We have found 19,242 posts across 4 actor forums:
Actors who work regularly: How important has networking been to your career? by Ramoach • last post Mar 28th
I've been thinking more about the networking side of things lately and I'm wondering; is it absolutely vital? Or is it just helpful and not a necessity in order to make a modest/good living. Thanks for any insight.
Will turning down Tisch hurt my chances of becoming an actor? by Fabulous-Courage-273 • last post Mar 28th
Hello. I’m a senior in high school, and I just got into NYU’s acting program for the fall of 2023. I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t expect to get in. The acceptance rate this year was like 8% just for academics. I applied on a dream, and I was prepared to be rejected. When I got accepted, I freaked out then promptly realized that I can’t afford it. I’m devastated that I will have to turn down one of the best programs in the country, but I can’t justify that amount of debt for an undergraduate degree. It’s truly hard though, since the connections and training are top notch. My second choice is Ohio University, which I love, but I am worried about the reputation of the program, and if I’m able to achieve the same level of training. Sorry if this sounds ignorant; I’m just trying to make the right decision.
Since this question gets asked a lot on here... by cranekicked • last post Mar 28th
Casting director Erica S Bream tweets: > Actors, in case you need someone to say it: > >Yes, it's far quieter than normal right now. No, it's not just you. And yes, it's been this way for a few months now. > >Take a breath. Don't make any rash decisions re: reps/materials. And trust that it will pick up again at some point. [https://twitter.com/ericasbreamcast/status/1640777268388659201](https://twitter.com/ericasbreamcast/status/1640777268388659201)
How do agencies with 100s of actors work? by ActingGabriel • last post Mar 28th
I'm with a pretty small agency, where it's feasible for one agent to keep every actor in mind - their profile, preferences, quirks, etc. How do agencies with 100s of actors do it? Do they split actors between a handful of agents, so that each agent represents a manageable number of actors? Do the top actors in the agency get submitted a lot and the rest are mostly neglected?
Your self tapes: then vs. now by the_winding_way • last post Mar 28th
So self tapes have been around for a while now. I shot my first selfie maybe a bit over a decade ago, and it was something you did when you couldn't attend an in-person audition for whatever reason. Obviously via covid it's largely replaced in person auditioning completely. I'm wondering, for those actors that have shot a considerable amount of self-tapes, what are things that you used to do creating self tapes, that you don't do anymore? Or things you didn't do before, but do now and seems to contribute to success? Whether it be acting related, technology related, slate related, the way you choose which take to send - anything, really. I'll start: * Used to shoot way too many takes because getting my lines needed to be perfect. Now I only shoot a few takes and don't sweat a flubbed line or two. Most times if I need to do more takes it's because of a technical issue. * Used to submit the most 'correct' takes. Now I submit not necessarily the best takes, but the one where something surprising happens, or I think reveals the character most effectively, if only for a moment. Hoping to pick up a few things since self taping can be a pretty solating activity.
Can Americans go to Europe to act? by Mysterious_Elk8691 • last post Mar 28th
Just a general question I had since some actors are from Canada/Europe etc in the United States? Do British agencies represent Americans?
The Actor’s Pulse in Sydney - would anyone recommend it? by rijaj • last post Mar 28th
Hey actors of Australia! I have been offered a part scholarship to do a 9 week course with The Actor’s Pulse in Sydney (under $900). They teach the Meisner Technique and screen acting techniques. Would anyone recommend them as an acting school? Just wary of investing money into short term courses and making sure it’s actually seen as a reputable school by casting directors.
How do you know if you should learn a new acting technique or if your current one isn’t serving you? by Big-Comfortable8462 • last post Mar 28th
For context, I’m an acting student at the Lee Strasberg Institute and am nearing the end of the first year of my two year program here, and it’s been difficult for me and a lot of my peers to understand how sense memory as a technique can apply to scene work or actually working on getting it to work. A lot of us also don’t have the schedule to repeatedly practice outside of the classroom, but even with complete focus and being present, sense memory doesn’t work for me It got us thinking, if we can’t get a solid way of working through this technique by the end of next year, what do we do? My friends and I are beginner actors with no prior foundation in acting, and have considered trying Meisner before the start of next year, possibly to just try a different approach. However, we’re afraid of it muddling our current approach. Should one branch out to other acting techniques if they haven’t really “mastered” one? At the same time, I’ve had teachers tell me that sense memory took them years to actually work. How do I cope with that if I only have 2 years in school, one of which is almost done?
Trying not to give up: a vent / rant by iliveandbreatheux • last post Mar 28th
I’ve been an actor since 2014, so over 9 years now but things didn’t really start to pick up till 2020 funny enough. I’m non union and have had a lot of “career changing almosts” but my biggest fear is I’ll never book union work. It’s incredibly depressing to see my acting friends who have less than 3 years exp, become sag or sag-e and book consistently and often. All I can do is support them in their wins but I can’t even book a co-star myself despite auditioning for them for the last 9 years. I’ve been consistent in my training and receive nothing but great feedback, I’m represented in LA, NY, ATL and the UK, have gotten praise from casting, been pinned/called back for life changing work and never booked. Last year for the first time in my life I booked 5 non union commercial gigs instead of creating my own work and booking student work like I normally do. My resume is 90% shorts I created myself (bc no one wants to know you can’t book so I had to make my own work) because I’m not that bookable (but booking all those commercials last year and showing my reps I CAN book did boost my confidence a lil), but I have this dreading feeling hanging over me that I won’t ever book a sag job. I’m also plus size and have struggled with my weight my whole life. At my thinnest, I didn’t book and at my heaviest was when I booked big jobs finally. But I fear I won’t book sag film/tv/commercial unless I’m skinny. I went from a size 24 to size 10, now I’m a size 16/18 and trying to lose weight again but I feel this industry highly prefers skinny over everything. I’ve even had casting directors and agents at showcases in the past tell me to my face “you have a leading lady face but the best friend body, lose weight if you want to work”.. I’ve been told so many times about my modeling potential if I was skinny. Even during this industry shutdown I am consistently auditioning for both non union / union jobs and average 20-30 auditions per month, sometimes more depending on the season. Everyone has said how slow it is but it’s been overwhelmingly busy for me. Will I ever book sag? I just want to book one co-star and feel worthy. I have put down thousands of dollars on my package (headshots, training, making my own content to make my own reel, festival submissions to get nominations/awards etc) over the years, have reps who believe in me and get me seen for all the hot projects but I feel like I’ll never book. I quit almost every year after 9 years but I always come back after a few days after saying I was gonna quit. Am I wasting my time? I have a passion for acting and have never complained ever until now. I’m trying to focus on my corporate career bc I feel like I won’t ever accomplish my goals. 9 years and I can’t even book ONE sag job. Idk. If you read this far, thanks for reading
I need more actor friends who can help me immediately as I get an audition by mydixxxierectt • last post Mar 28th
I’m talking Soon as I get the email I’m on my way to your crib immediately this acting shit is probably the most competitive hobby ever
I'm going back into acting to help with my anxiety/depression by bessita • last post Mar 28th
I have never acted professionally, only in community theater and school productions, but it always made me so happy to go up on stage and lose myself to the character. The last time I was on stage was 10 years ago, but it was a very positive experience. High school was when my anxiety and depression kicked in full force. I lost my passion for a lot of my hobbies, including acting. Every day, up until a year or two ago, was a struggle to get out of bed. I had friends who stayed in the acting scene and would always encourage me to audition or just to join different groups, I couldn't muster up the will to do it. Now, 10 years later, I feel the need to get back up on stage. I want to belt out monologues with extreme passion, I want to feed off of other actors' energy and return the favor, I want to make an audience laugh and cry, and I want to lose myself on stage again. My therapist said acting would probably be a good coping mechanism for my anxiety. I don't want to act professionally. Frankly, I think that would worsen my anxiety. I want to start off with some classes, I'm leaning towards some improv classes I found online. I have never taken any professional acting classes, so I think that would be a great way to start. Then I need to find some community theater groups to join. If anyone has any recommendations for the Houston Area, please let me know.
Should I change my stage name ? by bustergaming777 • last post Mar 28th
So I mainly work on screen and I’m registered in the UK with equity and all profiles like spotlight in my stage name but there is an actor in the US who mainly works on musicals/singing with the same name as me. Will this be a problem ?
Acting Industry in 5 years time (2028) by IForgetHowToRead • last post Mar 28th
Considering the slump in acting jobs at the moment and the oncoming recession we're heading into (or are currently in), where do you see the industry for actors such as yourselves being in five years time? Back to normal? Better than pre-pandemic? I know there are a thousand factors to this but just wondering what people's versions of returning to actual normality are.
Is it possible to be an actor(trees) without college? by bowlmanfan • last post Mar 28th
Hope this doesn't sound like a dumb question. I mean I was curious if it is still possible without a formal degree other than high school.
How much did you have to learn/unlearn when going from theatre to film? by MCKtheMan • last post Mar 28th
I have a theatre background and while I've gotten a good handful of roles in film, a TV credit and a national commercial under my belt, I'm realizing how much of my theatre days I haven't left behind. I have a naturally loud voice (partly because of my theatre training) which have been deemed too big for the camera so I'm looking to sign up for an on-camera class in the future. I've taken a few of them in the past, and each have been different so I'm curious to know what all you had to unlearn in these classes. I ask because even though I'm trying to focus more on film and TV, I would like to get back into occasionally doing theatre again (provided my career's in a good spot) and I don't wanna lose what all I learned in that area. I know there's the saying of 'stick to one medium' but I don't wanna leave theatre behind. I mean, some of the most versatile actors I know can do both theatre and film.
Who else is glad that the way of thinking and certain views have changed by love_acting99 • last post Mar 27th
I read an article about how film/theatre were more prestigious than TV (or any other combination they could think of), and I hated the way of thinking. How can you compare them when at the core, essentially, they are all the same thing (acting)? That's why this new golden age of TV and TV now being considered just as prestigious as any other medium makes me happy because let's be honest: TV is a very exciting medium. But also I just don't think it makes sense to compare film and theatre and TV when they're all acting. And also they each provide their own pros/joys and cons/annoyances but who cares? It's acting. It's fun. TV is great because you get to act in a "longer" story where the characters grow in every episode, and you have opportunities to be a big role but not necessarily be in every episode and still have the flexibility to audition for other roles (aka recurring roles), and you're doing something different every day, and usually you're filming several scenes in a day so there's a whole lot less downtime. Film is great because there are so many great films outside the Hollywood blockbuster spectrum that tell the most amazing stories in anywhere from like 20-120 minutes and just like film, you're working on something different every day. And if you really want to you also get to really pay attention to other aspects of filmmaking due to the long set-up times. Theatre's awesome because you get to perform live and get to experience things as they go. And who doesn't like an audience? Cons is that for TV if you're a series regular you might be tied down to that one show for years, for film they just shoot so slow lol, and for theatre it gets boring doing the same show every night (at least for me). Personally I think that not every film you work on will be better than every TV show you work on or vice versa, and not every film will be better than theatre and vice versa, and not every theatre show will be better than TV and vice versa. TL;DR- Basically I'm happy that the old way of thinking is scrapped and no medium is necessarily considered more "prestigious" anymore and us actors have the luxury of bouncing between TV theatre and film because let's be honest: I don't want to stick to one when I can do all three.
Why Does Everything I Record Sound Terrible? by CuttlefishWarrior • last post Mar 27th
(Sorry if this is the wrong flair, I wasn't sure which I should use.) Hey there, folks! I'm a high school junior amateur working on my demo reel right now. I've done theatre for all of high school, and it's my dream to do voice work as a career. Problem. I'm recording some work (context: I know someone who works at USC in the School of Cinematic Arts who offered to send in my reel when I record it), but everything I record sounds terrible. Not the sound quality, the voice and acting themselves. According to my classmates and director, I'm a good actor, but everything I record just doesn't sound good, even after tens of takes. Is it a matter of rehearsal? Am I just being too hard on myself? Any advice?
A controversial opinion: Scene Study is not necessary for Film & TV by CreepyKaiYay • last post Mar 27th
I've been taking an on-camera class for Film & TV for the last year and my teacher has emphasized that scene study should not be the focus, but rather creating character first. Character is the #1 thing that as actors, we need to focus on creating. It's the personality of the character and what they're dealing with on the inside that pulls us in. Not their beats, moments and transitions and saying each line in a different tone. While great for foundations, scene study is not necessary and will not work on camera as it's very manufactured and the consistency of your character may not show. We don't use beats, moments, or transitions when talking to people in life. You first need to get down your character before even looking at the script. Think of one or two personality choices for your character that the CD's have given you. Then see if there is something you can bring to the chatacter and scene that was not written. Playing the scene the way its written can be a death trap. As one of the CD's from Euphoria said "don't fall into the trap.". Well what's the trap? "Playing the scene the way its written". How important is scene study to your actors process? Personally for me, character must come first before I go through the script/audition sides. Then see if there is something that I can add that will help my character standout that works appropriately.
What show has the best casting? by briancalpaca • last post Mar 27th
not the show you most want to appear on, but the show that if you know you make it through their casting process, it says something about you as an actor?
I’m frustrated and agitated to being screwed over by Proof-Pollution454 • last post Mar 27th
As an actor who is currently finalizing their materials to make sure they stand out professional and show great acting capabilities, it pisses me off how filmmakers fail to communicate with the cast and crew on how on the cast and crew on how their project is coming along and update it. I’m going to share an experience. Back in 2021 I auditioned for a short film which was low budget 30 minute shit in a black magic. I did the self tape and never got the audition. Weeks pass by and the guy needs a replacement on set ASAP. I went out of my way and messaged him about wanting to do the project and he offered me role on the spot. I got the script last minute which was long , the director said it was a 3 day shoot back to back in the night , and on top of that it was unpaid but that was the least of my concern. I didn’t know any of my lines at all whatsoever so I had to learn them as I went along. We wrapped filming and the director said it would IMDb credited , go to festivals , and we get the footage. The weekend ends and we don’t hear back from him which is normal. But then those weekends turned into weeks and then months and we didn’t hear back from until fall 2022. He then responded to the entire cast and said that reason he didn’t get back with us was due that he had a family emergency and that it required his full attention. He then asked me if I knew any editors who would be fine editing his short film for free. I spoke to to countless editors and explained to them the situation and even told them that I wouldn’t mind paying for it because editing is time consuming. I sent them all to the director and go figure the director then said “ I appreciate looking out for me but I’ll let you know when I get a director “ and just left me on read. I then told him that everyone needed the footage for their reels and etc and he didn’t bother to listen. Fast forward to 2023 , one of the cast messaged him and he said he was waiting on his tax return transcript to help pay for the editor and he would immediately give us the footage. We haven’t heard back from him at all. Then a costar who I was good friends with then told me that by mid March we would have the footage but by mid March we would have it but mid March passed already. Then , he had the audacity to post another casting call of another film he is currently working on filming only for the same issues to happen with the the previous film we did. He needed extras to show up on his set asap and quick to help film urgently. I really need that footage to help me make my demo reel before submitting to agencies