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We have found 19,412 posts across 4 actor forums:

Can voice actor coaching through an online environment really work? by divorced_dad_670  •  last post Dec 5th

It seems to me that a coach should hear the student deliver lines in person and without risk of a poor quality internet connection. How coaching in any environment other than in person doesn’t appear to be worth it. Thoughts?

How to create a better connection with my agent. Plus, how can a talent help an agent to their fullest ability? by ActUpForNoReason  •  last post Dec 5th

So I'm signed to a fairly known/reputable talent agency that manages both models and actors in atlanta. My acting agent and I does not speak on a one-on-one basis unless it's something urgent. My agent manages like tons of people (there are always new faces on their social media) so I understand why. I've been signed for 8 months and have not booked anything so I believe it's safe to assume my agent won't bother with me AS MUCH unless I prove myself. A lot of people speak about their agent-talent relationship like a personal trainer and trainee relationship. My relationship with my agent could be chalked up to be like a long distance cousin relationship. I've talked to my agent one on one like once every couple months. Sometimes I feel that unless I'm actively working, or have any questions on current auditions, I shouldn't bother contacting my agents out of feeling "not worthy". I'm actively submitting on actorsaccess, castingnetworks, taking classes, researching the industry, updating my pictures, taking new pictures, etc. It's currently hiatus season and dry spell Is in full effect. I'm worried that my distance with my agent will ruin my chances of fully taking advantage of the upcoming pilot season. So my questions are: How can I get closer to my agent? What more could I be doing to help my agent find me work? Can anybody relate to my situation? Do you recommend talent agencies that bulk represent, what's the consensus? Am I better off or worse off as opposed to having no representation? I'll be happy to answer questions

Agent Hunting Questions by outerspaceplanets  •  last post Dec 4th

Hi folks. So, I used to have one of those agents who has 50+ clients and plays the numbers game and focuses on their top booking clients and mostly ignores everyone else. I got one audition in 6 months, so I fired him. Maybe I should have sought out a new agent when I had one to my name? I don't know, but it felt right and it's too late now. Random aside: It's funny, they were just talking about that kind of agent in the writers realm on the podcast episode of "Scriptnotes" that featured Mike Birbiglia. **My first line of questioning is**: how do you find an agent who is at least going to put in some effort in the beginning to see if you will be one of those actors who gets good feedback, callbacks, or bookings? Is it possible to find an agent who will non-commital represent you on a probationary period where you prove yourself, and is this allowed under SAG-AFTRA rules/regulations? Or how do you find less established agents who have a small client list and enough industry connections to get you in rooms at a more entry level (co-star parts)? I have a spreadsheet going, of course, but wondering if anyone has some direction to offer. **My second line of questioning is**: what are some good cover letter strategies to catch an agent's attention? I've heard it's good to use humor, have a story or a hook, talk about yourself and your acting/intentions, among other things. I've been told to keep it brief...but that kind of conflicts with including everything from that list I just mentioned... Would it be more powerful to have an *extremely* brief cover letter that has some kind of hook since barely anyone reads those kinds of things anyone? For example: my grandfather worked in advertising and once hired a guy who sent him a coconut with a message attached to it that said "Advertising is a tough nut to crack..." after rejecting him several times. It's kind of gimmicky, but it worked. I just need to see if there's anything I can be doing, other than improving my reel/headshot/resumé, to get a better response rate than last time, which was 1 out of ~50 and he ended up being a dud and a waste of time.

How can i start voice acting? by anabsolutewalnut  •  last post Dec 4th

Hi! I love watching cartoons like Steven universe, adventure time, and a few anime (eng dubbed of course) I have been wanting to become a voice actor for 2d animations since I was 11. I live in Singapore, and a Google search for voice acting courses don't show much... I do find many. Voice-over agencies, however, they are vocie over for ads, not 2d animation and such. I'm so passionate about voice acting and I really want to be in the industry. However, i dont have any experience or anything.( I also don't have am a rent which is a plus.) Can anyone please advise me?

I've heard Robert De Niro talk about practicing the inflection he wants to deliver a line with, but this conflicts with my understanding of good acting, novice though it is. by CameronTheCinephile  •  last post Dec 4th

I've often heard it said that micromamaging your portrayal this way results in an inauthentic, thusly bad performance; that great actors inhabit their roles to the point that their "delivery" isn't preconceived or self-conscious, but totally instinctual and spontaneous. Does that ring true, or have I misconstrewn something?

Getting Casted as Ugly by evergracelessone  •  last post Dec 4th

This is something I've always wondered. How do actors cope with playing the ugly character, especially when they're getting insulted on their actual appearance. Do they feel bad? I can't imagine that not taking a toll, constantly playing the unattractive character. I haven't been cast or auditioned as someone ugly or anything, but I do wonder sometimes.

ACX- Something seems too good to be true... by ArooTrain  •  last post Dec 4th

So, last night I signed up for ACX, uploaded one sample, and auditioned for one book. This morning I wake up and already have an offer from someone I didnt audition for. The message said: You have a message from gianmarco Di Pirro. Message: "Hello River, I love your voice and I think is perfect for my book. It's "Credit Repair" and is 30k words. I'm looking a narrator that can complete this book in 1 week and my target price PFH is 40$. Let me know if you are interesting. Thanks,Gianmarco" I know 40$ is lowballing, but I dont mind for literally my first book. His typo at the end makes me feel nervous for some reason. The other part that makes me nervous is I cant find him or the book anywhere, but also I have a hard time using the UI anyway. But even then, it seems REALLY fishy to me but of course that new actor deep inside me wants to be excited and cheer, but I really just want to be sure this is legit. Any advice from audiobook narrators on ACX? Am I being scammed? Or can I even BE scammed on here? I'm brand new and REALLY wasnt expecting anything soon. I'm not sure if you can look up people individually, but if you want to hear or see my profile to get an idea of why he'd be messaging me (I think it's pretty generic which again, why I'm nervous) here's the link [my account](https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=A2EO0NZRV3R0JC) Thanks for the help, newbie needs some guidance! EDIT: Important note I think! I just found the book, but the author's name doesn't match. I guess it could be an pen name but I dont see the need for that on a book on credit repair? I also suppose it could just be the same title, but I have doubts obviously [his book(?)](https://www.acx.com/titleview/A34FAY0MVV8X4D) EDIT 2: SORRY FOR ALL THE EDITS I JUST KEEP FINDING STUFF! So apparently he's a publisher, unless is name is common it wont let me put a link to this one, but it's a book called Empath by Oliver Peterson. Makes me feel a bit more validated? Maybe?

Some people say I’m good, others say I’m bad by ElevatorIsNotWorthy  •  last post Dec 4th

Hello fellow actors, For my entire life, I’ve had people call me a good actress and people call me a bad actress. I know that I’m not great, I’m pretty young, but I don’t think I’m horrible and I think I’ve had some good performances. My family is one of the groups that often tells me that I’m bad, and some of my friends not particularly involved in theater do too. Some of my friends from theater/acting camps tell me that I am good, but I don’t know if they’re just saying that to be nice. What should I believe?

How do you make actors access work for you? by erikawattimeisit  •  last post Dec 4th

I am still new to taking acting seriously and have seen other places that Actors Access is a good way to submit for small roles in the beginning. So I made an account! Tinkered with this for a year now. and I don't know how to use it! wanted to take these questions to a place I trusted. How do you use actors access, and does it benefit you when you are just getting started with acting as a career? any advice can be useful. Thanks!

Looking for Screen Acting Courses in London. by vassilisawad  •  last post Dec 4th

So I’ve been in London for about a month and a half, too concerned with finding a job, didn’t really have the time to look into how the whole industry works. I’m a professional actor trained in Greece, I hold a BA in English and I have professional experience on stage and screen in Greece. I’ve been meaning to apply for a MA program in a drama school here in London but I missed the deadline so I’m gonna have to wait a few months, meaning I’ve got plenty of time to orient myself, meet professionals and attend acting courses in the meantime. To wrap up, I’m looking for professional screen acting courses I could apply to and people in the industry willing to guide me and offer me their knowledge. Thanks in advance!

100% new 200% ambitious 300% mathematically incompetent by chrisredfieldu  •  last post Dec 3rd

Hello! I have zero experience with acting, voice acting, professional singing, entertainment industry - but I want to pursue voice acting. Now I will say off the bat I'm not one of those people "destined" to become a voice actor. I'm no Chris Sabat. However I think with training I could make a career of voice acting/related field. I could EASILY spend a week straight screaming in a booth making any voice my body could produce. My true dream is to be "the next pewdiepie" type of thing because it encapsulates everything I love but my second \*dream\* job would be to be a professional voice actor. I love every aspect of V/O - even the post production editing aspects/studio aspects. I love to sing, make voices, entertain, etc. I spend most of my time at home singing or trying to make noises. I can & do sing for hours until my voice gets tired. I dont have a beautiful voice but when I sing I can imagine myself playing a character like naruto, a spunky boy or something. I enjoy trying to learn to produce new noises lately attempting to learn how to "screamo" scream. I genuinely find it fun which is special as almost nothing else interests me in the slightest. I graduated college with a useless shit degree 3 years ago. Even since I've been working at a supermarket making minimum wage. I never believed I could pursue "The Arts" because of my family situation. My family doesnt support me wanting to do voice acting/acting in general. I'm not going to get into why but it's quite an unusual story. I doubt anyone else has the same story. I decided if I didnt pursue a career in entertainment I may as well just die because I suck at everything else pretty hardcore. The only path I have faith in, ironically, is the cutthroat entertainment industry. My grandfather was a professional broadway actor but he passed away. I'd like to think I have a little of his talent somewhere in my bones. Any advice? Where should I start? Does anyone have good resources on how to start practicing general acting / voice acting / impersonations? Does anyone want someone who speaks english fluently for a job? How do I know if I even have the talent to become a voice actor / how do I know if I even have potential to become one? I think I have the potential. Luckily I live close to NYC so any public resources within NYC I should be able to access. Thanks if you read this. : ) !

Is there anything else I should be doing to prep for pilot season with my new manager? by silkk8  •  last post Dec 3rd

I signed to a manager in NYC almost exactly a month ago, which I'm thrilled about. Obviously I am new to this manager who doesn't know me super well yet, and I honestly haven't been acting for very long, so I know I'm fighting an uphill battle with getting auditions in the upcoming pilot season. I'm very lucky to have a manager as I have no major (network) credits, but I want to fix that by doing all that I can. Should I be periodically checking in with my manager this time of year? If so, about what, besides the usual auditions/bookings updates? I definitely don't want to be pushy or a nag. I've updated her with my book out dates and with a list of CDs I've met and am going to meet in the coming weeks. I've added another CD intensive to my schedule and have signed up for some classes in December/January. I'm obsessively checking Actors Access/Backstage to self-submit where I can. My headshots are solid and industry standard, and I just got some new reel footage. Is this all basically a wait and see game from here on out? Or should I be doing something else that I haven't thought of?

Actor Therapy? (NYC) by Yaars23  •  last post Dec 3rd

Anyone have any experience with actor therapy in nyc? Specifically their casting director and agent workshop?

Actor’s Launchpad? (NYC) by Yaars23  •  last post Dec 3rd

Anyone have any experience with actor’s launchpad in NYC? Looks like an interesting platform.

How can I spin this weird habit into something productive? by sleepystarry  •  last post Dec 3rd

I only feel comfortable "acting" when i am in front of a mirror. I have no friends so I have no one to practice acting with.Whenever I try to turn on the camera and record a (poorly thought out) scene, I stiffen up. I'm sure there are exercises for solo improv sessions, but I'm wayyyy too in my own head these days. So for now, mirror acting feels like my only option. I like to sing kids songs in a musical style kind of like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUVsmIR4D-U). So imagine I'm singing "Do Your Ears Hang Low", but trying to be dramatic about it. Btw I can't sing whatsoever. So yah. How can I be a good actor for my mirror? Is there any way to improve or is this awful from the start?

How do YOU build relationships with Casting Directors? by Yaars23  •  last post Dec 3rd

I have seen many questions here, and also from my actor friends, so I'd like to compile some advice here. How do you network with CD's? Do you attend paid workshops? Do you reach out directly?

No forward movement in months...can I have some encouragement? by globon  •  last post Dec 3rd

I moved to LA recently and I feel like I’ve been put on the runaround this whole time. I found an actor’s group who told me I wasn’t ready to join because my experience is mainly in theater. So I took the leader’s advice and started taking classes in commercial acting at her recommendation. I finished that course and 4 weeks and $300 later, I realized that my instincts about this instructor were correct. He spent most of the course talking about himself and how skilled and great he is and even this final session, which was supposed to be shorter than usual, he spent over an hour of it (I’m not exaggerating!) talking about how smart he is and how everyone who fails after his class fails because they didn’t follow his advice to the letter. It got to the point he was repeating his success stories. I was devastated and drained, but I bucked up and approached him after class to ask what homework I can do to get better at reading copy in between classes. Despite this man saying again and again that “people fail after this class because they don’t use me as a guide!” he said that he doesn’t really cover that until week 3 of the next course. Which feels like bullshit to me. That’s the second person I’ve given money to teach me/otherwise advise me on this transition to LA whose advice was either just “get an IMDbPro account” (which is good advice but on its own??? Come on.) or “pay me more money”. At this moment I’m working two jobs and holding off on submitting for auditions until I’ve saved up enough for new headshots. My goal is to start up again in February, by which I’ve calculated I can meet my goal. In the meantime I’m reading plays, taking classes...and very quickly losing every ounce of the plucky confidence that got me out here. I’m just so, so discouraged right now but...I don’t really have a plan B. I don’t intend on coming up with one. It just *sucks.* Thanks for reading. Advice or no, it helps that this community is here.