So you have decided to pursue acting as a career. Congratulations - but be warned of the rough journey ahead! We don’t mean to be discouraging but a career in the “wood” of your choosing, say Hollywood, is not going to be a walk in the park. It’s going to be more like a hike up a very treacherous and slippery ice mountain. The road to acting careers is not for the weak-hearted.
Consider this a sign to toughen up and be ready to give it your all. Because ending up in Hollywood is going to take grit, guts and a whole lot of luck. Even if you have mastered your art, be ready to hear the phrase “no” more often than “yes”.
Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, we want to focus on the good stuff. The practical stuff that’s actually going to help you ace in the field of acting careers.
If someone has ever doubted you, we say, kill ‘em with kindness! In other words, just hit them up with these cool stats, my dude. You see (unlike your haters), the global entertainment industry is worth $2 trillion annually. Annually!
Mind-blowing, isn’t it? With the rise of streaming services churning out new content every other day, emerging actors can use this to their advantage. These are the pitfalls and high points that go with acting careers. Now, let’s take a look at the most common questions we get asked by actors.
What Can I Do to Get Started as an Actor?
This question has surely plagued the mind of every actor at one point in their career. We get it, though! It can be overwhelming to pursue acting and equally more so if you don’t know where or how to start. We've got you covered, though! We have developed a four-point guide to help budding actors get started. We get into a lot of frequently asked questions like:
-how to get acting auditions
-what is an acting agent
-how can I get an agent for acting
-where to sign up to be an actor
But before that, we want to point out the different kinds of acting careers that are present in the industry. This will help you identify which one you fall into.
Actors can be roughly divided into:
(i) Film – these are the ones who grace the cinema screens.
(ii) Television – these are the actors who grace the silver screen aka the TV.
(iii) Stage – these actors appear on the theatre stage i.e. in plays.
(iv) Commercial – these are the actors who appear in video commercials.
Without further ado, here’s All Talent’s Four-Point Guide to the question “What Can I Do To Get Started as an Actor”:
1. Prepare a Media Kit
A media kit is a compilation of your résumé, portfolio, headshots and demo reels. It has everything relevant to your acting career. Collect all these files into a single folder and keep it handy. When you get opportunities – via your agent or network – it will be easy for you to send this media kit as one file. A media kit makes your work look professional and organized. It is also one of the first things that a potential client might see - so this makes for a good first impression. Make sure that all the details in the kit are relevant and up to date.
2. Connect with Your Network:
We cannot stress the importance of networking enough! When you join and become an active part of a network – your chances of landing a role are very high. Your network probably has access to info on acting auditions, open casting calls and so on. This is because most casting calls are passed through word-of-mouth before becoming public. Thus, you can find out about opportunities through the grapevine before anyone else.
A strong network consists of:
-actors
-casting agent or acting agents
-producers
-local directors
3. Get an Agent:
This is much easier said than done. But it is a very important step for actors who already have an impressive résumé.
Who is a Casting Agent?
A casting agent or an acting agent is a professional whose job is to scout and book jobs for you. Acting agents work for their talent agencies and are hired by artists to represent them.
What do acting agents do?
A good casting agent analyzes your strengths so that they can book jobs that will work perfectly for you. They help you land and sign contracts and negotiate deals on your behalf. Additionally, they book auditions and follow up on them. For this, they earn a commission from your earnings.
Where Can I Get an Agent for Acting?
As we’ve mentioned before, acting agents work for talent agencies. Every agent has a niche they specialize in and a collection of talent they represent. So the first thing you’ll have to do is research. Google, ask around from actor friends and collate a list of talent agencies. Once you’ve done that, you need to go through each agency and its agents. Pick agents who are specialists in your niche and find ways to contact them. If they appear impressed by you (hello, media kit!), they’ll book you for an interview and sign you to their agency.
4. Search for Casting Calls Online
To answer your burning question of “how do actors get auditions?”, there are many answers. We’ve already discussed getting auditions via acting agents and networks. It’s now time to look into the third option: using the aid of our trusted friend and ally: Google.
Since our friend can find anything, all that remains is for you to parse through the search results. Usually, production houses or independent film crew post casting calls online. You can check if they’re looking for actors for their projects. If you find available openings, contact them and book an audition for yourself.
While we’re on the subject of auditions, let’s talk about one more thing that is vital before you audition. Your audition technique. Those of us who’ve been to auditions before know that it is quite different from acting on the sets of a movie. Auditions need a whole other skill set! This is why you must practice a few techniques that will help you nail your audition.
We recommend doing a range of practice scenes in front of a camera every week. Doing this exercise will help you hone and sharpen your skills as you can go back and watch the tape. When you do this, you can figure out your strong and weak points and take it from there. Every week, you can take specific aspects and areas you want to improve upon. This method will not only ease you in front of a camera – it’ll also help you gain confidence.
All Talent .
All Talent doubles as a talent agency as well as an online job portal. We’re a platform built exclusively for finding jobs in the entertainment industry. On All Talent, artists can find agents and production houses and vice versa. We are a global community for global opportunities. It doesn’t cost a dime to register with us!
Sign up to be an actor by following the process below:
1. Create an All Talent profile here.
2. Upload your portfolio, media and past work.
3. Explore and apply for available openings.
4. Get discovered by talent agencies, production houses and producers.
5. Get hired by our clients for projects.
All the Best and we hope to see you join the All Talent community!
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