I'm doing a survey for a service platform for actors. If you could just quickly answer yes or no to the following questions I really appreciate you! 1. Do you have trouble finding networking opportunities as an actor? 2. Would you like more opportunities to collab with other actors/filmmakers on projects? 3. Do you find it difficult to meet other actors in your location?
hi everyone, asking for someone that doesn’t have reddit and idk anything abt acting — the college that this person is looking at only offers a theatre major as opposed to a film major. does this impact his chance of becoming an actor in film versus just acting in theatre productions like broadway, or is it fine?
I was a while ago watching a video of an old interview by an apparently famous actor. The interview appeared to have been recolored so it must be quite old. The actor was not talking about acting but about life and fatherhood. The video had a considerable number of views. The title might have had the word interview in it, or advice, or life, or any combination of the three. Any help is appreciated.
Interested in film and theater? Looking for a condensed community with broad outlooks on the acting community catered towards black folk ? Checkout r/blackactors . Looking for members and moderators. We’re a work in progress and would love your contribution. Join us ✊
In the lengthiest episode of *The Green Room* to date, Michael sits down with Jolyn to talk about one of the hardest things he's ever had to do as a director: fire a lead actor the week before tech week. The two go on to discuss the general controversy around firing actors in a community theater setting and offer some insights on when it might be called for. [https://anchor.fm/thegreenroomchat/episodes/Exit-Through-The-Chocolate-Room-e1akf3m](https://anchor.fm/thegreenroomchat/episodes/Exit-Through-The-Chocolate-Room-e1akf3m)
Kind of a strange question, but for those who are full time actors in the union, how many jobs do you typically book a year in order to live comfortably solely off of your acting income and do it full time?
Entertainment watchers strongly associte fictional characters with the actors who portay them. For example, when people think of Harry Potter, they think of Daniel Radcliffe. To most people, Harry Potter is a person who looks exactly like Daniel Radcliffe. But I wonder if Daniel Radcliffe thinks Harry Potter = Daniel Radcliffe. He probably doesn't think of the character that way. Maybe to Radcliffe, Harry Potter is just an amorphous, non-physical concept that exists in a script and can take many different forms. I think that's what happened with Hermione and Watson. In an interview she said she feared the character Hermione would disappear after that last movie. But when the play came out she realized that "Hermione" still existed, albeit in a different form. How do you view the characters you play? I'm aware that this might be the weirdest question about acting ever, and I apologize if it's too weird.
I’m interested in getting into acting. I loved acting in local and school plays when I was a kid, but then “didn’t fit” any roles when I was in high school or college outside of participating in some student films my friends made. I was always told that the reason I didn’t fit any of these roles was either because 1. I am extremely short, or 2. I was born with a congenital disorder that caused one of my legs to be amputated below the knee, have deformities of varying degrees impacting almost all of my fingers, and also have a deformed foot. I walk with a slight limp but it usually isn’t very noticeable. However, I know that sometimes having differences like this can help make an actor more desirable for some roles. I just don’t know where to go to find information or resources about getting into acting at this point, specifically acting in roles where my disability is either a non issue or a desired aspect. I currently live in Illinois.
Hello! I am looking for talent with unique pets to help film (with your phone) short videos. These videos are around 20-30 seconds, so it shouldn't take more than 15-30min of your time. They require both you and your pet / animal be on camera, and most of the concepts include spoken lines (with room for ad lib). This is a remote / self-filmed gig. Examples of unique pets / animals: * Goats * Cows * Tarantula * Lizard (beardie, iguana, something similar) * Parakeet * Fish * Chinchilla * Turtle * Snake I can offer $150 flat fee. Will provide a contract. Payment can be made via ACH/Wire, Zelle, or PayPal. Please message/chat if you're available and interested. Thank you!
Hey all, I got cast in a female role at my college. While I am totally comfortable and ok playing the role, I’ve never had this kind of opportunity before, so I feel a bit out of my depth. The advice I’ve received so far is to “get in touch with your feminine side” and to “watch how female models walk down the runway”. The second of which I have done and the first of which I am grasping for. Anyways, if there’s any advice at all anyone can give me for playing a gender that is not my own, I would love to hear it, as it’s a valuable learning experience. Thanks in advance! Note: If it helps at all, on the role itself, I’m playing half of a heterosexual couple in which my character is fed up and experiencing an early (she’s early 30s) mid-life crisis after having moved away from the city into the country and dealing with a husband she loves but can only communicate through the material (i.e. how much money he’s making, how nice their house is, etc.).
I posted this question under someone's reel, but I think it's worth asking the group at large here. Out of curiosity, how important have you found your acting reels to be for getting acting work? Have you ever taken unpaid gigs that looked promising to add good content to your acting reel? Have you ever directly benefitted from a free shoot by using your reel footage to get paid work? I'm coming at this at a slightly different angle because I'm interested in directing and cinematography, not acting. I completed my first bite-sized projects recently. My budget is thin, so I only gave the actors meals and the final footage as credit. I spent all the money I could have paid them on equipment rentals so we'd have better-looking and sounding footage. Should I save the money I would have spent on meals, transportation, and gear rental for free shoots and do paid shoots without meals or rentals and with limited travel instead? The production value would take a hit. I wonder how that would change who expresses interest in my projects. I realize that I can Google info on this (and I have), but I am curious to read feedback from people in the trenches.
I feel like I’ll always be an insignificant, irrelevant and broke actress…I feel like shit
Hi everyone, hopefully this is the place to ask this. My sister has always wanted to be an actress. She went to a performing arts high school in the city and graduated from the BA program at Pace. After college life got in the way a bit and she’s lost touch with her art these last few years. I know she really would love to get back into it, but needs to get her confidence again and get some practice. I’m wondering if anyone can recommend any classes in the city that might be able to help her get her groove back. I guess she’s not exactly a beginner, but maybe a beginner class would be best, idk. I’d love some direction or recommendations if anyone can help.
Use this thread to post your headshots for feedback, get info on your age range/type, find good headshot photographers, ask any questions you may have about headshots. If you are posting a DIY headshot for feedback, and not just a snapshot in order to get feedback on your age range/type/etc, it is advised that you do at least some basic research on what actor headshots look like--composition, framing, lighting. You will find a Google Image search for "actor headshots" to be very helpful for this. Non-professional shots are fine for age/typecasting; please keep in mind that one picture is a difficult way to go about this. Video of you moving and speaking would be ideal, but understandably more difficult to post. For what it's worth, the branding workshop at SAG-AFTRA recommends a five-year age range. That's inclusive, so for example 19-23, 25-29, 34-38, etc.
Hey, I'm from India I'm a third year computer engineering student and, also an ACTOR! I've done a couple of workshops in the past to train myself and have been auditioning since 2ish years. (not very frequently tho) Things have finally started to work out for me, I recently did 2 decent budget advertisements and have been recently auditioning for good parts in ad films, films and, web series. The problem is: ACTING IS REALLY TOUGH TO MANAGE WITH COLLEGE My studies are pretty tough and most of the times the shoot dates collide with my college exams and tests. I don't want to lose out on such amazing opportunities but taking a drop from college is out of question. Recently, I have to deny availability to the casting directors calling me for some projects and it crushes me but I don't think there's any other option at this stage cause I'm still in college. What should I do? any advice would help :) I'm thinking of taking acting seriously after college and joining a post grad drama course but currently it's getting really tough
Let's take a look at the past thirty years. 1991 to now. In this period, we have seen many actors come and go from both networks yet it seems that Disney actors tend to go a little further; we see this with Justin Timberlake, Shia Lebouf, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, Britney Spears, Zac Efron, etc... But we don't really see this as much with the Nickelodeon actors. An exception being Ariana Grande but her career is mostly in pop music and she never really embarked on any ambitious acting projects. Emma Roberts can perhaps be said to be the most successful one, but then again she never really wowed anybody. I feel like her career could have taken off ten years ago. She's not bad, certainly not, but we also can't really compare her to Anne Hathaway and Kirsten Dunst who by the time they were 30 had a pretty solid filmography. What's up with this? I was also under the impression that Miranda Cosgrove would develop an interesting career beyond Nickelodeon and Despicable Me but she never really got off that bandwagon.
As an aspiring actor myself, there was a time I wanted to move to Hollywood/LA but as of late seeing all of these peoples "true colors" I've been thinking that maybe that isn't for me. Such as a lot of major people within the business, who morn a death of a child rapist. So I decided in order to stay away from all of the fucked up-ness that is Hollywood, I'll be starting my own small studio where I live. I'll be making my own short films and doing what I want to do, along with live productions/indie films.
Hello everyone, bear with me. I’m a bad actor, honestly. I have my moments. But mostly I’m bad. I understand all of the kinds of acting classes there are, and I’ve taken private lessons as well as group classes. They never feel serious though, and I eventually gave up on them. Maybe because they’re meant for minors (which I am)? It’s worth mentioning that my self-discipline is terrible. I can’t tell what the problem is. Anyway, I want to get better. My area is culturally very dry, I’m a minor, and I’m not very wealthy, so my options for improving with professional help are limited. I want to ask what kind of class would be best for me? Assume I’m able to get financial help for all this. Conservatory, drama school, program, workshop, etc? Feel free to ask absolutely any questions to help answer this. Thanks guys
im thankful that ive gotten to audition more this yr truthfully i wish i could audition more though im still trying to reach out to collab on something but i haven't had much luck
How do actors learn accents so quickly? I can already speak french but I want to learn a Parisian accent when speaking in french and I can even use it when speaking English. Can add the names of some actors how can speak French properly or who originally speak English but learned French for a role
Business of rejection. After dozens of auditions and continuously being passed over, even the best actors may find themselves questioning their talent and especially their looks. How do YOU stop these wheels of negativity and embrace the challenge and the business part of this craft? Daunting to say the least.
Hey all, I was wondering for queer actors out there, do you mention your sexuality when auditioning for queer roles? I've seen breakdowns for roles that say something along the lines of, "seeking LGBTQ+ actors" or "can authentically portray LGBTQ+" etc. They obviously don't outright ask for my sexuality (and I guess that might be illegal?) but I was wondering if it's okay to volunteer that information myself in the submission notes or the slate. I just don't want to come off as unprofessional or TMI by offering that information. How have you been dealing with these kinds of breakdowns/auditions?
I had a student film audition that felt really weird. It was my second audition I’ve ever done but I was paired up with another actor who was auditioning for a role that had no lines, just a lot of movement and I was expected to know the blocking and lines with the other actor for a scene. They told us to just mime everything. So essentially we were auditioning for a role together for the first time. But the thing was, when the other actor missed their cue or came in too early with an action it messed up the timing of when I delivered my lines. (For example she was suppose to threaten me with a knife but came in with that blocking while I still had four lines left to say. It made it look like I just forgot my lines. I was suppose to react to the knife and be scared but I didn’t know what to do in that moment and just ignored the knife and said my last four lines.)
There various different terminologies and I have a hard time figuring out what to put on my resume. If I'm acting in a short and the second most important character after the lead, does that make it Supporting? Or would it be Co-Lead or Co-Star? If I just have a tiny side role on a film, would it be Actor? Or Principal? I personally thought Actor/Principal was the exact same role type, but resumes like this have both [https://image.slidesharecdn.com/paulsnideractingresume-190210195325/95/paul-snider-acting-resume-1-638.jpg?cb=1549828436](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/paulsnideractingresume-190210195325/95/paul-snider-acting-resume-1-638.jpg?cb=1549828436) Just a bit confused
Okay, I really need help with this and I was hoping some of you had some experience with this. I take acting class as apart of my high school and I actually do want to become an actor some day. The thing is, I have anxiety, ADHD, and RSD which makes it really hard to do and they’re going to start grading more seriously based on performance soon.
I really admire people who act, and I think it would be fun to just try out a small role as a one off or something just to see if I have what it takes to be an actor, but at the same time I’m really scared. I haven’t talked with my parents about it (im almost 15) but I think they would be fine with it. I also don’t know if I have any time with school and my current job (I work on a farm and ride some horses and own a horse) If anyone who acts has any advice for how to go about this and how I know if it’s something I want to do and also if they started out when they were young if they have any tips or anything I would really appreciate it
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing really slow load times on Actor's Access? My internet is fine, and other websites are loading very reliably, but for some reason Actor's Access is painfully slow and intermittent, often getting a "can't load" timeout message while browsing other websites. Anyone else getting this? Any solutions? Makes submitting very hard!!
Long story short I had an acting teacher who believed smoking weed/any cannabis consumption was bad for your acting/career(?) Not talking about while acting, I never consumed on a day I had class. I have rehearsed lines under the influence. But they felt it effected you from days past. They would commonly mention actors they taught who when the stopped smoking, they started booking more. Which I can understand bc of the lack of motivation that long term cannabis consumption could cause. They said “I would rather you drink”, which I didn’t understand. I ended up partially agreeing with him, but could never fully commit, partial addiction, partially bc I find it a good and more healthy way to destress. All this to say, has anyone else run into this in LA or in other legal states/cities? What’s your opinion on this?
Hi I’m a professional voice actress and have lots of experience in the industry. I am currently considering narrating audiobooks full time, What are the best audiobook production/publishing companies to work for as a narrator in your opinion? Thanks! :))
I'm in a little bit of a pickle. My agent, good as they are, got me about 7 auditions so far in 2021. My previous agent before that got me 3 auditions throughout the entirety of 2020. Before that I was a student so didn't have an agent. However I've been reading or hearing about other actors, at a very similar casting bracket to me (young women in the 18-25 age range, white, drama school trained etc), in the same area (London) who have got around 40-50 auditions so far in 2021. These people's agents aren't necessarily much bigger than mine, hence why I'm a little confused. How many auditions do you get on average?
First of all, hello! My question is: if you had a job where you made $60,000 a year, how much would you save before leaving to pursue acting? That’s the amount of money I make yearly. I’m fortunate enough to be in a situation where I am not currently asked to pay rent, and I was able to fully pay off my 2019 model car early this year. The only financial obligation I have to take care of are my $15,000 student loans. I have over $10,000 in savings and don’t plan on making the career jump until my loans are fully paid off with a specified amount saved. The cities I am considering are Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. So as working actors with a feel for the cost of quality training and living those cities, how much would you recommend saving? Specifically to someone who has minimal financial obligations hindering the saving process, and a yearly income of $60,000.
I'd just like to participate in a group of actors who share self tapes, get feedback from an instructor, and then do a re tape and get more critique. I've had some success with short-term classes that do this but then they either end or to continue sharing self-tapes you have to pay thousands of dollars to join their " system" or "life changing program." I could call out some teachers here by name who do this but.... hoping someone can instead just refer me to people who don't do this. I also understand there are working actors who just sometimes teach a class like this and then they don't teach classes anymore cause they get busy with their own work.
Hey everyone, Had a acting class last night with a reputable acting coach, and I was told that my acting is too much based in film and not authentic to me as a person. To clarify; that I am unconsciously doing what I've seen famous actors do in their films. I've been training for a while but it seems like it has seeped into my acting without me realizing. Any ideas on how to re-connect with that authentic aspect of myself rather than what I see done in film?
I just moved to LA and wondering if I should get a regular 9-5 as I get started. I am not signed with an agent - I’ve been acting for about 6 years in my hometown but not professionally. I am wondering if I should gradually move into my acting career alongside a 9-5 instead of getting a more flexible but lower paying gig. I feel like because I am not professional and not getting a lot of auditions yet I should build my finances up too. Has anyone done it this way and have insight into it working/not working for you as a non-working actor? I know once I am a working actor I will need flexibility of course but wondering if it is an absolute necessity starting out.
Title sound's bizarre I know. I'm currently with a script writing and production company as a publicist and location scout in Scotland, I'm also an actor for the show that they are working on. Problem is that I'm bald, slight forehead wrinkles and yellowish teeth (going to the dentist soon to have them whitened) and therefore unattractive. On top of that, I have slight memory problems. I can memorise small scripts but for bigger roles I'll probably forget. I'm not into Acting for fame, acting is my passion, but if i want more jobs, do I need to be attractive and maybe try to change my appearance?
Hello my fellow actors! I want to push my acting career to the next level. I have to move in order to so. Where I currently live, there is no community theatre or anything like that. I do take acting classes online, but at the moment, I can gather no more experience until I move. I do have some experience. I've been in plays, had a few leads, and I have skills that I think are helpful. For example, I have certification in stage/film combat with Unarmed, Broadsword, Rapier and Dagger. Here's my career plan: Move to a place with more opportunities and begin networking/auditioning/taking classes for everything I can Once I get some scenes and experience, update my demo reel (which is currently just self recordings I have) Find an agent to help me further my career Continue working/growing/getting better and better Ultimately my goal is to specialize in film and the BIG DREAM for me is to one day be in a Marvel movie. \_\_\_ My biggest advice question is location at the moment. I'm torn between Atlanta and LA. I have money saved up and a roommate that will go with me to either. I've read a lot of great things about ATL, but I've also read that lead roles and regular roles are all cast out of LA instead. I also understand that I am a beginner and will not be reading for such roles yet anyway. But I don't want to shoot myself in the foot for shooting for my Big Dream, by not immediately going to LA, if that makes sense. Any advice is very much appreciated! And I can answer any questions if need be! Thank you so much!
I'm sure this sort of post has been on here plenty, but I want to get my ears pierced. Is it going to cause problems for me as an actor? I know I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks before I can take them out, but is it going to be a serious problem even after that? Its something that I've wanted for a long time and I always end up telling myself I can't yet, and I'm tired of waiting lol.
so I asked my agent if I could be marketed for shows in other major markets, and she said only if I had an address to use. She said that staying at a hotel isn't going to work because of COVID. Is this true? There is some friction between me and my agent, some miscommunication happened between me, a manager she works with and her. Apparently me leaving a manage that charges $2000 dollars for 200 minutes of training is a bad thing. She kinda went a mild version of Ari Gold on me. She said that all agents talk and she hears when one of her actors applies to their agency. I think our relationship is strained and I feel like leaving. If she asks me if I want to stay, my answer is going to be.."we had some friction between us because of miscommunication but I want to stay. My contract is up in three months and if we feel things aren't going to work out, we should go our separate ways." Is this the right thing to say?
Between the dance sequences, the storylines, the themes, the dramatic acting music videos are so fun to watch. The theme of the song makes the actors appear as they’re either having the best or worst times of their lives and I feel in my bones. I grew up doing theatre in high school and have been watching music videos since I was a kid, so I always loved super over the top performances. If I were to pick up acting again it would be my dream to be in music videos. Acting in a music video is like bringing the feelings and emotions behind a song to life and to me that’s so powerful. Even in the times I was so depressed and didn’t feel like getting out of bed music videos could still make me feel something.
Does it make sense to join actor’s access without a demo reel? And also how can I go about getting one? Will putting together a collection of monologues work?
By that I mean a queer character being played by a queer actor, a trans character being played by a trans actor, a handicapped character being played by a handicapped actor, etc. But obviously not for BIPOC because it’s actually about the casting and we are not going to put white people in blackface, that would be awful. As a queer autistic person, I used to think that characters should be played by people who represent their reality but I changed my mind. Here’s why. 1. I want to get the role because I was the best actor, not because they feel bad for me and think I need some kind of help. I would be insulted if I was hired just because I was queer/autistic even though they didn’t think I was good. 2. It wouldn’t make sense to hire someone who has no acting experience/training and who is not a fit for the job just because they represent that reality. The person needs to actually be good (and tons of diverse people are) otherwise it won’t make the character look any better. Giving someone a lead role when they are not ready and don’t have the support required to do the job will do more damage to their acting career instead of helping them. However, when the person is diverse AND a good actor, they will naturally be better for the role. 3. A diverse person is not necessarily more aware of how to represent this diversity in a good way. They are aware of their own story but not necessarily of everyones reality. This could lead to more stereotypes. Some queer people are also disrespectful to other members of the queer community for example. I’d rather see an autistic character played well by a neurotypical person than played badly by an autistic person. When I want to play a sex worker for example, instead of having them hire real sex workers, I say that I am not only a trained and experienced actor, but I am also trained in pole dance, burlesque, striptease, and lap dance, have met real sex workers to represent them well, studied sexual health at university to represent them well and have all the costume and accessories they need. This makes me more skilled than a real sex worker to play the role. 4. The problem is often in the storyline and not by how the role is played. We need consultants who help screenwriters more than we need real people playing a role written stereotypically. 5. Casting real people can lead to more discrimination. I have often been told that I can’t play autistic/queer roles because I don’t look queer/autistic even though I am. Some actors really are gay but pretend they are straight to avoid discrimination so it would be weird to force them to come out to play those roles. Are we really going to ask if someone is trans/gay/handicapped at the audition? Being so publicly open about it could lead them to face more discrimination. 6. What if we want to show a handicapped person before they were handicapped? A trans person before their transition? A person in a wheelchair who dreams they can walk? That won’t always be possible with a real person. 7. Queer/trans/handicapped/etc people risk being type cast by their identity when they wish they could play normal roles too. The cashier at the grocery store who has two lines can be played by anyone so why look for a specific casting? Some people say it’s unfair to give « normal » people queer/trans/handicapped roles because these are the only roles queer/trans/handicapped people can play. The real solution is opening « normal » roles to diverse people too. Let’s hire the best actor for the role. That’s it.
So despite really wanting to be an actor, I don't really know how an acting career works. How does one actually qualify and contract SAG-AFTRA for an agent?
I took a class like this with Randy Kovitz over the summer and really enjoyed it but he's not teaching it again. I also liked Anthony Robert Grasso's class. I audited it. But he doesn't do self tapes. They just prepare for self tapes by rehearsing in class. I liked his style but he doesn't teach a self tape class. Is there a group online somewhere that is free- where people post their self tapes and then give feedback and then repost them? I find this really helpful to watch as both an actor and director.
So this is not a demo (definitely not ready yet) but more so a mashup of different voices and characters I've done over the past few months. I'd really truly appreciate some feedback across the board, since I've barely really received any thus far and I feel a bit directionless in that sense. I'd really like hearing opinions on my voice as a whole. A lot of times I feel like it just sounds too weird and I can't really find any other voice actors I can use as a comparison. Alongside this, I'm also a bit lost as to where I "fit" in the market. As you may notice I kinda try to go for pretty much anything and although I feel I'm at least competent, I really am clueless as to what sort of archetype I fit into or what type of characters I'd have better success pursuing. Whatever critique you can give, be it technical, acting wise or anything else, it'd be a great help! Thanks in advance :) [https://soundcloud.com/melissa-zq/feedback/s-ZvGMf8J6C4r?si=6a3d65ebe0fd40729671629be5739c35](https://soundcloud.com/melissa-zq/feedback/s-ZvGMf8J6C4r?si=6a3d65ebe0fd40729671629be5739c35)
Hello. I’m a 22 (M) actor from Scotland! I’m currently doing an all theory theatre course at university (BA Performance) but we get to devise our own work and occasionally get workshops. I am thinking of applying for a masters in a few years as I’m in my third year in university. I did try out for one drama school (RCS for BA) but got rejected as I didn’t want to apply to lots of universities and get overwhelmed as I’m dyspraxic and wanted to pass my final year at college. I got rejected with all of the other practical courses apart from one reserve offer. We don’t get a showcase at my uni but you get to make your own website & showreel during my final year. I’m currently apart of a Youth Theatre company that occasionally gets professional work opportunities and we get to work with people from the RCS Alumni. I’m unsure either to go for the Masters in RCS (Contemporary and Classical Text) or the MFA Stage and Screen Acting (Napier) The masters at Royal Welsh looked very interesting as well. Do I think I should go for it?! I feel like I’m lacking the practical aspect of my course despite getting an A in my HND Acting and Performance and being told I’m good actor (comedy typed cast)
So I was talking with a professional voice actor some days ago regarding work and she asked will this recording be a live session and I had no idea what that meant. I mean I can sort of guess by the words but I didn't knew if I was right in terms of voice over or which way it will be beneficial for me? So I thought if you guys can tell me what does this mean it would be helpful for my project to choose the better option. Thanks in advance!
I’m a teenager and my drama teacher suggested me to become an actor because she thinks I’m pretty good. She also told me to start doing background work to get experience on set so that after high school, I will start working in actual movies/tv shows. She didn’t tell me how because she hasn’t acted since some time and just focused on teaching so how do I star as a background actor in Toronto? I don’t really care about money, I just want some experience like she said. Thanks :)
I posted this in r/theatre but it got flagged for spam. I thought I might try posting it here. I have some food for thought. I think acting can be taught by having your actors imitate good performances; I also think feeding them line readings can be incredibly useful. I have come across this method called "copywork." Writers use this method to improve their own writing by copying their favorite authors; they study the authors and try to understand how they write. I think the best way to teach acting is to have your actors imitate their favorite performances. We're so lucky to live with the technology we have today. Some of the best performances of all time are preserved on film and online; it'd be ridiculous not to devour, copy, steal, and reverse-engineer these good performances! If artists, writers, and athletes can learn by copying "the masters," then why can't actors? Actors will learn how to think like a good actor by copying and reverse-engineering good performances; they'll start to understand why some acting choices work and why some don't; they'll learn how to react; they'll learn how to create compelling characters. I've been imitating a scene from Timothée Chalamet's performance in Prodigal Son and it's crazy how much I've learned. I'd ask myself questions like: why does he emphasize this word; why does he snap his fingers here; why does he does he repeat this gesture; what is he thinking when he says this line? I also started to feel pretty emotional. I may not have been expressing the exact emotion Timothée was, but at least I was experiencing something. The goal of imitation is to understand why the performance works. Getting fed lines by your director can feel patronizing. I know. But, I think line readings can save tons of time in rehearsal. I was listening to a podcast recently and a director was talking about how important it is to not tip-toe around your critique when you're giving acting notes. This same director is also against giving actors line readings--he is a fan of coaxing actors to do what he wants. Coaxing is fine; it gives actors ownership. However, I don't like how coaxing feels like tip-toeing. It can be incredibly frustrating when you've tried everything to coax your actors but nothing works. I think it's okay to be direct and show the actor exactly what you want. Peter Brook has a method of giving his actors line readings. Once the actor perfectly recreates the line reading, he tells them to forget it and do it differently. The purpose is to get the actor to understand exactly what the director wants. Once the actor has the blueprint they are free to do what they want; they can emphasize this word but not this one; they can omit this gesture; they can add another objective. If you're a theatre teacher or acting teacher I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Complete waste of time. They only want to work with people that have the same beliefs as them, which they have every right to do. Thoughts?
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.
