We have found 19,250 posts across 4 actor forums:
UK Screen Actors who haven't gone to drama school or done a degree by fiireopals • last post Oct 10th
Hi, I'm wondering if anyone here was in a similar position to me and how did you get into acting and get onto spotlight or get roles? I'm looking to go into film and tv because I don't enjoy theatre or am in a position where I'm able to do it anyway. I'm 27 and I've been doing a bit of SA work and want to go into acting. I did a bit when I was younger but I stopped because of personal reasons. This was all amateur student films and a drama group when I was in my late teens and nothing serious. I did media production in college and started an online degree with the OU and did a journalism diploma and planned to start a career in that. I studied a few languages and got started in some martial arts and self defence because I thought it would be useful for it. I still want to do some journalism work (I always planned to make documentaries), but after being on film sets again I've realised I love doing acting more. You don't get much of an opportunity to be on a production and being on stage just wasn't good for my adhd issues and things like that so I avoided doing it, but I feel completely at home on a set. Obviously I have a few useful skills mentioned above, and I'm doing a month intensive in screen acting soon, some improv classes, accent training, combat training (I'm doing weekly intensive BASSCs and trying to get the 5 for the qualification) and a few other workshops. I'm planning to continue doing more next year and refresh my language skills and martial arts skills if I can. I'll also keep going to acting classes and I'm going to work on a showreel after my course too. I won't have a formal education but I will still be trained. I can't afford to not work for a year, pay rent (most likely in London) and pay for a drama school. I also can't start another BA (and I also can't work for another 3 years) and there aren't many masters courses available for acting (I could manage a year/year and a half as I could get a student and maintenance loan). I looked at a few for screen acting but it covers so much of what I already know or am about to train for and I don't see the point besides having a project to work on at the end and a formal qualification to put on my cv and spotlight. I've also looked at masters for other acting courses and I'm worried about the entry requirements as I still haven't finished my (unrelated) degree or have much experience in acting and most places say they want 'extensive experience'... I'll keep working as a SA and network and look for auditions on mandy but I don't know an actor on screen who hasn't either gone to drama school or university for drama or acting in the UK (unless they were acting in something when they were still a child or very young), so I'm just wondering if any of you out there who have gone down the non-traditional path and how did you manage to get somewhere? I just want to know if there are any success stories to keep my hope afloat. Thanks :)
Teen Actors Podcast Episode by Thatsintroverted • last post Oct 9th
Hello everyone I am thinking about starting a podcast where I cover different ideas/career's from a teen perspective and I was wondering if anyone would want to do a podcast episode with me about it. I would want the episode to kind of be like this subreddit but more from a more experienced actor giving advice and sharing knowledge to someone just starting out in the business. Does this sound like a good idea anyone would be interested in?
Tripping over lines, and it happens every time… by AlphaMan69Poppers • last post Oct 9th
Hi y’all! I recently noticed that at least once I trip over my lines during the show. I miss pronounce words, or skip some curtain important words so I say the line again. This past week I was performing a play, and I literally tripped over my line at least once each show. Especially at today’s performance, I skipped the word “never,” and a second later, I started over my line. Does these thing happen to you? Or does this happen to me because I don’t speak English as my native language? I hardly notice my cast mates tripping over their lines. It just, after every show, I get so depressed by those mistakes I made, feeling like I’ve ruined the show. Are those words mispronunciations or actor saying the same line again, tripping over lines, noticeable for the audience? Do they get annoyed by those? It just, I love theater, but if I keep tripping over my lines, and being attacked by the depression I get from that, I don’t know what I should do. Any thoughts or practices appreciated!
ensuring safety and legitimacy with certain projects by katerwaulp • last post Oct 9th
Maybe I'm being a little paranoid, but to those who submit to non-union small scale productions on sites like Actors Access, Backstage, etc, how do you ensure that the people aren't creeps or weirdos??I'm a 19 y/o woman and I wanna audition for some of these things but I feel nervous about someone taking advantage of the fact that I'm new to the industry etc if that makes sense. What has the process been like for you, when auditioning for things like this? Obviously common sense is important, but how do you determine if the project is with professional and respectful people?
How does recording work for live zoom sessions? by sutt0nius • last post Oct 9th
When a client wants to do a live session over zoom/skype/discord/etc how does the audio usually get captured? I'm guessing the client doesn't record it on their end because the sound quality can't always be trusted, right? Does the actor just hit record on their DAW at the start of the session and capture the whole thing or is there a more efficient way to do it? Not asking about SourceConnect/ISDN/etc since I know those are paid services to address this situation.
Theater Experience by pdxlatex • last post Oct 9th
I love tv/film/commercial acting but I’ve been told by a couple people (not agencies but people who have acting experience) that I need to do theater. The thing is I have zero interest in theater and I feel like if I auditioned to be in a theater production my disinterest would be very apparent. Is it absolutely necessary to have theater experience to get an agent/be a successful actor?
Empathy by MathematicianLeft07 • last post Oct 9th
How to use emapthy in acting? I have seen a lot of actors calling it the most essential thing for acting so wanted to ask.
Director crossing boundaries by momentsnotmilestones • last post Oct 8th
So I'm in this unpaid amature theatre play Wait Until Dark and production week is in 2 weeks. We've been rehearsing for about 6 months and during that time a lot of drama has ensued mainly from the director being crazy. I auditioned for the role of Susy but was rejected and was asked if I wanted to do backstage instead. I didn't really want to but agreed anyway to build some connections and prove my work ethic etc to hopefully get a role in future. He ended up giving the role of Susy to 3 girls, one the main lead and two understudies that were guaranteed to have a performance each. His antics resulted in firing the first girl because he "didn't like her attitude" but really she was just more vocal about questioning and disagreeing with him on stuff. For example, he told everyone the show would be in September which everyone agreed to but turns out he hadn't booked the theatre so tried to book one in December which no one wanted to do and she was the one who was most vocal about it. Luckily he managed to find a theatre for October which was more convenient for everyone. He's also constantly complained about not having money and guilt us to put more and more money into the production. After firing the first Susy, he gave the one of understudies the main role and slowly started to flirt with her and it was incredibly awkward to see a 19 year old deal with this gross man in his 50s tell her how gorgeous she was and tease her about a supposed hickey on her neck and whether she had a boyfriend. She ended up quitting. The next Susy understudy was now the lead but unfortunately she's just not a very good actor. I spoke up about having the opportunity to be understudy and so now I'm also playing Susy as well as assistant director. I have loved playing Susy and it seems I managed to learn my lines and perform better than the lead. I feel bad for the other girl playing the lead as he has slowly started taking shows off her and given them to me so we now have equal performances. He has also taken a liking to me it seems as he constantly compliments me privately and tells me that I've got the looks and the talent and that the other girl doesn't and it's flattering but also awkward and feels unfair to her. He can be quite mean to her when giving feedback and yet is nice to me. So anyway, lately he's started calling me almost every day, sometimes quite late to talk about rehearsals and tech stuff because I'm assistant director. He also plays the role of Sam in the show and it's already hard to hug the guy but he's started to make the hugs linger on a bit too long and rub my back. He often gets me to help pack up his car when we leave rehearsals which is late at night and everyone else has left. He always talks to me for ages before I leave and last night he asked me to hug him goodbye. He also commented about my hair smelling nice and I just felt like it's officially getting too much for me now. He wants to catch up with me for coffee tomorrow to talk over the lighting and I don't know how much more I can handle over the next couple of weeks but I love the rest of the cast and I want the show to be a success. How do I handle this? I really don't want to get on the wrong side of him and I don't know if this is normal and I should just suck it up for the next two weeks or if I should say something. It's incredibly awkward for me because I want what's best for everyone and the show, but he can't help pushing everyone's boundaries. I feel like crazy directors have been the reason for me struggling with acting in the past and I took a long break from it because of it and as much as I love acting, I hope it's not something I have to constantly deal with. I'm really bad at asserting myself in these situations, I'm easily guilted into stuff and I'm wondering how others would deal with it? Thanks and sorry for the long post lol
How to balance a regular job with auditions/possible roles? by TheEzrac • last post Oct 8th
A while back I quit my job because I’d saved up enough to take a break for the sake of my mental health and I was hoping I could use the time to jumpstart my dream of being an actor/director. As I’m sure you all know very well, it wasn’t that simple. I made my reel, applied like crazy on Backstage, but no dice. Fast forward to now, I’m running dry and am gonna have to find a job again, but I’d hate to give up my dream of acting because I think I could end up making something of myself. But the problem is I have no idea how i’d be able to attend auditions, rehearsals, and/or shoot dates while having a work schedule. Yeah I could ask for the days off but i feel like that’d reflect really poorly on me if I did it constantly. At the same time it wouldn’t sit right with me if i miss what could be really good opportunities. For context, I live in California. About 2 hours from SF and 4 or so from LA. So not impossible to go there for jobs but i would need the whole day off to do so. But i’ve wanted to move down to Southern California to make the whole acting thing a bit easier on me. Advice? Thanks in advance!
Tiktok acting by gabriellecharron • last post Oct 8th
Hello everyone! I’ve been dreaming of being an actress my whole life. I have some experience (mostly as an extra) and was even rep by a new agency a short while ago, but COVID happened and all the non-unions were cut off from the agency. It’s hard as you might guess to be back on square one. So I recently decided to create a second tiktok where I can do some acting videos. Of course, I don’t expect anything out of it. It’s just my way of staying connected to what I love and to simply have some fun. Anyway, I might not post often, but I would love to be friends over there with people who share the same passion! So, if that sounds interesting to you, here’s the link to my profile! ☺️ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8JnMJ3C/
Advocate for yourself. Always. by darthva • last post Oct 8th
Just leaving a non-union commercial set that was, perhaps, the most unprofessional set I’ve ever been on. Granted, the client is a HUGE brand, so it was extra shocking. A group of us were cast as Principal actors (which usually guarantees usage $$). In the first scene, without any explanation, we were suddenly all being used as background. Now, there is a HUGE pay difference between the two roles, and I immediately pulled the 1st AD aside and demanded to know what was going on. He told me the set was chaos, and there was basically no shot list, plan, anything. The other actors and I sat down together after a few takes and demanded that we be shot as Principals, not background. They also strongly pressured us to commit to a 14 plus hour day in another location as “principals” (likely background filler) and many of us refused. It’s scary to stand up in that situation, but it is sometimes the only power we have on set as actors. Stand together stronger if something doesn’t feel right.
Gregg Berger: Legendary voice actor! by nmyheadpod • last post Oct 8th
My fellow actors, I got a question. by Royal-Ad-3535 • last post Oct 8th
# Do CD's still want a printed headshot and resume ? This morning, my printer has finally given up on me (died, not worth fixing) and I am not sure if I should purchase another one. I only kept the printer around for family photos, and the "just in case" a CD wants a printed HS/resume, but so far, I have only been asked to send it digitally. I have only submitted for short films/small projects...does that make a difference? Are CD's for larger budget TV shows and movies still requiring you to send in a printed copy of your headshot and resume? Location : Toronto
14 year old from Wales who wants to be an actress by Scarlettzlife • last post Oct 8th
I do go to drama classes and do stage shows but I want to be on tv too but I am quite put off trying again because I was cast to be in an advert a few years ago but they changed their mind and let go of me because I am not pretty enough does anyone have any advice on this?
Featured BG role to potential speaking? by Bigwinsdreambig • last post Oct 7th
I know this is rarely happens and not something that happens a lot but I got booked on a show as a featured BG and it said I will be on camera and be a good actor with great facial expressions. I wonder if there is something or someone while being on set I could talk to or impress to manifest it being a speaking role. Don’t want to sound like I got a shot but rather was curious if anyone landed a featured BG role and later became a one liner or speaking ahah thank you!
Tips to prevent losing my voice by Oddish_Flumph • last post Oct 7th
No a voice actor but I need voice advice. I have to talk all day for my job, often over noisy crowds. Most days my voice gets sore and starts to go. The internet has lots of remedies to treat a lost voice, but I'm looking for tips to proactively prevent losing my voice in the first place. tl;dr how can I talk loudly all day and not loose my voice?
NYC actors: what other jobs are you doing aside from serving? by passionateperformer • last post Oct 7th
Planning on moving to NYC to pursue theatre, currently DC based. Wanna know what others do to pay the bills.
Disappointed in my own performance in a final product; anything I can do? by ifeelpeachy • last post Oct 7th
Hiya folks, I received a final product back from a client, and it was a project where two voice actors switched back and forth doing an explainer. The other actor's performance and audio quality are MUCH stronger than mine. At the very least, I wish I could turn up my gain. I had assumed the client would master the track so the volume at least matched, but that clearly didn't happen. I also don't like my delivery and would have done it differently if I had heard the other actor's performance beforehand--theirs was more dynamic but mine is much more monotone because I thought that's what the client wanted. The client didn't leave me a review, and I'm glad because it probably would have been bad. Should I message them asking if they would like me to re-do my lines, louder and more dynamic? Or should I just let it go? The project is "complete", and I have been paid. I'm relatively newer to voice over; my gut says the industry standard would be to just move on but at the same time I want the client to have a better performance.
My voice sounds like a child? by BRAlNYSMURF • last post Oct 7th
My voice acting isn't that special, it's mainly for myself- a recent adaption of a show I like had a really bad voice actor for my favorite character, so I thought I'd dub over their lines myself. Problem is, my voice sounds like a child, and the character is an adult. Any advice on how to make my voice deeper and less childlike? I'm female, and 18 years old, so is it just something I'll grow out of?
What are some of the best tutorials/courses that can help me to improve the way my voice sounds, and reduce my accent? Can you take a look at the video I've made and let me know if there's anything obvious I could do to speak better? by MikeLumos • last post Oct 7th
Hi! I'm not a professional voice actor, but I want to start professionally making video tutorials and courses. I don't think my voice is very pleasant to listen to, and I do have an accent, and I'd like to do the best I can to improve. I don't need to get amazing at this, just good enough to be able to make videos that are enjoyable to watch and easy to understand. And ideally I wouldn't have to spend years studying the subject, I just want to make the most important changes that will make the most difference. What are some of the most useful resources (videos, courses, books) that can help me out? Can you take a look at a couple of my videos ([1](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2PpdB_1cr5A&), [2](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ozoPmx1iamk)), and let me know if there's anything obvious that I should be doing to make my voice better?