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.
hello! so i was thinking, do any of you know any small studios who use voice actors? i'm looking through twitter rn, but i'd love to see more :)
Hi guys, please I have a question about rate of pay. I understand Non-union productions technically dictate the rules of pay, but i want to see if i have some push back on this matter. I was asked to hold dates of about a week(23rd-30th) for production. I have speaking lines on this production but it's very low budget. Obviously booking off a week already for a low budget production is hard enough but I'm obviously a pawn as an actor and experience is always good. But I havent yet been told what dates I would be specifically needed for. However, I was then told that if for whatever reason I am on set and they are unable to get to filming my role that day, I would be paid half of the agreed amount(essentially$50). Is it weird for me to pushback that if I am on set I need to be paid the full amount regardless of if I am used or not. I know the rules are fuzzy, it just feels like it shouldn't matter if i am used especially if I've already given up my job days for that range of days I was asked to make available. Or am I tied up since I aready agreed to be available for that week range? ​ Does anyone have any experience with a matter like this?
I just got an agent in a new market and still have one in a smaller market. I know there’s tons of actors with agents in more than one market and I can’t find anything in either of my contracts that specifies if only the agent who got me the audition gets the commission or do both? Would love to hear from other actors with multiple agents. TYIA!
What’s up guys? Hope you’re all doing awesome. I’m a newish actor (primarily focused on voice over) to the professional world. I’ve spent the last ten years in undergrad and graduate school for theatre, and working in a crappy job to save money to move to Los Angeles in between. I’m here now and I want to put myself out there as much as I can. I currently work nights at starbucks, and while I appreciate the scheduling flexibility, I hate the job. It’s incredibly exhausting and I really only stay for the health insurance. Having decent insurance is a must for me, but I was wondering if you guys might have any recommendations for what you do to not be homeless while acting? Thanks!
I signed with my first LA agent back in April. I've seen them on sign in sheets before, and they have a decent social media following, so I was familiar with them prior. We had a zoom meeting before signing and it was 100% about them. "Ask me questions about myself and my agency" and not once did they ask me a single question about myself. At the time I figured that I was in the business of making money and not friends, so I shrugged it off. As long as they help me get in the room, I'll stroke their ego. The relationship started off strong. I was getting 3 auditions a week from them, and 3 auditions a week from self submitting, so my plate was full. I didn't feel like they were submitting me to roles that were fit for my type, but I figured if I'm getting called in, then casting thinks its my type, so I went with it. I noticed that the new agent in the company was the one who signed me, but all my submissions were coming from an assistant. Not sure if this was normal or not since this was my first agent, since I don't really know the behind the scenes. I took a trip in May, and booked out weeks prior. I was still getting auditions, despite booking out, and I had to tell them 3 times, that I was away and couldn't audition that week, before the audition submissions finally stopped for that week. Ever since I came back from that trip (and booked back in) I've only gotten 2 auditions from them. 2 auditions in 3 months! Meanwhile I was self submitting, and getting myself 5 auditions a week. So I know its not slow. I also found out that the assistant who was constantly submitting me, no longer works there, and I honestly don't think my new agent is even submitting me to anything. In the last two months, I booked 3 commercials and 2 TV shows, all myself. Made my agent roughly $2500 in commission. And for what? I honestly think its just my agent, not the agency. They take forever to respond back to booking emails (literally days), and I don't even send my contracts over to them anymore, since they are so slow. I truly think my agent came on because she was a friend to the owner, and she clearly has another job, cause it shouldn't take this long to hear back. I don't even want to think about the casting directors, that contacted her directly and not me, and them never hearing back. I have two options. Drop them completely and have to search for news reps again. Or two, contact the head of the agency and see whats going on and if I could possibly switch to another agent within the company. (altho she did tell me she doesn't give out submissions reports cause to her thats rude for an actor to ask? ) I don't want to burn any bridges, and if I wasn't booking I wouldn't be as annoyed with them, but I'm over giving them so much money for not doing a single thing. Also, I haven't gotten any auditions from them, that weren't available on my side of the breakdowns. I feel like they submit me to "my leftovers", of things I didn't submit myself too, cause I didn't feel like the role fit me. Maybe because my resume doesn't have any network TV credits on it yet, is the reason I'm not getting called in for small roles in TV shows? Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I've never understood why Thespian isn't the professional term for an actor. A: Thespian is a gender neutral term. As the term Thespian literally means " an actor or actress " while Actor means A male Thespian. B: To me Actor sounds more derogatory and immature term, and sounds like your" acting out and not being serious" While Thespian says" I'm a professional" "I'm not a amture" Isn't the professional term for actor?
I’m supposed to be shooting a very minor role but with a pretty famous actor, is it bad etiquette to ask to take a photo with them after shooting the scenes? I feel like they’ll be very busy throughout, and I don’t want to make a bad impression to the production crew or be like a fanboy. Thank you.
Hi everyone! I would love to know if you have any recommendations for actors looking for work at studios in Toronto with little experience. I am based in Michigan and about 5 hours from Toronto.
Hello! For some context, I am an Asian American actor. My agent has sent me an audition with attached sides that I find degrading and racist. The scene features a Chinese waiter (I'm not Chinese), and he sings Deck The Halls written in the script (verbatim) "and now I sing American Christmas song for you... deck the hall with bough of holly fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra" It is not sitting right with me at all, but I don't want to be labeled as hard to work with. The portal where I get auditions will not allow a decline without specifying a reason. Help?
It seems an echoed belief on the internet that TV was seen as the backwaters of the entertainment and that only the losers of the acting industry go to TV. That it was backup for former movie stars whose careers were stagnating, the last spot for people who could not launch a career in film and live theatre, and the starting point for people with minimal, if no prior professional acting experience, esp children. And that for a long time acting on TV was so hilariously bad and that the gap with the acting of movies was very very wide. That the best TV actors were terrible if they tried feature length films or even just made for TV movies. And that the reason George Clooney was so significant to film history was that he was the first actor who came from a TV background to make it as a full time cinema actor in real Hollywood production and not just B movie roles as well as the biggest example of someone who made it to the top of the A List from the small screen............ However someone sent me a PM in response to a post on /r/Buffy I participated in. >Saw your comments along with others about SMG not having a great career post-Buffy and how she attempted Hollywoods s well as comments on Boreanaz trying movies out..... So I had to send this. >A lot of old Telenovelas (in particular from Mexico and Argentina) had a lot of movie stars acting in them including a few A listers in the Latin America region and British TV even earlier than the Charlie's Angels day had some top actors star in it (esp since it seems in the UK there is no dividing line between TV, live theater, and cinema as there seems to be in North America)........ >I mean Timothy Dalton was the leading Shakespearan actor for a time in his career (not to mention he later became James Bond!) and he gives a phenomenal performance in the 1980s Jane Eyre TV show, giving the best Rochester ever and god even relative unknowns like Anthony Higgins gives outstanding performances in various BBC roles (just go watch The Eagle of the Ninth which is available in full). Higgins and other primary TV actors have no problem getting good careers in cinema even if they did not make the A list and actually do both full time with some adding live theater in between. >Don't get me started on nationally produced TV outside of the West such as Japan's Samurai epics and the various stuff that are government sponsored in Turkey even around the same time The Brady Bunch was running. The acting is Oscar worthy and A Listers in the countries were given roles. >Even strictly TV actors in many countries where there is a big gap in quality (esp writing) have acted in serious movie roles and gave great performances even being at B and sometimes D list act and its more common before the 90s to see TV actors outside of English speaking counties to become full time movie stars or even A Listers..... >I mean did you know Salma Hayek started out in the 80s as Telenovela actress before moving onto Dusk Till Dawn when she immigrated to the USA? It seems she and her fellow co-stars on these cheap productions had no problems moving onto to cinema full time and actually dd a mix of both serious films and soap opera TV. >And indeed many Latinas who immigrated to the USA in recent years and are now popular as move stars such as Ana De La Reguera all stared as popular Telenovela stars before moving primarily to cinema in their own country just like Salma did (though they still continued acting on TV shows before immigrating to the USA as seen with La Reguera). I responded with a and he pointed me to an another conversation. https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/lam5cn/do_live_action_tv_actors_in_particular_ongoing/glqrd8y/ >I'm 37 years old and can remember when television used to show stuff from before I was born quite regularly. I'm also in the middle of watching a series from 1991 called GBH and the acting in it is quite excellent. >Every era has "good" and "bad" acting. Nonetheless, I am suggesting that proceeding on the premise that the past was bad based on literally the worst shows on television from one culture only is extremely faulty. >Your responses strike me as fairly ignorant of anything beyond your immediate context, so let me help you out. In Britain and Europe, we actually have a much longer history of producing quality television than the USA. In Germany there is Heimat, Berlin Alexanderplatz, World on a Wire, and even network shows like Tatort. Britain has had countless, including its full Shakespeare revival from 78-85 and multiple 'TV play' strands, where the best writers from theatre and television would work with the best actors and directors that would go on to fame in cinema (Loach, Greengrass, Watkins, Clarke, Leigh, Frears, Kotcheff, Apted, Joffe, Ove). Poland produced Dekalog for approximately $10k per episode and it absolutely kills anything made today on practically every level. >If you want to argue that American network television has improved in some measure then go ahead, but that doesn't speak for the world. Personally I don't see a whole lot of difference between something like The Blacklist or Chicago Med and their antecedents in network crime and hospital dramas of yore, save the superficial aspects of technologically-enhanced production, the method of shooting and the era-specific conventions in performance style. Ultimately they're soapy, kitsch, and shot according to the standard rules (30 degree rule, 180 degree rule) of television shooting. So I really have to ask....... Richard Burton not only acted in a few American TV films but miniseries was some of the main work he did in the UK after his rocky relationship with Liz (see my username!). Despite that, he was able to easily be casted in movies anytime he auditioned and he still remained a pick for more serious roles. Acting on TV at all did not hurt his movie career (even if he was already past his prime while he was doing TV stuff). It as just seen as another day's work according to his diaries in the same way he continued live theater productions to pay the bills. So I'd have to ask. In addition to the two quoted texts examples and Richard Burton how come America had such a gigantic divide between TV and movies and even theatre before the 2000s? While in the rest of the world since the advent of Television in their specific countries, A Listers continue doing all 3 throughout their career and TV stars transition to primarily cinema all the time and even small time TV esp on genres seen as trash like teen soap operas and action superhero monster of the week act in real movies released in theaters and not just cheap daytime made-for-tv films and VHS B Movie releases? I mean since I got the PM as a result of chatting on /r/Buffy one of the lead stars of the show Anthony Head (Giles in Buffy) had done stageplays and or the bulk of his career actually acted in movies including serious roles and genres back in the UK for much o his acting resume before he came to America in 1997. His actual fame in the UK is not Buffy but a few BBC shows including Doctor Who and some local commercials. Compare that to the rest of Buffy's main cast who were small time TV extras and support or models or even outright nobodies aside from Sarah Michelle Gellar herself and maybe Seth Green for the later seasons. And except for Anthony Head, Seth Green, Dave Boreanaz and Alyson Hannigan they all practically struggled to have vibrant acting careers after Buffy (some of them like James Marsters focusing on endeavors outside of acting to continue their career elsewhere). So I really have to ask this obsession of divide before HBO kicked off TV standards with The Sopranos? Even high budget production miniseries are not exempt from this in the pre-90s US TV industry. Aside from Peter O'Toole a lot of high budget production miniseries had to settle for full time movie actors who weren't on the A List or import British actors in. Perfect example is North and South which despite its cinema level production values settled for people who are still unknowns like James Read and had half the main cast as British actors. Even the mos famous name Patrick Swayze was seen mostly as a borderline twee B movie and proper Hollywood productions at the time. Why did America stratify the TV and movie industry as well as stage plays? How come in the rest of the world even you have top bill local names like Toshiro Mifune and De La Reguera acting on TV alongside cinema and live stage performances? How come TV acting was seen as something harmful to someone who is still at the early stages of his career in North American industries while for example in the UK small TV gigs and even doing full time acting on a few seasons is seen as nothing significant by itself in the UK and is done all the time by full time professional no-name movie actor swell beyond the B list and had done serious movies as well as full-time Shakespearan actors? How come someone can do full time TV actin in a Latin American country for about yet transition to the A List no problem in not only their own country but even abroad? As seen with Salma Hayek (i was just shy of 10 years of her entry into acting via Telenovelas when she did Dusk Till Dawn and overnight catapulted into the A List of Hollywood)? Or even smaller names like Ana De La Reguera quickly entered primarily cinema profession without much difficulty in as little as 5 years after doing nothing but TV stuff? Seeing how in the rest of the world it seems a systematic pattern that TV actors later on become movie actors and a noteworthy amount of A listers had their start on TV as well as country's top names doing a mix of film stage plays and television, why was North America the oddjob in this, creating a real divide between TV and cinema (and cinema and live theatre as well I might add)? George Clooney's successful jump to full time movie actor and making it as an AAA list actor seems less impressive when you have guys like Ricky Gervais doing feature films released in theatres and Ian Mckellan juggling in TV,Theatre, and film productions and in at least 2 or 3 years of his career doing a mix of all 3 within a single year. So I have to ask why people jumping Clooney style to Hollywood was almost unheard off before 1995 and even today its still difficult to make the jump full time in the USA contrasted to the rest of the world?
Hi I’m a 20’s Japanese/Viet Actor looking for representative to audition for Netflix Japanese Series Live Action. I’ve lead only in Student Films, but hopefully receive an opportunity to audition for this project that I’m extremely passionate about, as well as fit the character description. Anybody with an agent that could help reach out would be greatly appreciated.
I have a few friends who are also actors and have been applying to work at an actors agency. Has anyone here made that transition, and if so what is it like?
Hi friends! I come to you with the age-old question: what is the current best way for an actor to try to become SAG eligible? I realize there are other threads on this in existence already, but SAG-AFTRA changes their rules frequently and despite combing the web I have had a hard go at finding an updated discussion on this. The reason I bring this up as well is because when I signed with my current agent 4 months ago, she told me she needed me to work on becoming SAG-eligible. In addition to that I've been attending a lot of casting director workshops (casting directors working in big budget film & tv) over the last year and many have said they essentially throw your submission in the trash if you're not at the very least SAG-eligible. I think this is reflected in how few auditions I have received this year, despite production supposedly being crazy busy theatrically at the moment. I do not have that credential despite having access to those auditions through my agent/manager and so those opportunities are largely closed to me, and it is frustrating. Firstly, I know there is the background voucher route. Work 3 union productions as background, receive 3 vouchers, become SAG-eligible. I have a friend who did this and it took her a little under two years to achieve here in Los Angeles. However, I know that this route can take years and often times production will not give you vouchers at all even when they're supposed to. Second, there's the "become hired as a principal/speaking role in a union production" and be Taft-Hartley'd route, which seems like the least likely way in considering most casting directors won't see you for union jobs if you're not union eligible. I HAVE heard that being Taft-Hartley'd is a lot more common with commercial work however, and I am have a meeting with a commercial agent next week to try to start working commercially. Wondering if anyone has joined the union this way? Thirdly and the method I am mostly interested in discussing is the "create your own material" method and cast yourself alongside a SAG-AFTRA actor. I know in the last ten years a lot of people have done it this way, via the SAG-AFTRA "new media" agreement (AKA, making their own webseries), but I have heard a lot of talk of this "loophole being closed." I have been struggling to find out what that means? Is this no longer a route to eligibility at all? Does it make you a must-join rather than SAG-eligible? Are there new non-realistic budget requirements? Wondering if there is anyone out there that has more information on this and what the current hangups/hurdles are in terms of trying to create your own union project. I've ALSO read on SAG's website that if you come to them seeking eligibility from this method, and they view your project as having been created solely for union membership purposes and not as honest production work, they can deny your application and make it harder for you to join down the road. Has anyone heard of this happening? Thank you! \-An actress trying to break out of the non-union cycle
I'm in such a crisis rn. I'm 19, I graduate next July and I have to apply for uni and what not and I thought I was just gonna apply for a business course but....sometimes I just want to pack my things and leave Germany to go to LA for like 3 months and hustle through auditions. I have no acting experience aside from like 2 school theaters but damn I want it so bad. But is it even worth it? Whenever I get excited and do research online I get hit with how hard it is to be an actor in LA and it's really the only place I wanna go. I want to be an actress but I hate disappointment.
Howdy! I'm looking to build a website and wanted to get some opinions on which website builders you've enjoyed using. I just tried dabbling in [Godaddy.com](https://Godaddy.com) for the first time but when I looked to upload demos, it seems like the best option it gives me is to implement soundcloud links..which isn't really what I want to do. I just want something clean and simple. My headshot with some quick and easy play buttons next to it to hear my demos.
There's also a rule about giving an actor more time to submit a self tape based on the length of the material. With self tapes being the norm these days, does anyone else have feelings about getting 4 scene self tape auditions? Comments? Opinions?
Our team is working on the pilot episode for an anime series we plan to pitch to some networks. One of the characters is Armenian, so we would like her VA to be Armenian as well. She is a rich and popular high school senior who is mostly likable but somewhat stuck up. The series is takes place in America and is in English, so it is NOT necessary to speak Armenian. Simply being of Armenian background is sufficient. Having an accent is okay, as long as English is fluent. The character has 16 lines in the episode, some shorter than others. The rate is $4 per line for a total of $64. Hope someone who fits the criteria is interested!
To any voice actors who wanna be in a community with other voice actors join the voice acting discord! (This is NOT the discord for this subreddit!) [VA discord!](https://discord.gg/voiceactingcentral)
Hey guys! So I’m trying to add new pictures to my account but the thumbnail isn’t as clear as the actual picture. When I click on the headshot and it opens up, it looks great though. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
They are really inspirational and there are so many things I could learn from them, but how do I also not feel as intimidated around them and worry that I can't catch up during rehearsals?
If you want any real professional work you have to go through an agency, so if you’re starting out that leaves you with ccc, acx, fiver which is apparently looked down upon by some agents, and some pay to play sites. I wish there were more options for open auditions to various projects
WHO IS THE VOICEOVER announcer in 2021? I've been trying to figure out who this actor is? It's a super deep male-sounding voice. He's the voice movie commercials in 2021. He currently has multiple spots for movie commercial trailers on TV for HBO MAX + In Theater's movie promos. Here: Toward the end. 0:45 seconds [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LktvCS7QaHk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LktvCS7QaHk) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3DBwMEhYLg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3DBwMEhYLg) ​ I want to know mainly because I love movie voice trailers, but I can't seem to identify this actor's voice for announcing movie commercials.
I’ve seen people, both in and out of the arts, define professionals differently. My mother says I’d be a professional if it was my main source of income. I always assumed that a professional was someone who was trained and/or has no issue knowing what to do when handed a script or is in rehearsal/on set. What do you guys think?
Okay, so I feel like I have a really unique situation... I'm with a top tier management company in LA... a very recognizable one. I'm not a series regular or making crazy residuals on anything (yet), I work a day job while auditioning. That being said, I have to tape 3-4 times a week, for series regular roles or leads on films. Every single audition I get is 8-12+ pages of dialogue. I just signed with this manager a couple of months ago, but I've had reps before this for years. It was the same situation, the majority of what I auditioned for was all for series regulars or similar, but I have NEVER experienced the audition turn around being as fast as it is! The caliber of auditions I get is incredible, but... for example... I received 12 pages of dialogue last night at 8pm and it's due tomorrow at 9am. That's just a little over 24 hour turn-around time, and I had to work today.. (my rent depends on it). It has to be done in a British accent (I am American). I wouldn't have time to hire a dialect coach if I tried. This isnt an every-once-in-awhile thing for me, this is 3 or 4 times *weekly* where this much dialogue is due virtually overnight. I don't have time to work to pay a single bill anymore, I don't have time to sleep or to go to the doctor's or do anything with my life, really. What happened to productions easing up on us due to Covid? It has never been this bad. I dont want to complain about these opportunities, but my acting is really suffering from this. I don't have the luxury of being on one show, dealing with one character, not having to factor in my side job(s). I am struggling so hard to balance my life... I've been sick for a couple weeks but too afraid to go to the clinic because it will cut into trying to learn lines. I'm not sure how *any* actor is making this work? I'm scared to broach this subject with my manager, just because I think 90% of her other clients are series regulars already. None of them are having to work in unrelated industries to pay their bills, nor are they getting as many auditions as I am since they're contracted to shows already. She's at a top company like I mentioned... so I'm scared she just won't understand and drop me. Is there any advice you all would be able to give me? What would you do in this situation?
Below is a piece I wrote that inspired a lot of conversation about making creative, strong choices. Let me know what you think. ============================= Why I was such a cruel prick “I never paint what is. I only paint what I imagine could be.” Degas Want to know how to fully explore your character - and dare to make choices that feel uncomfortable...even possibly get you in trouble - so you can DISCOVER the true ESSENCE of your character? Here’s the dealio, YOUR imagination is one of the best ways to ILLUMINATE the TRUTH of the character. The reason why your imagination is so important is because too often actors get stuck working from their “rational brain.” And what that means is...you’re not working from your instincts. Here’s the real truth: your rational brain stifles your creativity and forces you into making GENERIC and PEDESTRIAN choices. I remember having an audition for a violently abusive husband on a short lived ABC series. Anyway, once I walked into the casting office, I was told the audition would be an improvised scene... Then I was told my character is none too happy about how my wife has cleaned the house. In fact, I leave sticky notes around the house detailing how she failed to clean something properly.
I wrote some of this in my journal yesterday (my birthday!) and I just want to share/vent here and see if anyone else feels this way? Here's my acting story (abbreviated): I auditioned and was accepted into Chicago College of Performing Arts for class of 2024. I deferred because of the pandemic. I took my first on-camera acting class on May 6th, 2020. I trained really hard at a bunch of different studios remotely during COVID to develop my craft. I booked my first student film last August. This past year I've worked on 15 (non-student) short films. Some of them were out of state with big budgets. I've signed with two agencies. I booked a dayplayer in a feature in my area last November. This June I was in Georgia for the month shooting a lead in a mid-budget period thriller feature. This July I spent 2 weeks in Oklahoma working as a major supporting character in a coming-of-age movie. I am consistently going out for TV co-stars and mid-sized supporting roles in films. I am being seen in Atlanta for recurring guest stars fairly routinely. I am my happiest and most content self when I am working on set. I make a conscious effort to be pleasant, present, and professional (my 3 Ps lol) and never say one negative thing. I feed off of the energy and I know that acting is what I was created to do. Everything that I’ve accomplished this year is so so fantastic and objectively I know that I’m lucky to have had so many opportunities in what was basically just a year. But here I am sitting with this unshakable feeling that I'm not good enough and people don't like me/don't want to work with me. Once I wrap a project or send an audition in I always spiral into an insecure mess. Leaving set after working on a film leaves me with a few days of melancholy ecstasy followed by questions of “why did I say that to them”, “he doesn’t think I’m talented”, “was too annoying during lunch”. You guys get it. I usually end up convincing myself that I was a burden to everyone and that production regretted hiring me because I’m untalented and annoying. Don’t even get me started on the looks. Please let me know if anyone else feels this way? I’ll send in a tape where I look great because of the lighting and then when I get to set, I am convinced the director/production thinks I catfished them and look nothing like my audition video but they don’t want to tell me because it’s too late to find someone else. Another example is if I didn’t have to film a full body slate, I feel like they think I’m fat when they see me in person. Also I am personally confident in my acting abilities but I feel like the people in video village are whispering to each other that I did terribly (this is after I wrap, not during production). Social media just feeds into this. When I see former castmates interacting with each other without me via posts on Instagram, I feel like they don’t want to hang out with me because I’m too ugly, or too annoying, or too untalented. When they comment on other people’s pictures and not mine, I feel like the odd man out. Another facet to this is that even though I truly am happy when other people book projects, I feel like I’m falling behind when I see their posts. My family doesn’t really help either. When I feel the slightest bit of pride in what I’m doing, they make sure to knock me down by reminding me that I didn’t actually make any money (because I worked local hire) between my plane flight and Airbnb. They ask when I’m going to start working in TV. The few times I’ve told them about auditions, when they ask about them later and I say I didn't book, they tell me “that’s disappointing”. They really mean no harm but on top of the other stuff, it’s just a little extra salt in the wound. Lastly, I overthink every little mistake that I’ve made and beat myself up over it. For example, I accidentally posted a reel with unreleased clips on my IMDb and got a stern email by production on one of my films and on another project, I made another stupid mistake that might have lost me the ability to work with that director again too. Those are literally the only two things I can think of where I have blatantly messed up but they still haunt me to this day. I just want to stress that overall, I am content with my life as an actor. I have a great support system consisting of family, friends outside the industry, and other actors. I love my acting classes and self-taping. Like I said, being on set is like heaven for me and I can’t see a life where I don’t pursue acting until the day I die. I just wanted to vent about this part of my time in the industry. I feel like I've accomplished too much to feel this way when other people wish they could do some of the stuff that I've done but at the same time, I wish I could do stuff that other people have done. I feel like I can't even have the feelings I'm having. I guess I would just love to know if anyone else gets these feeling so I don’t feel so alienated in my experiences and if anyone has any coping techniques for when these feelings start to creep in.
I've been a long time lurker and have been acting since 2012 down in Australia. This board has been one of the few place that has kept my head in the game. Australia is a very, very small market, with large barriers to auditioning for a tiny amount of roles across the states. It's super competitive. I've really wanted to make the move to UK / US / Canada and last year was supposed to be the year yet it didn't happen for obvious reasons. ​ The last few years have been exceptionally rough as I've struggled with bouncing around from not having agency to having agents who have treated me like a number, to dealing with COVID, to losing my abillity to work as a full time film maker (which pushed me into my fall back career to pay the bills). The final hardship was rejected by an Academy Award winning director from a shortlist of actors after the writer pushed me for the role as hard as he could - but still I didn't land it. I really thought this was my break out role and spent over $3k preping for the audition, and spending 20 hours a week over 6 months working on that character and script, only for the role to go to someone who spent 2 weeks working on it. The demoralising part of it really messed me up harder as I had nothing else to look forward to. No other big auditions coming my way. Despite that, I decided to create my own shot, riding off the momentum of being shortlisted, even with the heartache of rejection to keep pushing onwards for a decent agent. I probably received over 80 rejections email out of the 120+ emails I sent looking for representation. I ended up getting interest from an agent who was unavailable and asked me to contact them back in a few weeks time. After a long and rough few weeks of mental stress, dealing with life & bills, I ended up having that chat with them, which went exceptionally well and gratiously accepted them as my agent. After 1 day of joining on their books, I've received my first TV audition for an actual supporting part. This has been over 9 years in the making. At 31, I feel excited and grateful to finally be able to work hard at a serious acting opportunity for a large and important audition, after years of working on my craft. I do not care if I get this role as I've won already. It's validated a lot of my insecurities, heartache and pain that I've had to go through, with numerous times where I've contemplated quitting due to the sacrifices not being worth it. Now the final place I want to work on more is my mentality & mental health. Having the security of proper representation really takes a lot of the sting of rejection out, as I know that if I continue to work hard on the auditions, I'll be sure to continue to find opportunities. If anyone is doubting themselves right now, it's natural to feel that way. Just keep continuing. Even if you have to take a break, you're still an actor, and the work you've put it in along the way isn't going anywhere (just like when Daniel Day-Lewis takes years off acting) all your talent & instrument is there, waiting for you to come back to it.
So, the first thing I should clarify, is that I'm not a professional voice actor. [I just saw this video, and thought it would be fun to voice the characters.](https://youtu.be/rHu15tk8RJI) For reference, this is an animation of a fight in the manga/webcomic One Punch Man. If you want to look up the characters, look up Garou, Darkshine, Gyro-Gyro, and Puri Puri Prisoner. Since I don't speak Japanese, I tried to emulate their English Dub voices. [This is how it came out.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eitcc4ujeN0) What do you guys think?
A mom approached me and asked about a lesson or two for her daughter to prepare for an audition but I don't know what to charge. I have a degree in Theatre and am a professional working actor, and 25 if that makes a difference. I'm thinking of charging $40 for an hour? Is that reasonable or am I lowballing myself? I live in the Washington DC area and am in an affluent county as many people make a lot of money due to their government work, thanks!
I have never gone to film school. The only education I have received in acting was way back in high school in drama class which pretty much consisted of goofing off. I have always wanted to see what it's like on a real movie set and lucked out as a major movie started filming few months ago. With much perseverance, I successfully landed a background actor spot on a film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser and some others. Was very hard work but I would have done it for free or might have even paid to do it as the experience was extremely valuable and one I'll never forget. The biggest surprise was how hard actors/film crew work. I will never, ever make fun of Hollywood or Hollywood types again! The biggest lesson I learned from the experience was something along the lines of... if you want results in life put an incredible amount of detail into whatever you are doing. Whether it's a hot dog stand, a YouTube channel, a book or whatever. Don't get lazy/sloppy. The amount of detail with the set design and lengths the cast/crew went to for each scene was incredible. Scorsese doesn't fool around... no detail is too small. Do the same with whatever you are doing and you will eventually succeed.
Okay so this is not going to be a usual post like “I just got a role in a movie” so prepare yourself. so I am a 13 year old boy who is going into eighth grade in two weeks and then five months after that I’ll need to write an entrance exam to a school, and because I wanna become an actor I want to go to a school that has acting classes, but I recently realized I know nothing about acting. That is because when I was like 7 I loved watching movies and so i decided that I want to become an actor and since then I’ve never actually thought it through. Im also not American, so even if I do get into this school, I’ll have to act in Hungarian. so my questions are: 1. Should I go to the acting school or just choose a regular one and think more about it? Although, I don’t really wanna do that because when I go to university, I’ll have to pay a bunch of money and I don’t want to do that if I’m not sure about acting. 2. Should I take acting lessons on YouTube and see where I get? I don’t know if these lessons even work, but I definitely don’t want to take real life acting classes because one, my parents prolly wouldn’t want to pay for it (I mean they would pay it if I asked them but I don’t want to waste their money if yt lessons are good) and two, I’m probably too shy to act alone in front of a teacher, which leads us to question number three: 3. what do I do about stage fright? this one isn’t urgent, but I’m sure once I’ll end up having to act alone at an audition or even on an actual movie set. I could probably overcome it if i stopped panicking and actually did something, so give me tips if you know some. and last, question number 4. is acting different in different languages? so as I said in middle school I’ll have to act in Hungarian, which is probably harder, because my brain can process the things I say much faster, and I’ll start panicking about how it’s not real and im just acting and my acting will be bad. But that’s not the important part. So if I “master” acting in Hungarian will i have to do it differently in English? I know this seems like a stupid question, but I feel like it’s going to be like that. Thanks for reading! (And please don’t answer like I’m a two year old because that’s what most people do)
Hello! I had an eco cast audition that was due today (Monday) @5pm PDT. I live in New York so I converted to deadline to be 8pm my time, but when I went to upload my video at around 7:30pm EST, the eco cast said that my deadline passed. It’s pretty disheartening after going through the process of recording and editing my video just for an audition to close early like that. Does this happen often with Actors Access? Should I just follow the timing that’s given on the page despite time zones?
Since I heard that shooting lasts like 12 hours or more. What do you do to pass the time? I doubt your character would have too many lines to rehearse
I found a role in a short film near me that I find very interesting, and fitting to my type. The casting director requested a self-tape in the breakdown. I have a self-tape from a past audition that has received excellent feedback, but I am not sure if I should use dialogue from the script when I respond to this casting on casting networks. They linked a pdf with the script along with payment details, and then said: **Requested Media** Audio, Video, Photo please send a self tape I would normally just take the time to make a tape, but the problem is that the script they sent only has about 4 lines in it (mostly silent film). It is not something I can really make a tape for, as I am acting out stabbing another actor and saying these 4 lines. I suppose I could get creative and try to make a tape for this solo, but I am not sure if that is necessary as they did not specify whether or not this tape must be from the script they attached to the breakdown. I am new to acting, so this may seem like an obvious answer to some, but please bare with me. **Is it okay for me to use an old tape in this instance?**
Hello, I am curious if there is a pay bump for non-union actors who are asked to drive a vehicle on set. I drove on set which required driving around talent, camera, and essentially through the shot for several hours. Is that considered a stunt on set? Thank you!
Hey all -- I'm an L.A. actor trying to decide between LA Casting, Backstage, Actors Access, or something else. My primary goal will be getting local and equity theatre auditions for plays and musicals. Does anyone know the best way to go about finding these auditions?
I'm not in the business myself, but I've often wondered why a reasonably well-known actor A reaches a certain respectable level of fame, but doesn't get to the point of starring in big-budget movies. I often wonder why Actor A never gets cast in those spots. Sarah Chalke (cast member of 'Roseanne', recurring character on 'How I Met Your Mother', voice actor on 'Rick and Morty' and 'Paradise PD', co-star of recent successful Netflix show 'Firefly Lane') is someone that really comes to mind for this one. I looked around on Wikipedia to find someone that had a similar start to their career as Sarah Chalke, and Amber Heard came to mind. Ms. Heard went from being a moderately successful TV actress to being cast as the seventh bill in the very successful 'Magic Mike XXL' (2015) and also in 'The Danish Girl' (2015), to being cast as friggin' Mera in multiple DC Comics' movies. So when you look at their two careers, is there any reason that you think that Amber Heard has achieved way more at the box office than someone like Sarah Chalke? In the opinion of everyone here, what do you think are the differences between having a solid working career versus being a leading cinema star?
what’s the difference between acting classes and acting workshops? and what’s the best option for a beginner actor with no experience (besides a few fundamentals classes)?
We at Linguistix Tank Inc. seek American natives (males & females) to join a short term project ​ Here are the main details: \- The task is to read and record short sentences (5-7 words each sentence) \- You will record 480 utterances. \- The task can be done in 30-45 minutes \- The task is done using an online system that we will provide and explain how to use \- The deadline for this project is the 19th of Aug, 2021 \- The pay rate for the task is 15$, paid after delivering 100% of the task with the quality required ​ Requirements: \- You must use any Android device (iOS and iPhone are not accepted) \- You must have an Upwork profile in order to process the payments \- Users must be adults (18 years of age or older) ​ \- You can refer your friends, colleagues or family (There is a $2 bonus for each accepted referral) \- The referrals don't need to have their own Upwork account, we will process their payment on your account \- More than one user can use the same device ​ \*Payment will be processed after your delivery immediately with no delay! ​ \*You will be required to record on voice sample first and then proceed after it gets accepted. ​ Please fill out this form if you are interested: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4UdKAnWUuS0MbW1-MpePlIRaftl\_O\_557\_3BRo6woxWIT\_Q/viewform](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4UdKAnWUuS0MbW1-MpePlIRaftl_O_557_3BRo6woxWIT_Q/viewform)
it was my first day ever on a movie set today. i got the position to shadow the director, and also be an extra in some scenes. i originally auditioned for a main role, but didn’t hear back. in the presence of the set, i felt almost sick to my stomach. all the other background actors were talking about how they didn’t have much to do today, so they signed up as backgrounds. in the middle of scenes, the directer would ask us to talk casually. however, my scene partner would smile and nod awkwardly as i was talking to her, have absolutely zero engagement. then after the scene she would just leave. at lunch time, i got to eat with the main characters (all my age, 17), and absolutely none of them want any future in acting. the character i tried out for, and the person who did get the role is almost a complete opposite to me (which i find rather comforting as opposed to upset for not being cast). however, it was just so difficult to feel such a burning passion to be an actress, and be ready to commit to it for life, and pursue film school. but when i’m in these environments, i can’t help but feel less than ordinary, and out of my mind. i guess what im trying to say is that i’m terrified that these experiences of feeling invisible will discourage from believing there’s a chance for me to make it in the acting world. and when i’ve put so much energy into believing this path is the one i should pursue, not having things work out is scary. it’s so disheartening to know how prevalent a hierarchy exists on set. being an extra basically made me non-existent.
As of now, I am focused on internalizing my choices so they show throw my eyes/facial expressions. But what’s with the bold choices?
Hello! Hello! Given lockdown and the time spent cooped up indoors, it's enkindled my inner creativity on several fronts! Which, sadly, life and its business tends to quash. But, I'm looking to get back into doing some projects! What I'm trying to focus on, is an idea I had many many moons back of using video/recording - where natural expression is to be seen - and to take from them still shots, as opposed to sole photography where everything is 'set up'. If you're a Brit (Hello!) you are more than likely familiar (to a degree) with the old Thunderbirds show, and of one of its chief characters, Lady Penelope. I would like to look to re-envision a re-enactment of her scenes using the style mentioned above. If one is interested, please feel free to message! \^\_\^ But, if simply reading, I am grateful for your doing so too! =\]
The vast majority aren't screenwriters so why would they need a literary agent? Just curious.
I am a beginner actor. I only started to pursue it within the last couple years and have been in class training on and off. Prior to COVID, it was with relative consistency. I’m in Toronto and its still kind of a shitshow. I haven’t been able to find any in person classes for like eight months. I tried online but its just not worth the money and I really struggle to take much from the classes. Right now, the only thing I can really do is look for short/student/independant films on Backstage, Castcaller, Facebook groups, etc but the opportunities are limited. I am also a writer, working on a short script that I would act in, but I want to build my skills as an actor a little more. If Im putting time and money into making a short, I want to be a good enough actor to do it justice and I worry that I’m not. I’m not sure how much of that fear is realistic and how much is just self doubt. One of my main goals is to build a strong reel. I don’t really have any scenes from previous acting classes or shorts that I’m super happy with, that I think are a good enough representation of my skills. I have one self tape that I think is good. Should I add another self taped monologue or does that look too unprofessional? I am also currently looking at PA jobs—I know its not acting, but I want to be more immersed in the industry and I felt like it would be a good way to make connections and have some experience working on a set. I also thought working a job, any job, in the industry with help me stay motivated and excited to keep acting and writing. Is this a bad idea? I’m just really lost right now. I am 23 so going back to school is a possibility, although it would be difficult. I have a lot of admiration for trained actors, I know the best way to learn is just to act, but I worry that I’ll miss out on valuable/essential skills and/or knowledge that could be gained through classical training. What was your path to becoming an actor like? Am I taking the right steps? Where else can I look for acting and training opportunities? What else can I do to build my reel? Should I look for an agent to help me find jobs or is it too early? Workshops? I know this is a tough industry but Im a very driven person, I love film, and honestly, I don’t think I could do anything else. Any advice, knowledge, whatever you have to offer is appreciated. Thanks.
Was thinking of signing up for the online class, it's twice a week for 2 hours, and supposedly actors work for majority of the class. Has anyone taken their scene study class? If so, anyone know how it is? I couldn't really find much info about this place.
Recently, our original server was expanded to become the Creatives Community. We have since branched off everything acting and recreated the Actors Network. Come and join us in the new server! https://www.discord.gg/YFtpZtzaCc
Hey all. Just wondering which actors now a days you all are inspired by and who by watching or following makes you a better or more in tune actor? For this, I must go with Jeremy Strong who plays Kendall on Succession. I feel confident in saying he is the best actor on TV right now. He is also a very interesting and smart person and actor as seen and heard in his interviews. I really like him and he inspires me. I hope to work w him some day. Who working now gives you positive acting feelings?
Ever since Idris Elba got casted as knuckles I've seen people have a pretty mix reaction to it, some saying he'll be great and other saying he only got casted because of his celebrity status. Personally I never really cared along as the actor in question does the job well and who's to say they weren't casted because they did the job well? Only have a problem when a preexisting cast is replaced with celebrities (ie the Lego Ninjago movie and scoob) for the sake of money or when the VA is exploited (the Robin Williams genie situation). And I've noticed that after the scoob, space jam 2, VA race debate of summer 2020 that alot of consumers, voice actors, and what have you are tired of this practice and that they should move away from (slowly seemingly they are) from this practice since apparently the age of celebrities is over. But what are your guys thoughts on this?
There is a list of agencies for Chicago talent agencies. I’ve had a fair amount of experience working on set. Most of the time as a background extra, I know that doesn’t always translate to acting experience, but I have to imagine that the jump would involve signing up with one of the agencies. I’m not with SAG, but if I get enough regular work I would be willing to join. Anyway there are a bunch of agencies in Chicago listed that do film/tv, I just want to know if anyone know which one is best, or if I should just apply for all of them. I don’t mind admitting that I’m new to this, so I’m willing to learn all I can. Also what kind of things should I expect to have for applying to an agency, apart from the headshot and work experience?
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.
