We have found 19,246 posts across 4 actor forums:
Best way to keep throat clear? by BlueSquire2 • last post Jul 14th
Not a voice actor but record audio for video essays. I find that my throat can get flemmy and raspy like 3 paragraphs into a session. Any advice on how to remedy this so I can record longer without it sounding like I’m losing my voice?
Los Angeles Based Film Schools, a Breakdown by rosencranzand • last post Jul 14th
Me again. So I've talked about spending over a decade as a struggling actor in LA. I thought it might be useful to some of you to share my thoughts about what I think is the most valuable resource in this "town:" **Film Schools**, which are as abundant as they can be. I'll try not to generalize too much, especially in cases where I've only had brief experiences with them, but I want to contextualize that over the years I probably did over 50+ student short films/projects, from thesis projects to in-class exercises. Here's my breakdown in ascending order of prestige, not worth. NYFA With campuses all over the USA I'm sure NYFA varies widely. My experience was with the one in toluca/lake burbank. I did a couple short films and a thesis. The pro was that the thesis paid, and had a pretty well run set. NYFA has a bit of a bad rap in some circles, but I don't regret my experiences there. They clearly have the money (or the students pony up the money) for equipment, and their program will have older filmmakers, which can be an advantage. They seem to be lacking in facilities to shoot in, and I didn't get an especially favorable view of the culture there, but I'd rate them solidly neutral. Art Center College of Design - Pasadena I did an in-class exercise with their directing teacher who (if he's still there) is somewhat of a legendary figure. They paid me 50 bucks cash for it. I also did a commercial for them which won a student ad award. They paid me 150 bucks cash on the day. Not a ton of experiences to evaluate, but the cash was much appreciated! I gather they're a very technical school, so the quality could be higher than most for reel footage. The Pasadena campus is lovely if you happen to shoot there. I would often be on the lookout for projects from this school. Based on my experience I'd say they're underrated. Loyola Marymount A few awkward auditions made me question the "professionalism" of this film school, but a thesis project I did remains among one of my very favourite projects. I still keep in touch with the director. They have some studio facilities, not too unlike UCLA but not as impressive as USC. I don't have enough experiences to evaluate them in general, so my positive experience is probably skewed. UCLA I did numerous projects at UCLA including senior and junior thesis, (One of them MFA I believe?) and various undergrad short films and some in-class exercises. I actually like the vibe at UCLA a lot and enjoy their campus. They don't have the pressure like USC of thinking they're "the best" and they still have a pretty nice facility and access to a lot of resources. I didn't like a class-room exercise with one of their directing teachers, and thought he was an idiot/dinosaur. I have a more favorable view of UCLA than USC (as you'll see) however I don't know if they deserve to be ranked that highly either. I would always consider their projects on a case by case basis (as you would at any school) so you could say I'm pretty neutral-positive with them. USC Oh boy did I do a lot of USC projects over the years! They have their BFA, MFA and also, a summer school? Only one experience with the summer school but it was among my worst. Based on that, I would be wary of that brief program which seemed ill-attended to at best. The BFA is the program that gets all the attention and was the majority of my experiences, from in-class exercises, recreations of famous movie scenes, to run-and-gun projects, to thesis, to their sitcom and feature film projects, the last two of which I never felt that inclined to get involved in. You have to be careful to see what kind of project you're auditioning for and consider the spectrum that it lies on. Of the numerous experiences I had at USC, I can't really say I remember any of them especially fondly. There are good young filmmakers there and there always will be, but there will also be a lot of entitled rich kids too (sorry USC, I know you're not the only one with this characteristic) who are under the illusion that they're something special. In short, I would say USC is very overrated, and looking back I would probably have done less there, and more somewhere else. But granted, most projects are USC projects. Their facilities are first class however, so for that, they're number one, I suppose. AFI (A quick note: It's a little contentious whether you can or can't do AFI projects if you're not SAG? I always thought you had to be which is why I only did them after turning SAG but I guess its possible? It used to be that you were signed up for the SAG conservatory and you were cast through their office and IACTOR, but this seems to have changed.) AFI is like an intermediary between the other film schools and the professional world. The reason being that the students are older, often professionally experienced, the expectations are much higher, and their projects (including what they call "Bootcamp" which is a filmed exercise where you don't get the footage) are accomplished with a full set (compared to many smaller USC projects for example which are skeleton crews.) This makes a big difference. The funny thing about AFI is that their casting process is the only thing that is lacking and on-par with the amateur nature of the other schools, largely because they don't have the time. As a result, they often cast based on actors they saw on set, helping their fellow directors. Which, is a big reason to perform in their "Bootcamp" exercises even though you don't get the footage. More often than not, I was cast in one projects based on doing a previous projects. To this day, my reel is composed of professional TV/Film projects and the other clips are from "Cycle" films. The quality difference is pretty large compared to other film schools, not only in the footage shot, but their writing program attracts talented folk as well, AND since your fellow actors are typically SAG and may not do student films unless its AFI, that improves the experience as well. I won't say that every experience was golden, and the pressure definitely has some of these filmmakers close to cracking sometimes, but largely everyone stays professional and the fact that you have a full crew makes a HUGE difference. Also, you're usually fed very well, compared to the Subway sandwich platter you get on so many student films. AFI projects are the only school I would almost never say no to, and if I was still in LA, I'd still be doing them when I can. RIP Art Institute. I didn't have much good to say about them. Never got to work at Chapman but obviously I heard good things. I'm curious if anyone had any thoughts about LA Film School? I got offered roles there but felt iffy. Curious about your experiences! Hope this was helpful to some of you!
Fear of failure and expecting too much from myself by Abstract_Corduroy74 • last post Jul 14th
I feel like I expect too much of myself as an actor because I internally feel a NEED to be successful, to be regarded and recognized as a great actor. I want to be loved as an actor. I need approval and acclaim. Because it’s what makes me feel worthy, validated, and like I’m “someone”. I feel like I need to be the best actor in the room. Like I need to be better than everyone else, otherwise, what’s my value? If I’m not the best, then I’m a failure. I’ve felt like a failure my whole life, and I can’t tolerate the idea of being a failure as an actor. I just can’t. I feel like if I fail, it defines me as an actor, and as a person. Realistically, I'm not even sure how much I should expect from myself. I'm only 21, a senior in college, and have been acting for the past 8-9 years in community theatre, school productions, college productions, some short amateur films, and a season of summer stock. What can I expect from myself? I hate that I feel this way. I really do. It makes me feel self-centered, unrealistic, narcissistic, and disgusting. I wish I didn’t feel this way. I don’t understand why I think and feel this way, but I worry that this is something I won’t be able to let go of. I love acting. It’s all I really think about. There is nothing I want to do more on this Earth than to act. I love it so much it feels like I’ve devoted my life to it. I’ve read several acting books, I’ve tried practicing Chekhov exercises on my own, I do my own research, I’m working on my monologue repertoire, I’m always thinking about the roles I could play, the next role coming up, etc. I feel like it’s the reason I was put on this Earth. I feel like if I fail as an actor, there won’t be anything else for me to live for. I need some help with this. I know this subreddit is not for therapy but given that this is a community made of people who love acting, I figured this is the best place to talk about this. I’m sorry for getting too personal.
Scene ideas? by Lauchis • last post Jul 14th
Hi everyone! Hope it's ok to ask this, I thought I could get some good ideas from fellow actors... A couple people from my acting class and I are getting together to film a few scenes so that those of us who don't have reels yet will have something to show, and honestly just to practice on camera as well. I wanted to see if anyone here had some scene suggestions that we could do. We're all looking but it's hard sometimes to come up with things when you have free range of absolutely anything! Shows or films will do. They'd have to be rather simple two people scenes, since we're filming in an apartment, so not much action/movement, some sitting down scenes, that kind of thing. We're all in our late 20s and early 30s, if that helps at all. Thanks in advance!
Results vs journey of performances by Abstract_Corduroy74 • last post Jul 14th
I think I’m more focused on the results of my performances rather than the journey. Like, I’m more focused on how my performances will appear to the audience and how they will reflect my talent and skills as an actor rather than me enjoying the experience of creating and performing my roles (living in the moment and being this other character). What does this problem sound like? I really want to overcome and shift my focus to enjoying the creative process and experiencing the part rather than focusing on what I want the audience to perceive of my character and me, but I don’t know where to begin or where to start. Thanks, everyone.
What's the deal with Mena Masoud? by Essam2000 • last post Jul 14th
I know I'm three years late but I am just researching movies and I came across Aladin and the actor that's in it which is Mena and how he is complaining he's not getting any Auditions ever since the movie came out. What is your guy's opinion on him? Do you think it's his agent's fault? And do you think he should've never said anything about not getting auditions?
Am I SAG eligible? by Entertainer-United • last post Jul 14th
I got my first principal role in a Sag-Aftra new media commercial as a non-union actor. Am I SAG-E now ? If I am, do I ask production to Taft-Hartley me or how will the process go down? Thank you so much!
Headshot-Age Range-Character Type Feedback by AutoModerator • last post Jul 14th
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.
Greetings Everyone, New Here! by RookiePrepper • last post Jul 14th
Apologies in advance for the some-what long read! :) I’ve taken a lot of time to work up enough courage to reach out to the public in this fashion. For context, I’m 21, male and from the east coast. I have been absolutely fascinated by the art of acting for as long as I can remember. I’ve never taken any courses/training and I didn’t take drama in school, mostly because I was a bit of an outcast and felt I didn’t belong with any kind of group or extracurricular. I also feel that I am severely uncultured when comes to films and shows (meaning that there are a number of classics I have yet to see
Traveling to LA for Auditions by ThrowMeOver101 • last post Jul 14th
I’m kinda getting ahead of myself rn but I just feel the need to plan out things ahead of time lol. I’m currently taking acting classes back to back and want to pursue auditions in the future. Only issue is that I live in the Bay Area which is 5+ hours away from LA. I wouldn’t mind traveling if I actually booked a role, but do CDs even accept self submissions on AA? And would they even consider people who don’t live in the LA region? Based on the discussions in the sub it seems very unlikely for any LA talent agent to take on inexperienced actors, but if there is a chance, would they still consider you if you don’t live in LA (but are willing to travel if there’s an audition)?
Tik Tok necessary for the craft? by ThisStorySoFar • last post Jul 14th
For voice actors that are not established and are trying to get into the field, is promoting or making content on Tik Tok a good idea? On one hand, I see the platform as very cheap, very fast content. It's also notorious for stealing voice artists work. On the other, its the largest platform and your content can reach a wide audience. Is there some fields of voice acting that would work better on the platform (anime vs commercial/audio book). Just wondering what others thoughts are on that.
Australians gone international by anonforrareason • last post Jul 13th
All hi, I have a few questions for all Australian actors who have gone international. Firstly, what are your opinions on the Australian acting community, is it large, small, expanding or contracting. Because I feel as there isn’t much opportunity even for those who have a reputation. Secondly, how long did you have to act to get the credits need to apply for an “acting” VISA is the US / UK. Knowing that you need a certain amount of credits and to have a “starring” role in a movie / TV show to even CONSIDER applying, did you find it difficult to build a good résumé / reel to land these large roles. Thirdly, an optional question ( they are all optional but you know what I mean ), what was that movie / TV show that allowed you and/or assisted you in making the move to the other country. What would your advice be to actors in Australia for those who would like to go abroad and pursue this career and what would you say is the best state to move to, Mu best guess would be either Melbourne or Sydney. Finally, This is more of a question to people who went through an education system in Melbourne, what university would you recommend to those who are about to finish their last year of school and why is this university so good. Thank you to those who go out of their time to read and respond to this thread and all replies are appreciated and if you aren’t Australian.
How does one go about becoming an actor? by custer_r • last post Jul 13th
I am only 16 years old, but many close to me have said that I have a real talent in acting. However, I have never really used this "talent" to my advantage; I've never played a role in my school theater, nor have I ever tried auditioning for any role in a television show or movie. Recently, I decided to try and put my talent to good use and try to become an actor, someway. Now, of course I am not anywhere near the level of acting as world-class actors such as Tom Cruise, Bryan Cranston, or Joaquin Phoenix, and I doubt I ever will be. I know I would most likely have to go to some acting school and take lessons if I want to take this seriously, and I am willing to do that. I just have no idea where I should start my journey at. That is why I come here to ask you all, how does one go about becoming an actor and being casted?
Union actor transitioning to voiceover by gymbez • last post Jul 13th
Hi, I'm a union actor who's super interested in voiceover. I studied it at Kalmenson and Kalmenson in LA several years ago but didn't pursue it due to becoming a father and moving to East Coast to be near family. I have a background in acting and have done tons of commercials, several tv shows, and I'm highly technically competent. I still act and have representation despite the move. I built 2 VO REELS (https://www.chrisrubeiz.com/voice-over/) but now I'm a bit conflicted on what to do next. I don't have any real vo credits but I'm union. I feel my reel is solid but am open to notes and suggestions. I'm debating on purchasing a Sennheiser mkh416 vs a Neumann tlm 103 and a focusrite scarlet solo. I already have the Adobe suite for editing but being union... And lacking credits... How much of a setback is this? Have any of you been in this boat? Any advice would greatly be appreciated. Same goes for notes on my reels.
Next steps for my vo career? by gymbez • last post Jul 13th
Hi, I'm a union actor who's super interested in voiceover. I'm debating on purchasing a Sennheiser mkh416 vs a Neumann tlm 103 and a focusrite scarlet solo. Thoughts on choosing between those 2? I already have the Adobe suite for editing but being union... and lack vo credits... How much of a setback is this? Have any of you been in this boat? I feel like the only way to get union work is to get an agent, but without vo credits is that not going to happen? Any advice or notes on my VO REELS would be greatly appreciated: [VO Reels](https://www.chrisrubeiz.com/voice-over/) **About my background:** I studied it at Kalmenson and Kalmenson in LA several years ago but didn't pursue it due to becoming a father and moving to East Coast to be near family. I have a background in acting and have done tons of commercials, several tv shows, and I'm highly technically competent. I still act and have representation despite the move. I made the 2 VO REELS above myself. Now I'm a bit conflicted on what to do next. I don't have any real vo credits but I'm union. I feel my reel is solid but am open to notes and suggestions.
I’ve been offered a role as an extra in a nude scene and I don’t know if I should go by likuna2002 • last post Jul 13th
I am an architect student but have always loved acting and have been contacted by an person who got my contact info by an agency who's audition I went to half a year ago. I am supposed to be an one of the art students painting a nude boy who appears nude in movie. I’m still really new at this and was wondering Is it worth it and would I get prejudice over this in any way in a workplace in anyone has similar experience. Movie director and actors seem decent and it is not erotic movie.
First time by Loganoreo_ • last post Jul 13th
Hello Reddit, I’m just starting to now realize what I want to be when I grow up, an actor. I’ve watched many tv shows and movies where in my mind I was like “I wish I could take part in this film” problem is is that I’ve never actually acted before and took any drama classes so it would be my first time acting. I want to be able to take part in movies and tv shows in anyway whether it’s a main charter or an extra. How would I start out? Should I invest in some acting classes and should I take drama classes throughout high school?
Is bringing tears on cue considered an acting talent? by Time-Classroom-2442 • last post Jul 13th
I can bring tears on command. I can bring tears to my eyes within minutes. I wanted to know if all actors can do that or only a few can. I have seen the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniel Kaluyya, Amy Adams and Anya Taylor-Joy bringing tears on cue. I don't know if everyone can do that or it is a rarity. Pls explain if possible if I can use this in auditions.
I have very little life experience, no friends, no social life, autistic and feel like my my ability to be a good voice actor is hindered because of this by KobeKastle • last post Jul 13th
It kinda sucks not being talented or good at anything enough to noticed or money for it. Like yeah I’ve gotten paid for voice acting but I’m still not at a place where I want to be. Also I paid for classes to even get the skills. I was never naturally gifted or talented at anything. I feel like you’re talented once you get paid to do something with no training or classes Not to mention voice acting is such a social medium and requires you to have a grip on and experience of many different relationship dynamics and emotional situations for the acting part. And then natural vocal talent and dynamic range for the technical part of the voice. All I know is the 4 walls of my room. I have no source of creative artistry to draw from because I don’t have a life and never have. I’ve never been in a relationship. Never been to a party. Never had many friends. Been bullied and rejected most of my whole life. And people don’t like me when I try talking to them because I’m a loser. My ugliness and me being autistic has hindered me from being able to excel in the craft of acting or any craft. Music, dancing, acting. To be truly great at these things you have to have tons of social experience and experience being around alot of people situations and I don’t. Everytime I’m even around people I’m humiliated for jsut existing and it’s exhausting. I feel like I need to just give up wishing for this when there’s no way to compete with people who have regular social skills and 1000000x talent. Just setting myslef up for failure
How do actors/filmmakers work such long hours? by Saaaintniiiick • last post Jul 13th
Days that are 15+ hours long seem really daunting to me. It means have virtually no free time or even time to do work (memorizing, preparing etc) if someone leaves for work in the dead of the night and gets back at night again. How do they have a social life, a partner, or kids? Plus giving an amazing performance after a tiring day of resetting and resetting again. I genuinely can’t wrap my head around it. The hours is definitely something that worries me about wanting an acting career as I get tired and therefore grumpy and short tempered easily