We have found 19,407 posts across 4 actor forums:
How do you feel about self-taping? by WordAndCopySayer • last post Apr 29th
You love it? Hate it? Think it's fair that actors are expected to audition themselves? Not fair? You feel technically competent to produce a good looking and sounding audition? One that is as good as what you'd get in a casting office? Curious how people feel about the whole thing.
I’m starting to freak out a little. by ThrowawayFreakOut97 • last post Apr 29th
I started pursuing this back when I was 17; I did a couple student films, popped up in a TV show for a few minutes, then a handful of commercials, and suddenly I’ve got myself an agent. Now all my auditions feel really official, I’m having meetings in casting offices and things are looking up. I soon realise that I’m totally winging it, most of the time I’m bombing these auditions because I have no clue what I’m doing; I mean, up until that point my only experience had been high school plays and watching movies. So, at 18, and with my agents support, I spent a year in a conservatoire studying the craft — I’d still audition every now and then, but from aged 18 to 19 my focus was solely on soaking up everything I could and improving myself as an actor. A few weeks after I’d graduated, I landed a small TV gig and got the opportunity to tour in a play but then after that... nothing. I kept myself busy by writing my own stuff, putting together shorts for festival runs, and keeping fresh with acting teachers but almost 7 months went by and I hadn’t heard a peep from my agent. And then she phones me, she tells me that she has cancer and is leaving the agency to spend time with her family — I’ll spare you the details, but it was heartbreaking to hear and we shared a lot of tears that day. The agency took on most of her clients but, as I hadn’t booked anything in 7 months, they more or less dropped me; an assistant at the agency took me on and I was basically pushed into leaving myself. So, at 20, I’m agentless, and if I’m being honest with you guys, in my whole “life plan” this was not supposed to happen. Like, not at all, and I kind of flew off the handle. Long story short, a good portion of the last year, I spent eating Cheetos on my couch and getting high on a cocktail of drugs; I lost my job, got kicked out my apartment - it’s safe to say that that was a really shitty time in my life. But, I guess, you can only smoke away your troubles for so long - I realised that in the summer of last year when, on a rare outing, I saw a friend of mine that I hadn’t spoken to since things had went awall gracing his very own billboard and I kind of had a real existential crisis. And I know this’ll probably sound stupid, self-obsessed, and just really gross but my imediate thought in that moment was “shit, that’s supposed to be me”. It’s from then that I pack in the procrastination and start really working —day and night putting together a showreel; new footage and old, contacting old acting teachers, getting headshots, emailing every agent in the city; honestly, all in all, I worked from August to October almost none stop. I swear, I must’ve emailed at least 150 agencies; and none of this copy and paste bullshit, nah! I’m talking about notebooks filled with research on these guys, I bought a fucking whiteboard for this! At the time, my room looked like the lair of a serial killer. Eventually, after troves of meetings that went nowhere and automated email rejections, this dude takes me on. Now, honestly, for where I was at, he was way out of my league, man. I don’t know why he took a chance but he did, and for that, I’m grateful. A couple of months after he took me on, I’m already working. At the end of last year I was in an off-westend show and a couple of months back I recorded my first radio drama! But now, I’m deep into a three month dry-spell; not just role-wise but auditions, too. And I can’t lie, I’m really starting to freak out. The things I’ve been writing for myself have all fallen apart and, right now, I’m just like, fuuck! I’m at a point now where everywhere I look someone I know is either starring in a tv show or has a movie coming out and I’m just here feeling stuck. Nothing is happening. Everytime I try and make something happen it falls apart, it’s like I’m banging my head against a brick hall here; screaming into my pillow. I’m 21 now, and it’s starting to feel like I’ve wasted four years of my life. I know I’m still young, I don’t have any delusions about being “too old”, I just... it’s hard to put into words how I feel. It feels like I should be further in this than I am, if that makes sense? I don’t know, it’s weird (sorry if this feels anticlimactic). Sorry for the rant, guys. Just needed to get this off my chest because I woke up today feeling like shit. Hope you’re all well. ____________ tl;dr: Basically, I feel like I should be further in this industry than I currently am. I’m currently in a 3 month audition dry spell and I’m starting to freak out a little.
nyc actor new to LA, any other actors wanna grab a beer sometime? by saladfingers0971 • last post Apr 29th
29 year old dude, reasonably chill. living in the koreatown / westlake area. just moved out here, figured I'd see if anybody wants to get a little actor meet up thing going or go hiking or something.
Becoming noticed out of the blue... by nathanla24 • last post Apr 29th
Hello. I was reading something about the actor Chris Pratt. It says that at 19 years old when he was waiting tables at a restaurant, an actor and director decided that he was perfect to fit in their movie. This was basically the start that kicked off his career. Has this ever happened to anyone you know or yourself. Thanks
Everyone Was Right About Those Audition "Do nots"... by alamana • last post Apr 29th
I had an audition this weekend for a Renaissance Festival cast that does several plays (this year Henry VIII and La Dama Boba) as well as improv type stuff with the festival attendees and I have some thoughts as a result. We auditioned in small groups (12 or so actors), performing our (Shakespeare) monologues in front of one another as well as in front of the auditors. That experience really kind of solidified much of the common audition wisdom in my mind. Big time. Having sat through that audition, and seen pretty much everything we are warned against, here are my thoughts: Yep -- don’t do a monologue from the play you are auditioning for. When one of the actresses announced that she’d be doing Katherine from Henry VIII, I saw one of the auditors look up with a look of shock that dissolved into annoyance. (This was especially egregious here given that they’ve done Henry VIII for several years now and Katherine of Aragon is already cast and wonderful). The actress did a pretty good job with the piece, but at least for the auditor that I noticed, that didn’t seem to matter. Yep – don’t do something that conflicts with your “type.” A guy who looked about 50 years old did Hamlet’s speech to the players. Even though he did a nice job of looking like an older experienced actor/director given amusing advice to actors, that isn’t the character of Hamlet. And that was distracting as hell, even though the acting itself was pretty good. He would have been much better off with a different piece. Yep – try not to do something that’s overdone. Two young men did the same monologue. It was impossible not to compare them. One’s mind automatically does a “who did it better” thing, whether you want it to or not. Yep – time yourself and don’t go over time. They told us that the timekeeper would stop us if we went more than a little bit over 90 seconds, and one actress was stopped because she went over time. Watching the look on her face as time was called and watching her look all defeated while walking back to her seat was painful and all but cancelled out the great job she’d just done. Yep – be prepared. They had sent sides by email about a week before the audition (because they basically do callbacks on the spot rather than at a later date) and told us that if we were interested in a particular role, that we’d be given the chance to read for it. Out of twelve of us, only two of us took that opportunity (and the auditors were clearly pleased with us). I think I’m being seriously considered for the role I asked to read for. Most of the actors in the room clearly hadn’t even looked at the sides. It was a big opportunity missed for all but two of us. I know we’ve all heard this stuff a million times if we’ve heard it once, but seeing virtually all of the faux pas we are warned against happen in one audition room with twelve actors was very interesting so I thought I’d post. The good news is – pretty much everyone is messing up, so the odds are in my favor, ha ha. Flip side of that coin was that it was kinda painful to watch people shoot themselves in the foot.
How do fellow LA actors / actresses meet people? (Outside if acting) by lovebug055 • last post Apr 28th
New to the Area. Just trying to find a way people might recommend to make new friends :) I know meetup is popular but anything else you LA bets recommend?! Thanks!
what is your story before became an actor? by NickNameIs_A • last post Apr 28th
Maybe you have some experiences how you end up being an actor? And perhaps you can tell your when you first time acting? Maybe it can be a 'gasoline' for this 'dying sparks'.
Is it considered rude to write in your journal during a performance? by ailander • last post Apr 28th
My professor said that it's perfectly fine to write in your journal while watching performances, and today I did write in my journal. However, I did write quite a bit. I wrote roughly around eight pages during the performance (not counting the four pages I wrote preshow). I just wrote mainly about different actors and their performances with some of my critique about the entire show. I think I did learn how to critique acting better and I'm just wondering if anyone else does this too.
Reconsidering college. Opinion? by TroiasAchilles • last post Apr 28th
Hey all. Wanted to get some feedback from the community. Im a 23 year old actor with decent credits and good material but I feel like the last year or so has been a virtual waste. I parted ways with a big agency and have signed with a smaller one but very little has been happening. I've been considering going back to study law or psychology while continuing to act, just so I'm not staring at 30 with no degree. And maybe this way I could support my acting work better if I had a degree/ better job. Can I get peoples opinions on this. I feel like I'm surrendering if I do this for some reason. But I dropped out of college originally to work and pursue acting in the first place.
What’s with the way actors eat on screen? by maffew12 • last post Apr 28th
Are you taught to put a piece of food in your mouth and not chew it and talk with it sat there? Watching Tomb Raider, she bites an apple, let’s it rest on her tongue and speaks. Big Lebowski he straight up talks with liquid in his mouth - these are not isolated incidents, it’s in every movie at some point - who is teaching this??
Advise on Talent Agencies by Shakina Giovonnie • last post Apr 27th
Hello, So I’m new to this site and to the industry and was wondering if anyone could provide tips and info on joining talent agencies or finding a agent in Los Angeles.
Remember.. by vassafras • last post Apr 27th
We do this because we love it. We do this because it makes us feel alive. We do this because it gives us purpose. The gigs will happen. The agent will happen. The success will happen. Spend everyday being grateful and excited to be an actor, and make every new opportunity a reason to be better and love it more. You can do this! :)
Something that motivated me! by xijalu • last post Apr 27th
I was listening to a voice actor, who was saying that he does 300-600 auditions a year and if you book 2% of those you're crushin' it. This made me feel a lot less pressure! Is this common knowledge...?
Experience with John Rosenfeld? Billy O'Leary? by BonafideBonanza • last post Apr 27th
Or any other coaches you can think of for trained actors looking to get their asses kicked and hone their techniques some more? My background is specifically Meisner, if that matters (studied outside of LA). Just looking for some thoughts and suggestions for scene study/on-camera classes like these.
Torture scene: How to play panicked/scared characters? by mirrorsarereflective • last post Apr 27th
So I am doing this scene for a character that involves panickedand heavy breathing. Basically im being kidnapped and I wake up and being intimidated. I am trying to understand how to play panicked and heavily btrathe yet deliver my lines.... I find I end up talking fast like I was panicked or I fumble the lines. Technically this would be truthful given my circumstances, but I feel it can be problematic in the context of a film scene? Any ideas or inspirations from famous actors? Most interrogation scenes make the victim seem too much like a calm badass or cool-headed killer. The scene calls for a panick and scared situation. I made the choice of being tortured or potentially tortured. Since I wake up in a sketchy room and I am tied up.
Best Advice? by lilwoodzey2013 • last post Apr 27th
What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you about yourself as an actor or acting in general that has always stuck with you? I’m very big on positive self talk, so words can be quite inspirational to me if it hits a note inside me.
Getting in shape. :( by CuspChaser111 • last post Apr 27th
So I got my first 'break' and I'm on a show (not a huge part at all but I am so happy) and I am looking around and even though we are shooting in NYC everyone is from LA and in like, bangingly hot shape. Damn. Not an ounce of fat. They are full-time series regulars and that is what I want to be and it's been so hard working my day job and auditioning and balancing shooting this show til like 6 am sometimes and then going to work and working out - but my next goal the minute show ends is to get into shape because it's so embarrassing going to wardrobe and have them stare at my tummy fat rolls (I'm what they call skinny-fat) and I want to start working out pronto/eating better. Does anyone have any personal trainer recs or any words of encouragement? These actors are very good and very fit and I look up to them, they are so conscious about the foods they choose on set, etc. so I am trying to do the same. Thank you!
Atlanta actors, where do you submit online? by crisjr92 • last post Apr 26th
I looked on actors Access and couldn't find a section for Atlanta. Do they have a service like LA Casting or Actors Access, etc?
Should I move to Portland to work on the craft and save money? by olivesandwichess • last post Apr 26th
A little background, I’m a 20 year old actor currently living in Los Angeles. I moved here 9 months ago without very little acing experience and 0 credits, since then I have taken 6 months of scene study classes, and enrolled in beginning improv at The Groundlings. Also, I got an agent about a month ago, although I have not been sent to any auditions yet. I have the opportunity to move to Portland Oregon with a good friend and pay $400 in rent compared to my current rent of $1300. Would it be worth it to move and take classes and do theater up there? Or would it be a step backwards since I’m already in LA? Thanks for reading, this has been a tough decision.
Jeremy Irons on Screen Acting by WinonaPortman • last post Apr 26th
"Film acting has traditionally, in the UK at least, been rather looked down on as being something that the Americans do and which really doesn’t need the technique of a theatre actor. In England, we’re mainly theatre actors, and film actors have been historically regarded as overpaid and under-talented. But in reality, film acting can give you a real insight into acting in the theatre, because you can’t lie on film whereas you can get away with lying in theatre. In other words, the camera will see you if you are pretending. You have to *be*. Now, I believe you have to *be* in the theatre also. You have to have a technique to enlarge that state of ‘being’ so that an audience, whether it’s two hundred or two thousand, can understand what you’re saying and what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. And you have to be able to transmit that. But in order to do that honestly, you have to be able to *be* in that moment – with no pretence. And if you come to film and think that you can ‘pretend’ in front of the camera (which you can get away with on stage, and which you see a lot of actors doing) – it doesn’t work. In life, we recognise the difference between someone pretending to be angry and someone *being* angry. We can tell whether they really find something funny or if they’re pretending to find something funny. So, if we ‘pretend’ on stage, a perceptive audience can sometimes tell. Well – they can *always* tell on camera. So I think film is a real testing ground for actors. You have to find ways to get, very quickly, into your role – to learn the techniques that you need when you’re going to shoot, probably, in short little bites. You have to understand what the scene’s about and what the arc of the scene is, as you would in theatre, but then you have to be able to get immediately into the right bit of that arc for the particular shot that’s being done. These days, people tend to shoot longer takes, shoot wide and use multiple cameras, so things are easier than they were. But you’ve still got to have tricks to make sure that – very fast – you’re ready. You don’t want directors to have to do more than two or three takes. The old days of fourteen or fifteen takes are over. The misunderstanding arises, I think, from people assuming film and television acting is no more than being ‘real’. Hopefully you will seem to ‘be’, but you are being someone else in a different situation. You have to get yourself into that situation. Now some work doesn’t require very much. Some work requires much more, requires you have to make a huge leap – into maybe a different century or to a personality that’s completely different to you, the actor. I think great acting should be seamless. It shouldn’t show. It’s a god-given talent that some people have. I watch the great actors and try to learn from them. Training is important. I think it’s useful to get used to the situation on set – to get used to dealing with the pressure. People will say so often, ‘Real people are so much more interesting than actors – let’s have a *real* person playing that role.’ And so you bring in a real person and you put the lights on them, turn on the camera, and they just collapse with nerves. What you have to do, as an actor, is to be used to all that tension and the time pressure, and learn not to worry about it. Keep your own space. Know the jewel that you carry – what you have to offer, that no one else can do. Make sure you are in a completely calm space that is the right space for that moment in the scene. So that you don’t *see* the camera, you don’t *see* the lights, you don’t *see* the technicians watching. That’s clearly very important, and you will learn to do that with practice and training. You have to allow the lens into you. You have to be open to it but not play for it. It’s an attitude. When I say ‘Keep your own space’, it’s about making the space to allow us to see what you’re thinking, see what you’re going through. Because storytelling is what we do in a film – sharing experience, sharing emotion. And people who put things *out* to you tend to make you, as an audience, pull back ... I’ve always thought that making a character is like making an advent calendar. In each scene, you open a window and you just show a bit of life inside that particular room from that angle, and then the next scene you open another window… But *invite* us in. Don’t feel you have to justify yourself or *show* yourself. You don’t. Just intrigue us ..." Jeremy Irons' Forward to *A SCREEN ACTING WORKSHOP* by Mel Churcher