I’m local to Pittsburgh and Cleveland but want to move into the NYC market asap. I have a friend I can sleepover at anytime in NJ, so I could be local to NYC… I have no connections in the industry in NYC and it’s been tough to break in from afar. Has anyone had good experiences (or bad) with Talent Link on Actors Access? P.S. - you can see my content at www.Curtis-Caldwell.com or follow me on Instagram @CurtisClone
When you act, put your worst self forward. Your flaws are what make you a complete person, they inform WHY you are why you are. Your failures are why you have successes, you learn from them. As an actor who also is missing a leg, I learned to lead with what many others would perceive as my weakness. I learned they're wrong. My leg is my superpower, my flaws are my depth, and my failures are my strengths. My time in front of the camera has informed my life, and my life has benefited from that exposure, which has in turn made me more bold to show my emotional and psychological warts. @KurtYaeger - some actors like to pretend their advice is solid gold, i don't. This might work for you, it might not. In acting there are no right answers, only real ones and fake ones. See my social or IMDb - Kurt
If I pay for a reel on there, but then replace it with a different reel, either the same size or smaller, do I have to repay? Or do they let me replace it for free?
Hello! Let me preface by first saying, I am NOT a professional voice actor. However I truly appreciate the craft, I am mainly looking to get into this for a hobby and maybe a few school or YouTube related projects. Any advice for a newcomer or someone just looking to get into a new hobby? Thanks!
I (28M) am not an actor but my girlfriend (27F) of 4 years is. She has a masters in acting and I met her after one of her plays. 3 years ago she signed with a prestigious tv and commercial agency and since then we’ve been doing self tapes for possible roles. The problem comes with the fact that I’m not an actor, I’m monotonous, can’t sing a lick (no fluctuation in my voice at all). I’m comically bad at reading these lines. I’ve been researching what I can do to help her out, I sit in a line of site so she has a place to look when acting out scenes, I set up the lights and even got a fancy microphone to help with production quality. I also read the best thing an actor can do for self tape is to have another actor to run through the lines so the scene comes off more fluid and real. I can’t help but think these self tapes sound super comical with my monotonous voice in between her acting. Should I start trying to add life into my lines so that it seems more like a scene, or is my monotony not as serious a problem as I think? I have gotten better after the years, but let’s just say there’s a reason I don’t aim for entertainment.
Do you want to show off your acting skills from home? Are you perhaps already familiar with the TikTok platform? Then message me now or comment on this post and become part of our team. We have video scripts for our products (accessories like necklaces and glasses) just waiting to be realized by an actress/aspiring actress. The payment is per video and we are looking forward to a long-term cooperation. I am waiting for your message Best regards, Max
Although I'm not an actor myself, I have great respect and admiration for actors (live-action and voicework) and it pisses me off when people look at photorealistic CGI models and claim that they will somehow replace actors. It seems to me that these people think that all actors do is stand in position and read their lines, forgetting about the "acting" part of the job. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but good (or even mediocre) actors embody and bring life to a character. Although there are, unfortunately, some actors who can't act for their life and were only cast for their looks/name recognition, those are the minority. When it comes to CGI, either you spend thousands of hours manually animating the models, have an actual actor in a motion capture environment, or let an algorithm have a go at it. The first is stupid, the second is already done to great effect, and the third is the equivalent of getting random people off the street and expecting them to put on an award-winning performance. Another thing that bothers me is how people seem to think that when you have a model or a deepfake of an actor, you can use them as you wish without the actor's consent. It's not like Photoshop made it so that supermodels are edited into every ad campaign against their will. People still very much own the rights to their own likeness. And when it comes to actors, they are so much more than just their likeness, contrary to what these people seem to think. TLDR: I'm tired of actors being seen as mere puppets easily replaced by digital recreations.
For a directing assignment, I'm looking for a contemporary realism scene that features 1 man and 1 woman. I think comedic fighting scenes are really what's in my mind, as I could see both of these actors going over the top (kind of like Odd Couple) but I'm drawing a blank and need some help.
Hello all! Wondering if anyone had insights into the acting scene in Canada, how possible it is to make a living etc? I’m an American with a decent career out this way but the um…. Political climate has me a bit concerned. Wondering if immigration as an actor is a realistic possibility or more or less a pipe dream. Thanks so much.
For the United States, nearly all pandemic restrictions are gone for most states. I want to know how many people who started pre-pandemic are still acting; how many started because their career went remote or ended and started voice acting; and how many people just working a "normal job" to make ends meet, but still want to be a voice actor. Thanks in advance, you may find this poll will help you feel like you are not the only one in your situation and get inspired to continue the journey, or get back on it. [View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/tpujtm)
So I am battling an internal struggle and would like to just hear what people have to say. Ever since I was a little girl film sparked everything in me that was fantastical, dramatic, and made me a dreamer. Movies have always been a huge part of me and I always wanted to be on the screen too. In high school I planned to go to school to be an actor after I graduated, but was met with “oh that’s a BIG dream huh?” My family is very supportive, but I didn’t meet many others who thought I could make it. I’m from a small town, have no connections, and not a lot of theater or film experience because here’s the other issue: I’m terrified. I did a play or two in school and I did short films in college with friends and we won every competition we entered for each one of them. I had so much fun and felt great! But I always struggle with that fear. Auditions terrify me so I’ve never done one. I have no training whatsoever. But people “say” I’m good. I know I look good on camera and I think I could be great if I got more training and just stopped being scared. But I’ve also given up on the dream because I know how hard it is to get in and most of the time you have to be related to an actor or know someone in the business. I’ve just gotten into grad school and I’m pursuing a masters in couple and family therapy because I’m also passionate about being a therapist. I’m excited for it, but once in a while, especially when I see a great movie, I get that nagging in my chest reminding me of that dream. I’m worried that I’m stopping myself and that maybe acting is what I should be doing, what I’m meant to do. I’m just worried that I’m never going to be satisfied and I’m gonna be thinking “what if?” the rest of my life. Will this feeling go away? And is it okay that I didn’t follow this dream? I know I’m not the only ones who feels like this. So how do I cope? TLDR: my first big dream was acting and I gave up out of fear and doubt of my ability to even get into the industry. I’m now going to grad school for my second passion, mental health therapy, and I’m worried that the nagging feeling I have that I’m “supposed” to be an actor and will never be truly happy if I don’t will ever go away.
This is about a particular thing that happened today, but I have seen similar discussions in public forums in the past. Basically, people will say that a thing that happened HAD to be real and unscripted because they could see how emotionally affected the actors were (whether it was actually real or fake isn't really the point of this). Pretty much what they are saying is that they don't think those actors are good enough at acting to fake it. There was somewhat similar discussion when Marriage Story came out and that script-to-screen comparison video was being shown a lot. Non-actors were flabbergasted that the 2 actors were following a script and not just doing improv, because the actors made it seem unscripted. Does this idea that actors can't act just come from people seeing so many bad actors as they grow up, in school plays or something?
I cannot agree with vocal coaches, many of them heavy hitters in the VO industry, who say that non-fiction is harder than fiction. Surely fictional dialogue is the hardest thing that a voice actor will attempt. First, you have endless choices. Let's take anger: Dave yelled. Is that a loud yell? Not necessarily. Dave could be so angry and upset that he tries to yell but the sound gets stuck in his throat. Anger can be quiet; an angry whisper can be menacing. Second, you have degrees of realism; outside of Shakespeare, a stylized sub-genre, everyday people do not speak in a Sir Laurence Olivier monologue from Hamlet. People stutter. People pause in strange places. People um and arr. People drag out words as they think. I am a realistic dialogue guy. At least I try to be. That includes psychological realism; if Joe is running from the fearsome Red Dragon of Death he isn't going to be speaking like a Yale Professor. But in somewhat less extreme situations there's still physicality. PHYSICALITY? You scream that it's only aural. Well, it is: you are still breathing. Breath reflects emotion; if someone is thinking of lying then their breath will subtly reflect that BEFORE they say something. I try to subtly capture that. Thus I will never use an effect to remove all breath until Hell freezes over. Obnoxious breath yes, if that doesn't add something. But remove all breath from a read? Never! I suppose in all this we make our dialogue choices about realism. Such choices make dialogue one of the most creative, fun things in voice over in my opinion. Where do you go on such a realism spectrum? I suppose that there are limits; it's not often realistic to mispronounce every word. Well, a drunk illiterate guy I suppose. Never had one of them - that would be fun to read. By the way as an aside William Shakespeare was a normal, earthy guy; he got fined for keeping too many hops in his shed for making beer. He was not any kind of hippie. He would have said the same curse words that we all say. He would have wanted realistic, earthy performances; Laurence Olivier's Hamlet speech would have bemused Shakespeare quite a bit!
Hello everyone, I am a new actor and recently did 2 student slient films. I was just wondering how to put them on my resume, do they still have the same wording (lead, principal, supporting, etc...). For the first film there was a lead (4 out of 6 scenes) and 2 other people in the film (2 out of 6 scenes), I was not the lead. The other 2 roles are benefical for the film but not the main characters, I was wondering would this role be considered principal or supporting or something else. For the second film I was only in 1 very short scene, where I am a security guard and escort the lead out of a building. What would this role be considered. Thank you all for your help in advance. Edit: sorry forgot to mention that I am in Toronto, not sure if that makes a difference or not.
I just signed with a new commercial rep earlier this month. My first commercial rep ever. I've booked a few non union commercials before ever being repped, so I do have some commercial expierence. They mentioned to me how they want me to write down all my skills, how well I can do them, take a picture of me doing each skill and a video. I think this is a great idea, I do. And I've been working on all these materials the last two weeks. I was just curious, do these pictures and videos hold a lot of weight when Casting decides who gets called in for an audition? I'm guessing an agencies submission holds more power then self submitting with these assets? As far as videos go, how long are your skill videos? Can they be a little fancy? (Different camera angles, background music, color corrected, etc.). Not distracting with filters and transitions, just nicely put together VS just a quick iPhone clip. I only ask cause I do cinematography on the side, so I already have the equipment and camera/editing skills. Its fun for me. But I just don't want to overdo it if casting just wants a quick 10 second iPhone clip of me shooting a basketball. Would love any insight!
Do any LA actors have any recommendations for Stage combat or stunt classes in LA specifically designed for actors? Its something I really want to learn. I go out for a lot of bad ass female roles, and I really want to add some stage combat classes to my resume. Stuff like stage fighting (punches, kicks, falls, etc). I found one class but its about $3000 for the week, and thats just not possible for me. Ideally I'd like to find a place that films a fight reel for you after the course is wrapped.
To think I went to my first audition back in 2008..fucking hell that was so long ago. Within my first months or so of acting, I booked the lead feature in a feature film. Holy hell I thought I was hot shit, long story short, I wasnt. If anything, that feature held me back from advancing in my career. Sure, the feature traveled in the festival curcuit and the director turned down a netflix deal, this way before Netflix was Netflix. Blockbuster was still around. But I didn't my first headshot session in till 2010...I didn't really start taking classes till like 2014-2015..I had bookings sprinkled in here and there, small regional commercials and one national. Booked my first speaking role on a network show in 2018. Second speaking role in 2020 on an Apple TV show. I don't even have a moral of the story, all I can say is I have no regrets on my career. Well, I do. I wish I did the professional things sooner. Taking good headshots, training, networking. I thought I was a bigshot because I was the lead in an indie which went nowhere. Well, it was me and 5 others..I'm the last remaining actor, and I was the most non-experienced out of all the actors..and I'm the last who remains in the business. The most talented - he passed away and the rest moved to LA and drowned in the big ocean that LA is.
For context: I am in Los Angeles. I have no official acting experience and no idea how these things work. I have been approached many times for my looks and told that I should look into modeling, etc. I’m half Afro puerto rican and half German/austrian and have an ambiguous look. I used to be a dancer as well. I don’t want to spend a lot of money for an agent or anything, I don’t know how agents work to begin with. I just want to find something to try out, but have no idea how or where to look for audition opportunities. Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Today in Reno there was a public audition for "the celebrity experience" run by Adrian R' Mante who played Esteban in Suite life of Zack and Cody. It was at the Atlantis hotel in this giant ballroom and there were a bunch of people there, they started off by showing everyone a video presentation with Adrian and some other actors who got their start through the program, then they lined everyone up to wait to audition for Esteban himself. What they don't tell you until later is that this program isn't very beneficial if you're broke and I am unfortunately. I got a callback and at first I was really excited and in disbelief because I didn't expect to and up until this point I didn't even think about the cost and that I'd basically be paying a shitload of money that I didn't have for only a .01% chance of maybe getting an agent. So yeah just wanted to vent, I'm bummed, I called out of work and everything before I got a reality check that this wasn't my one way ticket to an acting career. Just wanted to come on here and seek some solace and see if anyone has had similar experiences with things like this.
So I’ve been auditioning a lot on backstage and I just got callbacks for 2 pretty large projects that would take most of my time up the next few months, but I’ve yet to hear anything back. I know that most people ghost actors when they aren’t interested so I’m wondering if it’s ok to continue to audition and submit self tapes even if I have these two projects that I haven’t been rejected from yet. I’m just a little scared that if I continue to audition and I get a role and then find out that I got a role on the bigger projects I’ll have to quit one and wouldn’t want to do that so they have to scramble to find someone new. If you can’t tell I’m fairly new to the acting game