We have found 19,320 posts across 4 actor forums:
Acting Schools by plaeneat • last post Apr 22nd
Hello! So, I have a few questions about acting schools and their environment. Does anyone have recommendations for schools without toxic environments? Are community college the equivalent to actual acting majors or acting schools? I’m currently a theatre arts major at a community college. The amount of bullying from professors is extreme. We worked a devised piece this semester that was supposed to be student run and student made. The playwright for my group had their script overrun and changed by other students and the professor. When brought up, the professor harassed the student playwright to just accept the changes. Though, the changes weren’t necessary for the plot line. My personal experience, I had dropped out of the play due to this professor’s disregard for student actors. Constantly berating students, misgendering students (“lol! I’m old, what can I say?”), and antagonizing issues, I was just over the discourse. When I resigned to focus on moving from one state to the other and to get my vaccination, this professor requested a meeting with me where they put me down and told me to consider how my resignation from the play (which was NOT a requirement for the semester of my grade) “hurt them and the other students” and I was “being selfish for not address issues sooner,” which I had and they were disregarded. The following rehearsal, they blamed my mental health and enabled stealing the playwright’s script. The playwright and I considered changing majors entirely; not because of professional criticism, but because there was a lack of respect. Additionally, the other professor I had accused me, after I dropped the play, of just dropping out of college all together or withdraw along from their class because I had gotten ill after my vaccine, which they were made aware of. Since then, that professor has held me to different standards and harsher criticisms than others. While this doesn’t go over every detail, as I do not want students I go to school with to find this, I’m just worried I will end up in another program that is toxic.
Better to Start w/ Student Films, etc. in LA or NYC? by Palahadiin • last post Apr 22nd
Is NYC or LA more viable for gathering credits or other opportunities, as an actor who is looking to expand their early resume? Which is more competitive? Could either be better for social mobilization and networking at, say, beaches and entertainment venues or bars and clubs?
Is it a waste of time to act out scenes from movies? by HunterXero • last post Apr 22nd
I feel kind of crappy, but for context, I posted on here a scene I did from Birdman. Link here: https://youtu.be/B5pk-a_OVVc But today I felt a little down. I asked someone I know to be a part of the next scene I want to shoot and he responded with a “no” that he found them not to be that helpful for actors. But I really just did the Birdman video for fun and practice. We had such a good time and I think doing these scenes have been helping me out with loosening up. Plus they’re fun! But the way he said it made me feel like I was doing something wrong. He wasn’t an asshole about it, but I guess I felt hurt (took it personal) because I was having so much fun making something, I reached out and wanted him involved, and then was told no because they basically weren’t worth it. What do you guys think? Are making these videos a waste of time? Also, how do I not let this dumb stuff bother me so much haha. Thanks!
Headshot-Age Range-Character Type Feedback by AutoModerator • last post Apr 22nd
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.
Getting started as a 16 year old in the uk by 11_Pycroft_ • last post Apr 22nd
So I recently started doing a little bit of voice acting work and I did it as a favour in college (in the UK) and my friends needing a hand with their sound design and needed a voice actor so I thought why not as I had always been interested since I was younger and then I did olivander from Harry Potter and I did zuko from avatar the last airbender and my friends said I was really talented and since then I’ve wandered how to get into voice acting a lot more and I thought I’d ask people how to get into it if need be I will put the 2 examples into the comments but any suggestions would be amazing and thank you for bothering to read
Moving to London by KDRHL • last post Apr 22nd
Hello everybody I have a question for actors in the UK. So I've been planning to move to london from the EU for 2 years now and finally I was able to save up enough money to move there and start my acting career but now as I started to look up how things work and all that stuff about the Visas and the brexit It seems impossible for me as a european to just move there and start out or I'm just not educated enough. Could anybody tell me what are the things I need to do If there is any to move to the uk as an actor.
Actor’s that have gone through (or are going through) the transition from working an unrelated 9-5 to acting, please share your journeys! by bobbybrown_9966 • last post Apr 22nd
I’m currently working a sales job at a tech company. Remote work that I was lucky to get during a pandemic, but I am currently in the process of getting ready to move out (living at home with parents) to Toronto. For the first bit of time I’m thinking I can keep the job and take sketch/writing/acting classes in the evenings, but once I get to the stage where I think I can get representation, I’m drawing a blank on how I can transition out of my job. Will it really just be quit and find a serving gig with more flexible hours? I’m not opposed but want to hear from the experience of others. Thanks everyone!
I Feel Like Theatre School Broke Me by DavidMalcom2019 • last post Apr 22nd
Looking for some advice or positive guidance I spent the last four years in theatre school. When I was in it, I thought it was a positive experience, but once I left I realized that I had created a very unhealthy habit of seeking approval from teachers/directors/etc. I feel like I've lost so much of my self-trust and I'm scared I lost the thing that once made me special. The constant scrutiny made me trust myself less and question my every choice while I was performing. I struggle with OCD as well as anxiety, and these two things got worse and worse throughout the years to the point where I had convinced myself I was forgetting the english language! I would recite lines in my head for hours to the point I would forget what the words meant and then I would panic. I would analyze the sentence structure of a line (where is the noun? where is verb? etc.). It got to the point where I found it very difficult to let go of the line and just perform in the moment. Despite all this I was usually the "star student" in my class (I say that in the most humble way possible), in the way that I would get a lot of positive feedback and teachers would reassure me that I would make it far as an actor. I have officially been out of school for a year and I've had an agent since last September. I've gotten around 20 auditions, but haven't booked a thing. I feel like I'm learning how to act all over again. Today, I had a Zoom audition and I totally blew it. I fumbled over my lines twice and gave up on myself before I even began my first run. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I deserve to feel good about myself and to fight for myself. I want my confidence back. ​ Have any of you had a similar journey in theatre school? How did you gain your confidence back? Any positive words?
Turning down costar auditions? by Bambe09 • last post Apr 22nd
I don't have any union roles under my belt yet, but I have a lot of non-union independent film lead roles that have led to a decent reel. I'm starting to get called in more and more often for a big CD (in the city that I live in) that casts a large chunk of NBC shows on TV. [For context: this has been in the last couple of weeks after submitting a self tape to them for the first time for a role I didn't get like three months ago.] Most of the roles have been costar roles with at least 5 or 6 lines. However, would it be viewed poorly (by the CD and my agent) if I turned down an audition for a costar role that literally has one line or just a few words? On the one hand a couple word scene wouldn't add to my reel and may prevent me from a better role in this show's "Universe" (other shows that often crossover into it). And I don't get to really utilize my acting. I also want to stay non-union as long as possible due to the market of my area. On the other hand I don't have any network TV roles on my resume and I might sound like an ass to my agent/CD which I definitely don't want to do. They may be rolling their eyes at a guy with no costar credits to begin with. Does getting a costar role open more doors to guest star, etc? I don't want to be known as a one line career actor. I'm just unsure how to navigate this. Am I just being dumb and overthinking this? Any advice or experiences? Thank you!
What keeps you going to continue pursuing acting? by Nature2Love • last post Apr 22nd
I am not an actor myself, but I am interested in the industry and have done a little amateur dramatics myself in the past. I just wondered what keeps you motivated to keep going?
Disney Discovers Showcase 2021. Anyone get the first email? by SunilaP • last post Apr 21st
Hi all. I got the email about the pre-rounds. They will be sending it on Actor Access. And said from here on out all communication will be through there. Thing is. How do they know my AA Account? Are they just going to look me up? Also, has anyone done this in the past? What was it like? ​ Best,
Do you gamer voice actors know anyone who sounds similar to Edward Bosco? by R41K0N • last post Apr 21st
I'm working on a mod for Smash, but I don't have the money to commission Edward Bosco to record voice clips. So I'm scouring the internet for games/ works that have similar sounding VA's, which I can then edit their voices to supply the voice clips needed for smash. Sorry if this breaks any rules in the subreddit. [Fire Emblem Heroes - Book Ⅲ Movie：Cohort of the Dead - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3JO2fWD_1Y)
Beginner actor, but have taken some classes and gone on some sets (craft questions) by reddishMVP • last post Apr 21st
So, I didn't really know how to word my question(s) but the title is basically where I'm at. I would still consider myself a beginner actor but I'm lucky to have been on some big sets and now a few months into classes. Before I started, I felt like I couldn't do it. But after I started, I gained a lot of confidence that I had potential and could do this, especially after a few bookings. A few months in, I'm feeling the first feeling again. I've gotten bigger scenes in classes that I'm taking, but with that, I feel just more fake and unrealistic. I feel like I need some practical advise - things to actively do. I've learned a bunch of the basics during these last few months and they really helped me break through, but I feel like I hit a wall again. Maybe I'm just being impatient. I saw something about the stages of learning - I feel like I'm at the "conscious incompetence" phase. I know there are people in here with way more experience than me that have likely gone through this phase... any advice or general feelings about this stage?
I have a ugly voice by tinydog360 • last post Apr 21st
Hey, so as a kid, I did a lot of free voice acting work and for the most part people enjoyed my voice and I got steady voice acting hobby work. Since I was doing so well, I decided to start posting on YouTube. I got tons of dislikes and a couple comments saying I had a strange voice, so I quit completely. Now I want to get back into it and I found some places that are looking for voice actors that are paid- but I still haven't gotten over my past. The same thing happened with screenwriting. People told me writing was shit and they hope I have a real job because it's obvious I don't have any talent. I couldn't and still can't bring myself to show people my work. So many people told me that I was terrible at these things and I even struggle with speaking in public now. So, since I don't have a good voice, should I still get back into this hobby?
How to record at home by AKfutureAnimalVet • last post Apr 21st
So, not really acting, but I need advice from actors. My school has a thing were every year all the students put on an "Exihibition night" and present a poem, or whatever. For my social studies class, we have to (as a class) put on a readers theater, and send in videos of us reading our parts so the teacher can make it into a video. (Its in person, but for some reason, this is a video) I was just trying to record (with my phone, since I don't have a good camera), but everything about it sucks. The acting (or reading), the "make up", the lighting, etc... Does anyone have tips on recording from home, tips for "new actors", or any ideas on how to fix ANY of these problems?
Tips for a director? by AvalancheOfOpinions • last post Apr 21st
I've made movies since I was like ten. But all of the early stuff was with friends, then friends that were interested in acting, then local actors who were willing to work for either free or practically free. I'd play all the roles: writing, directing, shooting, editing. I'm comfortable with that when it's a small low budget short. Until I tried to make a feature length, my first long one that maybe was too ambitious, and made essentially every mistake you can think of. I hired actors from LA, had them come up to the city we shot in, payed them low budget SAG rates for a 25 day shoot, and never released the movie because of all my shit mistakes. The actors were great, but my inexperience with people that really know how to act fucked things up early on. When I'd run and gun short movies, I didn't give out schedules, didn't let the actors know what scene we'd be doing until we were on set, didn't do a lot of things to make the production more clear because I had it all in my head and my personal notes and nobody ever asked me to really communicate. I'm a bit more aware of many of my wrong turns. I haven't worked with actors since my attempt at a feature which is unusual because I used to make many shorts a year. I've made movies since, but experimental visual ones rather than narrative. So I have a lot of questions: How valuable is rehearsal? How much directing should I be doing in rehearsals? How many rehearsals or notes would you like to have before a shoot? What are things you feel like you'd need or want from a director before we're ever on set? Would even something like storyboards help? For non-actor friends or beginning actors, I'd always do line readings on set and they encouraged it. I didn't even know what "line reading" meant until I met professional actors who told me not to do it. I know everyone needs different methods of direction and I tailor my directing for each person, because ultimately what's most important is the performance and it's impossible to get that if anyone's stressed out. What are some awful directing mistakes a director can make that totally take you out of the scene? Or will make you despise the director? Something I do when we get a really great take, I'll clap and do a small dance and tell them it was awesome because I get wrapped up in seeing how all the takes will play out well. But when it isn't where I'd like it to be, I remain more stoic and think about what kind of direction will help get us there. Depending on how close we are, I'll say, 'That was good,' or, 'That was really great', and then, 'But this part needs work', and go over the direction I'd like it to go. Something I love is that even if I feel like we got perfect takes, an actor will ask to do a few more. I'm always down for more takes. As someone who also edits, this helps a ton because the story's shaped a lot in post and unexpected takes sometimes work better. And even if I feel like we won't use it, it gives the actor time to experiment more with the character, so the next parts will often be even better and get there faster. What are other things a director can do to get you there? When I write narrative stuff, I get to really know everything about each character. Of course, all that often goes out the window once you're on set. On set, I'll talk about the arc of the scene, what characters might be thinking versus what they're saying, I like to think of lines musically too so sometimes more of a composer and conductor of how a line should go, like, give me a hard accent on this syllable and let the rest mellow out, and I really love facial expressions and experimenting with them and keep a folder of pictures of different expressions, not necessarily to copy but to express the emotion there. However, I often like to start out with nearly no direction to hear the actor's take and then shape it from there. Does any of this annoy you? Generally, would you like direction a lot more specific or a lot more ambiguous? All this ties into the most important aspect of helping the actor get there. It's always palpable when we're on set and have done many takes and it seems like nothing's working. In that circumstance, doing more takes isn't getting us closer. In that situation, what helps most for you? I want to shoot a small narrative short soon, a very intimate dramatic thing, and I need to go into it with being an even better director than I've ever been. I've been reading a ton, searched lots of different forums including this one, watching a ton, taking notes and learning a lot. If you have any advice at all, I'm all ears! Thank you!
Zoom plays, voiceover, new media, etc. on a resume? by Weird_Bell_6895 • last post Apr 21st
Polishing my resume and have a couple of questions! 1. I am curious if any zoom plays I've been involved in would go under the theatre section or a "new media" section. I've been putting them under my theatre section, but not sure if that's the best place for them to go. 2. From my understanding, new media usually consists of things like web shows, etc. I was also a voiceover actor for an interactive website piece - do you think that would go under new media? 3. Additionally, I've been looking around for a template that includes voiceover work, but couldn't find any. What's the format for voiceover work if it was a commercial? (List role, then company or...? Sorry for all the questions - trying to do my best so I can keep doing what I love!
Is it good or bad when an acting teacher doesn't fault your performance? by endlesslytalking • last post Apr 21st
I did a term class with a highly reputable school in my market. It was mostly practical and every week we would perform a script to the teacher, who was both a coach and a local, successful actor. I would memorise my script and I implemented every tip I could into my performances. I think my acting is pretty natural but the teacher never gave me any real constructive criticism so I can't tell. I was always waiting for her to tell me that my voice is off or that I should have more emotion for the scene, something like that but it never happened. I hate watching the recorded videos of my performances so does that mean my acting is bad? Can an acting teacher be too nice or does a good acting coach never show a biased opinion because they believe that the actor should trust themself? I'm starting another term again soon with the same teacher and even though, I'm really just doing this for the script work and my resume, I would really appreciate some guidance from her as well... As the student, should I be the one to ask for some added notes on my performance?
Pardon this naive question about something I booked but... by CuspChaser111 • last post Apr 21st
Hi guys, Recently I booked my (biggest) part on a Netflix show. On the first day at table read the show runner comes up to me and says “congratulations, your AUDITION earned you your part” - the other ppl at table read are recognizable/ working actors. Pardon me for being so damn naive but what does that mean? Bc I was like “uh doesn’t your audition always earn an actor their part?” I mean I used to play violin and the way I got first chair is Bc I earned it Bc I practiced - that’s exactly what I do with my on-camera auditions. I put in my all for each audition (I study the character and for example if they are a neurologist - I study actual interviews etc.) my acting teacher were really tough Meisner teachers and didn’t take bs from us. It was just like violin So - your audition earned you your part feels kinda - obvious ? Please advise...