We have found 19,242 posts across 4 actor forums:
ACTORS PRO EXPO- what’s up by thechickwiththehair • last post Oct 12th
Found out about this via Backstage. Apparently it’s a free event- any of you been? Is it worth it?
Streaming Wars: A New Hope? by Psynergy • last post Oct 12th
In the past 6 months, streaming services have become the hot new commodity in film and TV: * CBS All Access * Disney Play * DC Universe * Vudu (Walmart) * YouTube Original * Apple's Unannounced Service * Facebook Watch * Amazon * Hulu To name but a few mainstream choices. What does everyone think about this goldrush to be the next Netflix? Will it mean more work in the industry? Or less when the wheat seperates from the chaff? Will Unions struggle to keep up with the technology, leaving actors exploited by loopholes in out of date agreements? Will a streaming production ever have the same kind of paycheques when there's not advertising money involved? What about actors in smaller hubs like Atlanta, Toronto, or Vancouver? Will this mean more work coming into the cities? or will tax incentives with mandated hiring clauses dry up when there's so many productions looking for a place to film? Will new hubs be formed simply from lack of space? I'd love to see what people think
Making YouTube videos? by Mackaii • last post Oct 12th
Hello! I'm a 16 year old actor, I've done a couple things off and on since I was little but still quite new, it's been my goal/dream for forever and I'm gonna a put more effort into it now than I ever have before. I also want to make comedic commentary videos on YouTube similar to *(H3H3, Danny Gonzalez, Cody Ko, etc. If you've heard of them.)* would that have any negative effects on an acting career? I apologise if it's a dumb question lol, I've just been thinking about it a lot lately.
How to not be so serious by crackandfield • last post Oct 12th
I’m sure this applies to a lot of actors, but something that I feel is really holding me back from reaching my full potential in acting is my inability to relax. I’ve noticed that when I approach a role with a “silly” attitude and have fun with it, I am able to seamlessly slip into different personas. Can I get some advice from someone who has mastered the art of not giving a fuck?
Watching gag reels, I don't understand what "acting" is by EverythingIsSoSincur • last post Oct 12th
From what I can tell, they just start rolling the film and then the actors say their lines a bunch of different ways and hit their marks and whatever else, sometimes screwing up and starting to laugh and shit, and the director just picks whatever take he likes best. They don't seem to be "in character" in the slightest. How could they be when they're saying their line, burst out laughing, and then go, "all right, I've got this now," and then immediately say the line again? It also strikes me as contrived. "OK, I've got a 4 word sentence here. I'll just choose one of the four words to emphasize in each take, and then the director can pick whichever one he likes best." "I'M a great actor." "I'm A great actor." "I'm a GREAT actor." "I'm a great ACTOR." \*CUT\* I used to respect the craft, but now I really think they just pick people based on how they look and the rest is just learning how to technically force the shit people are looking for.
Favorite 35-50 y/o female dramatic actors? by nycman1000 • last post Oct 12th
I need to make a list - who do you like that has a lot of intensity and intelligence and is maybe underrated?
Shortfilms melbourne by JVMT • last post Oct 12th
Hi! I'm a 21 year old swede in Australia and my life long dream is being an actor (like everybody else) and I thought the best way to start is with shortfilms. So I'm currently looking for open casting calls and so forth for minor productions. Should I get a professional headshot and a full body picture aswell, and where or what site is the best to use for finding jobs? Grateful for all answers, thanks!
This is my pre-audition routine. What's yours? by cranekicked • last post Oct 12th
I'm in NYC. I first listen to some calm instrumental music on my headphones on my subway ride to the audition. Once I'm above ground and walking to the casting office, I go over my lines outloud but since I still have my headphones on people won't think I'm crazy. :) Then right before I enter the building I watch [Bryan Cranston's advice to actors](https://youtu.be/v1WiCGq-PcY). This step really helps me get grounded as a human being, which helps in my performance. "Know what your job is." What's your routine?
What to do when an actor is injured by White_Mocha • last post Oct 12th
This post is related to the safety of actors. We talk about the craft and honing our instrument, but the most important thing is taking care of your body. Was on set yesterday as featured, but I’m currently transitioning to lead roles. That’s besides the point though. I wanna discuss what to do on set when someone is injured. It was the last shot of the day, and I suspect that he wanted to leave it all on the camera. Unfortunately, the last take would end up being the last of the night. We were doing a scene yesterday when the lead (successful actor, whose name I won’t mention) cut his arm on some glass. 3 inches deep. Huge gash. Lots of blood. He immediately called for 911 and a tourniquet. He kept his cool, which is very important. While people are calling 911, have someone go outside to direct police and medics. Someone with first aid or survival training should help with stopping the bleeding. Get him seated and slow/stop the bleeding by compression, like say, a tourniquet. I’m skipping a LOT of steps, but once trained professionals arrive, let them take over. Note that huge budget productions have trained personnel already there, but smaller productions rarely have them cuz of budget issues. After this, it’ll be mostly the director or the person in charge of the set that’ll talk to police so they can take down reports. If they talk to you, cooperate. I can’t stress enough that while it’s important to train your instrument, it’s much more important to be safe and keep a level head when danger rears its ugly head. What happened last night was a freak accident, but keeping a level head will allow you to take everything in and made common sense decisions.
Shakespeare monologue for West Side Story/Shakespeare in Love by AmosDiggorySurat • last post Oct 12th
Age: 25 Gender: Male Type: Youthful, dancer, young lover I am auditioning for a theater company doing West Side Story and Shakespeare in Love. I need a Shakespeare monologue that will show off my fun, energetic, masculine energy. Both shows are stylized in a non-classical way so I need to show how I can use classic language to tell a contemporary dynamic story. I am a pro musical theater actor but haven't worked much with Shakespeare. Any monologue suggestions would be amazing (around 1 minute length). I have all the plays and will read the whole play, but I'm just not really sure what will work/where to start. Thank you!!
Getting a Reel? by La_Croix_Every_Day • last post Oct 11th
I notice that a lot of jobs posted require one to post a reel. Aside from commissioning a studio to make one for you (Which is a bit out of my budget at the moment). How would one recommend getting a reel going?
Acting Cover Letter Sample by TheActingBug • last post Oct 11th
Does anyone know where I can find a sample acting cover letter. I have no experience so I don't know what to write. Thanks!
Do Nude Roles in SAG-Aftra movies/shows have a higher scale by Logan90210 • last post Oct 11th
Saw something on Actor Access and it said 150 a day but SAG-AFTRA and I'm like thats not the 180/10 sag scale thing or any thing
a potential agent wants me to keep training and taking classes by miceinwalls • last post Oct 11th
An agent who I met up told me he wants me to constantly train and take classes. Though I understand why he wants to make sure I am invested in this and that I am dedicated. The issue I am having is that if I do sign up with him... how do I explain that I don't feel I click with acting coaches he recommends? ​ The problem is he tells me that cds will only care about my resume, so its important i need to keep training and make sure it's quality training. however, the coaches he recommends (who he says the cds favor) I've audited before, and I didn't feel it was as interesting or as good than other classes I've taken. ​ I don't know how I would bring this up without coming off as cocky or lazy. Quite the opposite. I have been doing my diction and vocal exercises that I learnt from a coach for over 5 months straight now. I do them everyday. I am a part of an actor's community where we audition and cold read often. My background is in improv, where I have trained regularly with my team. We also perform often. I explained to this agent that I didn't finish all the levels of improv at the second city because eventually we just hired a coach from second city to teach our improv team regularly. it was much cheaper and the results are much better since it's a smaller group of people. the agent didn't seem impressed. he said "okay" dismissively. ​ I don't know if this is even a good idea to sign up with this agent. I am constantly sharpening my skills, though I feel he can only believe it if it is manifested as taking classes from a studio. ​ He said he will always submit the actor who takes 7 classes a year over someone who takes maybe 1 or none a year. I totally see his point and understand he is also putting his reputation on the line. I just really dislike studio classes.... I have found them to not be as helpful and I know too many colleagues who have taken it and it hasn't helped them that much. ultimately acting is something you internally have to do. ​ Is it common for agents to want their clients to be training often. There honestly is only so much you can do before you have to start being able to judge yourself... think of any other skill.... you can't just keep taking piano lessons again and again, after awhile you need to begin to take the initiative to create and learn a piece of music and understand the theory and concepts. it's not something taking classes again will help. I'm not rejecting classes, but saying after awhile you have to see kinda when to stop. taking classes is not synonymous with improving skills. ​ ​ I also asked my agent about **annual submission reports**. he said it was "needy" (in his own words) and desperate. I don't know why he got so defensive. He started talking about how he has over 150 clients and he can't always be giving them annual reports. I asked him in disbelief "once a year is needy". and he said yes. I told him i didn't want to feel afraid of my agent, and he said totally, but he felt that once a year was needy and he explained his reasons about how it does nothing but hurt your self esteem. good point, but i don't get why he was so defensive. ​
Headshot-Age Range-Character Type Post - Oct 11 by AutoModerator • last post Oct 11th
Use this thread to post your headshots for feedback, get info on your age range/type, find good headshot photographers, ask any questions you may have about headshots. If you are posting a DIY headshot for feedback, and not just a snapshot in order to get feedback on your age range/type/etc, it is advised that you do at least some basic research on what actor headshots look like--composition, framing, lighting. You will find a Google Image search for "actor headshots" to be very helpful for this. For what it's worth, the branding workshop at SAG-AFTRA recommends a five-year age range. That's inclusive, so for example 19-23, 25-29, 34-38, etc.
which rep would you choose as an agent? by miceinwalls • last post Oct 11th
I posted earlier and I have a big indecisive situation. My current agent is a starter agent but she is quite easy to talk to and I feel there is mutual respect. She is very new. I've been with her for 2 months. I know ending things now is pretty soon, but I felt maybe it was a good idea to try to get a more experienced agent. ​ I met up with a new potential agent who seems pretty hardworking. Though I don't like his personality too much. I felt he was very defensive when I asked him about asking for an **annual submission report**. He said it was in his own words "needy". I like his frankness, but I feel he is the type of agent who would always be on my case for everything I do. He mentions unless he sees I am invested in my career, then he won't be invested in me. Basically, he dismissed a lot of my training as okay, but not reputable, and then offered a list of recommendations. All this is fair points, since he will ultimately be putting his reputation on the line if I screw up an audition. I would make sure I am well-equipped of course. I just felt he looked down on me as an actor, since during our interview he was just dismissive of my credentials and said I needed more. I don't have problems with suggestions, but I do feel this is bordering on some kind of boundary cross. I can see his agency as potentially being good for me, but there is no way I can predict that. Either I'm stuck here lol. I have seen some clients of his who have taken courses he recommended, and they haven't booked a thing from him for over a year or two. I'm not saying this is a bad reflection of his abilities, but I don't know what to think. His clients, the ones I like, are booking and working often. As mentioned in my previous post, I would not be taking a course just to appease him or some cd just because they favor a specific coach. He never said it was mandatory, but it kinda feels like something he strongly suggests. So I don't know what to do. I can't decide and I feel either situation will go wrong and I can't have everything... I'm not exactly in a position where I am getting so many offers from many agents lol. I wish. ​
IM LOSING CONFIDENCE I need help by matthewdgordon • last post Oct 10th
I’m a new actor. Right now I’m in Chicago as Fred Casely playing next to an unbelievable Roxie. Everyone knows she’s more experienced than me. I like I frustrate her as well as the director with my lack of skill. How do I keep confidence when the environment is negative and the cast is more experienced than I am? Also I know that directors like a quiet rehearsal room and to have your lines memorized but are there something’s below the surface that are good to know? Thanks!
Can someone help me understand this better when it comes to actors? by fresh_out_of_water • last post Oct 10th
I have a question, it may be stupid, I don't think it is, but here it goes. Why is it so hard to get even an actor who has just even the slightest recognizable face into a film that a new filmmaker is doing? I ask this because I'm a new filmmaker, a new filmmaker who has been trying for the last what - three years now to get what I feel is a really unique - not horror film but psychological thriller film, off the ground. I planned on crowdfunding it but I know from talking to other successful filmmakers in my area - if your film doesn't have some recognizable actors, not A-list but at least recognizable, or some that have a good fan base, your crowdfunding project isn't going to do well, because people will usually fund projects with familiar faces. So I reach out to actors, not A-list actors by any means, but actors who are at the least recognizable, or actors who have at least a good fan base of followers on Twitter and/or Instagram - all of them, their agents, their managers - either they don't respond back or their agents/managers respond with, "oh no, he doesn't get attached to projects without money." So I respond back saying, "I'm not asking the actor to become attached without money, but I'm asking him to read the script and if he's interested, then let me know and when I launch my crowdfunder, I can let potential backers know that I have his interest and if the actor does this, I'd name him as executive producer in the film and on all marketing materials." Then I hear silence. It is so infuriating. Then some just straight out say, "no, the actor won't consider projects that aren't funded yet." Yeah, but in order to fund a project via crowdfunding, you have to have - if not an A-list actor then either a recognizable one and if you don't, you don't get funded, but then on the flip side, actors won't come on board without a project being funded. It's a horrible catch-22. So, with all that being said, my question is, are all actors like this? Because so far, I've contacted 1,212 actors, including horror actors, the usual ones you see attending horror conventions, 80's stars, child stars, actors from commercials, and I know it's not because of my screenplay, because the story is darn good. I read it a few months after I wrote it and it gave me nightmares...and others have said it's good, but I just don't get it. Do actors truly understand the plight of new filmmakers? Up and coming filmmakers? Or are they just doing their part in trying to keep the filmmaking circle closed so no, new filmmakers can enter in and get their break into the craft? Someone help me out with some answers here because this has gotten me truly despondent.