We have found 19,298 posts across 4 actor forums:
Working in a 'satellite' city by louisasnotes • last post Oct 21st
I have been thinking if asking this for a while, to see if anyone's experience is similar to mine. My Satellite city is the [3rd largest movie/TV making hub in North America](https://www.vancouvereconomic.com/film-television/) , and generally makes " 65+ movies and 55+ TV series annually, as well as hundreds of other filming days for commercials, TV pilots and other features " per year. And I'm not working. I returned to the Biz in 2014 and for the 1st 3 years did all I could to build a resume. Approximately 2/3 broadcast credits and 2 Theatre credits per year. In 2017 I found out that I had worked in 2 Union gigs that year without my Agent informing me ( He knew of my interest prior to this.), then booked a 3rd within a matter of weeks. I had enough credits to 'become Pro', and joined the union, because I would much rather earn $1000 per day, than $100. Since then I have had 1 single-day filming. Last week I went to my 6th audition of 2019. 6 !! The answer from my Agent (One of the biggest in town) is that there just isn't that much work around for union actors. I have found out from my union meetings that the Biz, here, works like this: All major acting jobs are auditioned in L.A. If there are day player opps., then they go to local actors and - if the production can afford it - Union actors are seen first. Commercials are ALL non-union, and Casting Directors and Agents make their best money from these, so there is pressure to remain non union, to make these professionals busier. If an actor cannot work, then there may be 'last minute' auditions, here, to fill that gap if a replacement cannot be found in the Production's 'home office' - usually the Sates. Agents don't negotiate, casting directors simply make tapes and forward them to Hollywood for a Director's OK - very rarely is a Director/Producer 'in the room'. Everyone is far happier simply to have these productions in town, rather than 'rock the boat' in any way. I either had a massive downgrade in talent following 2017, or there just isn't the paid work, here - hard to believe with this amount of work in town. Behind-the-scenes professionals work full time and, frequently, Movies cannot find the right match of locations and behind-the-camera talent when they need them because the city is too busy. Given that 95% of all actors are unemployed at any one time, our current Union membership numbers mean that around 250 actors are working, but not me. Perhaps I'm in the wrong demographic, but I'm always turning down non-union and theatre work, because I can't work them anymore. I can earn my agent a bigger cut of earnings, so I can't think of a reason why I'm 'black balled' from getting work. there are only a handful of Casting Directors in town and I have a good relationship with them all, so I'm not a 'difficult' actor. I would love to hear if anyone else's 'satellite' works like this, or from Casting Directors and Agents from here in case I have misunderstood the market. I'm getting close to calling it quits: This summer I received great notices for two theatre roles I took 'under the table' because I couldn't resist the challenge, and would have earned more money from 1 day coughing in the background of 1 scene, no lines on a TV episode than I did for 6 weeks of "live" work. Agents and Casting Directors don;t go to theatre, here, because there's enough non-union talent to keep them busy without looking for any established actors. That's a fact of professional acting, but to never even get in the room for an audition that pays enough to pay the bills makes me think that 'it's me'. Thoughts?
Looking for female voice actor who sounds like "Wendy's Girl" Morgan Smith Goodwin by denverbrandy • last post Oct 21st
Hello, my company is looking to hire a voice actor who sounds like the "Wendy's Girl", Morgan Smith Goodwin. Here are a couple of links to example videos: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7ah_/wendys-salads-wedding https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AVnG/wendys-more-for-four We'll need the voice actor to say basic phrases and food names that are typically associated with taking food orders. No audio editing required (we'll do this on our side). If interested, please DM me and submit a sample with the following script: "I have added one bacon burrito to your order. I have one bacon burrito, one large pepsi, and an order of wild spuds. Your total is thirteen dollars and forty-six cents, thank you." Please also provide your quote and timeline for delivering the total script (around 2000 words) should you be hired. Feel free to DM me with any questions and I'll be happy to clarify further. Thanks!
How long is too long to go without booking? by danikabananika • last post Oct 21st
I’ve been doing some soul searching lately and trying to decide if acting is something I can continue to pursue as a career. I haven’t booked in a year. I haven’t even had a callback this year, and I’ve been getting less than stellar feedback at auditions. I’m just so confused, I’m training, I usually get private coaching for every audition I have and it just feels (and sounds) like I’m becoming a worse actor.
The Lion | A short film about an irritated voice actor by sarcasm-intensifies • last post Oct 21st
IMDBPro account profile for child actor? by indieshack2 • last post Oct 21st
I'd like to create an IMDBPro account for my daughter who does a small amount of acting work in film and TV (not carded). I can't see a way to do this, only create a profile for myself? Thanks
Question about changing the pitch of your voice by pandaninjarawr • last post Oct 21st
I'm not trying to become a professional voice actor or anything, but I try to practice a bit of fun stuff for DMing my DnD campaign. Recently I've begun to record my sessions and I've found out that even though the voices that I thought were high or low, actually sounded like my normal voice with a *slightly* higher/lower pitch. It sounds a lot more drastic in my head when I say it, but it seems that the result does not match what my ears hear in person. ​ I don't know what kind of advice, answer, or general tidbit I could get but I thought it'd be worth trying and asking. Is there something I should do or practice to make the change a bit better?
how are you supposed to even audition for theater if you're non-equity? by incubus2311 • last post Oct 21st
i started pursuing acting at 28. i'm now 32 and I live in NYC. i've done a bunch of shorts, improv shows, and student films and have been training for years. I've never pursued theater because I wait tables and, despite what you may have heard, i don't find these jobs flexible at all. if I booked a show, my manager would just fire me and hire somebody else. because its 2019 and the economy is cut throat for even shitty low wage waiter jobs. i've finally tried to audition for some theater, and i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how anybody actually does this. people have said "well you should have done regional theater when you were 19 and gotten your equity card before moving to new york". well that's great but not everybody has that option and you can't turn back time. so far I've gone to 8 open calls and I have not been seen even once! so that's 8 days of my life completely wasted. giving up shifts and work for absolutely nothing. how is anybody supposed to even try this? why is this industry so closed off to "new" people? everything seems like a chicken or the egg situation, and for the life of me, i have no idea what to do. am I supposed to keep attending these open calls at 6am and sitting around all day praying to get seen? i feel like this is why people stop pursuing acting... because they are literally not even given a single opportunity to TRY and pursue it! they are cock blocked by how everything is set up! doesn't casting want to discover new talent? wouldn't actually giving non-equity actors a chance to audition be the way to actually find new people? i'm really having a hard time understanding this, and i'm losing steam. it's hard enough trying to get an agent for film / tv when you're not sag, it's hard enough being an adult working for free on student films and all that stuff..... when you're not even able to make money from this... my only conclusion is that this pursuit is simply for rich people only. working class people are just completely disqualified because of these ridiculous barriers and having to work for free for so long. what am I missing here? how do you people even do this? i'm only 32, i'm not even that old! this is really frustrating and so far nobody I ask has any answers. not even having the ability to audition really makes me question if this is even worth wasting my life chasing anymore, because thats what this feels like, a waste of time. i can spend money in acting classes til the cows come home but if I can't even get an agent or even the opportunity to audition for anything that actually pays you... then i'm just spinning in circles accomplishing literally nothing. i don't get it
Stage-names, my ideas! Help! by davidphuggins • last post Oct 21st
Hi, guys. So, I recently signed up for an acting agency here in London and have landed a teeny-tiny minor role. Now, of course, nothing humongous.. more like an independent film...but it still has a fairly decent budget, it will still be available to watch on Amazon for free, I’ll get paid for it, et cetera. I’m sure you all know how it works, I doubt I’ll be a Hollywood actor anytime shortly. However. My manager didn’t tell me I had to, but suggested I change my name to a stage name, as my real name, “David Huggins” doesn’t have much of a ring to it, or whatever? And told me to think about it and come up with a couple of ideas, I sent over to him NINETEEN different stage names I’d happy stick with. He then narrowed his favourites down to only three. Those three being: • Damian O’Reilly • Kitt Ramsay and Jacob Cunningham Now, obviously I like all three of them, as they were my ideas. However, I’ve been struggling to narrow them down to just one. I’m wondering if you guys could comment below which one you think is best, hopefully helping me finally decide on one. I have until Friday. So, plenty of time
Is it ok to include a monologue on demo reel? by noahaydenkhan • last post Oct 20th
So i don't have a lot of footage to work with. I was going to include a clip from a short i did and also a clip of a taped monologue I did. The monologue was filmed against a plain wall with good lighting and camera. Is it not ok...
How do I format my resume correctly? by noahaydenkhan • last post Oct 20th
Any tips would be helpful. Also, do I include info such as my height/weight/eye color/hair color as well and any profile links (like aa, lacasting, etc?) here is a PDF of how it currently looks: file:///home/chronos/u-e99e9f3d522e806c7e8235979cb0b9719704f48d/MyFiles/Downloads/Noah%20Ayden%20Khan%20Resume.pdf
Horror short in need of male voice actor [PAID] by redundantc_ • last post Oct 20th
Hey there folks. We recently wrapped a horror short film that’s centered around a guy listening to an audiobook when it starts describing the night he’ll be murdered. We have a low budget I’m willing to pay for your time and work, we can chat rates :) I need a male reader with a medium to low voice. The audiobook carries a lot of the short since the entire film is one take, so it’s important to find someone cool and keen to play around. If you’re interested comment or DM me your reel and your rates, let’s talk! If you want to see some of my previous work: http://christiangrobbelaar.com/projects
need some advice asap by MorgothMelkor78 • last post Oct 20th
I'm working on a short film as an actor for the first time... I've been in the business for a while, just, on the other side of the camera.... I'm still not quite sure how or why it happened but it did... I'm actually doing this.... still can't believe it myself.... anyway it's just two days of filming and the first day, according to the director and everyone on set, went well... I feel like I could've done better but since it's the first time I'm doing this I guess they'd know better.... we're starting filming in a few hours and I have not prepared for the scenes... I'm really doubting myself right now and trying not to freak out.... the fact that I'm playing the main character just scares the shit out of me... yesterday I worked with an amazing actress and she really helped me with everything.... today the focus is more on my character and I'm supposed to work on a facial expression.... I'm supposed to have the mad "I'm gonna fucking kill you" face and I'm not sure if I have it in me.... . . sorry for the long post.... if anyone reads this please help... any advice you got would be greatly appreciated...
Looking for Voice Actors for Youtube Series by roxthisworld • last post Oct 20th
Hi. I'm looking for voice actors for a fantasy series on Youtube. I will pay for the work ($30 per episode or I can negotiate a price with you). Please DM me if you're interested. :D
Callbacks by bwc_delight • last post Oct 20th
Do they tell all the actors who get a callback at once? Or do they do it one at a time as they see each person. Not sure if that makes sense or not
What do you do when the direction you’re given contradicts what you believe about the character you’re portraying? by dontcallmebythat • last post Oct 20th
My example is from an acting class, but I think this is a situation likely to happen on set with a director. I’ve had an experience where I interpreted that my character was making justified accusations and denouncing the other character. But my acting teacher said that my character actually had no idea what they were talking about, and that they were just confused and hysterical. I guess the direction worked in portraying what the teacher wanted to see from me physically, because everyone loved that performance. But I just felt wrong and guilty inside. Not only did I play the character as an actor thinking this is a crazy character (I don’t think a crazy character will actually know what they’re doing is crazy) but I think if this were to be in a play or movie, it would be a message that is harmful to society and that I strongly disagree with. I guess my question is this: Have you ever had to “go against your morals”, so to speak, in order to give a performance your director/teacher/whoever wanted from you?
Preamp recommendations? by larobie • last post Oct 20th
Hello hello voice actors. I am currently using a usb mic (Blue Yeti) with the Reaper DAW. I am looking to try and go to a xlr mic and needed to get a preamp that can connect to my Mac. I don’t have a large budget and wanted to know if anyone out there has some recommendations about what I should look for out there. Thanks in advance!!
I lost control of my actions while acting angry by CountlessSea744 • last post Oct 20th
I am playing Jud Fry in a production of Oaklahoma! and at a few points in the show Jud gets angry. We are doing run throughs at the moment. This particular instance was the smokehouse scene with Curly. When I stood up in a fit of rage and shot the ceiling I realized that after building up my emotions and becoming angry that the anger was real and that for a small amount of time had lost control of my actions. This is concerning as I might get too caught up in scenes. Jud Fry does things that could harm my fellow actors if I lose control, like strangling curly in the dream sequence. I feel a little spooked, but it'll probably be fine. Tl; dr: I'm a little scared I'm going to do something I don't mean to do while playing a character.
Production Assistant as a survival job? by m_t_g_999 • last post Oct 20th
Would a Production Assistant be a good survival job for an aspiring actor? I know it’s probably not a flexible job, but my thought is that it would help me learn about the process/what it’s like being on set, and there’s always the perk of being able to make industry connections. The thing I’m the most worried about is the lack of flexibility and the pay. From what I’ve found online, PA’s make around 30k a year. Would a single person be able to survive in LA on this salary?
Is becoming a famous actor more based on luck, skill or the ability to kiss ass? by technicallynerdy • last post Oct 20th
My first principal/majorly paying role! by breadheadbrandon • last post Oct 19th
Hey guys so since I've last posted I started taking an acting class at my CC and been on a couple more smaller sets for short films, but what i was really excited about was a gig I was booked for last week Back in september I saw a casting call for a pretty well known ticketing company casting for their commerical that was paying 1k for filming which I thought was huge compared to the last paying project I had. I applied and promptly forgot about it until about the beginning of the second week of october when I got a text confirming that I had been selected to be one of the principals for the commerical and to confirm the dates I was available. Fast forward to the shooting dates I got to meet a lot of other actors of varying experience and mediums. There were full time actors, actors from la, regular people who just did industrial work, theater actors etc. I learned the most in this project about the acting business than anything else I've done by far and even got to go through makeup for the first time. Being principal for the commercial was really different to the background/extra work I've been in and it really gave me perspective about how people who are the main cast for movies and TV shows must feel since we ended having a two day shoot, working 25hrs over the two days back to back which I had never done before and was really tired. turns out they were paying 1000per day of filming which I was estatic about but Im planning to take a break from acting/background work for a while since I wanna focus on school and shooting just kinda burnt me out for a bit. how was everyone else's experience getting the first big check?