We have found 19,246 posts across 4 actor forums:
Casting Question by IAMLOCUSTF2U • last post Jul 23rd
Hey quick question: ​ I am an actor new to having an agent and I recently received two costar auditions from the same casting director for a connected episodic franchise based in a city. Everyone I've spoken to says that is a good sign. My question is as follows: Why is that a good sign? What are the implications? ​ Thank you.
Submit to Agents now or wait by meinai88 • last post Jul 23rd
Hello fellow actors. I am a new actor in Toronto and need some advice. I want to start submitting to agents but not sure if I should do it now or wait. Here is what is going on, I finally have some clips from my acting classes (no demo reel yet) that I can send to agents in my submissions. I have also booked 2 short films so I have something on my resume. I registered in the certificate program with Bongo Productions- Michael Caruana and the only reason I did that is because he offers a agent referral for $99 after completion of the program which includes hum creating a demo reel from the material I did in class and recommending me to agents he feels work with me. The issue is that this will take atleast another month or so until I am done the certificate. I was thinking of just submitting tonagents on my own with what I have and if I don't get picked up by anyone to do the agent referral through him after completion of the program. What is everyone's thoughts?
Dee Bradley Bakers's guide: On the topic of "Talent" by ShittyGuitarCovers • last post Jul 23rd
So this is something I'm a little caught up with, he's obviously very good at what he does, but my mind hangs on this particular sentence on his "Starting from Zero" page: > Acting certainly requires a good grasp of certain learnable skills, but at its heart, acting is also an art form. Success is conditional on possessing a good amount of in-born talent. Either you have it or you don’t. This is surprising me as I feel like I don't think I've often seen anything else talked about this way perhaps for other hobbies or even creative pursuits. More often than not, people who have careers or are highly regarded in their creative field will more often than not downplay the importance of talent, and while they may recognize that some people may learn faster than others, I don't think they would put this much emphasis on how important that aspect is, and the general spiel would usually be that if you had enough of a reason to learn the things you need to create, then you will eventually find "success". Whatever the definition of success is here, whether it's being proud of your work or making your way into the industry, for the sake of what I'm trying to say here I'll just say it's reaching a level where you can feel like you're good at what you do and enjoy doing it and feel some degree of mastery with the craft. So what I want to ask here is what are people's thoughts on "in-born" talent? Of course, again, we can recognize that people don't necessarily learn at the same speed or begin with the same aptitude, but to talk about this point so early on almost makes it feel like that in order to become a voice actor, one must also put a lot of stake into this "in-born" talent where "it may take many years of exploration and work to find if you really have what it takes". This doesn't exactly seem like the kind of thing that would inspire confidence in people looking to start from zero, for if you have to spend months or years practicing this thing only to discover you simply don't have what it takes, that is frightening. One could say you could be doing something you're good at for years and not like it, but it's one thing to learn it and decide you don't like it, rather than doing something for years and finding out you are incapable of it because of a lack of an intrinsic element that you must be born with. What I feel like is being suggested here is that the question of "what if I'm not good" here isn't necessarily something that can be chipped away at with enough practice, because then that question becomes "what if I'm fundamentally incapable of mastering this" or "how can I figure this out before I pour a ton of work into this" Now this doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't a cost of time with everything you could possibly choose to do in life, and I'm sure his guide has inspired and produced plenty of talented voice actors and even created careers for some people, but I'm really hung up on this idea of "talent" you have to be born with to make it. Of course, I'm not talking about people with dysarthria or mental or physical disabilities that would make this sort of thing a non-starter, but being born with a lack of something that might make goals of mastery impossible. I'm hoping to have some opinions of people here who may have started from zero, what are your thoughts on talent? Would any able-bodied person with enough passion and motivation be able to eventually reach some level of creative mastery, or do some people just have to accept and live with the fact that such a level of mastery is simply not possible for them? The general consensus for what I've seen for many other creative hobbies is that the former is true, so is this any different for voice acting?
Is it true that commercials can deflate your career? by _Suumcuique_ • last post Jul 23rd
I've heard some people say that depending on what you start your career with, you can grow or simply plateau in one field. This industry has so many ridiculous things being produced. I knew a girl who did some commercials for Wendy's and she's not really advancing in her career except by doing videogame voiceovers and some tacky films. Sometimes an actor has a great period of work and then just out of nowhere flops and gets subpar work. I guess I would say it depends on how long you stay in the commercial industry and, of course, what you do exactly.
Question for queer/LGBT+ actors by dirt-flirt • last post Jul 23rd
I’ve been thinking about taking some acting class at a local studio in my city. Acting has been something I’ve always wanted to pursue and I’m kind of at this turning point where I’m welcoming new opportunities into my life. Thing is, I’m a lesbian and I have very androgynous/masculine mannerisms that I worry might limit my range as an actor. Before throwing down thousands of dollars on classes, can anyone else in the queer community give me some perspective on the challenges of embodying and personifying straight counterparts and your ability to land gigs for straight/cis roles? Thanks in advance for any advice!
Appearing in your own business’ commercial? by That_Bumblebee3 • last post Jul 23rd
I’m an actor who is launching an online business soon, un-related to acting. Would it be okay to appear as a prominent character in the online ads I’m planning on running? Or would this be seen as tacky/taboo?
greatest acting gig of al time by Averageisgoodsizebae • last post Jul 23rd
my entire life is a form of method acting. me as a human. i was cast into this role without my choosing and now i'm going to act here as a human who is an actor. go figure.
Is it jut me or does most acting seem terrible after you get into acting? by happypickles09 • last post Jul 23rd
Idk what it is. I’m no big shot actor and I’ve only done two projects out side of high school theatre so far. But I feel like now that I know a lot more about acting and what goes on bts I feel like I’m on the same level as these actors lmao. I know I’m not bc I’m just a teenager who enjoys acting but idk. But the majority of acting I see is terrible now that I’ve started acting. No disrespect cuz it’s hard to do and I can respect that but still.
I get really discouraged sometimes seeing as how sooo many successful actors began acting when they were kids… by ta5567710229 • last post Jul 22nd
I know it’s never too late to start but you have so many actors making it in their 20’s who staring acting in their teens and younger and then theres me just starting in my mid-20’s. I always wonder where I’d be today if I had started earlier but who knows.
I want a job voice acting for cartoons, anime, etc. Where do I go to look for them? by wow-im-satan • last post Jul 22nd
I’ve looked up hundreds of things to try and find professional jobs for voice actors but I can’t find anything. Same with musical theatre but I can’t really apply to that yet. I have a semi professional microphone setup at home (AT2020 XLR mic and Scarlett pro which should be fine for auditions: If cast id invest in something better). How am I supposed to find auditions for cartoons and anime productions??
To Atlanta Actors, a Question by Bonzai_Monkey • last post Jul 22nd
Is Tucker a good location to move to in order to pursue acting? It's affordable, and I'd have roommates to split rent, but it's about 25 minutes from Central Atlanta. Is that too far?
to self produce or not to self produce by sovrgnlover • last post Jul 22nd
Early 30s Novice actor here... One year of conservatory under my belt along with one short film and a few local commercials. Constantly studying: voice, technique, accents, theater history etc. Ready to get out there more for auditions; and I'm also interested in print modeling. One of the most common adage's these days is that actors must create their own work. I'm a writer, sure, but as far as ALL the other resources it takes to make a pilot, short film or webseries including a community of fellow actors is very daunting. If I already had one or several of the resources I think are required (a strong social network for fundraising, a camera, editing skills) I'd feel much less daunted at the prospect of creating my own work. So, I feel like the best bet for me is to get out there and audition for things both for work and but also to build a network and connect with the acting/theater/film-making communities. Something else I consider is the idea of just focusing on one thing for now and down the line, when there's more of a foundation and thus more resources that *that* will be a better time for such an undertaking as producing my own project. Is self producing the best way to launch an acting career in this day and age? What else do I need to consider here?
What powers/abilities do you think an Actor would have?? by _halcyon-bi • last post Jul 22nd
As the title states. Like, if a person popped up in the MCU or DC, they were an actor, etc, what powers ot abilities would they have?? Thank you for the help!
tips on getting agents by Aniawd • last post Jul 22nd
Okay, i know this is probably a really commonly asked question on here but i’m going to ask it, so here it goes. Agents- how do i get one? I’m going to sign up to backstage and similar sites when I eventually sit down to do so, but are there other ways of getting them? Is cold calling (if thats the right term) a good idea? emailing agents, showing an intrest in collaboration and giving them your show reel etc.. i google how to get an agent online and they all make it sound ridiculously easy, especially when i google other actors, they just say “get an agent” but i dont understand how you do that. because from an agents pov- why would they take on a rando they dont know for jobs? it makes conplete sence to me, if i was an agent id feel the same way. so how do you “get an agent” for someone who has no connections to the industry?
I've been a full time actor for 2 yrs and it's nothing like what I thought it would be. There's so much I've learned along the way and want to share... by IceTNoCaffeine • last post Jul 21st
You don't know me, but I can guarantee you have at least heard me, and its possible you may have seen me. I am a full time actor who does a lot of voice over and has been gradually doing more and more on-camera throughout the years. Like many kids who get started in entertainment, it was a way for me to express myself, stay busy, be cool to girls, stay out of trouble, and use my gifts. I always wanted to sing and play music, and had this idea that MAYBE I could be a "star". Being from a small town, the momentum that happens when people know you for doing a thing, is a great feeling, but I think it doesn't set you up for success in the real world. For example, I was singing in like five choirs, in a bunch of bands, toying at making my own music, in two drama clubs, in the spring musical, and doing summer theatre (shoutout to my extremely supportive parents). It was normal to be seen in my area and nearby as I was growing up & honing my skills. All this bouncing around, I would say, is probably the first thing that I would change. Yes, there's value in trying everything and soaking up the experiences. But now that I am an adult, I believe there's even more value in sticking with a few groups and building lasting relationships. I think about the churches and the groups I've been, I always feel welcome, but not necessarily on the "inside" group if you will. My time with those people was impactful enough for them to recognize me and have rapport to this day, but not enough to really be considered "close". On the flipside, growing up made me really good at being alone. I figure a lot of stuff out by venturing out and making friends with strangers, and synthesizing the information to go create something on my own. I think this is important to our industry, because that's kind of how the gig works. You join a crew, you do a thing, you build some relationships for the time, and when its done, you move on - lord willing, you'll work together again, but its not guaranteed. For TV, the timeline is even more condensed: sometimes you're dropped into an experience where everyone already knows each other and you're the odd man out. You don't really have time to seek validation and be overly friendly, it is what it is. We also live in a time when information is too readily available. I've learned to trust myself more and have solid friends to count on if I really, really need advice. I see a lot of people who have analysis paralysis; instead of trusting their own their own gut, they endlessly ask questions, or take classes forever, or seek validation from someone (often times people who may not have their best interests at heart). I would love for my peeps (actors) to get smarter about their personal intuition - it may mean going to therapy, or even spending time away from the industry to get regular life experiences. Speaking on life experiences, when I was choosing to go to college, I wasn't being honest with myself. I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I knew that I had what it takes! But the ever elusive "how", between the money for crazy expensive university, to the money it takes to jumpstart a career, to the money it takes to maintain a career, NO ONE up until this point had made logical sense of it for me. In a sense, its kind of like playing sports all your life and entertaining the idea of going pro - but at least with professional sports, there seems to be a clearer pipeline, even if the chance to make it all the way is very, very small. Going to university for acting doesn't guarantee you anything, besides a good education in self awareness... Because of the lack of a logical path, the adults in my life not really knowing how to guide me in this regards, and the need to at least feel like I was going to be "safe", I used my good academic standing to apply to at least one Ivy. I went to my interview and I did not connect with my interviewer at all. He might as well have been speaking Mandarin, because I'm not a good liar, and my truth came out. I just kept talking about the arts (at least that's what I remember). Yup, it was immediately apparent that I was lying to myself and I needed to continue to forge my path in performance. So I did. I was brought along by one of my acting teachers (who is now a series reg on a show btw) to an event called the Unified Auditions, where I learned about conservatories. If you don't know, conservatories are programs in universities that are set up for kids to be immersed in an artistic discipline, whether it be music, dance, visual art, film, etc. Based on everything I just told you up until this point, you can imagine I was in heaven. The lightbulb went off.... I auditioned for maybe 20 schools, because that was part of our gameplan, and also, why not? I gotta make this happen! Another reality hit me for the first time at the Unified Auditions. The hotel this took place at was PACKED. The amount of kids from big AND small towns, all over America, was astounding. This was my first glimpse into what one could call one of the biggest competitions in the world. Let's be clear, we all have our personal journeys, however, there is still a competition going on when you audition for a role, or awards, or to be considered "the best". This wasn't an idea that was shared often as a millennial growing up - there was a lot of "all inclusive" language that made everyone feel like a winner. I am glad to have gone to the Unified Auditions, because it hipped me to SEE that I would have to keep working to be the best. Everyone has someone who is the best in their town... Matter of fact, it helped immensely, because up until this point, I had learned to ride my popularity and reputation in my town a little bit. Lo and behold, I was waitlisted for the school I really wanted to go to. I wasn't devastated per se, but it def hit my ego a little bit. Back tracking a bit, I was not a stranger to setbacks - thanks to my parents, they had me enter the world of work at a young age, which included getting there on my own (usually walking), but on the great side, earning my own money. If I could talk to myself then, I would have started investing (and this convo would be very different). I had an entrepreneurial spirit with no education and no real "reason", so I spent money on stupid things - something I am actively working on fixing today. I ended up at the conservatory that waitlisted me, mostly because they had a program that took their students to London to study Shakespeare at The Globe. Whoever they were originally going to go with went somewhere else, and I hope they are thriving. Being at this program was the first time I spent up close and personal time with fellow actors, and this time, most of these kids had REAL acting experience. It was the first time I was probably the least experienced and definitely NOT the best, AND in the back of my mind, I knew that I was only here because someone else had better options. Not a great start for fostering a young mind to be successful in a cutthroat business. But, the level of competition at this program was high. I spent 4 years watching my classmates work through mental and physical challenges and pour their all into their work. I grew to respect these folks and can still say these are some of the best actors I know. Some of them are still working, and acting, and others have moved on to adjacent careers, or new careers altogether. That is another reality of this business: you eventually get older and realize that it is NOT everything. I want YOU to know that it is ok to do other stuff - actually, I encourage it. You don't want to be someone who misses life events, or trips with family, or times that you can gain new knowledge just because you are so focused on "making it". There will ALWAYS be a new level to hit, and unfortunately, if you feel you are chasing something to fill a "void", I hate to tell you that you'll always be chasing it. Performance is that and nothing more - the puzzle will be here for you when you are ready. I could open an entire can of worms about conservatory and its ins and out, but I think it would make this already long post unbearable (you can comment if you'd like to hear more). Conservatories were built between 1950-80 as the entertainment industry was developing post war and artists saw there was a need to refine how people were approaching their work and a want to make the work better. What good is an actor who doesn't know what to do with their hands or feet, or an actor that doesn't have spatial awareness? What conservatory mostly gave me was a set of tools I could not have learned anywhere else. As a working professional, I use things I learned at university EVERY DAY, and it has allowed me to maintain my voice, work on accents and speech, understand my relation to my body in spaces, and have techniques to call upon when I feel like asking "what the heck am I doing".... You learn Meisner, Stanislavski, you learn about the greats, you read, you watch, you share ideas that have been around since the beginning of performance, and all in all, it is a performer's dream. There are a lot of ups and downs to conservatory, as no path is perfect. The three biggest downsides for me were 1. how expensive it is to go (I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who needs loans to go) 2. The lack of relationship building the environment fosters and 3. The lack of business education. Conservatory is generally expensive no matter where you choose to go. Choosing to spend 30-50K a year to MAYBE become a working actor, when you know that the majority of actors in SAG are NOT making enough to qualify for healthcare (which is at least 25k) is a hell of a choice. Why would you do that, for the love? I don't know about you but "love" also has to make financial sense. If I'm paying for it for the rest of my life, its probably not "love". Setting kids up for debt that they can't pay off to become a struggling artist feels evil. I felt like every semester was a fight to make menial money or beg the registrar or beg my parents to help me pay for my "dream" (btw I stopped asking my parents early, because I knew they couldn't afford it). If I could go back, I would have considered a two year acting program in the city, or going to University with a different major, but taking acting classes on campus. Besides, I have gained most of my knowledge about REAL WORK.... by working. There's really no other way to do it. On fostering relationships: yes, there are a few people I can call on when it comes to favors or advice. I'm speaking mostly on my classmates who I spent an entire four years with... I am disappointed in the lack of support we have for each other. You don't get many opportunities in life to be close to other people who are passionate about the same thing and learn/grow together. Even if I am not "friends" with all of them, I respect most of their work as actors. I even cheer them on when I see them doing well, but this is how I operate personally. I haven't really feel this energy reciprocated in any way, and I've been out of the program for about 10 years now. I am maybe one of the only people in my graduating class who is acting full-time, and MAYBE there is a lack of respect for what I do because it is a mix of commercial, voice over, & Union/non-union on-camera, and not the gritty, visceral, artsy stuff we lauded as "great art" in school. I don't know, I am guessing here... In my mind, I really wanted us to have a moment where we worked on a production company together, or a play together, or a podcast, really, anything. I think this also happens when you have a lot of strong personalities in the room for four years, you tend to get tired of each other. I need balance in my life, and I often felt like everyone was trying to outdo each other without actually saying that was what it was. I always understood there was a level of competition there, but I never understood why it couldn't only just be in class. Like bro, we can have a regular conversation where you don't have to "win". (or maybe not). I should also add, I am black (American). I never let this truth stop me from being who I am and showing up, but make what you will of this truth. As you can imagine, I have heard some things, and seen some behavior that maybe had to do with the color of my skin. I'm not speaking on racism, I'm speaking more about cultural differences that show up in every day conversations. I grew up in a town that had every race - I eventually met people who had never seen a black person. Sometimes I got the feeling that people misunderstood me because of the way I articulated my thoughts OR chose to hold my tongue in order to process what I was feeling. College was a little bit of culture shock for me, going from a mixed but predominantly black high school to a mixed, but mostly white and Asian university. (race is not to be discounted, it can't be ignored in regards to my life experience, but this post is not about this) On business education: this baffles me. I repeat, it BAFFLES me. The way I am today I can mostly thank my years of struggling, and being livid at myself for wanting to do and be better, but not knowing how. So I told you that I began my work life pretty young (at about 13). I remember when I got my first legal job as a server, my mom said something like "Hey, this is something you can do that gets you money quick and a skill you can have for the rest of your life". It makes sense - her son wants to be a performer and she's heard that most actors in the city are part-time servers. I love her for it, I really do. Restaurants are some of the greatest and worst places to work for artists, because on one hand, everybody eats and therefore, you meet so many different kinds of people. On the other hand, the relationship to service in America is complicated - servers are often treated terribly and get the brunt of the blame for other mistakes in the restaurant (was often my experience, at least). There is another side to this: if you work in a place that closes late, you are messing with your sleep, health, and energy. It is almost virtually impossible to have a shift at night, and wake up the next day early to do your best audition for producers. I sabotaged myself for years. Not only that, I didn't live close enough to anything, so it took me doubly long to get into the city (where all the auditions and work are), and I would have to get up earlier (meaning, less sleep) in order to get anywhere on time. This wasn't sustainable, so as you can imagine, I was late often. This is not great for your reputation - it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of defeat... In 2022, I think servers are also getting taxed to high heaven for whatever reason. I would not recommend being a server as a survival job in the long term for any artist. I'm sorry, I know, I can't really tell you what job to take but one of the realities of choosing to be an artist (at least in America) is the need for a survival job. In other countries, they have support from the government in various forms. Life experience is all the more important here - the more skills you have, the wider your pool of prospective jobs will be (and you don't NEED college for a fair amount of it). I was a server for just over 10 years and while I made good money waiting for some kind of "break", I feel like my energy could have been better spent elsewhere for at least part of the time. My bosses would often know that it was just a money job for me, and would almost always take any mistakes I made personally (which I understand now, it is a business). During that period, I tried everything to make my situation better, from sleeping at the train station, to taking a shower at the gym, to crashing on the couch at a friend's and a girlfriend's. My life became somewhat transient and I didn't really have time to reflect and ask "what am I doing this for?" My "breaks" - or rather, the things that allowed me to shift my mindset to crack the full-time code were A. my first Union commercial (VO) B. my influencer marketing job that allowed me to save & learn from the ground up because it was a start up, and C. Putting out my first, professionally mixed music project w/ a good friend of mine - the amount of stages and performing we did opened my mind up to the potential of creating your own content at a high level. If I had started with better business sense, for one, I would have been consistently investing or saving some of this money, but I didn't. The lifestyle kept me going and as a result the money kept going. I think a lot of people live like this, paycheck to paycheck, and are not taught that with even the slightest shift in mindset, by investing or saving money for the future they will be better off in the long term. It is more expensive to operate like a person who doesn't make financially sound decisions - your interest rates will always be higher, you're hardly going to get the chance to obtain assets, and your options for buying stuff in your adult life will always be pained. Another thing about not learning business is how annoying taxes can become. I literally just paid off the majority of my taxes dating back to 2014 or so because I never had the money to do it. I also never knew I could start operating as an entity as an actor. Gradually, I've learned about budgeting and spreadsheets (from the marketing job), and other business acumen like following up and documenting everything (from a summer government job). If I had learned these things earlier, I probably would have saved a ton in taxes over the year, and not have had it feel like extortion every year it came around. We haven't even spoken on THE business. I never knew I could make a living doing one off voice overs every other day, a TV job here, a commercial every now and then, and possibly teaching (I haven't really started this yet, because I don't know where to start - I have not taught before). Conservatory focused so much on acting and the theatre; there was never an emphasis on film, tv, voiceover, or musical theatre (which is crazy, because if you sing, New York is the place to be). These other disciplines outside of theater acting have viable businesses built around them that you should try to be a part of if you are looking to be in the market - I'm not sure why the school waited until the first half of our senior year to sprinkle some of this information in the curriculum. The mindset that it takes to make a viable, sustainable living from various employers is different from a 9 to 5.... your income is not consistent and there are different ways to hit your financial goals. They never tell you any of this! Besides that, guest stars and series regulars make GREAT money, but as you can imagine, the competition for this is immense. The mindset you need to be ready for the market is 10x what they prepare you for in school. Think about it: as a series regular, a show's (and therefore, a network's) financial success is riding on whether your performance resonates with people. This is not an easy job - as the artist, you can't let the high stakes of this kind of bet give you anxiety, you have to do your best work! Most people, artists and non-artists alike, do not understand this part of the business. I wish there were more examples and ideas shared with me so I could deal with less trial and error through my 10 year journey. If I had better business sense, I would have started with at least 10k. You need it for headshots, continuing education, clothes, etc. And it keeps going from there. This past year I invested about 70k in my business because I've been wanting to start my own production company for quite some time, and I also needed to upgrade my voice over studio. I am grateful that I have the ability to do this, but I am always astounded at the costs of this biz that no one ever tells you about. It feels good to make a living in all kinds of ways that I never considered could be a career. I get to be funny, dramatic, poignant, collaborate often, improv a lot, call on the things I'm passionate about, and am always on my feet learning new skills. I obviously have more to go, considering I would like to be recognized for my work one day. But do I want to be a star? Not really. I'd like to be continually considered a "star" for my talent, work ethic, willingness to show up and be a team player, and affable nature. Besides, I've worked and met a few stars at this point, and the majority of them are disappointing. I do not blame them - fame is weird and most people are not built for how it can change your ego... I have a good number of friends who started around the time I did who are finally getting guest stars and series regulars, by the way. What's funny is, they want to be doing what I'm doing, and I want to be doing (a version of) what they're doing. So, there's always work to be done, and you gotta be grateful for what YOU have! At this juncture, I have this pining feeling in my bones and soul to give back even though I am still "figuring it out". Sometimes I get imposter syndrome and am waiting for the jig to be up. I'd like to share what I know before this elusive jig monster comes to get me lol. Alas, trying to encapsulate a 10 year journey, that's really more like a 20 year journey (because all of it leads up to a professional life), is virtually impossible. Also, I am of the mindset that you have to take most advice with a huge grain of salt, especially in our business, because what works for most people won't work for you. What WILL work, are systematic business smarts that work in every business. There are some simple truths in our biz that have worked for me and work for everyone. Like, being nice to everyone, being on time (early), keeping a good attitude, keeping a collaborative spirit, fostering team and community (like sports), staying competitive (by going to the "gym"/practicing), keeping mind and body in tact, learning to make financially sound decisions, and always being open to learning or adapting... Anyway, I am a full-time actor and have been for two years. I work in radio. tv commercials, animations, video games, on camera commercial, short film, on camera TV and anything else I can do (that makes sense). I love it all and wouldn't trade it for anything. Sometimes it is tiring, sometimes being in demand means saying no to three other things. I want YOU to know, if you are not in demand right now, you CAN build/create the demand for yourself - the market is there. There are a lot of things that seems impossible about our biz, but so much is possible. The work is there... keep striving! (If you have more specific questions, comment and we can figure it out from there.)
Kerry Washington Helped Two SAG Members Get Health Insurance While Guest Hosting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ by cranekicked • last post Jul 21st
[Link via IndieWire](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/07/kerry-washington-sag-actors-health-insurance-jimmy-kimmel-1234744036/) While this was a very generous gesture by Kerry Washington, it also shines a light on how hard it is to make a living as an actor -- only a single-digit percentage of actors in SAG earn enough to become eligibile for health coverage (as in, only a single-digit percentage of SAG actors make more than $25,950 *annually* from acting and this includes the millionaires). She mentions in the article how she had to work multiple non-acting jobs to supplement her income when starting out. Just wanted to put things into perspective for those who come to this sub expecting to quickly become a Hollywood A-lister.
Would it be taboo for an actor to appear in their own businesses’ online ad? by That_Bumblebee3 • last post Jul 21st
I’m an actor who is launching a product-based business. I have a few ideas for online ads and think it would be really fun to play one of the characters myself, however, I’m not sure if this would be seen as taboo… or be a conflict in some way. What is the general consensus amongst the community? Is there one?
Achting in China by Needygirl7 • last post Jul 21st
Hi everyone, Belgian based actress, new here
Acting is only for likable extroverted people with interesting social lives by KobeKastle • last post Jul 21st
Acting is fundamentally recreating human interactions and dynamics under imaginary circumstances. So it makes sense then that you’d need a constant source of social interaction to even be able to compete with other actors. Most actors I see are WIDELY liked by everyone around them. They travel the world, they have HUGE social circles they have relationship experiences. For an unattractive social outcast like myself, pursuing this career is the equivalent of a kid in a toy car that you have move your legs to make move trying to race for NASCAR… it’s almost impossible and you won’t get far. Years of being bullied and currently being socially outcasted for being autistic and unattractive has made me develop a personality disorder to where I can’t form any meaningful connections with people and when I do try I’m disrespected and humiliated which only makes the problem worse… So this is why I believe if you struggle with this and aren’t naturally outgoing, likable and attractive.. there’s just no way you’ll be able to get the life and social experience necessary to be competitive in this industry
The actor in cinema by calebrarmas • last post Jul 21st
After shooting my first short film titled “[Yoke](https://youtu.be/lK58w-9KGj8)” in 2021 I had the opportunity to experience first hand with a professional actor, something I had never done before. I also had the opportunity to get to know my way of directing actors and non-actors to achieve a cinematic image and I have come to certain opinions that are still tied to the experience I have so far, but I have the feeling that, for the most part, I will continue to be guided by them, barring new discoveries in my next projects. Something I noticed was my need for the actor to live his role, inviting him to have certain experiences prior to the shooting so that he would be nourished by a more real or true context, thinking that this is what was going to be captured on the screen. However, I later realized that this is a dangerous mistake when looking for the image and I saw that it is a very strong temptation when directing. This is because the actor is an extension of me as a director and writer. The character as such is a multiform of my essence, not a fantasy or alter ego, therefore, the multiplicity of people shown in a script, what they say and what they do should be considered as something that has no life of its own, but is nourished by my own existence. If the character is nourished by a part of the director, so is the actor. The main function of the actor is to empty himself in order to fill himself with the image of the director and to be as servile as possible in order to have a greater relationship with the director. That is to say, the actor by himself cannot produce truth, he can only resort to psychological and physical exercises to find the best resource to help him annul his individuality and put at the service of expression all his life history. When I was in rehearsals I tried to give him an example of what I was looking for, doing a previous acting exercise, that is, knowing that I could be in front of the camera and do it and then realizing that I can only be behind it because otherwise the image falls as it happened to me in a scene that I decided to appear and then, because of my lack of supervision, I realized that it was the one I liked the least. Within these exercises I began to give him indications on what intonation and speed I was looking for and he dedicated himself to propose me under that direction until I reached a pause in that register to then capture it with the camera. Therefore, actor and director have to be in a process of elimination of egos prior to shooting, they must destroy each other in the exercises and cooperation so that both can subordinate themselves to the image and fulfill the functions that each one decided to assume previously, one in front and the other behind the camera. When I worked with people who were not actors, people I practically got on the spot and didn’t know, I had to quickly and concisely direct what I wanted them to do. Always being the one to do the example first to take away their fear and then inviting them to do it themselves. This exercise was comfortable for me, as I was able to discover that non-actors have more barriers to break when it comes to getting in front of a camera and that, obviously, a professional actor should have fewer problems. Even so there were cases where the lead actor felt intimidated by the production crew and the tension of the set that on several occasions he made mistakes, but managed to get out at the end of the day, this happened because his experience came from theater, not film, which made me think about how an actor can lose his fear of the audience, but when he is taken out of that context, he loses confidence again. This may be because the actor gets used to a method and lives within it for a long time, where he gradually builds confidence, ego and security and then loses it if you take him out of it. It is dangerous for an actor to fall into a rigid work structure, because then he puts himself at the level of a professional and moves away from the artistic, something very difficult to do. Although the director suffers from it when he wants to continue working with certain types of people during his career, he must learn to choose which methods he wants to break with to find something new and which ones to stay with for satisfaction. Similarly, it is the actor’s responsibility to test himself in different ways to find himself and see where he feels he can do his best. The actor’s growth comes from understanding that the character is a manifestation of the director and that his main function is to be as docile as possible in order to cede all responsibility to him. In this case, improvisation can only exist as an explosion of creativity on the part of the actor, but it is always the director who defines the final register. Without the director, the actor is an entity in total perdition who will never know if he is doing things right or not, since his sense of aesthetics is individual and he does not see himself in the cinematographic language, something that only the director can do. In other words, the actor is part of the image to achieve a whole, through the cinematographic events that occur around him to enhance the total sense of the scene. The actor’s periphery and perception are weakened by always being in the first person looking towards the camera, where the audience ceases to exist. Therefore, the interpretative decision falls on the director, not on the actor, because the former can see everything that happens around the actor from the front and decide what looks better. That is the difference with theater, which cannot generate an immediate record that is perfected once the play is made public. In film, the director can improve the record as many times as time and money allow to polish the performance, although there must be a prior rehearsal to break tensions and loosen up. Some directors like to arrive on the set without prior rehearsal and record or let the actor do what he/she thinks is best, this is only possible when the director does not know the cinematographic image and is only dedicated to capture with the camera a performance, not an image. At the same time, this exercise is a way for the director to be filled with surprise, let accidents happen and record the unexpected, in the same way, this is not cinema, but documentary, since the director is not only the one who shouts “action” or “cut” but the one who has the need to express something, at the moment of annulling this expression, depth is lost in the image, becoming increasingly lighter, since the actor, having less experience than the director, will try to fill the gaps with a poor or disproportionate performance. Art is an acceleration of life and its function is to help the artists to lose the fear of death and to approach it as soon as possible. That is why the director has to help the actor to grow and mature as soon as possible, otherwise the performance will remain at the same pace as the audience, who always goes slower than the artist and whom he has to observe to see if it helps him to mature and accelerate his own existence. That is why the director has to live faster than the others, that is his main function, without it he can only feel intimidated by the actors who have lived faster than him and who will despair at not being brought to a new limit that they did not know about themselves and which was the first reason why they got into acting so that in every shooting they accelerate their death. In some acting schools a type of true art is proposed or shown where the actor is endowed with a unique power when in reality the person who wants to be filmed is annihilated while showing a series of situations and dialogues previously prepared by someone else. A lack of understanding of the role of the actor, who is shown as someone who studies a character in order to use analogous emotions and give veracity to his role. This idea of sharing experiences is not possible because the actor cannot produce truth by himself, since he depends on the director, not in vain there are very good actors who have good and bad movies, that is to say, there are no bad actors, only bad directors. When the actor reads a script, he does not do it to find the truth in it but in the director and wishes to be directed by him to then move on to understanding and reflection with him to naturally create a personal relationship and see if the flow between the two is harmonious, that is, if the actor can subordinate himself to the director and if the director has the ability to command him, therefore, the two have to reach the same level of humility, responsibility and respect so that creativity rules the process and can completely override the individuality of each one. This is how it works with each of the team members, and anyone who tries to overstep his or her role and delay the bonding process should be fired as soon as possible. In this case, the actor’s resources are his alone and it is the director who can access his inner self under the natural inspection of the relationship, under pure intuitive control and without mechanisms or strategies. The character is not given a context beyond its dialogue and situation in the scene, since the life that exists before and after the film is irrelevant and does not serve to achieve a better dramaturgy, because the context is a subordination of the director to the actor and this is not possible because it is not the actor’s function to understand, but to show what the director deposits in him. Moreover, the character is a manifestation, it has no life of its own, since it would fall into fantasy. It is the destruction of a method that will give the actor his true function within the film and it is only the director who can see the beauty and purpose of the actor within the film. It is the director who discovers the actor or actress as a vehicle to reveal his or her whole soul in them, who are in a state of lethargy and total perdition because they have no one to lead them towards an ideal that they sense, but do not know how to reach it. In this case, the actor comes to life when the director observes him and portrays him with the camera, because just as the film only has life and meaning when it is observed, the actor only has life and meaning when someone sees something in him. Therefore, the director who prepares a script to make it shine is a mistake, because in art it is not portrayed what is seen from the front, but the interior of the one who makes it, cinema is a capture of the soul under the camera’s lens. The actor will never be the character because the character only exists in the mind of the one who writes it, not of the one who expresses it. The actors who are trapped in the characters is because they were endowed with fantasy and alter ego, not truth, because whoever wrote it did not transfer its truth to the script, but something that can never be. If the director writes a character that represents something he can never be, for example, if he is shy and writes someone extroverted, and the actor, equally shy, plays the role of an extrovert, he will feel the transference of the hatred that the director has for the character and the actor will be trapped in his own hatred that the director validated at the time of writing it. The director has to educate himself in the ability to command, because that is what he was called to do, but he can only do it to the one who wants to be commanded, to the point of not feeling terror if the actor gives his life in exchange for an order, being the ability and the maximum point in this relationship, that is, if the director tells the actor to kill himself and he does not do it, the actor then needs to live more in his servitude, because if not he will live as a coward, because then the relationship was professional and there was no truth worth showing. But if he does and the director is terrified of that servitude, then he is in total cowardice and tragedy, because he realizes that he does not yet possess the ability and maturity to own someone’s life and is still afraid of death. Thus, the actor and director must get to know and fall in love with each other in order to evolve in their acceleration and make it impossible for both to work with someone else. They have to be on the same spiritual level to keep climbing in order and obedience, all fueled by love and mutual respect that is manifested and embodied on screen. The actor’s maxim is to find a role that kills it and a director that can carry it through, until that happens both are still in a spiritual weakness and will produce decadent versions of that wholeness. Now for the director to reach that maturity of command he must first lose the fear of his obedience, but he must carefully consider who he obeys and climb steps of unworthy people until he reaches God, but this he will only discover in the human relationships he lives where his self-defense manifests itself when he feels attacked and realizes he can get away with it. How does he defend himself from God? If even the director realizes that he can defend himself against anyone and feels confident that he can do so, then he is ready to be commanded by something greater than himself, for he only obeys the one who is above him and all the time proves it to him by constantly breaking his hope and security. Then, the deep desire of the actor is not to act, but to stop acting, like a vice that does not stop and arduously seeks someone to free him from his suffering, therefore, actor and director must die at the same time or for the same cause that led them to obey and command. The actor culminates his act when a film puts his health in total detriment, but thanks to the love he feels for the director, he does it without thinking and puts his life to be captured by the camera and transmit all that maturity to the viewer. The actor must prepare himself in servitude, breaking all traces of shame and dodging all the time his fears, to be ready to be worthy of a command at the moment of acting, where the director transfers his feelings to him and he shows them. If the actor does not reflect the director, then there is no art. The tragedy of the artist is that his life is surrounded by fears and he has the urgency to overcome them and not make mistakes. The idea that in error lies success is not possible because good is alien to evil and does not need evil to exist, which is a manifestation of our ignorance. In this case, an actor cannot depend on his natural talent to dramatize the scenes, he must study to be able to continue to feed his personal opinion and, consequently, mend as many mistakes as his life allows him and thus earn the right to die for a role.