Was it a childhood dream of starring on tv or film? Or a tradition in your family? I'm curious.
I have no idea if it's a scam or not. They claim to be a talent agency in the seattle/spokane area knows as MAM or Mitchell Actors and Models. I can't find anything wrong so far, which is what really freaks me out. I am not trustworthy of the internet at all and I want help in identifying a scam or not. They say they are a SAG-AFTRA affiliated agency. The clients seem to check out so far, but I haven't found mention of this specific company. All feature films they say they have cast have all taken place in areas near the office, yet something tells me it might be a scam. I have no idea. Maybe I'm just so used to getting scammed that I am not trusting my only opportunity. The website is here for anyone who wants to try and find something wrong with it. http://www.wearemam.com/
Like how do they succeed? They dont even have much experience. While adults are struggling to even get discovered... life is fucking cruel
I'll be heading back to Canada shortly and focusing on my career there. I started professionally in the UK so I'm not so well versed in how influential the actors unions are in Canada. I have some proper experience on set, but I'm not ready to unionize. Is it mainly that union actors have first pick of the roles? How screwed am I if I don't join right off the bat?
I feel really silly typing this, but I need to vent at the moment, and I feel there are people here older/more experienced than me who can talk me out of this slump. I never acted in school, but when I got to college I threw myself into it because I always felt a calling to be on stage and I never had the confidence until I left my hometown/high school. I got cast in two major roles two years running in the annual production staged by my academic department at college, which generates a large amount of interest and is always a massive event. I performed brilliantly and am extremely proud of myself, and learnt a lot along the way as well as making great friends. These experiences made me realise I love acting and I want to pursue it as far as possible. Recently some friends/acquaintances of mine pitched an original comedy to a big theatre group at our college and were successful in gaining funding and support to bring it to a rather major event in our country, a big success for them as writers. I was very pleased for them and thought the opportunity was too good to pass up, so auditioned for a role and felt I performed well. Several mutual friends also auditioned, including some who I have previously acted alongside. In any case, they turned me down, and I now feel rather dejected. I’ve only been acting at all for two years so obviously I really haven’t experienced rejection, and until now all feedback I’ve received on my prowess has been very positive. I can’t help but feel somewhat insulted, as ridiculous as I know that sounds, because I know that the people I auditioned in front of are colleagues of mine and that they almost certainly chose one or two mutual friends over me for the role(s). I don’t quite know how to face up to this on a social level, because I see these people very regularly at college, and they’re constantly talking about how excited they are about bringing this production to a bigger stage. I don’t know how to look at and talk to these people without thinking “I’m bitter and jealous that you didn’t pick me and I wish I could be a part of your production”. Ultimately I know I’m just a college kid and I’m being melodramatic, and I’m VERY new to all of this. But any advice would be very much appreciated, as well as any pointers for what I might do in the future in terms of attitude as I pursue acting further throughout and beyond college.
I have aspirations of producing one day and I thought of taking a year off one year to get the basics of producing in class. Like, a full sail university course. Looking at a film like Pacific Rim 2, starring and produced by John Boyega, is that route necessary?
I'm taking acting classes currently with an actor represented by a big agency in Canada. It was purely a coincidence, but I've had my eyes set on that same agency for when I'm ready to be represented. I've read that agents can refer actors to another agency, but would an actor do the same? Or is that unethical?
I have been working on creating a New Media project for over a year with the intention of using it as a method to obtain my union card. Apparently many aspiring actors and some scam artists also did this and did so in ways that pissed off the union. I just today found out (because I hadn't checked the new media site for a while) that this no longer seems like a viable option to Taft Hartley into the union. I have been a working actor for many years. I have a masters degree in acting. Most of my work has been commercials, some non-union tv as well. I live in the Philadelphia area. The project I was developing wasn't a "scam" just to get into the union. I legitimately wanted to make this thing and also use it as a stepping stone to elevate my acting career by being proactive. I called SAG New Media, they said they won't even consider a Taft Hartley for a new media project under $50k. That's what they told me at least. Has anyone else had any a different experience with Taft Hartley recently or know other viable options other than waiting for work to come to me and hoping I get brought in to be seen for a union audition when something comes in to town?
I just started taking acting classes, and was browsing through some MFA Acting Programs out of curiosity (e.g. Julliard, NYU Tisch, Yale, etc.) However, I was confused about what they were looking for exactly. There are programs that say (or imply) they are looking for "potential" and "trainable" students that can become good actors. However, at the same time, many programs ask for 3 letters of recommendation. I'm unsure whether the recommendations need to all be about my work as actors, but it seems these programs want their students to have amassed a good chunk of prior acting experiences under their belt. For those who have gone to MFA programs (esp for Julliard, etc.), how "untrained" can the student be to get accepted, or how much experience do you think they are looking for?
Has having these accounts really helped you if you are a signed actor? I eventually plan on making one but I feel like until I have booked a job or two it’s not worth the investment. What do you guys think? Do you get inquired often or are you just submitting via their awful search engines?
As the title says. Is it normal for an agent to demand that an actor never discuss what he's being paid with other actors on a set, or with the client/production staff? It seems kind of fishy to not be allowed to talk to anyone about what you're being paid. How do you guys feel about it?
I'm interested in exploring the relationship between actor and audience. How do you do the play without completely ignoring the audience, or (on the other end of the spectrum) catering to their reactions (e.g. wanting laughs or applause). I would love to know what you all think! Thanks a bunch
I've been reading here often that CDs want to see actors be confident with themselves on and off camera, which I understand on their part. But have any of you ever thought about actors like Kristen Stewart or Michael Cera that don't come off as upbeat as CDs supposedly look for? How do you think they pull off auditions and get roles?
So I've been attending this actors workshop and they record my scene partner and myself while we act out our scene. And everytime we watch the recordings at the end of class, people will say that I seemed really natural and all that good stuff. But, I look terrible on camera, Im skinny but I have a fat exhausted looking face. I hear that looks don't always matter, but in this case, I don't see myself being Hollywood material. I try not to let my looks defeat me, but its still in the back of my head whether or not I will make it big. I know I'm rambling about myself and it looks ridiculous, but I just need some sort of response; something
i've been pursuing this for a few years, and i just feel incredibly depressed and disenfranchised. i love acting, man, and i'm good at it. but this pursuit has just destroyed me. now, i have my own views about how the world works, like how the 1% have rigged the economy / cost of life so the vast majority of us are wage slaves barely scraping by, that contribute to my outlook, but pursuing acting has not made it better. every single thing costs so much money, and I have no idea how to move forward or even get paid auditions or even get a decent agent in a major market. it seems like paying thousands of dollars for workshops with no garuntee is what peoeple do, or pay even more thousands of dollars going to conservatories that have showcases. i can't afford either of these things, by a long-shot, so am I just screwed? i hate working these survival jobs that pay you so little and treat you like disposable garbage, and as embarrassing as this is to say, i really don't have many friends either. i'm just not on the same page as literally ANYBODY anymore. my family was never supportive and writes me off as lazy. i've lost touch with highschool / college friends now because i'm 30 and everybody is has a normal job and lives in one place and starting to have a family, and i've bounced around so much. also as a result of being broke for so long I've had to ask for help a few times and people that i thought were my friends pretty much turned their backs on me, and that is probably the worst feeling in the world. but then, the people i've met in acting classes and stuff have either been legitimately crazy, or really clicky, or just rich trust fund kids that are not relatable at all. it's not like i don't have friends, but not close friends, not the way I see other people around me have them, and honestly that hurts really bad. man this is a depressing post, i apologize. i never in a million years thought my life would be like this when i'm 30. i know the answer would be to just "get a full time job", but like what? what jobs even pay above 50,000 these days that aren't insanely competitive by people that aren't trying to be an actor on top of it? i'm just so lost, just floating out in space surrounded by apathetic people, seemingly ok, when I'm not. i dont have insurance or I'd get a therapist pronto. i just really don't know what to do anymore. has anybody been here before, at my age? how did you solve it? i don't have any place to go and recharge, i'm all on my own. anyway, thanks for reading.
I'm putting a personal story into a script I'm writing. I'd love to use it as a monologue for auditions and agent meetings etc.. How 'ethical' is it to do this? I tell the story well, but it's not something I learnt from an outside source. But it's a funny story and will be filmed shortly by another actor. I'm meeting a new agent next week and would love to do this piece.. so... ethical, fake, bad form? Or a smart use of the resources available to me?
If anyone fancies letting me know what they think of the dialogue and characters, I'm currently knee deep in a total from-scratch re write and it'd be great to get some of your thoughts... I posted an earlier draft of this about 5 months ago and feedback was good, I'm hoping this is MUCH better...Really trying to focus on making the characters relatable, actually funny and getting a good ratio of gags to scares.. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zft4Ym_THRar97pHInr6FMMTzlbKxArV/view?usp=sharing look forward to your thoughts!
I need to laugh. Because today I left an audition thinking, “I shouldn’t have asked that director how his day was going. No way he’s casting me now.”
Quite interested in what your routine is as an actor or aspiring actor.