I’m wondering about the best places to find SAG jobs. I’m on Casting Networks, Backstage, and Actors Access. Not currently represented for theatrical but will be pursuing that as well
We asked pros how many demos they listened to, how many they rejected, and how fast they rejected them. That group told us 95% of demos are rejected in 4 seconds or less due to not attempting natural speech. Pros included owners of agencies and studios, top talent, two Emmy-award winning producers, etc. We found them and got their opinion by producing 78 [training events](https://www.facebook.com/VoiceActingExpo/reviews), recording as many as 350 sessions in a single day at a large conference hotel, renting up to 15 rooms. Each recording session included two pros, a producer and engineer (plus several roving admins) in a room set up as a partially-baffled studio space. In 2018, we started adding 1-2 students per event apprenticing with the engineers. We also surveyed over 1,000 event attendees and asked about their previous training experience. We learned a lot about how the industry trains new folks—and very few of them teach natural speech well. Of course, many not-yet-informed voice actors often pushback on *actually* using acting and natural speech skills. They think it's something you are taught that you can forget later, rather than something you utilize throughout your career. This is normal, as learners of many topics get stuck between stages two and three—failing to reach the final stage—when going through the "[stages of learning and competency](https://taskcompetency.com/)". Another group of mostly full-time working pros with far less career experience told us they usually listened past the first clip, but identified the same problem. (Apparently the more experience teaches you that if a demo starts poorly, it doesn't get better, the faster you give up when it starts poorly.) *We began winding down the events pre-pandemic and ended them in 2020. We now teach* [*remote only*](https://g.page/r/CTU9rofrAeuVEB0/review)*—we've wound down to a minimal presence at our training center.*
I was looking on Backstage/Actors Access for ways to get started in acting (I have no prior theater skills) and found an ad for extras for an office environment. However the director at the time wanted a video reel and cover sheet, but how do you make that with no history and for an extra with no lines?
I’ve spoken to a couple of actor friends and have got mixed opinions from each of them on this as some would suggest only have one showreel to not overwhelm anyone and others have suggest a showreel along with multiple clips/ monologues with specific styles (drama, comedy, villain etc.) So I’m wondering, what do you currently have that’s worked for you in past, maybe it’s secured an agent or casting from it.
Like do these huge companies that produce these films just post auditions on websites or do they just get asked? Do agent's of the actors do the work for them to find auditions? like i know the people that played in wednesday and stranger things had alot of credits to their name before they appeared on the shows, but theres also actors like Felix Kammerer who only had 2 credits to his name before starring in All quiet on the Western front, and that movie is huge now, how do they do it?
*Reposting with most links removed:* We asked pros how many demos they listened to, how many they rejected, and how fast they rejected them. That group told us 95% of demos are rejected in 4 seconds or less due to not attempting natural speech. Pros included owners of agencies and studios, top talent, two Emmy-award winning producers, etc. We found them and got their opinion by producing 78 training events, recording as many as 350 sessions in a single day at a large conference hotel, renting up to 15 rooms. Each recording session included two pros, a producer and engineer (plus several roving admins) in a room set up as a partially-baffled studio space. In 2018, we started adding 1-2 students per event apprenticing with the engineers. Another group of mostly full-time working pros with far less career experience told us they usually listened past the first clip, but identified the same problem. (Apparently the more experience teaches you that if a demo starts poorly, it doesn't get better, the faster you give up when it starts poorly.) We also surveyed over 1,000 event attendees and asked about their previous training experience. We learned a lot about how the industry trains new folks—and very few of them teach natural speech well. Of course, many not-yet-informed voice actors often pushback on *actually* using acting and natural speech skills. They think it's something you are taught that you can forget later, rather than something you utilize throughout your career. This is normal, as learners of many topics get stuck between stages two and three—failing to reach the final stage—when going through the "[stages of learning and competency](https://taskcompetency.com/)". ​ *We began winding down the events pre-pandemic and ended them in 2020.*
I run a youth arts coalition at this community center and a local actor/independent filmmaker is going to do a presentation for the group in a few weeks. If it goes well I may ask him to make it a series. I am a music teacher, and my wife also a singer and visual artist. Point is, I want to broaden the scope of this group beyond my/our capabilities of doing so; these kids have next to no knowledge of the art (and nor do I really, other than just being a lover of cinema). So anyway, this gentleman has asked for a list of topics he should cover. Thoughts? It’ll be a 2-3 hr. presentation.
Okay so I’m creating this website by scratch and it’s going to be one for beginning and up coming actors. I want to include monologues to get started but don’t know what else to add. Also I’m open to adding monologues that you create just follow the format and pm me: Character name Age Range Genre Background Info “monologue”
I need a technique. I NEED to BE TRAINED IN A TECHNIQUE. But I don’t know which technique. I NEED technique, but one that can not only help me become a better actor, but one that can address and help me fix my many problems and shortcomings as an actor. What technique(s) will help me based on my list of problems as an actor? •Struggle to really REALLY listen to scene partners •Being too in my head and overthinking everything •Struggle to be able to trust and just let go •Near impossibility being emotionally open and vulnerable •Fear that my imagination isn’t strong or stimulating enough •That I have a blocked instrument and don’t have the proper resources and guidance to help unblock and help me tune my instrument •Fear that I’m not doing it right. I mean technique work, that I’m not trying the right way or not trying enough to know what works and what doesn’t. •Fear of failure and criticism/making mistakes because I’m afraid it means I’m not as good an actor as I should be or I don’t have it together. •Wanting outcomes of a particular scene instead of just letting what happens happen and having faith it will work out. •Lack of faith and trust in myself, the work I’ve done, and my journey ahead. I don’t trust I am where I’m supposed to be right now, I don’t trust that I’ve got what I need right now, and I don’t trust that I’ve done enough work to allow the process and in-the-moment work to play out how I envision it should go. I don’t trust or have faith that I’ll be able to let go and believe that it will be okay. •Feeling like I don’t have time. Time to try, fail, learn, and try again. Time to really delve into the work and take the time to practice technique and work and see what works and how I respond to it. Time to get my foot in the door. ——Because so many other actors (Timothee Chalamet, Sydney Sweeney, Tom Holland, are all doing amazing work and have their shit together at their young ages, and here I am at 22 almost about to graduate college asking stupid questions on a subreddit). •Fear that I can’t really, truly act because I’m so in my head so much and overthink everything about the work and what I should be and what I can’t do and can do and if certain results don’t happen for a scene then I’m a failure and can’t do it right. •Fear that an intellectual/cerebral has no business acting. That I cannot be trained to get out of my intellectual and over-analytical head and do the work with no interference. •Obsession with results of the work (the performance) rather than process, exploring, and doing the work necessary •Anger that I haven’t had the training I feel like I need, nor the resources necessary to get the training I need. •Slowly dwindling love of the process and work itself and instead a growing hunger for the results of the work rather than the work itself. •Not wanting to take the time to find the right place to train, the right teacher to train me, the right classroom to be trained in, etc because I feel like I need to start training NOW •Fear that I don’t have the discipline or the grit to really do the work necessary. •Fear that I’m not enough as an actor, and never will be. That I won’t be able to be the actor I want to be because of all the things I listed above. All of this stuff really frightens me and I need to solve these things through technique. And please don’t say therapy, I’ve already heard that enough. And I’m seeing a therapist, but have yet to really bring this stuff up.
How can I stop overthinking in my acting and my process? How can I trust that the work I’ve done is enough? How can I stop myself from feeling pressure to and putting pressure on myself to nail a scene or performance down? How can I just fucking jump into the unknown? How can I just fucking surrender to the work and be open and live in the fucking moment?
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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.
