Delving into the Actor’s Universe

There’s a revolving door in both Hollywood and the Big Apple from an actor’s perspective. Many people enter those cities with big dreams but without a lot of knowledge and most of those people either fail or get taken advantage of. The right combination of smarts and talent are required to get your fair shake in the show business industry. It‘s not just what you know, it’s also who you know. Aligning yourself with smart people can help you net some great results.

Tools of the Trade

You need three things:  a headshot, a resume and perseverance to continuously polish your skills so that you are appealing to casting directors.

Those who want to succeed in the world of acting need to realize that they might not get rich real quick and that they probably will have to start at the very bottom.  For many lovers of this industry, it’s a labor of love.  If you’re delving into the actor’s universe to get rich and famous, you probably will be in for a big disappointment. If you love the idea of acting for the sake of the art, you probably have a better chance.

Actors need to be able to act but they also need to be sales pros. Their product: themselves: You need to know how to promote yourself in order to get attention from the people that you want to consider you for roles. Through training, you can improve your acting skills. Through training, you can also improve upon your marketing skills.
 
Actors need a product brochure for sales purposes. This is often sold in terms of a portfolio or resume that contains their headshot and their resume.

Tips for a great headshot include finding your best angle and a professional photographer can often help with that.  Many people go with black and white headshots because they look very professional and can hide small flaws in your complexion, etc.  A headshot is like a business card for you and as the first thing potential employers will see, it should present you at your best.

Tips for a great acting resume include listing your relevant experience. Casting directors want to see what experience you have. If you haven’t got a lot as of yet, you should do things that help build your resume. We’ll go into further resume detail a bit later. Even if you are a novice, your resume can present you in a great light. Your resume is an evolving document and as time goes on, you’ll want to continually refresh it with information about all the roles (even if they are small) as well as all the workshops and classes you have taken.

When writing your resume, try to think about it from a director’s standpoint and make an impression based on what you think they would want to see. You are relying on your head shot and that resume to get you a call so put your best effort into it.
Beyond your acting abilities, think about developing other skills such as singing and dancing so that you can put it all together in a package. Continuously work to improve upon all your acting skills.

Let’s face it, many people can act when they need to pretend or deceive (such as calling in sick for work or pretending to love a gaudy gift) but true polished talent comes from learning technical skills, on the job experience and from training and working with other professionals.

Take an acting class, attend some workshops, hire an acting coach and read about the craft of acting as well. Learning the technical side will help you communicate with other professionals and nurture your talent so that it grows.

High school or college drama classes can teach you a lot of what you need to pursue an acting career. Understanding the whole picture both in front of the scenes and behind the scenes can help you develop your talent and your professional attitude. Whether you’re an actor or a stage hand, you need to understand all the technical aspects of set designing, costumes, marketing and advertising.

It’s a great idea to get involved in your local community theater and if you cannot land an acting role right away, starting out backstage or in the back office can help you learn a lot about the acting world while allowing you to watch and to learn.

You might need to pay for coaching and workshops but that can be money well invested in your future. We’ll provide you with tips later on that can help you see what coaching and workshops might be suitable for your needs and show you how to spot professionals from amateurs.

Don’t forget:

Develop your skills over time. If you are truly serious about acting for a living, you will need to work your way up. Small bit roles and behind the scenes roles will help groom you for future success and give you knowledge and insight into the acting industry.

When you’re not acting, watch others act or take the time to take workshops and develop and polish your talent. Learning about acting and experiencing it either first hand or through exposure will all contribute towards your future success.  Experience is definitely the best teacher there is.