We have found 19,378 posts across 4 actor forums:
Tips for Creating Own Demo Reel Scenes? by goatsneedhugs • last post Mar 18th
Hey guys! So I signed with an agent back in January, which was super exciting. However, I'm kind of concerned about my materials. My headshots and resume are pretty good for my market, but my reel definitely leaves something to be desired. Although I've done some short films and student films, they either never sent footage to me or the footage wasn't really usable. I sent my agent a couple of self-taped scenes to use for submitting me to stuff right now, but I really want to create scenes that are filmed like a traditional film so casting directors can see what I'd look like in that setting. I was considering going with one of those companies that produce a reel for you, but after finding out the prices and watching some of the samples, I figured that my actor friends and I could probably make similar scenes for a fraction of the price. Anyways, that's kind of where my question comes in. For anyone who's done something like this and created scenes for their own reel, what tips do you have? We're just teenagers (I'm 17 and the rest of them vary from 14-16) and I literally have no clue about if we should hire a crew, how to edit, or anything. I'm really invested in the idea of creating my own scenes and I want to make something I'm proud of, but I have absolutely no clue where to start besides writing and location scouting. So yeah, if anyone has any tips please comment with them below. Thank you so much, and have a great rest of your day.
Any good programs or apps that can help feminize a male voice? by joshkes • last post Mar 18th
I’ve started an animated YouTube channel. I’ve done all the writing and character design and animation myself. I’ve started recording, which I wanted to do all on my own, but, I’m very much not happy with how the female characters’ voices sound. It always sounds like a male faking a female voice. I also seem to be much less able to add any depth to the acting when I’m trying to voice the female characters. I’m looking for a good, but cheap, app or program or both, that I can use to feminize my characters. I think if I didn’t have to focus so much on trying to sound more realistically feminine, I could do a better job with the acting. It took me a while to find voices for the male characters, but once I did, it flowed and sounded natural. All the females sound flat, forced, and sound like a guy pretending to be a girl. In a perfect world, I’d have a talented person do it for me, but, I have zero budget. I’ve blown all my available funds on hardware, mics, cameras, and software. I could afford to buy a piece of software but I couldn’t afford to pay voice actors, if that makes sense. As far as hardware, I have decent mics, a soundproof room, a PC with a dedicated card for audio and a rack unit for inputs, XLR and MIDI and such (I record a lot of music so I pretty much have a basic home studio already). I also have a new iPad Pro 12.9. I have a Blue Yeti that I can plug into that and record, but it’s not my goto setup. It’s more for travel. Works great for jamming with friends, but, having it opens the option to using an iOS app if there are any of those better at “voice changing”, although I expect a full PC program would likely work better. I’m looking for people who have experience with specific apps or programs that have worked well for them. I’ve not tried any PC programs yet, but, I tried a couple of free apps that review websites said were good, and they were not. They sounded cheesy and cheap and not at all what I was looking for. Pretty much just basic pitch shifting, which I could do without them. So if anyone has any experience with any that they were satisfied with, I’d love to hear your opinion. Thanks in advance.
“What’s wrong with me?”- the ups and downs of acting by danikabananika • last post Mar 18th
I think it was my last post here that I was like “don’t give up! You can do it!” I’m on the other side of that again lol. I am not getting auditions. I’ve had 3 this year. And it makes me so sad and frustrated. I have credits (not a ton, but they’re there), I think my headshots are good, I have a demo reel, I have an agent (albeit at a smaller agency but we do have some big actors) who I know is working hard for me and submitting me. I’m always in class. I booked in the fall and was shortlisted shortly after that. I think I’m ok looking and sort of funny. I have a ton of skills to offer (thanks to starting acting later on life). So what the heck man? What can I do? I have a friend who has no acting credits and is very new to the industry who is signed with a huge agency who is reading for leads, roles for Netflix etc. Multiple times a week. And I’m so happy for her but I also want to implode. I can’t stop thinking about what’s wrong with me.
Headshot-Age Range-Character Type Feedback by AutoModerator • last post Mar 18th
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.
The first 12 episodes of my horror audio drama The Cellar Letters are out! My first try at voice acting. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. by TheCellarLetters • last post Mar 18th
The show is about two friends that move to the East Coast for a fresh start. They soon realize that things in the new house seem... off. Some inspirations that might help give you an idea what you're in for: Movies: Oculus TV: Haunting of Hill House, Channel Zero Books: The House of Leaves AudioDrama: The Black Tapes, The Magnus Archives I'm an actor and my career kind of hit a stand still because of a lack of representation and the pandemic, so I decided to just create my own work. It'd mean a lot to me if you gave it a shot. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. If you end up listening, I highly recommend you start with the remastered episode 1. Https://www.thecellarletters.com Wanna chat about the show? Wanna chat about anything? Come hang out with us in Discord: https://discord.gg/dw7EssGGGa
first acting class :( by lemonademouthiscool • last post Mar 18th
can someone tell me any bad acting class experiences to make me feel less annoyed w myself. i did this acting workshop online and little did ik everyone was older than me and experienced in acting. i did the class twice, both times i messed up my lines one of the two times i had to do the scene. and the second time was like ultra embarrassing bc i literally forgot everything and asked to go back when ik i didn’t have to, i could’ve j picked up from where i ended. then after the teacher kind of (bc he’s not rly an actor, j a director) was like “you can’t do that during auditions bla bla bla” well yea ik, this only my first class. maybe he didn’t know how young i was compared to everyone and that i’ve never really acted before but yea. and ik everyone else get second hand embarrassment and i literally wanna jump a roof when i think about it.
What Casting Service to Use as a Beginner? by I-Sweater-God • last post Mar 18th
Title says it all. I have some experience; all theatre credits from school productions and training in various choral ensembles. I also have a few self tapes that I could edit together and make a reel. I would love to work in film/tv, but I have no representation or professional experience. I have a Backstage account (no subscription) that I use just to browse for local roles or nationwide submissions. I've also heard about Actors Access and Casting Networks, but I don't know where to start. Any advice? What are the odds of booking open casting calls? Located in the DMV area.
Chicago actors by somethingski • last post Mar 18th
Hello, I moved back to Chicago and am looking to get moving again out here. Any recommendations on headshots, agencies, and classes in the city? Any info is greatly welcome and appreciated. Thanks everyone
Will constantly using the lowest pitch I can reach eventually damage my voice? by bettafishgod • last post Mar 18th
Not a voice actor myself, but it seems like this community would be the best to ask. If I constantly speak at the end of my lower range, will I harm my vocal cords?
Why is everyone so obsessed with Pacino’s acting? by secretgirlcc • last post Mar 18th
i keep seeing people commenting on how good he is but i dont really see it? i feel like there are way better actors, like james mcavoy. his performance in split and glass was just incredible. pls dont hate, i’m really trying to understand, is there any good acting techniques that he’s using? so thats why everyone likes him? idk, i just dont see anything so astounding. please help me understand, i dont know anything ab acting but im trying to understand it better and i just feel like i’m tasteless and i dont see the pure talent
Does anyone know who this actress is? by duckonquack___ • last post Mar 18th
Examples of VAs with a lisp? by 7V3N • last post Mar 18th
I love doing voices on my own but I've never produced anything because I got shamed for my lisp. Well, I'm an adult now and I'm trying to inspire myself to let go of all that. Do you guys know of and can you please share examples of voice actors with a prominent lisp?
What's general etiquette towards asking friends/family to read for your self-tapes? by fuzzybaffy • last post Mar 18th
Hello, I'm pretty new to the acting thing (don't even have headshots yet), so I haven't done any self-tapes. But an acting buddy of mine (who lives in the same house) keeps asking me to read for his self-tapes. And I know I'll eventually have to do self-tapes of my own, so I figured I'd ask. The friend has over the past 6 months asked me to read for his self-tapes, and I think I've helped him with around 9 auditions during that time. I'm honestly getting frustrated with it - just yesterday I spent like 2.5 hours helping him. He's been asking me this favor with promise of him helping me when I start doing self-tapes - it's just I haven't gotten there yet, so he hasn't had opportunities to help. He's also offered to help with setting up profiles and whatnot on all the big casting sites. At the same time, while I appreciate the offer (and no offense to him), I'm perfectly fine just doing everything on my own. To be honest, it kind of feels like he's trying to set things up for a one-sided friendship where eventually he gets more work out of me (he keeps casually floating ideas about us "practicing" or working together more, which I've already declined). That said, considering the above, and for my future self-tapes... is there general etiquette amongst actors when it comes to asking friends/family to read for self-tapes? Is it a "thing" for actors to ask all their other acting friends to read for their self-tapes? I mean, I've audited an online self-taping class, and a big portion of the students used recordings of themselves as the reader. So, it seems using recordings of myself really isn't a big deal. I understand a live reader is still preferable, but is it that important to really have to ask all your friends to be there for all your auditions? If I could use recordings of myself for all my auditions, I honestly would. Thank you for your input in advance.
Finally told my mom about how I feel about acting by mexicanjumpingbean28 • last post Mar 18th
I felt like I've been wanting to act for about a month and I've never taken classes. I've been really embarrassed to tell my mom this but I just did and took it like it was nothing. My uncle is in a couple of commercials and is a nice actor. She said we would ask him about classes. I have done alot of research about about acting and I've watched and took notes on how actors act in shows or movies. I feel so relieved now that I have told her. I am still very young and almost out of 7th grade and I want to get into acting soon.
Is 1 month too late? by I_like_reverends_ • last post Mar 17th
So here is basically what's going on. So I submitted for a role I really like for this breakdown from a major production company but I submitted a month after the breakdown was posted. Was it a lost cause or is there still hope. The breakdown wasn't archived and the start date is in June. Sidenote: It's Actors Acsess
un-submitting on Actors Access? by redalienbaby • last post Mar 17th
I just submitted myself for something on Actors Access and because I was in somewhat of a rush I didn't realize that the character description said it is looking for people with disabilities which I do not have. Is there a way to unsubmit yourself for something or cancel the submission? any help would be appreciated, of course I am kinda mortified that I didn't see that detail thanks!!
Support my friend on her dream of become a voice actress. by jccb15 • last post Mar 17th
Hello guys, During this pandemic, many online voice acting classes opened online. Thanks to this, my best friend was finally able to start following her dream of becoming a voice actress by creating some samples, taking courses, etc. Right now she is just using some cheap microphone and audio interface that I bought from Aliexpress some time ago. She entered a contest organized by one very famous voice actor in Latin America, the price is a Sennheiser, workshops, and coaching session with this voice actor. Unfortunately, the first filter to win is more of an Instagram popularity filter than a skill/talent. The 20 participants with more comments will be select to go to the next phase where a qualified jury will select the winner. For this, I would appreciate it if you can check her work out, and if you think she has the talent and deserves an opportunity support her by leaving a comment in her post. Thank you in advance to all the r/VoiceActing community. TL;DR: Help my friend by commenting so she can win a Sennheiser kit, workshops and coaching sessions. Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMQzVRXnA74/?igshid=17ewhtub6pylb
The production I'm in is falling apart by actorburner • last post Mar 17th
I've posted about this before in a vaguer manner, but I'm at my wits' end. I'm in a production that's supposed to be performed at some outdoor stages and then live-streamed in May- but the production is uh... let's call it troubled. Actors keep dropping for other parts, the script is awful and keeps changing, the songs are a trash fire, our choreography rehearsal amounts to "let's just get on stage and you guys figure out what you want to do". (did I mention it's a musical?) Last week I watched the writer/director and the musical director nearly start shouting at each other over the direction of a scene. The writer/director in question has only developed one-person shows before- never with this big a cast (of 6) and never with music. The main problem really is a lack of organization. The writer/director isn't harsh or rude, but I would call them unprofessional- on phone calls and in meetings they'll rant to me about other cast members not doing what they want or having a weak voice. I assume they do this with the other actors as well. They're also incredibly indecisive, and things keep changing. I'll leave a rehearsal knowing less about what I'm going to be performing than when I came in. I've been thinking of leaving myself for other opportunities- I'm genuinely starting to worry I'll embarrass myself. The small cast is tied to this rudderless ship, and I guess I don't want to abandon them- they are extremely talented and by far the bright spot of the entire thing- but man- I've been in student-directed high school plays that were more organized and professional than this. My fear is that we're not going to be ready for opening night. This is half rant, half asking for advice. I don't know how many theater connections this director has and whether leaving the production would hurt my future projects, but I'm genuinely worried whether staying on board would do more harm for my career than good. Have you ever been in a situation like this, and what did you do about it?
What type of technique's/warm ups that voice actors use to improve their voice by skirsk • last post Mar 17th
I ask this, because i hate stuttering so damn much, i want the ablity to speak my mind with out s-s-s-stumbling over my words, Any advice as to what can be done about my situation?. And also, i wanna get into voice acting as a hobby, hence the reason i'm posting this here.
Demo reels and resumes by JuicyLemon360 • last post Mar 17th
Lately I've been thinking about what should a starting actor focus more on, a demo reel or a resume. Yes, I'm fully aware that both of these are your calling cards, however, how would the resume be any good if it's empty? Sure, the the casting directors would be provided with your physical attributes, special skills, contact info and maybe acting courses you've taken, but i feel like none of these are enough to book you a role, I feel a demo reel along with a headshot are, because a demo reel not only shows the acting skills of an actor, but it also shows how he looks on camera. I would say start off with a demo reel and a headshot, then you'll get credits along the way for the resume. That's my point of view, if you have any other thoughts, agree, disagree, or have any comments, please share, I'll be more than glad to hear! Thank you!