and what would you actually define as a character actor? can a lead be a character actor?
So I'm leaving my agent soon because they mostly focus on child actors and haven't been very helpful for the past couple years, plus I'm 18 now and kinda wanna fresh start rather than picking up what my mum and agent have been overseeing. So there's a few things that have been nagging at me now I'm fully in control (On mobile so formatting might be a bit wonky) 1: when it comes to finding a new agent, should I just contact whichever catches my interest or is there an audition process I need to wait for? (Like do they put out casting calls?) 2: I'm gonna need some new headshots but (very annoyingly) I have this prominent red mark that's been on the side of my nose for like a week now. Should I somehow cover it up with makeup before the shoot or do I need to worry about it? (I'm not very knowledgeable about makeup so if I do need to use it tips are very much appreciated!) 3: does anyone have any self tape tips? I've done DOZENS of self tapes but hardly any of them paid off at all and I feel like it might be related to the quality possibly? Either that or I'm just a bad actor
I’ve been thinking about taking a 2 year acting school to better myself as an actor but I also want to constantly try and get roles for the shows and movies. Hypothetically, if I was in acting school and I got a part in a decent movie production, would the school allow me to be absent while I partake in it?
So basically Im 17 yo and I wanted to get into acting. I absolutely loved it as a kid and I did a lot of stuff actually. I wrote poems, I liked to draw, ...anything artistic. And I remember I felt so alive when acting and it just suited my personality really well. I was just the type of person who you could tell was into acting without me even telling you. Someone even said when I first met you I thought you were a theater kid. And I was. And I was really proud of it as well. But I never really got the chance to do anything outside of school. But i am confident enough to say that back then I really had everything that it takes to become an actor realistically speaking. I was charismatic, confident and was never embarrassed of myself just doing whatever I wanted to without worrying. The one thing I guess I didn't have was maybe the looks but other than that I was not too bad at it and enjoyed it very much. Fast forward to high school I dont know what happened to me exactly but all I know is that I am ANXIOUS. Even when talking to friends. And that confidence is kinda gone. And I had stopped acting for years but was thinking of getting into it again but Im just not good anymore. First I have become so self conscious and I kind of blame toxic friends for this. I guess the environment that I have been in was very toxic to begin with. My friends would always always tell me whenever I was being "cringe" and first I didnt care but after a while I have become so self conscious its insane. And when I try to act, even alone in my room, I cant help it to. feel so embarrassed that I cant even enjoy it at all and Im very bad at it too soo yh... And the other reason is when I was younger I would never worry about being good. Well of corse I wanted my performances to be good but I did my best and I did it out of passion and just had fun with it without being scared of being judged or anything because I literally just didnt care. Now its not like that anymore. Now that I want to pursue this as a career I feel so much pressure that I freeze and sometimes I cant even get myself to say my lines. So basically anxiety changed me a lot. I dont wanna blame other people but I cant help but think about how at the beginning of high school I was my normal self and only after I got close with that friend I talked about earlier I started having these confidence issues. It was just very...toxic, I guess. I was scared that maybe Im just gaslighting myself and giving other people the fault because I dont wanna blame me so I started writing down all the red flags and honestly at this point I cant really deny that those friends dont have anything to do with my anxiety. (of corse im planning on cutting them off but this is more about how I can gain my confidence back) Every time I am away from that friend I already feel better and more confident and more comfortable so I feel like once high school is over not having to be around those people will make a difference but Im scared that its not enough. I really wanna go acting classes because I think I would enjoy it sooo much (IF i can get myself to act again of corse) but Im scared the teachers and everyone will judge me for being horrible at it and then they will all think what am I doing there in the first place. I guess I just wanted advice. Acting is not something that I wanna do full time. I have other plans too. And acting classes arent really cheap either. So Im doubting if its even worth it.
Apologies if these are silly or obvious questions - I couldn't find a place that answered them. My friends have been encouraging me to try out voice acting as at least a hobby for a while - I'm a professional singer and I already have most of the necessary equipment and It's something I've been interested in for a while. Even my actor friends, coach and someone I'm working for who works in a related field is suggesting it. My questions are related to demo reels themselves, as I'm trying to put one together and just get some work through Fiverr to start with: \>Shall I have separate specialized demo reels for different types of work? (say VA in video games/animation vs VO work like reading books/advertisement?) \>Can I just read ANYTHING our while recording them, or am I unable to read out copywritten material? Could I, say, read out a page from Dune, Verbatim? If not, where can I get sample resources to read out? \>Where can I get background music/sound effects and do I really need to? \>Are there any major tips regarding recommendations and pitfalls to avoid? I already know I should have about a minute's worth broken down into shorter segments and not bother introducing myself at the start As a (not-so) little bonus question that frankly I haven't looked into yet much, how would you recommend getting STARTED as a total beginner in terms of publicizing myself? Should I bother paying someone to build a website, or shall I just start a YT channel/Linkedin or what? I already have a separate website, but that's specifically for music. ​ Thank you so much, I'm really sorry if these questions are silly/not appropriate, I looked around and couldn't find anything regarding this in particular! If all goes well I'll post a demo reel on here for critique ;D
Hi Reddit, I'm currently looking into submitting myself to a few agencies near me and I want to know what they usually look for. I've submitted myself to a few agencies about a year and a half ago and heard nothing back. I think this was partly because the only experience I had was high school theater and amateur headshots. Also I was submitting myself to some bigger agencies in LA like Osbrink, AEFH Talent etc. This time around, I'm looking more local to me in San Francisco and Sacramento. This past year I've got some more training under my belt. I've been taking classes since March with Actors Edge and I'm planning on taking another 4 week class with Studio 24 to help me get another perspective on my acting skills, and to give me some camera blocking training. I also got some updated headshots (I'll post a picture of my old headshots, my profile in one of my new ones). Based on your experience, what do you think my chances of getting signed by these agencies are? Now that I have more training and better headshots, do you think I'll have a better chance getting signed by these local agencies? Or do you think it's still not enough? The agencies I'm submitting to are 3 Model Management, Cast Images, STARS The Agency, MDT, and NYLO.
(Added compensation rates to the bottom, it's $45/hr to $105/hr) Are you interested in being an inspiration for millions of people who want to change their lives for the better? We need an asian man with a far-east asian accent to help us market one of our products (a bracelet) to an international audience. We prefer to hire the best of the best and are willing to pay top rates for top talent. As part of this marketing effort, we will be creating a 5 to 15 minute long video that will feature you as the main and only character. Here is an example of this type of video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf7xSKmZgfM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf7xSKmZgfM) **PROJECT REQUIREMENTS** * Have a far-east asian accent (Chinese, Japanese, Hong Kong, Thai, Vietnamese, Laos, Taiwan, Korean, Mongolian, Cambodian) * Be asian * Look at least 30 years old but not over 70 * Have a good microphone and video camera (sorry, we cannot work with people who have low quality equipment) * Be bald or willing to wear a “[bald cap](https://www.amazon.com/Mehron-Makeup-Premium-Character-Bald/dp/B002D88O7I/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_1_1/135-4785212-4938725?pd_rd_w=KdpvT&content-id=amzn1.sym.2dc9b33d-bf98-4c85-be26-75af626c0551&pf_rd_p=2dc9b33d-bf98-4c85-be26-75af626c0551&pf_rd_r=FRBSH3J7WWDNB6CFKQWT&pd_rd_wg=8sRUh&pd_rd_r=4a7287f0-ad2f-4719-bc2e-f5dc142e26b7&pd_rd_i=B002D88O7I&psc=1)” (we will pay for your bald cap if you need one) * Be comfortable with dissing China/communism * Be able to make us believe you are the character we want you to be * Speaks English fluently (native English not required but your script will be written in English so you need to be able to read and speak English pretty well) * To prove you meet all these requirements, please make sure you send us samples of relevant work OR create a 10 second sample where you pretend to be the main character. * IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THE 10 SECOND SAMPLE, here are the opening lines of the script, “Hi, my name is Shang, let me tell you how Feng Shui saved my life. When I was a kid I was so happy until one day the Chinese communist government forced me and my family into a truck, we never saw our home again.” **CHARACTER DESCRIPTION** * When you were a kid, your family was forcefully relocated from a farming village in the mountains of Tibet to a low ranking Chinese city. You and your family lived in a shipping container, your parents ended up dead. You leave to go to Harvard on a scholarship. You drop out and try to kill yourself. A Buddhist monk saves your life and gives you a bracelet. You move to Beijing to make your fortune. You meet Jack Ma and become his personal assistant. Jack Ma retires from Alibaba in 2019 and you decide to become a Buddhist monk in Tibet. You spend your days making Feng Shui bracelets by hand and blessing them. * Hates Chinese and communist people * Wants to free Tibet from Chinese occupation * Is friends with Jack Ma * Will follow Master Wu to the ends of the earth * Is a believer in Feng Shui * Thick far east accent, but that doesn’t mean you speak broken English. You had some success, some education, but you must still appear and sound asian instead of white washed. * You’ve been through a lot and now you want to help everyone else * At the time of filming the video you have been a Buddhist for a couple years, you are a monk but of course you can still relate to non-monks and a Western audience **COMPENSATION** Anywhere from $40/hr to $105/hr. We are happy to pay you whatever you prefer to be paid. We will send you the bracelet so you can wear it while filming the video. We will also need you to be bald/wear a bald cap in the video. We also need you to wear a buddhist monk robe in the video. Here’s an example of the robe: [https://www.amazon.com/Zzooi-Chinese-Cassock-Religious-Performance/dp/B08GZYZNRP/ref=asc\_df\_B08GZYZNRP/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=594180129353&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16271867828764024362&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012661&hvtargid=pla-1642597177376&th=1&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Zzooi-Chinese-Cassock-Religious-Performance/dp/B08GZYZNRP/ref=asc_df_B08GZYZNRP/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=594180129353&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16271867828764024362&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012661&hvtargid=pla-1642597177376&th=1&psc=1) If you don’t already have them, you will need to order these items (bald cap if you’re not bald and a buddhist robe) but we will pay you to order them so you do not need to spend your own money. **CONTACT ME** I will try to check reddit but it is easier to reach me via [alex@yourscalesource.com](mailto:alex@yourscalesource.com) or you can apply to the Upwork job post I made here [https://www.upwork.com/jobs/\~015ddb1e9650343039](https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~015ddb1e9650343039) Thanks for reading, we look forward to working with you!
I applied for a small supporting role in an indie feature film on actors access. I did the audition and it was just facial expressions and a couple days later they said that I got the role. I have looked into the flashing company a little bit and it was SAG and looked alright. I decided to look up the production company again just one more time before officially accepting the role and I noticed on their YouTube they have a trailer of one of their last movies that has almost 100,000 views but It didn’t have a lot of likes or comments and all of the other videos only had 60 to 100 views.. I didn’t realize before this trailer definitely has fake views and the quality isn’t bad but I really don’t like that the production company is making themselves seem a lot bigger than they are I think work speaks for itself. I confirmed with my friend who is really good at telling how many fake views/likes something has and he confirmed that it was. Obviously I’m not going to base a role on how many likes or views it has but I think if the trailer actually had that many views, it would mean that they got some kind of distribution company and they’re doing the marketing really well and I just don’t wanna do anything that involves fake promotion. I feel like it’s lying to some actors thinking this would be good publicity. I just feel like having fake views says a lot about of bad things about the production company as well.
Hey fellow actors, Just wanted to take a poll to see who all has worked on law and order in this subreddit. The one thing I hear about that show is that everyone knows someone who worked on it. If you did, did you like it? Is it a fun time in set? Thanks!
I saw recently that Priscilla is filming in Toronto and I was wondering does anyone know how to get cast as a background actor in the film?
I've been auditioning since mid-2016 and booked a few student films but nothing for TV/film. Then, I was so incredibly lucky to get a full time job during the pandemic. I'm almost 2 years in and I definitely noticed that I haven't been on casting sites much and my dreams of becoming an actor are slowly fading away. For people in this situation, how are you doing? I'm scared but I feel like I'm slowly starting to accept it.
I'm in LA and occasionally work for Central Casting. I actually really enjoy being an extra. I did a small speaking part in a short film as well that I found on Backstage. I'm not set on "making it big" but enjoy the industry. I'm interested in background work and/or small speaking roles. Are there any agencies you'd recommend I apply to? I like Central Casting, but I'd like to get more work and/or more featured background roles. Along with Backstage, I've also heard of websites like Actors Access, Casting Networks, Casting Frontier, Breakdown, etc but I don't know which one would be best to invest in. I only have the paid version of Backstage, but most of the projects on there seem to be poorly written student films. I'm non-union atm so that may be affecting the quality of the jobs I see.
I'm fairly new to this sub, as I'm sure there have been similar posts but this is something that's been on my mind lately. Just to clarify I'm not an actor by any means, but dream of becoming one (I've only gotten some very small gigs here and there), so I'm still trying to get seen. Posting on social media and embodying different personalities is something that's really fun to me and it's an outlet for performance energy that I have. (an example would be if Jim Carrey played the personality of Ace Ventura on social media before being an actor) To get to the point, my question is - can playing a character on social media ruin someone's chance of being taken seriously for a role or project in the future? A lot of people I've worked with have very "low" opinions of anyone posting on youtube/instagram/tiktok (that's maybe where this concern comes from). Then again I have had actors tell me that if I want to have a chance or get some exposure I can and should be active on social media, which makes sense but I never believed them, maybe I'm just old school (in my mid 20s and don't follow internet culture that much). Would love to hear from someone on this, cheers!
Hey r/acting! First of all, I want to sincerely thank everyone who runs this subreddit for giving us such incredible information for FREE. Like... this is insane (in the best possible way). My question is: do film producers ever come to college productions and "scout" actors like coaches do for games? If so, what colleges have been scouted in the past?
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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 all, I’m an aspiring director looking to learn more about the experience of actors from pre-production (rehearsal, table reads) to production to help elevate those I work with. Nothing more frustrating for an actor to work with a director who knows NOTHING about acting, and I don’t wanna be that guy. With that said, does anyone have any recs for YouTube channels/vids, books, classes (in-person or virtual), coaches, etc about acting. Thanks!