Actors
- Thread starter indietalk
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This might seem like an odd question, but I like to ask everyone who wants to be an actor.
Do you want to act?
or
Do you think acting is a career that could lead to fame/wealth/international stardom or even making a living?
The answer about how you proceed is different depending whether you're really intersted in the craft of acting regardless of fame/wealth/ or making a living or whether acting is just a route to fulfil your ego fantasies (nothing wrong if it is).
This also the same question I like to ask filmmakers, as the issue is the same.
If you want to act the answer is pretty simple, take a part time acting course and see how you get on with it. Get involved with theare and local indie filmmakers. Just by doing these things you have become an actor, especially if you don't need to be paid.
If you see acting as potential career this is a whole other ballgame.
Step One - Be honest with yourelf, do you have the face and body of someone who gets regular work on TV or in films, if not you are going to have to work twice as hard to make it as a character actor (It's worth understanding the potential work you might be hired for based on an honest accessment of your looks. It's not about looking like a baywatch bimbo, it's just not trying to get that kind of work if you've gat a face like a bulldog licking a nettle)
Step two is do some research into the backgrounds of the people who you most admire in the business. Find out where they trained. Usually it's the oen of the same three schools. In the UK it's RADA, Central and the Italia Conte. Time for more research, find out what each of these schools is looking for from it's students. Then start training, not to act but to get through the audition proecess for the school you want to be in.
When you get in make friends with everyone, work like a dog and perform as often as you can. In the course of this process you should make the contacts that set you up for the rest of your career (which will probably earn you less than you would have earnt working at Walmart). However you will have given yurself the best possible shot at making it as an actor.
There is of course the cynical route. Invest massive amounts of money on clothes that fall off in front of pres cameras and plastic surgery, hang around in the clubs that people from the industry go and pick up an existing celebrity therefore getting yourself into the magazines (breaking up a long term marriage is always good for press, combined with accidental release of you home made porn tapes on the internet) Once the press is on you, get an agent and land an acting part from a cynical producer who wants to cash in on your name, surprise everyone by being good in the part and keep the ball rolling. Put at least half the money you make a away to pay for therapy you're going to need for the rest of your life.
Clive,
I get this question all of the time from actors who visit my site or have seen my work. You have answered this question very well.
I think that a lot of the time two things capture people about acting. 1) the rush from being onstage (being the center of attention. which really isn't all together a bad thing because you don't want to work with some one who tries to hide themselves on stage or in front of the camera) and 2) the "fame" and the "glory". People loving you. Money and all that.
Getting into acting isn't the difficult thing. There are plenty of classes available to increase your skill. And also plenty of people willing to take your money for those classes. So, I think that something else you would want to research is the business end of acting and also do research on how other actors have survived while pursing their goal.
Here is the thing, acting is so precious to me. And if you have a true passion for the art form then you must be willing to stick with it no matter what. If you are weak minded and take negative feedback or critique personally or if you live with a cloud of pessimism over your head…get out now. You will be broke, it is the truth. There is very little money in acting. Especially in the tender start of one's career. You will experience rejection. Just let it be the thing that makes you work harder. What I am saying basically it that you have to develop skill and a backbone to be an actor. And don’t give up after a month of being in the trenches. That will get you nowhere. Stick it out for as long as you can. I really don’t believe in time lines. Some say ten months some say ten years. For me I will give my lifetime. There is nothing else in this world I want to do for a living. Of course there are other things I like to do, but those are hobbies…you get what I’m saying??
Anyway, best of luck to you in your goals of acting PR. If you give it you r all it will pay you more than financially in the long run.
I get this question all of the time from actors who visit my site or have seen my work. You have answered this question very well.
I think that a lot of the time two things capture people about acting. 1) the rush from being onstage (being the center of attention. which really isn't all together a bad thing because you don't want to work with some one who tries to hide themselves on stage or in front of the camera) and 2) the "fame" and the "glory". People loving you. Money and all that.
Getting into acting isn't the difficult thing. There are plenty of classes available to increase your skill. And also plenty of people willing to take your money for those classes. So, I think that something else you would want to research is the business end of acting and also do research on how other actors have survived while pursing their goal.
Here is the thing, acting is so precious to me. And if you have a true passion for the art form then you must be willing to stick with it no matter what. If you are weak minded and take negative feedback or critique personally or if you live with a cloud of pessimism over your head…get out now. You will be broke, it is the truth. There is very little money in acting. Especially in the tender start of one's career. You will experience rejection. Just let it be the thing that makes you work harder. What I am saying basically it that you have to develop skill and a backbone to be an actor. And don’t give up after a month of being in the trenches. That will get you nowhere. Stick it out for as long as you can. I really don’t believe in time lines. Some say ten months some say ten years. For me I will give my lifetime. There is nothing else in this world I want to do for a living. Of course there are other things I like to do, but those are hobbies…you get what I’m saying??
Anyway, best of luck to you in your goals of acting PR. If you give it you r all it will pay you more than financially in the long run.
You can also get a feel for acting - maybe even pick up some valuable experience - in local community theater. Acting in a local stage production will most likely show you the often overlooked details that go into acting like the whole rehearsal process.
Or grab a regular-Joe consumer camera, get a few friends together and make a few short movies. You'll learn a lot about what looks good on camera.. and what doesn't.
After you've made a few, start taking the courses. That way, you know at least a LITTLE before throwing money into that kind of stuff. And you'll find out if you're a natural or not.
Remember to keep an open mind though- don't get stuck on principles or anything.
After you've made a few, start taking the courses. That way, you know at least a LITTLE before throwing money into that kind of stuff. And you'll find out if you're a natural or not.
Remember to keep an open mind though- don't get stuck on principles or anything.
In my opinion both acting and filmmaking are both arts that require people to be dedicated heart and soul to doing the work for the sake of the work and no other reason. Acting is an odd business, from an outsiders view it would seem to be the perfect career for people with low self worth, in that people often believe that a) They'll get to be centre of attention, and b) You get to hide who you really are by pretending to be other people.
The irony is that neither of those to misconceptions are true because, other than a screenwriter, nobody takes more daily rejection than an actor and once people start to learn the craft they realise that acting is not about pretending to be other people it's about reaching for greater and greater degrees of vunerablility in public, there is no pretending to be other people, it's all you. Not just that, it's often the aspects that you try most to keep hidden that are the key to great work. Scary stuff.
Strangly enough I think the hardest thing for an actor to do is to stay in the business without becoming a slave to their fears. To be determined and dedicated to the craft is a wonderful thing, but doing that whilst keeping some integrity is a real challenge.
clive said:
When I took theatre acting at my college, the majority of people in my class where there to overcome shyness. Needless to say, most of them dropped once they realized how much attention the other students would pay attention to them. I'm an actor first, but I will be getting my degree in film.
PlectrumRecords said:
Well, my very simple answer to this question would be to check out your local theatres & find out how to get involved. That is exactly how I started out.... many years ago. There is always stuff to do locally. Once you get involved you'll make more connections. Eventually you'll become the big fish in a small pond... & that's when you know the time is right to move to a bigger city & take your goals to the next level.
Wow!
I dont know exactly the way these things (forums) work, so i might be probably making some
sort of mistake... Excuse me!. I promise i´ll do my best to learn.
Anyway... I´m a spanish actor, 27 years old. (I live in spain, thats why my english is not so
fluent
). I finished studying last year and now i´m just looking around for things to do...
I already made some castings and got a little part in a musical here in Spain... not much but
enough to encourage a newbie.
The thing is i loved finding this forum with people talking about acting and i thought i could
be accepted. I hope i am... And maybe it will also be a chance to practice my english!!.
I dont know exactly the way these things (forums) work, so i might be probably making some
sort of mistake... Excuse me!. I promise i´ll do my best to learn.
Anyway... I´m a spanish actor, 27 years old. (I live in spain, thats why my english is not so
fluent
). I finished studying last year and now i´m just looking around for things to do... I already made some castings and got a little part in a musical here in Spain... not much but
enough to encourage a newbie.
The thing is i loved finding this forum with people talking about acting and i thought i could
be accepted. I hope i am... And maybe it will also be a chance to practice my english!!.
Salvatore!Thank you! 
(Hm... i dont think my english is good enough to try to give my oppinion about the topic you were
discussing about... But i will try some day) .
(Hm... i dont think my english is good enough to try to give my oppinion about the topic you were
discussing about... But i will try some day)
.Zensteve said:'sup Salvatore!
Your English seems just fine to me.
What part did you get in the musical? (and which one?)
Hi Zensteve...
I got TWO parts in the musical (called MERLIN. It has been written by two guys here in Spain).
I will play "Laval" and "Man SIX"
What? Not bad for being my first casting!!! HEHE.
I´ll tell you things about it. Rehearsals start August 22th.
Thanks for your compliment about my english
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