We have found 19,242 posts across 4 actor forums:
Cold Emails: Tips from the Other, Angry, Side by corduroyovershirt • last post Jan 7th
Hello! I’m a producer at a production company. My email is easy to deduce, I’m sure most folks get it by cruising LinkedIn. Multiple times a week I get a cold email from a voice actor offering their services. 100% of the time I read the first few sentences. 100% of the time I block the sender. When I was starting out as a production assistant, I got my first gigs cold emailing, so I have an incredibly soft spot for folks who put themselves out there like that. So I give every email a chance. So why do I do what nearly everyone else does when they get a cold email— why do I forever send them to the trash? Because every cold email wants ME TO DO THE WORK. Every email is the same cookie cutter garbage, with no research as to who I am or what I do, that tasks me with figuring out why I need you. My career is the product of cold emailing and I these emails make me want to pull my hair out, so PLEASE take this advice as gospel: 1. Do your research. Start with knowing my name and the name of the company I work for. Know what type of work we DO (you’d quickly learn I rarely need voice actors and save yourself some trouble, but I digress) and figure out why I would ever need to hire a voice actor. This is the most important. 2. Make a good case. This is not “I’m a good voice actor, you’d be stupid not to hire me”. This is “In the last month you’ve made a dozen videos about football for TikTok and I used to be the stadium announcer at UCLA who hyped up our fans during the game. I think your videos could not only benefit from voiceover, but I could bring a whole new level of excitement that should turn into new levels of engagement”. You can’t make a case without research, you can’t convince someone without making a strong argument. And your case should be about ADDED value. You’re experienced in this department. 3. Don’t make me do ANY WORK. If you’ve done 1 and 2, you have just saved me so much time and effort. I don’t have to do any thinking about why I need you, you have told me. I don’t have to search for any info about your relevant experience, you have just told me the ONLY thing I need to know about you. You have already proven why you’re a pro— you are being additive. The only work I need to do is listen to the sample (if you can’t guess what this sample is, good luck to you) and respond. As you write this email have in your mind constantly: “who is being asked to do the work?” If you do all 3 of these things, you are attempting to do something for me. If you don’t do ALL of these you are asking me to do something for you. If the example in #2 was the actual situation, I would save your contact at the very least. Maybe there isn’t a job right now, but if I ever needed VA, your case would be top of mind. But isn’t this a lot of work? Multiplied by 1000 emails, wouldn’t this take forever?! Anybody who wants to hire you from a cold email that sucks and is clearly cut and paste— AND doesn’t know any other voice actors in Los Angeles— isn’t someone you want to work for anyway. They aren’t going to help you get the next job that makes you never have to cold email again. You only get good clients from good emails. And lastly, as a twist, to prove why research is paramount: if you looked me up at all, you’d find out that not only am I a producer at this company… but I also do all their in-house VO. Is there still a case to be made for you?
How to not over-act when stakes are high by Abstract_Corduroy74 • last post Jan 7th
I am really stumped over stakes in acting. I've always been. I always hear / read that actors should make the stakes over what they're fighting for in each and every scene as high as they can; "life or death". I know that doesn't actually mean that if their character doesn't get what they want, they're going to die. It seems like high stakes would give way to over-the-top acting. Yet they never seem to. It seems like a huge contradictory paradox. My question is, how do I refrain from acting over-the-top when the stakes are high for my character in a scene?
Some food for thought about voice-over rates for "beginners" by Joes_SpeakEasy • last post Jan 7th
My grandfather often said, "The art of selling by cutting price is not 'Salesmanship', but 'SalesmanSH\*T'. Sell your service, not your price". Voice acting requires a high level of skill and training. It takes time and practice to develop the ability to effectively convey emotion and meaning through the voice, as well as the technical skills necessary to produce clear and consistent audio recordings. Additionally, voice-over work requires a significant amount of time and effort to prepare and record. This includes researching the project, rehearsing lines, and potentially multiple takes to get the perfect recording. It is important for beginners to set fair and reasonable rates for your work, based on the time and effort required to complete a project. This helps to establish your value as a professional and ensures that you are fairly compensated for your work. By discounting your rates, beginners may not be accurately reflecting the value of their skills and the time and effort you put into your work. This can lead to undervaluing your work and potentially being taken advantage of by clients. And when you build your business on a foundation of lower paying clients, you create TWICE as much work for yourself, having to REBUILD your business with clients who pay industry standard rates. Those bottom dwellers aren't going to raise the rates they've been paying you simply because you've had a change of heart. The key is NOT to begin your voice-over business until you can compete with professionally trained voice actors who have professional quality equipment. Your impatience to get started you will only make it TWICE as hard on yourself in the long run. In other words, don't start until you're ready. Good luck!
Actor wanting to move to LA by Alahs • last post Jan 7th
I am a 24 year old male who wants to move to LA to pursue acting, is there anyone in this subreddit that wants to move there with me? If so, DM me here and we can talk further. Thanks!
Do I have a shot? How to get a professional position? by MoshiMacaroon • last post Jan 7th
Hello! My name is Sarah. I am 16 years old. My ultimate dream is to become a voice actress, it's what I truly want to do in the future. I'm in plenty of projects (which I am SO grateful for btw!!), but none of them are professional, most are volunteer. I am ALWAYS trying to improve my work. I really desperately want to do this. I dream all the time about voice acting for cartoons, animes, and video games. Do you guys think I have a shot? How can I improve? How can I get into the professional field?? I also sometimes fear that I am inconsistent with my skill level. Help pls! Latest Work: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI\_f5eDBnAI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI_f5eDBnAI) All Work: [https://msha.ke/moshimacaroon/#top-picks-1](https://msha.ke/moshimacaroon/#top-picks-1)
Just need a little help by leighthelatte • last post Jan 7th
so i'm starting to work on becoming a voice actor, and i need a bit of help figuring out my setup so i live with my parents and my sister, and it gets kinda noisy, but i should still be able to work around that but my computer is a pretty hefty gaming desktop, but it so far isn't bad for recording audio, especially since my mic is pretty nice and i do all my work from my decently sized bedroom, and i would do work in my closet, but it's almost too small, full of clothes and clutter, and i don't have a laptop and i obviously can't lug my giant pc in there i also am broke as a rock and can't afford too much fancy equipment (yet) so my current setup is just my desk in an open room, a mic with a pop filter, a hefty pc desktop, and thats all. so i could use some advice for just some devices i could get in the near future to aid in audio quality, and where i should do my work efficiently the laptop thing is my biggest barrier, because i do have places i can do my work if my computer was portable i also have an ipad with a keyboard and trackpad set up if thats helpful at all i appreciate any advice, i am starting from the bottom in terms of the career part, i have acting/ theatre experience that definitely aids in my favor, that i'm not too worried about, but its just my concerning setup that i'm hung up on, if a photo is needed i can add one thanks for listening :)
Want to act and direct, but I don’t know if I’m on the right path by BackgroundTop7827 • last post Jan 7th
I’m M18. Always loved movies my whole life. I am currently going to a community college in San Francisco majoring in Film,tv, and broadcasting. I don’t actually start my film classes till next month so Im hoping for the best. I have little to none acting experience. In my high school we had a video production class, I happened to be in it, and even got in the honors program. It was coolio I loved it, and we made little skits and segments for the school and I would always play a character and be in front of the camera. It was mostly improv, but there were few occasions I had to memorize tiny lines. I did in fact narrated a school assembly, i missed my queue for the last scene but it was overall good. I don’t know I just want to create and help create and maybe act as a superhero one day. I currently have actors access but I haven’t paid for the version I can submit. I’m not even sure if actors access is the right site to look. I know for me to “make it on the big screens” i need a agent. Where do I find one? Is there any other acting sites that can help me find calls or agents near me?
Tips for nailing Actors Connection/One on One Showcases? by Actingchick1234 • last post Jan 6th
Hello! I did my first Actors Connection showcase yesterday for agents. I did the last page of a 6-page comedic scene, which I have been working on in my acting program. The scene has typically had the whole class laughing. I started the scene at the climax, right when I tell the guy I hooked up with that he got me pregnant. Now skip to the showcase: The agents didn't seem to get that the scene was comedic because the reader I was working off of didn't seem to get it, and the context of the scene is depressing (particularly the fact that the guy vehemently denies that he is the one who got me pregnant). Everyone I coached with said to pick up the pace because it's a back-and-forth (duh, comedy!) and also because the showcase only gives you 2 minutes per scene. The agents told me that I should have shortened the scene and raised the stakes because it didn't seem like I had enough time to really take in the gravity of the news I received in the scene and they wanted me to be even more impacted. I get it, but this was really frustrating to hear because 1) I already chopped the scene down so much 2) without the context of the whole play and a comedic reader to work off of, they seemed to have thought I should have been sobbing my eyes out by the end of the scene because of "how devastating it is that this guy won't admit he's the father." From knowing the whole play, this is not how she feels. She's more irritated and disgusted than anything and it's supposed to be funny because he's such a dumbass as a character, and 3) I WANTED to take the time to "behave" more and show the news affecting me but I had TWO MINUTES, so I didn't want to waste time pausing. The other thing is, I know that I could have gotten there emotionally if I wanted to, but I was making a choice that the character ended the scene by feeling defeated and resigned rather than irate or devastated based on the context of the play. I guess maybe I should have gone for the stronger choice because out of context it doesn't matter? I also didn't want to play the same note the entire time. I got angry in the middle of the scene, and then ended with resignation. Anyway, I am just confused about how I am supposed to really live out a fully fleshed scene in such a short amount of time. How short are the scenes you usually pick? Do you go for extremely strong emotions in a showcase? I am used to doing short sides for auditions, but at least the person watching the audition has some context and they aren't sticking a clock in my face. Maybe I need to pick a better scene that doesn't require any context? Or maybe I need to pick a really short scene so that I have time to live it out emotionally? **What strategies have worked for you?** I don't want to come off as bitter, but it's hard when you feel like you could have delivered what they wanted if you just understood what was expected of you in the first place. I am sure I also need to take some responsibility for my choices not landing. Either way, how can I prevent this from happening again?
my scenes are SUPER boring by Tiusday_ • last post Jan 6th
hello! so i am a theatre actor and we have a play in 8 days. my acting partners told me that one scene we have is pretty boring and it's not ready yet. but the reason that it is boring is because of the other actress i am playing with. they are supposed to be playing a very active and funny character but because they have anxiety it's hard for them to get into that character. so my worry is that i play a very bland character that is either sad or angry. they are not enogh to lighten up those scenes in my opinion. and my question is, if they can't get into character when we are in the scene what can i do so viewers don't get bored. i am open for any help and advice. thanks in advance!
Is This Realistic by actress_writer101 • last post Jan 6th
I plan on starting my professional career as an actress and screenwriter after college (so around 22 years old). I'm aware that acting is an unpredictable career and I'm fine with that, I've never been a huge fan of strict routines anyways. But I'm hoping my career can be at least 35 years, definitely would like a bit more than that, but is this realistic to hope for? I have a lot of creative goals I want to achieve and I need time, this is not a short term thing for me, it's a career. I've seen lots of non-famous actors achieve it. I'm not looking for fame or money, I love my craft and I don't even have to make a living off of acting the whole time, but I do hope to someday, but even if I have to have a day job most of the time I don't mind. I also worked on developing thick skin for all the rejection over the past few years and have gotten really good, and have learned to love auditioning and self-taping and I treat it as a chance to act and put on a mini show/film, and the idea of doing more auditions than gigs in my lifetime doesn't even bother me (although of course I hope for many gigs), on the contrary I am excited because I think of how many scripts, material and roles I will get exposed to. Same for screenwriting, I learned that not everyone will like my screenplays, but there will be many actors and producers out there who would love to bring them to life.
Is there such a thing as a good agent contract? Please tell me there is. by ActingHopes • last post Jan 6th
Long story short, I got offered my first ever agent contract. Upon review, it was very one-sided and maybe even a bit exploitative. There were definitely parts that made me nervous from a legal, financial, and career standpoint. Discussion with a lawyer friend confirmed my concerns, as well as brought up new ones. I made edits to the contract and sent them back to the agency for review. The agency came back to me and said that they would not consider any edits. Period. My questions are: Is this common? As an actor, do you just kind of have to accept that you have to eat shit and take on legal and financial risk from an agency so you can get signed? Or is this agency in particular just not great, and I have to keep looking? I'm trying to figure out how to proceed. Thanks.
Virtual casting call etiquette questions from a first time director by CrazyVegetable3187 • last post Jan 6th
I'm going to be shooting my first feature length film this summer and will be posting a virtual casting call in local Facebook groups and also sending to local university theatre programs + acting schools. I want to make sure I don't do anything considered rude or unprofessional. Here are my questions: 1. Is it frowned upon to ask for an audition tape right off the bat? I have heard several people say you should ask for headshots first. I personally don't see why it would be harmful to ask for an audition right off the bat to get the ball rolling, but if this is considered rude in some way I won't. EDIT: Also how long is too long to request an audition for? I.e. is it acceptable to ask for two different scenes across five pages? Or what is a good guideline? . 2. How descriptions is too descriptive in character descriptions? What should be my sentence limit? I have character descriptions written out but they're all very long - as long as 11 sentences for one of the leads. I feel like this may be too much. . 3. Is it unprofessional to give examples of similar movie characters in the character description? For example, this isn't related to my film but if I said this character most closely resembles Rob Riggle's, specifically in the Hangover and We're The Millers. Is this bad? . 4. It's an R rated film and I want to be as up front as possible. There are two characters that are seen post-sex, would writing something along the lines of "must be comfortable laying in bed with character x, no sex scene/stimulated sex, but there is implied after sex" be acceptable? There are also a couple of characters that smoke in the film, and so I was going to put in their description "must be comfortable smoking fake joints," does this seem fine? Lastly, there is one character that has simulated sex in a comedic way - would it be fine to write something like "has a simulated sex scene, but no nudity is required; however must be comfortable shirtless and with the scene"? . 5. I'm looking to have two virtual rehearsals and one on person rehearsal before filming. Every role besides background actors will be paid. Would it be unprofessional to ask for these two virtual rehearsals to be uncompensated and that the in person one gas will be reimbursed and there will be dinner, but no further compensation? I don't feel great about it, but I'm very limited from a budget perspective. . 6. Is there anything else you think I should know? Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate your time!
How do I know if my 4/5 year old is a natural actress? by notabot780 • last post Jan 6th
My daughter is almost 5 and I have a hunch I should get her into acting. She has a very vivid imagination always going on for 10 minutes of directing/writing a detailed script before we play pretend/scene. I don’t have much to compare to, but she seems good at memorizing lines and when we play pretend her acting skills are pretty convincing. She absolutely loves attention, dress up, and playing pretend. She does (and loves) ballet and singing classes but I can’t say if she’s especially good or not. I don’t know anything about acting or the industry, but I would guess that it would be easier to get a shoe in the door when she is younger and might have less competition. So my questions to you are how do I know if she has some natural talent or if all kids are like this? Am I wrong to think that time is of the essence because the older she gets, the more competition she’ll have? Thanks in advance, I hope this post isn’t annoying!
Casting Director Classes by AromaticTrade7947 • last post Jan 6th
I’ve been considering taking a class from like actors connection, ACE studios, etc that is taught by a casting director or casting associate. I was just wondering if anyone has personal experience or has heard of anyone who has taken one of these types of classes and had it benefit them in some way. Like getting an audition from that casting office, booking a role with them, being referred to an agent/manager, or something along those lines. I would probably do one of the classes that is multiple sessions over 2-3 weeks rather than just the one day workshop type situations.
Visiting family for the holidays, and feeing blue by wonderfalls88 • last post Jan 6th
Just to be safe, adding a TW re parents/family and visiting/holidays. Many actors can relate to moving away from your hometown to a major market to pursue your career and visiting for the holidays. For me, the distance is nearly clear across the country. I had to skip some years when I was oftentimes broke, but for most of the past 15 years I’ve made the annual week-or-so visit in the winter. I also added the TW since I’m keeping in mind (and heart) those who have lost parents/family and would love to be able to visit them even one more time, but I’ve been struggling with these feelings of sorrow and darkness when I’m approaching or at the end of the trip/visit instead of enjoying the vacation. I’m glad their health is still decent, but the thoughts of aging and death, and their house and stuff, has just become stressful versus who I was as the young woman who moved to LA with so much ambition and focus. Moving back isn’t really sensible right now since I recently started a great job that’s unique to its location, and I’m finally happy with what I do for a living and that’s huge for me and my wellness. (Plus my friends who became like family since moving to LA for acting.) Sorry that this is getting long, but this sub has always been pretty supportive as a lot of us can relate on so many things here. Has anyone else noticed a shift in your perception of visiting home year after year? Sent with love to all who experience difficult feelings during the holidays or any time.
Help! I have to turn down a role. Even if I lose my agent by Throwawaypotatas • last post Jan 6th
Hey all. Like most other actors, particularly those of us who went to college or conservatory, It has been drilled into me to NEVER turn down a role. Despite this being my career, my face, and my life I’ve gone with the flow of my agent or others and been admonished for opinions or desires of my own. I have now been offered a film that I must turn down. There is no convincing me otherwise. The people making it may have the money/resources to be SAG and give everyone a nice check but their work is offensively bad and if I were to be involved in their product I would legitimately hate myself. Turning this project down means pretty good money lost for my agent. I respect my agent as a human being, I want to be professional in my conversation with them and need help approaching this respectfully. I understand my agent could drop me. I am willing to make that sacrifice. Does anyone have any advice to how to start this conversation? And please don’t encourage me to take the part, it would be like purposefully signing on to do The Room without any of the cult status. Has anyone hear had experience with turning down a bad offer?
Any advice on getting my first movie/TV role by Mikill_Wotan • last post Jan 6th
I've been acting since i was 10 and i really want to become a professional actor. I have always wanted to be an actor ever since i was little. I don't have an agent or a manager, so I'm on my own when it comes to finding roles. I live near DC so any advice or tips to finding casting calls and landing my first gig would be very appreciated. i am an 18 year old white guy, (with braces uggghhh) I am moving to Philadelphia in august so if anyone knows of auditions in Philadelphia that starts filling in august that would also be helpful. THANK YOU for taking the time to read this and thank you even more if you decide to respond with helpful advice!
Is starting my career after community college an ok plan? by CurlyFriezs • last post Jan 6th
I’m currently a freshman at my local CC. I’m 19 and I’ve always known I wanted to be an actor. Did theatre camps when I was little and did drama all through middle school and high school. I’m currently working towards an Associate of Fine Arts with a concentration in theatre. I’m starting to get the feeling that I’m missing out. While I enjoy my actual acting classes, I feel like I’m waisting my time taking all these gen Ed’s. They’re not going to do anything for me when it comes to my career. Part of the reason I chose to go to college was because it was a safer plan and I got to live with my parents a little longer. But I’m starting to think that I just need to move on with my life. I know moving out to LA is scary and I’ll need to do a lot to prepare. Trust me I’ve done a lot of research. I know I’ll need a place to live. I know I’ll need a steady but flexible job. And I know I’ll probably need to enroll in more acting classes and obviously get an agent. But I’m ready to do it all. Since my parents have already paid for classes, I’m going to stick it out no matter what until I get my Associates. It would be incredibly unfair for their money to just go down the drain for nothing. But afterwards am I really missing out on anything by not getting Bachelors in Arts? Because at the end of the day we all know these arts degrees are basically worthless. But nobody studies acting for the degree. We do it to get the experience and improve our craft. And I’m starting to feel like I have enough experience and just want to go out and do the real thing. Since I’m still a freshman, I have over a year to prepare for this if it’s what I decide to do. But I want to hear your guys’ thoughts.
episodic and feature films by anchovy7 • last post Jan 6th
Dumb question but are all projects listed as feature films on actors accses movies, and are all episodic projects tv shows?
Cost of Actors Access? by throwawayyyycount • last post Jan 6th
If you have an agent that submits you through breakdown express do you still have to pay for each submission if you’re doing the “free” account