Ultimate guide how to become actor (English)

ACTORS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE * * * * *

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HOW TO BECOME A ACTOR

WHY DO YOU WANT TO ACT? WHY ACT? As a professional actor, the first steps you take in your career are always going to be the most daunting. After all, acting is one of the most competitive and toughest industries to survive in, let alone succeed in. You know this. That’s why you’re here.

But before you even take your first steps into the acting industry, it’s worth asking yourself the million dollar question: Why do you REALLY want to act? There are loads of different answers and there is no real “wrong” answer. Do you want to act because you love performing? Do you want to act because you feel you’re good at it but suck at everything else? Perhaps you’re not all that enamoured with yourself and would ether pretend to be someone else? Whatever your answer, I say GO FOR IT! For young people especially, the job market is already super competitive, so if you’re going to struggle to get a career in almost any field, you may as well struggle to do something you really want to do! Enjoy your hoverboards, future folks! If your reason for pursuing a career in acting is because you want fame and fortune, I really don’t think this is the gig for you. It’s too much hard work. It’s not an easy ride. Acting is a lot of hard work, tough skin, and turmoil. It’s not glamorous it’s mopping up a restaurant floor at 11pm while trying to memorize lines for tomorrow’s audition. The same audition you feel you probably won’t get, but still have to miss out a whole day’s pay for because you’ve got to try.

So, if you want a quick and easy ride to fame, reality TV may be more up your street. For all the other answers to the question, buckle up! It’s going to be a tough ride: a lot of crying, ridiculous fun, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re chasing your dreams. TO TRAIN, OR NOT TO TRAIN? TO TRAIN, OR NOT TO TRAIN? I have to say I 100% believe in training. Before training I knew what I wanted but I didn’t know how to get it. A good performance or audition was just a fluke. I believe training is beneficial to anyone who wants to act. There are exceptions of course, but we’ll get to them in a bit. Here are the pros and cons of training: Pros ∙ Discipline ∙ Gaining confidence ∙ Tools to be able to act to your full potential ∙ Tools for auditions ∙ Industry contacts ∙ Vocal training ∙ Vocal endurance ∙ Understanding industry terms ∙ Showcases Cons ∙ Money ∙ Time

Training will teach you how to be good consistently. Some casting agents refuse to see you without a drama school on your CV. “ Training gives you all these invaluable lessons and tools, but the most important thing it teaches you is that you are as, if not more, capable and talented as everyone else out there. You can go into any audition and ace it. As well as this, some casting agents and theatre companies refuse to even see you without an accredited drama school on your CV. Everything else is out of your hands. But training will teach you how to be good consistently. The only con is money. Unfortunately, acting and the arts is becoming more and more of a rich man’s game. Because there is less funding in the arts, there are less scholarships and grants, and drama school is usually more expensive than university. However, there are a number of funding options for promising, broke, young actors, such as DADAs. Another advantage of training is the versatility you will learn. With all of the raw talent in the world, there are certain obstacles which are just too hard to overcome without training. Untrained voices simply don’t have the discipline or stamina to perform night after night. Of course you can go to classes to learn this, but if you’re thinking of just attending lots of acting classes instead of training, you will probably spend the same amount of money and not get the name of an accredited drama school under your belt.

Some actors just want to work in one specific niche. For example, some actors just want to act on film, and therefore think that a complete drama school education is a waste. However, any audition is hard enough to get, do you really want to cut down your chances of getting an acting job by focusing solely on one niche? Something else to consider when deciding if or when to go to drama school is that it is usually more beneficial for someone to trai n when they are a bit older. This is why a lot of drama schools don’t usually accept 18 year olds, as you will appreciate and get a lot more out of training when you are a bit older. So this is just one opinion, but my recommendation is: train! Just do it. You won’t regret it. It will probably be the best time of your life as well as the worst. But it will inarguably be the most productive years of your life (even if it takes a few years’ of hindsight to see it). HOW TO GET AN AGENT Agents… everyone is obsessed with getting one and once we get one, we can’t stop complaining about them. Getting an agent is kind of a catch 22. You can’t get one unless you’re in work and you can’t get work (good work) without one. This is also where training can help you get a good start to your career. All accredited drama schools, whether it be BA or MA, will provide a show case for you where they will invite agents to come see you, but more importantly YOU can invite them to come see you.

It is so important to get into the habit of writing to people. Actors spend just as much, if not more, time writing to people as they do acting. It’s true that out of the agents and casting agents you’ve written to, only about 10% will send a response, and out of that 10% only about 5% will actually want a ticket. Without wanting to sound like one of those creepy pickup artists you see in seedy nightclubs, it is really is a numbers game. Write to everyone. Even if you’re not sure that the agents are right for you, it is still worth writing to them, as you can always change your mind if a better suited agent offers you a deal. Nothing is sealed till you sign on the dotted line. Training will teach you how to be good consistently. Some casting agents refuse to see you without a drama school on your CV. “” This is actually something that is extremely important. Do not get overly flattered: if and when you get offers from agents, don’t let that shadow your decision. The interview is just as much you assessing them as it is the other way around. Choosing what kind of agent to go for can be a bit of a tightrope walk too. If you sign with a huge agency, it’s quite likely that you’ll be fairly low on their priority list. After all, if your agent is making thousands off of their bignamed clients, why would they put in much time to earn a relative pittance from you? On the other hand, if you sign with an agent who is too small, it is likely that they will not have the contacts and networks needed to get you involved in bigger

projects. Sometimes it’s better to go with a midweight agent, as you know that you’re one of their favourites, and that they’ll really be pushing to get you work. Ultimately, however, the most important thing is that you and your agent understand each other and are on the same page about your career and where you want to go. The only way to get an agent is to register into actors directories and write, write, write as much as possible about you and your experience. Fill in carefully your profile showcase. At the top of each page of this paper you can find tips on sites where every single actor should be registered: ➔ acting.net| ➔ actingagency.net| ➔ actingagents.net| ➔ actingcareer.com| ➔ actingclasses.info| ➔ actingjobs.info| ➔ actingclassesforkids.net| ➔ actingclasseslondon.org| ➔ actingclassesnyc.org| ➔ actingcolleges.info| ➔ actinglessons.info| ➔ actingschool.info| ➔ auditions.net| ➔ auditionsforkids.net| ➔ casting.org| ➔ castingagencies.com|

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