We have found 19,413 posts across 4 actor forums:
First major breakthrough! by Garavila • last post Oct 7th
So I've been doing acting for the past three years - took my first on-camera class in 2016 and since that class was more focused on camera technique, I told myself I wanted to learn how to act before I start to audition seriously and therefore enrolled in my local university's theatre studies track. So I've finally got some momentum building and got casted in a student film and my department's play last week! Additionally, while we were rehearsing for my student film yesterday, one of our takes felt SO REAL. I literally felt like my character and wanted what they wanted and felt like my scene partner was actually his character too. I told the director how I felt afterwards and he said "yeah, I could totally feel that too, the tension was definitely there." Eee! I'm so excited that I've finally witnessed a point where most actors strive for - the moment of ultimate "presence" in a scene and complete listening. Anyway, never give up! It's taken me three years to get this far and boy was I tempted to quit last year.
Additional Demo Practice (Follow-Up to My Last One) by ChanChanRevolution • last post Oct 7th
Hey y'all, I just wanted some tips on this latest demo. I've posted here before and the responses were incredibly helpful. I took the feedback to heart and changed up a couple things on how I did this one. This process has helped me learn things about myself as an actor that I had inklings about before, but now are becoming clear, and I feel that I'm taking the steps from being an amateur to being a novice. So yeah, after all that, please feel free to judge and critique as you see fit. As with my last one, I left my slate off because there's no reason to include it here. https://soundcloud.com/chantrieri/chantrieri-demo-practice-2
Do I Need A Natural Talent? by Ketshup • last post Oct 7th
I have no experience or training in voice acting, I don't get comments on how great my voice is, and I'm literally just a teenager. That said, I think that voice acting is a career that I would love every aspect of. I can practice and all that, but something I've heard is that you need a natural talent. Is this true? Or can anyone become a successful voice actor/actress with enough hard work? If a natural talent is required, how do I know if i have it? I know you can't start off perfect, but I don't want to like waste my time or something. Thanks for reading!
Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Acting Studio Company? by sighphers • last post Oct 7th
Hi, I'm based in Melbourne and looking into whether I should join the 2020 Acting Studio Company. I was wondering if anybody has had any personal experience with this, or heard about it? Otherwise, I'd welcome any advice on whether this 'short course' would be worth it, compared to 16th Street and other options in Melbourne. (It should be noted that I live on the west side, however, making consistent transport to the east - where most acting studios are - quite difficult; VCA is located in the CBD, which is more convenient for me.) I'd like to train/study as an actor in some capacity, although I don't think I have the time/money to commit to a Bachelor of Fine Arts as I'm already pursuing other undergraduate studies. Here's a link to the website: [https://mspace.unimelb.edu.au/courses/short-courses/acting-studio-company](https://mspace.unimelb.edu.au/courses/short-courses/acting-studio-company)
Should I use Backstage or Actors Access? by hoodiebeanie • last post Oct 7th
Backstage is pretty expensive. What do you suggest?
Is taking BA acting for university important? by MrPopulism • last post Oct 7th
I'm a 19 yr old guy who's only been in one play in my entire senior year but who has ambitions of being an actor for film and TV. I've been looking into taking an acting course in Norway as it seems it's one of the few available Bachelor programs. My family tells me to pick some other course other than acting so I've been thinking for quite a while. I just want to know if it's necessary for me to take an acting program in college to improve my career chances after graduation?
Are most actors wage slaves ? by Which_Set • last post Oct 7th
I've heard that more than half of all the actors have another job than acting to pay the bills, and that most actors act for a very low salary, sometimes even for nothing. So basically most actors pay the bills thanks to their side job. I'm considering to try an acting career, but I want to be prepared, that's why I'm asking : should I expect to be a wage slave for a while, or even for a long time ?
UK actors wanted for Skulduggery Pleasant short film - the button by Vaikriya • last post Oct 7th
Hi people or r/acting I have recently begun casting for a short film on Starnow and wanted to get the word out. Here is the listing: [https://www.starnow.co.uk/listings/ListingDetail.aspx?l\_id=1035642](https://www.starnow.co.uk/listings/ListingDetail.aspx?l_id=1035642) The production is Birmingham based and as it is a student production unfortunately it is unpaid, however I will be paying for lunch on shooting days ​ The Button is a short story written by Derek Landy that takes place within the Skulduggery Pleasant universe. The story is about the two main characters of the series, the titular Skulduggery Pleasant the skeleton detective, and his teenage protégé Valkyrie Cain, on December 21st 2012, trying to prevent the end of the world. The cause of which is predicted to be an Irish boy, named Conor, who has built a doomsday button that will end the world when pressed. The film will be 10-15 minutes long and be a simple dialogue scene within one location. The roles needed are Valkyrie Cain Skulduggery Pleasant Conor ​ If you don't have a Starnow account and are not comfortable with making one please feel free with PMing me with your phone number, acting experience, where in the UK you are based and Head shots/ photos of you. In tern I will send you a copy of the script and ask you to send back a video audition by November 1st. (I will not be taking application after 20th October) After video auditions are sent in I will then be holding in person auditions at Birmingham City University, which is located within Birmingham City Centre. If you are an actor who is just starting out and would like some work on your portfolio or you are someone who is very passionate about the skulduggery pleasant series and believes they will be perfect for the role, please apply. ​ Also as a side note I do know people on the photography course at Birmingham City University so although the project is unpaid I may be able to offer professional Head shots for your portfolio.
Wanted to share some info on proper acoustic treatment and recording setups by ErikPeabodyVO • last post Oct 7th
Hi everyone! My name is Erik Peabody, and I'm a voice actor and audio engineer based in Pittsburgh, PA. I see a lot of posts here about setting up recording areas and how to get a better sound from your recordings, and wanted to chime in to offer some advice. I spend a LOT of my time mixing audio for clients that have recorded in sub-optimal recording environments, and I also see a LOT of products marketed as "sound absorption" and "acoustic insulation" that have no business being sold as such. Keep in mind that everything I'm about to say doesn't matter IF YOU'RE HAPPY WITH HOW YOUR RECORDINGS SOUND. Every room is different, and you can sometimes stumble into great results in a situation that shouldn't sound nearly as good as it does! So, take everything here I say with a grain of salt. MAKE SURE YOU'RE LISTENING PROPERLY: Before we talk about anything else, you need to make sure that you're listening to your finished recordings properly before you can really diagnose what you should change with your recording setup. If you're only listening over desktop speakers in a reflective room, you won't really be able to hear your recording properly, and can't tell if you need to dampen your recording environment more. If you're listening on casual-listening headphones, you likely won't be getting a full representation of your bottom end, and there could be noise or rumble down there that you'll never know about. In a perfect world, you would have flat(ish) response monitor speakers in an acoustically-treated environment, but that's out of the price range for a lot of folks. My best advice is to invest in a good set of headphones. I use a set of Beyer Dynamic DT-880 open-back phones and love them. Good representation across the EQ spectrum, I get a decent idea of the low end, and they're comfortable to wear. That being said, it's always good practice to high-pass your recordings at a certain point (specifics depends on your voice) to make sure that you're removing any rumble that your headphones might not pick up. Keep in mind that open-back headphones tend to be better for critical listening, but are not good for use during VO recording, as there can be sound bleed out of the open backs and into the mic. FOAM DOES BASICALLY NOTHING: The "acoustic" foam that's widely marketed and that I see a lot on here doesn't do much at all. The goal of acoustic treatment is to absorb the sound and prevent it from bouncing around your room, which will result in an inability to properly hear frequencies during mixing, and will also create echo and reflections during voice recording. To absorb the full spectrum of your voice (or any sound,) any absorption material needs MASS. Foam does practically nothing, since it weighs practically nothing, and is so porous that most sound will cut right through it. You will likely get \*some\* change in sound if you put up a lot of foam, but it will mostly dampen the high frequencies, which require less mass. If anything, this will make your recordings sound boomier, since the low and mid frequencies are still bouncing around. You can spend a ton of money of proper absorption setup if you want, but there are some budget routes that work remarkably well. Booth Junkie (who frequents these subreddits) has a great video on building a budget acoustic panel, and shows you how much of a difference it can really make. I recommend you check out his video (and many of his videos) to help learn more about the acoustics of your room during voice recordings. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ApIWbjvcA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ApIWbjvcA) To those of you that say, "but I put up a bunch of foam and now my recordings sounds way better," I respond, "do they really?" I would suspect that a great many of you that feel that way are actually lacking the proper listening setup to be able to determine if it really sounds better, or just sounds different. Remember, if you record in an echoing room and then listen back in the same room, how can you tell? Even if you can't tell, you might not be getting gigs because the people deciding who to hire CAN tell. PICK THE BEST AREA TO RECORD IN: Having a super small space (like a closet) will likely give you trouble even if you toss a ton of good absorption material in there. Every space is different, but I'd caution you to be VERY critical when listening to your first recordings, as low-end bass reflections are notorious in closet setups. If you have the option to try a few different areas, it's worth your time to setup your acoustic panels wherever you can and see which room sounds best. Sometimes, a larger room will work better if you're smart about placing the panels. WORK ON BETTER PRACTICES BEFORE BUYING NEW GEAR: Not happy with how your final masters sound? Outside of setting up better acoustic treatment, make sure to learn as much as you can about your software before you decide you need a new mic, preamp, AD converter, or anything else. I did the first year of my VO career with a Behringer B1, which cost less than $100. Proper EQ, compression, etc will have a huge impact on how your final recordings sound. It is much more worth your time to practice using these tools than it is to just go out and upgrade gear. Along those lines, find a professional voice over site that will let you download a demo from another VO artist. Toss that into your recording software alongside your own recording and do everything you can to make your recording sound like the demo recording. With some practice (and a proper listening environment!) you'll be surprised at how much closer you can get it without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on new gear. Keep in mind that mixing and mastering are totally separate disciplines that people spend years developing, so don't expect miracles, but you will likely get more mileage from this than purchasing new equipment. DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET HELP: There is frequent advice about hiring voice coaches or acting coaches, but I'm not here to talk about that. If you're not happy with how your recordings sound, don't be afraid to reach out to a mixing engineer for help. There are tons of people online (myself included) that offer professional services to VO artists and are happy to work for a reasonable cost. Additionally, I've had a number of situations where I've helped clients setup their room to work better for them. If you're doing this for fun or for little CCC gigs, do NOT spend any more that you don't need to. However, if you're frustrated with your progress and want some help in getting better recordings, there's nothing wrong with reaching out to a professional instead of wading through the dozens of charlatan blog posts and youtube vids online. That's it! I hope that this helps you setup a better recording environment and avoid spending money on foam and other things that you don't need to. I'm happy to answer any questions here, and you can also email me at [erik.peabody.voice@gmail.com](mailto:erik.peabody.voice@gmail.com).
When to follow up with representation? by FunneyBonez • last post Oct 6th
This past Wednesday I had a stellar “audition” aka pay to play meet with a manager. Performance went smooth, which they enjoyed but the conversation following is really what me feel we’re a perfect match. We spoke about everything under the sun acting related, they even called me a “star” (no I’m not letting it get to my head) amongst other kind things said. They seemed incredibly interested in representing me, I got the email and left with a big smile. The next day I sent over an email with most of my headshots, my resume, reel clips with a thoughtfully worded email thanking them.......alas to no response. Now I know most of you may be thinking “But Bonez, this is still *very* early in terms of communication and contact” and I completely understand that. But for us actors when our eyes light up and we have interactions like these, it’s hard to not feel uneasy when things suddenly go blank. I made the mistake of sending it with an email tracker on, which shows they opened it, clicked my reel, watched 30 seconds and that was that! (I promise I’m not crazy). With all of this being said, should I reach out next week? Never again? I’m currently doing a solid amount of work so I feel it would be great to rattle their memory, but part of me believes how could they possibly forget the wonderful conversation we had! The other part of me is thinking “they’re also probably just busy” which may just be the case. Reddit, what would you do here? When’s the time to follow up?
What happens if I don't submit a requested self-tape on actors access?? by totallytubular11 • last post Oct 6th
I really really really dislike the project and the script, and trust me I know that I should take any given opportunity but I just know I'm not the right person for this part, and wouldn't be serving the story. It's from a fairly small casting director and director that haven't really seen me, so I don't think there's too much to lose. I just don't know how to go about it with my agent because it's not like there's nudity or anything crazy that I could easily say I didn't want to do.... and I'm obviously not in a position where I can pick what projects to do. I also don't have the equipment etc., so I'd have to dish out a bit of money for the self tape as well, and it just feels like a waste. so... what would happen if I just don't submit at all?? or... what are some good excuses to give my agent for not wanting to submit?? I have an in person audition the day before the tape is due, so the "I'm sick" excuse won't seem realistic. Also... I really want to reiterate that in my 5 years going out to audition I've rarely ever turned anything down, and if I have I've been legitimately sick, or out of the country, etc. I know opportunities are important and I will go out for basically anything, but this project is just not it.
Technique to get you cast in more roles by launchmystar • last post Oct 6th
I have created a custom technique to help you raise your IMDB score which, regardless of what anyone else tells you, is extremely important in landing roles. Many people in the industry (actors, directors, producers) will confirm this. If you are an aspiring actor, reach out to me and we can set up a completely free consultation. NO payment until you start seeing improvements on your score AND decide that you want continue working together. PM me and we can have an intelligent conversation. Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
Help me out here! by haya_mohsin1 • last post Oct 6th
I wanna be an actor, I’m studying acting and practicing, and I honestly think I have a chance. I dunno if I’m pretty enough though. I’m 5’3 122 pounds, flat (ish) stomach and big thighs. I have black wavy hair and tan skin. I have some tiny scars on my face but they aren’t that noticeable with makeup on. I have big lips and an average nose, along with what people like to call “anime eyes” I also wear glasses. Ok now that I described myself, try to imagine how I look like. Do you think I’m pretty enough? If you still don’t know then message me and I’ll give u my snap or ig. Help me out here people :(
Acting by PraizmarC • last post Oct 6th
As a growing actor, how do I memorise my lines effectively in order for me not to forget any of them?
Looking for 2 Adult Male Voice-Actors for Vikings of the Interstate animation fight-scene short by Fleckogold • last post Oct 6th
Howdy! I'm Trever Barger, an underground multimedia animator creating cartoons; I'm looking for two male voice actors to fill the roles for my upcoming animation short to a series from writer, Doug Atkinson, called Vikings of the Interstate. You can watch the pilot and follow the storyline from here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJb-INOCYk0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJb-INOCYk0) We're offering a bounty for each of the parts listed below to the VA selected. In this scene, a ninja-viking is facing off against a detective from a small police precinct. A fight scene ensues. **Role#1: ($75) Higgins** is the detective. Southern US accent. Mid-pitch. He's the scapegoat among his compatriots, but excels as a member of the force. After a frustrating set of events when emotions are at full throttle, Higgins gives up trying to contact the rest of his team over his dispatch at HQ. He then makes his way to the back of the station to find the ninja-viking from the pilot episode lurking around the munitions storage. Higgins draws his gun. (sample line 1) : (yelling into an a radio): "Is anyone there?! ... ... .... HEY!" (sample line 2): (walking to the back of the station, talking to himself) "I swear I'm the only competent one in this precinct..." (sample line 3): (seeing the viking, making the distinct connection between what witnesses had warned him about, and what is in front of him. Disbelief disappearing) "Vikings!" (sample line3): (committing to make an arrest on a suspect) "FREEZE!" This is a fight scene so the role demands a few grunts, sighs, and yells to fit the action going on. ​ **Role#2: ($40) Ninja-Viking** won't say much, or even make any grunts; has two lines, but will be speaking Russian. Low-pitch. Calm, cool, collected, balanced, zen-like. (sample line 1) : (after trapping the detective, and making his escape) Это для лучших - "Eto dlya luchshikh" (This is for the best) (sample line 2): (before leaving) Ты увидишь - "Ty uvidis'" (You will see.) ​ Send your sample lines to Doug ([doug@industrialzen.us](mailto:doug@industrialzen.us)) . Those chosen will be sent a copy of the short to sync the final recordings over. ​ Thank you!
Advanced question for the experts out there, regarding being verbatim with lines. by Signifying--Nothing • last post Oct 6th
I understand in well established plays in theater and Shakespeare you want to be 100% verbatim, but at what point in a film and tv can you just chuck out the idea of being word for word and just naturally let the character shine by making the lines your own and not placing them so neatly in order as it was written? I’ve gotten mixed responses for both positions. On one hand I can see how the writers want to see their work performed and on the other I can see how the lines are means to help the actor convey the underlying thoughts. So at what point can the professional actor take what’s written and make it their own without being word for word? Does this happen more often than not?
Actor's Fast Track by ActorBoi80 • last post Oct 5th
Has anyone used the Actor's Fast Track service? Curious about their various plans, what I'd be getting for my money, what anyone's thoughts are on Valerie, etc. Thanks!
Need to be casted (M13 can do a lot of voices) by DragonHost • last post Oct 5th
Hey so I'm a 13 M looking to start in the voice acting business and I was told to come here. Is anyone looking for voice actors in games or animations?
Reading people by stile03 • last post Oct 5th
Hey guys, so I’m very very new to acting, like I’ve never taking a class or been in any plays but I’m at the stage where I like to analyse acting in film and identify what good actors are doing and what bad actors are doing. Anyways I work in a kiosk where I serve like 5 people an hour so I have a lot of time to analyse the people walking past (nothing better to do and it gives me some acting practice). So my main question is what should I be looking for? Their motive? Their body language/movements? The way they interact with the environment/individuals around them? I’m basically asking for a check list on what to look for. Thanks in advance.
Ghetto Recording Booth by Sam__Seed • last post Oct 5th
Hi all, Not a voice actor here, just a dad looking to do something nice for his daughter. Story time is our thing but I’ve started working away from home more than I would like to so haven’t been able to hold up my end of the bargain. Sooo I’ve decided to record some stories. I have a mic that isn’t designed for this purpose (Zoom H1) but it’s the best thing I’ve got and I’ve no cash to fork out on one that is. The “booth” however is an issue. All I have are household items, again with no budget for anything else. What could I throw together to get the best possible recording out of this mic?