We have found 19,297 posts across 4 actor forums:
What are your tips for mainly theater actors when auditioning for film/tv? by BigWungusBill • last post Jun 17th
Extra Skills and type cast request! by doodlebug_uk • last post Jun 17th
Hello there! First time pots here. I'm currently working as a commercial actor/model in Japan but looking to make my move back to the UK an pursue acting career. I have a few modeling head-shots and done a few short films but I am struggling to find my type and direction. *Processing img 6cozwo5d1u431...* ​ My hobbies are horse riding, Mauythai, singing & guitar. I also have military experience and on my return to the UK intend to improve my skills in horse riding and take some sword fighting workshops. I feel that these skills are useful for British actors. In addition to this, I am of course researching the market, making a website and attending classes etc. ​ As far as type goes, I am 28 but I still look quite young with a soft face and kind eyes, this limits the roles I feel I can take to more positive or vulnerable roles. ( I adore tom hardy and would love to play the dark brooding villains but that's not my wheel house yet) So far I have thought of a few types, they are mostly trust worthy or spoiled kind of roles, not sure if that's what i should be going for lemme know what you think: Young entrepreneur Arrogant boss Preacher/priest Young soldier or officer Prince spoiled or thoughtful Unlucky in love ​ Anyway please take a look at my pics and let me know what you think! Your help would be much appreciated! [A recent travel video i did](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_HO9qVC2Co) [Some more images](https://imgur.com/a/jOZPX9g) ​ Thanks!
Is Mr. Cousineau from HBO's Barry a good acting teacher? by nic0lk • last post Jun 17th
So I was wondering this but didn't know where I should ask it. I'm currently watching a loving HBO's Barry. It's really like no other show I've seen before. Offbeat and humorous but also really serious and dark at time. This show can reach Parks and Rec levels of humor and Breaking Bad levels of suspense but it juggles both so seamlessly. Anyway I wanted to ask about Mr. Cousineau, the acting teacher. I love Henry Winkler and his cadence (you're the detective, yet I got the confession), but I was wondering if he's actually a *good* acting teacher. There's a small running joke about how he charges everyone all the time, even when they take a day off because a classmate died, but he seems really passionate and like he genuinely cares. He's definitely Putting all he can into his lessons. The core of his teaching seems to be using your real, raw, emotional experience to shape the portray of the character you're playing. The first time we meet him he berates and insults Sally almost to tears, making us think he's an asshole, but then he tells her to use it to complete her scene, where her performance is much more emotional and genuine. He'll tell his students to channel their deepest, darkest moments, even if they don't really want to and even to the point of discomfort, but he'll also let them know that hey, they're just actors, and this is just to make their character more believable. I don't know the first thing about acting theory or what have you, but for a subreddit who would know a thing or two about it, is Mr. Cousineau actually a good teacher who teaches good acting lessons? I'd love to know.
What are some of the best secondary cities for actors? by wolfguardian72 • last post Jun 16th
By secondary, I mean not LA, NYC, or Atlanta. I was planning on moving to Portland, OR soon and was wondering if that’s a good city for actors or if there are other good ones out there.
How do I handle the inviting of my agent to my show? by daffodil91 • last post Jun 16th
Hi! I’m an actress in the Chicago area and I just recently signed with an agent. I am currently in a theatre production and I sent her an update to let her know what I’m up to and to invite her to the show. She said she’s interested in attending. How do people usually handle this sort of thing? Let them get tickets and attend? Ask them when and put aside a couple of my personal comps for them? Ask the theatre if they have any industry comps/discount so that I can get the tickets for my agent and they don’t have to pay? I’ve never actually had an agent who said they were interested in coming. For all I know this was a “I’d be interested but I won’t actually come” but I want to make sure I handle this appropriately!
I’m just starting to apply to casting websites. Is including these videos on my resume bad ? by Imnachobear3 • last post Jun 16th
Hey everyone, In 2017 I acted in a very short amateur student film that me and my friends made back in our media tech class in high school. I also acted in a Facebook video for a company that teamed up with “MyProtein UK”and it got 33k views on it. I only had one line as the “Skinny Boy” The camera work wasn’t professional though, it just got the job done. Link : [Humbitious MyProtein ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tVBMhTc0W4qssbAv5eJx7LsxFRdZtJU3/view?usp=drivesdk) Is it bad to include this on my resume since it’s all I really have? In the student film we made, I have no dialogue, but I’m the main actor. The Facebook video is me saying one line. Would this be good to put on there for now ?
What is a voice actor? by MisterELight • last post Jun 16th
\*WALL OF TEXT BEGIN\* ​ ​ Those of you that know me, THINK you know me. Truth is you don't. The internet is never a good way to judge someone. The rules that apply here online are egregious to say the least. I wrote this because I think newcomers need to know what this whole field is about. I think that new people that want to get into VO need to hear what I have learned here and consider against it STRONGLY. The amount of work involved almost takes the FUN and enjoyment out of this pursuit. It reminds me of having to get on stage and sing with the band night after night. It is hard work and it gets old, The very thing you once enjoyed becomes... A job. It happens and we all THINK we want it. I need to explain the many things I learned here. ​ First off, to anyone here that I was short/rude with, I understand how my attitude mat have rubbed you the wrong way. The truth is you guys are grinding and my attitude towards all of this did not help things. I misinformed myself about VO. I really thought I KNEW what this was about. I basically was wrong in many things I assumed. You guys all grind and you guys follow the rules and that is why you can speak against my assumptions about the industry with some real credit. I do see that now. I have to say guys. I never thought that pursuing this would make me regret getting into it. I just feel like ever since I got into this, I have been unhappy. It feels like I went and packed up, drove to LA and slept in my car all the while getting shot down by everyone in the industry due to my lack of understanding and training. I guess that is the best way I can put it. I came in pretty naive. I thought HEY I can do this, and make money too. I had no idea of the flooded state of the market, and the long career ladder + all the risks involved in this pursuit. ​ For that ignorance, I apologize. We all need coaching when we have had ZERO coaching. I think it is safe to say that ALL the pros took at least 1 lesson with a coach and applied the current trending training/coaching to their career path. We all start off with some talent, but it stays raw unless we work on properly polishing it with quality tools and resources. ​ I felt I owed that the people here that did "try" respond to me and ended up in argumentative combat with me. I am a hardheaded person because I like to lead myself. I never follow religion and I never followed clicks and groups, so I am just a bit hard to appease and discuss things with. I can be humble though. That is the side you see here, pride is not easy to swallow. I am considering NOT doing voice acting anymore though. I feel like I am at the slots more and more. I also feel like the rules I need to follow are just making my ONCE love of voice acting into WORK. I thought I could get paid to play 10 characters in 1 show and that would be it! I was wrong. The money is in adverts and WE ALL need those and have to follow rules and adjust our voices to get that work. I have to say, I HATE that. I hate adverts. I hate commercialism. I am a kid art heart and an artist. I am not a business man in any sense of the word. ​ I am a dreamer/thinker/writer/engineer/singer/musician/poet/etc ​ That is why I am really thinking that THIS career is not for me anymore. I want to write this for all the naive people that think they can force and fight their way in this field. Passion is nice but it has no place in a career this grounded in rules and dedication. You have to have your heart into the adverts as WELL as the character reels. I just am not there. I hate commercialism and I cannot get into it. I respect you guys and I see how hard you work and all you sacrifce to do this. ​ Now, I will vent a bit, BUT in a nice way. You may not agree with what I say below, BUT I think it is true and the reason that I fell more and more out of love with doing VO as a real full time job/career. I think it MIGHT help people that join here and constant act like I did knowing nothing about how this all works and the sacrifices needed to do this. ​ So? ​ What is a voice actor? What is a "trending" and "current" VA? I too have been asking that myself recently. I entered this field with tons of ambition, but I also went in very naive to the realities of VO. I think this question deserves more thought than you might first think. ​ What is a voice actor? Is it someone that has lived a life with personal drama, pain and deep emotions needed to act in the most sincere and powerful ways? Nope. Is it someone that wants to "exclusively" share the voice as an art form and influence the world with creativity and awe? Nope. Is a voice actor an arrogant and self worshiping lover of one's own voice and self? Nope. We all get called many things, but the truth is much more profound. We are human beings trying to make progress in an art form that we hope to hijack for financial gains. We all want to drive dollar signs into our pockets don't we? We are just human beings wanting feelings of validation and or personal "fame". Some of us want to be successful and become well known too. A voice actor is a self employed business person, someone that promotes and markets them self all the time. They do it for the sake of getting more and more exposure and making more of a name for their self. They work very hard against all the odds and other actors to STAND OUT. The problem is that all of us have the same "rules" we have to follow in order to stay the "course". We all have to follow them. A voice actor pays/invests lots of money into themselves. They spend a lot of time in HOPES of getting where only a few select professional actors have gone. Timing is the key, and unlocking that time is the mission. A voice actor is an employee of himself/herself. Voice acting is a real job and one that is super competitive and super hard to "break" into. You really need to compromise any freedom you may want to exercise and follow trends and rules, there is no room for error around the "pros" either. These guys are pretty stern for ONE reason... They all work hard and they all kind of sacrifice that FUN feeling for stress and the hustle and "grind". I now see why they can be a tad bitter when naive people try to break into this field without playing the game nor following the "rules". It makes sense now. So, if you are new and taking a keen interest in doing voice over, LISTEN UP! ​ ​ Noobs! listen to me! This is HOLLYWOOD. It really is the same kind of deal. Voice actors are just like "actors" and this field has only gotten bigger and it will only get more flooded as more people assume this is an easy paying gig. I have been doing this for 6 months now, and the truth is quite harsh. The industry is super brutal and many, but not all the folks in it are quite bitter, cold, manipulative and just cutthroat. Some are NOT. Just look out! The sheer amount of self-proclaimed VO coaches/actors/engineers is just astounding. I am warning you all now that the vultures do prey. ​ I still do enjoy the art/acting parts of it though. I just am not sure doing it pro is worth it though. I got into it because I love to sing and act, I love to transform my voice into interesting characters with the pitch control I learned in singing. This is all fun, but the reality is simple… I ain’t gonna pay my bills, and Just like the slots at Vegas, the odds are against you in ways you could not imagine. You have to work hard and sacrifice so much time. I am not talking about acting and doing the fun stuff! I mean marketing and communications/auditions. It really takes time from your life. I recommend you approach this industry with the same caution as you would the REAL acting/Hollywood industry. They both are now in bed with each other anyways. I mean why the heck does a VOICE actor need professional head shots and to have a “physical marketability”? They should be invisible like the voice! The big problem is many many physical ACTORS now try to do this too, and many VO actors want and hope that they can break into REAL acting/etc work not just VO gigs. The politics in this field are insane and I think I was naive to assume this was going to be as fun as I had hoped. If you do it, just do it for fun and without any expectations in mind. Acting is fun when you FEEL it and enjoy it. I cannot tell you how hard it is to do an advert if you really hate everything capitalistic it stands for. There is also so many people that you must interact with and only a small handful that even matter in the end. You can meet some great people though. Just be on the lookout. You NOOBS need to know that professional actors will COACH when they are not booking a lot. This is the norm, nothing bad about it, just business. I just HATE business. I should move to a Buddhist colony, but even THEY have iPhones now! lol Take all “advice” with a grain of salt and understand the current trends and industry standard practices first, this will avoid getting upset by “bad” feedback. The issue is that there is no room to make up your own rules. You have to play by theirs or get the heck out of their space. REMEMBER THIS. ​ This is a real clicky profession sadly. You cannot alienate others nor attack them. Get tough skin, or get out. I personally hate that kind of "mentoring" and "learning". Again, I say this... VO may not be for you. ​ Anyways, I personally love to do deep characters and more interactive kinds of acting that requires some pitch/texture changes and some real energy/emotion to perform. I hate commercials and spots, but that is just me. I always overdo them with my announcer tone, I really just hate to speak “normal”. I feel so lazy, and lose focus quick. I have some manic personality traits so I lose focus easy unless I am into it. I have to be fully engaged in my roles and I really have to care about them. ​ NOOBS you need to make note of this! Adverts are what pay most actor’s bills sadly. Character work is hard to get and is not steady for most actors unless you get on a good show, or running series. I will say that even now real actors are taking work from the VA crowds, so that work is getting sucked up more an more too... It has really become a hard place to work and even make end’s meat UNLESS you are already established. DO NOT think you can be like Troy Baker! Those guys got in early and now it has been flooded with everyone! ​ NOOBS you need to know this about auditions! Try to go for a commercial and audition all you want, but the casting director will hire the seasoned pro because they KNOW he is “professional”. Experience really speaks in this field, so us new guys have little to no chance of making it. ​ NOOBS! Take note below! \*Some people book 1 job a year, 1 per their respected agencies, that is IT\* ​ ​ Now, about the current trend of advert/commercial voice actor… They CURRENTLY are pretty much all natural in tone. Nowadays, they just talk. They talk with a natural tone that conveys an “honest” tone for the specific read they are “acting”. The real truth is, anyone can voice act now, so just learn to speak like you do normally, just without an obnoxious tone. The days of needing to develop vocal talents and add controlled textures to reads are long gone. Do what sounds natural/normal to your REAL voice or you will not get hired for anything. BE YOU, and just try LESS. Overacting is bad. There is some announcer and radio imaging gigs out there, but long time VO actors have that market pinned down. The trends change all the time, and now VO is just talking with a natural tone, one that conveys the product. Today, you don’t want to “sell” anything, just talk as if you were talking to a friend. I think is is the silliest thing in the world, BUT it requires training to UNLEARN bad overacting habits and do this kind of acting, If you so choose to. Natural reads are in and “over acting them/announcer reads” are not in style now. I call it boring, but that is what most casting directors now want. Natural and conversational. It all has to do with that psychological crap that us “consumers” respond to accordingly? ​ So 6 months of getting better was fun, BUT what do I plan to do now? ​ I think voice over was more fun when I just imagined what it would be like. It really is work and the payoff is like throwing coins in a slot machine. You can gamble and you might get lucky sometimes, but at the end of the day, I rather get a real job and have a steady consistent trade/career. When I did engineering work on VR game gun devices and hardware it felt so much more in line with work. Voice acting is fun and a great outlet, BUT doing it like this... IS WORK. I really am not so sure that turning my deep LOVE for character acting and doing expressive art/improvisation stuff into stressful/risky/narcissistic WORK is what I want anymore. This job really forces you to FOCUS on YOU, it really means YOU have to fight your ego and just not let it get to you. I rather be more centered and not focus on me so much. Doing VO requires marketing YOURSELF all the time... Think about that... Really hard noobs... ​ Let me also say that having talent means crap now, you have to play by the rules and pay your dues, you have to grind and follow others, there is no room to do what YOU want. YOU may have some talent like me, but that means jack. There are trends you have to know and keep up with, $2500 demos you have to get made ever so often, they have to be produced by big names too or agencies will not even look at your submission to enter their roster. The whole VO thing is crazy man. Thousands of dollars you can spend on “training” and “coaching” too! It goes on and on. ​ Think about it... Is this what you want? It is a business and a brutal one at that. ​ If you love business and networking, then sure go for it. If you love acting and love the art of doing the fun stuff that makes you feel like a kid again… Look elsewhere, and just do it for fun. THIS IS HARD WORK. I do not care how good your voice sounds nor how much talent you have. TRUST me, it does NOT matter. ​ Voice acting is not what you may think it is guys. Trust me on this. There is a lot of hard working/struggling VO actors that are being morphed into real jerks/assholes due to the narcissistic and egocentric nature of what they dedicate their careers to. NOT everyone though! This kind of career requires one to focus solely on themselves and all things pertaining to themselves. It consumes YOU and your time. ​ ​ I think voice over is just not for me. Lots of respect to those of you that grind. I think all the newcomers need to really ask themselves these questions first... ​ ​ Many cool careers are ruined by “business” politics and this industry is absolutely no exception. If you like voice acting, do it for fun and just make your own stuff up and share it for the love of creating it. Making bank in this is super complex and so damn draining. Just reach out and ask the pros. They bust their asses out there, so many auditions and wasted wave-forms! So many name slates later! So many reads and copies of "copy". This is all a gamble! It is a gamble with your time too! Just you remember! The industry is flooded with hungry fishes. ​ ​ I am out. This is just not my cup of tea anymore, and the truth is... It never was. ​ ​ \*WALL OF TEXT OVER\*
Male voice actor to do a short script voice over by jacobyh7 • last post Jun 16th
any actors in NYC work at a restaurant that might be looking for people and doesn’t completely suck? by ilikedogs54659 • last post Jun 16th
The place I’m at now... everybody, the staff, the guests that walk in, the managers, everybody is just so mean and nasty and unfriendly, I really can’t take being around this negative energy anymore. Does anybody work at place with positive happy people? That might also be actor friendly? God I would be so grateful for any hot tips. Please DM me. Thanks guys
How do I get into Voice Acting - UK based by prodigalbiker • last post Jun 16th
I've always had an interest in doing some form of acting, I dont feel I'd do too well in front of a camera but I do love the idea of being able to be the voice of a character in a series or a game etc. I have a good ear for picking up different sounds and techniques voice actors use or audio ques to set a scene and I feel and have been told my voice is good enough to follow this path. I also have the ability to manipulate my voice to an extent to suit different roles. I'm asking this as most things I've seen online seen to be scams just wanting money for false promises. I'm not sure on where to start to look etc. I have already started the process of different microphones and software to use and already have a pretty decent PC as I use software like CAD/SOLIDWORKS regularly. I have also looked into how some actors such as Troy Baker and Nolan north started but not much comes up. I'm only looking for advice, I'm not asking for handouts or a door to be opened, this is something I would like to achieve myself I just need a direction to follow. TIA
Advice for acting by tomismatic • last post Jun 15th
All around, what is the best move to make as an actor.
Article narrations needed - $15 / hour recorded by listle_io • last post Jun 15th
Hi! Looking for voice actors to record articles from the web (provided by us). Both females and males, must be native English speakers. Would need a good mic and sample. Not necessarily looking for professional voice actors. Just people who have some free time and want to make some cash. Pay Rate is $15 / hour narrated. This is calculated by taking into account that 1000 words take around 8 minutes to read. In an hour, that would mean 7500 words. Articles are of varied length, but it's flexible and you can choose which ones you want to narrate. Please use the chat if you're interested. Thanks!
High school actor by rachpiec • last post Jun 15th
I’m in high school right now and I want to be an actress as an adult. Any tips for helping me get better now and possibly some gigs?
Why do actors use tongue in kissing scenes? by idkwhattotypeinhere1 • last post Jun 15th
Whenever I see someone asking for advice on their first kiss scene, everyone tells them that they should not use tongue. However, watching mainstream TV shows, there's some tongue in so many kissing scenes. Examples: https://images.app.goo.gl/XiV28Fu9AozJgFqEA https://images.app.goo.gl/tqn46M67t4Sh57aZ9 https://images.app.goo.gl/hN5qX1ixhXYiKRZg7 https://images.app.goo.gl/vdYsVZYBdW79io2SA https://images.app.goo.gl/ZqkhaTX4UzUd4eZE6 https://images.app.goo.gl/ne4QxBLzMx6389rS6
Good Plays to Start off with and what to look for as a beginner actor. by Khoula • last post Jun 15th
Hello! Just a little background information. I'm currently a 17 year old male that just finished their junior year of about to high school. I'm trying to get a little more informed about plays and acting culture I guess in general. I've been in a few plays such as Chicago and Chorus-line, but kind of mindlessly read through scripts without fully paying attention to the intention and all that stuff behind specific characters which may have hindered me as a performer. What are some good plays to start off with? And when reading these plays should I consciously focus on all of the characters intentions/objectives at the same time in a scene or do I only pay attention to one and then go back and re-read the scene? Any advice would be greatly appreciative! Let me know if I need to elaborate on anything.
I am a Theatre Actor in school and the only Advice I Ever Get Given Is About Physical Theater by warlock_of_endor • last post Jun 15th
Always told to, "Have a stage presence" or "make creative choices" when I do monologues, how can I do this is my monologue has no real physical movement more like storytelling then proper monologue stuff. How can I do this, how can I have a greater stage presence?
One of my favorite voice actors in her first game! Check it out by Its_Not_Bloodborne • last post Jun 15th
[PAID WORK] Voice actors needed to record articles by listle_io • last post Jun 15th
Hi! Looking for voice actors to record articles from the web (provided by us). Both females and males, must be native English speakers, British speakers preferred. Would need a good mic and sample. Thanks!
Types. by Selftapejunkie • last post Jun 15th
Starting out, and especially since I came from the theatre world, I thought I could play any role. My headshots were good but muddy because I didn’t hone in on a market beforehand. I started listening to a lot of podcasts and watching a ton of actor interviews on YouTube, got some great advice from working friends, and finally realized what my true “type” was and it immediately gave my career a 180. Yes, I would love to play the lead type roles like the Bruce Willis’, Keanu, Etc....but who I am RIGHT NOW is not that type. That doesn’t mean those roles are out of the question for my entire career. But right now, I’m not gonna get those, and the importance of cornering a market to get your foot in the door has taken extreme precedence for me. My best examples off the top of my head are: Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Cranston, Steve Carell. All guys that started as the goofy, clowning, straight edge type roles but evolved to leading men with A. More experience B. Perspective with Age and C. They built trust with casting, their agents, industry professionals. To where these people now feel comfortable pushing them into meatier more dramatic/tragic roles and being the anchors for these 8,9 figure investments that companies are making. More of a freeform comment, not asking a question or offering advice. But I will finish with this: FIGURE OUT YOUR F*ING TYPE BEFORE YOU SPEND MONEY ON HEADSHOTS. A mistyped headshot will keep you at the lower echelon of acting.