Where do I start in my acting career?
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at
8:45 pm
K.A.H. asked:
Okay, here’s the deal. I am in middle school at the moment, and I really am into acting. The only problem is that I can not start with a Drama Club, because there isn’t one. Also, I do not have any Acting Schools to go to in my area.
Okay, here’s the deal. I am in middle school at the moment, and I really am into acting. The only problem is that I can not start with a Drama Club, because there isn’t one. Also, I do not have any Acting Schools to go to in my area.
What do I do? I need more experience in acting, and I am planning on becoming an actress!
I live in Florida, Northern Florida.
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well 1st of all you should put where you live
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Start doing a search for actors agentcies, but be carful cause some of them are scams. After that just do everything you can & accept/ audition for anything in plays (nomatter the part) Sooner or later you’ll get “noticed”. Especially since you live in Florida.
Live Actor
If I answered this question I would just be repeating exactly what I’ve said in about 9 other questions just like this. I’ll put those in the source. If you read them, you can get some very helpful information about how to get started acting. I would say it all again but I’m going to bed cuz I’m freakin tired.
–edit–
Oh but the last one is probably the one that would be the most helpful to you. Hope this helped
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Some colleges have community plays any one can audition. I don’t know if they have one in Northern Florida.
acting
First off let me say that this question is asked almost ever day in one form or another. So if this answer doesn’t satisfy you feel free to browse through the other 1 million answers already given.
Now that being said, this is the reality. Most of the people who ask questions about getting started in acting on television and in the cinema are fans of the shows they want to work on, and there is NOTHING wrong with that. But you need to realize that being a fan dose not mean that you should be an employee of the show. Too many people have the idea that they are going to go to an open casting call, wow the casting director and get a spot on their favorite show. Honestly your chances are probably better at winning the lottery than this scenario ever happening. There is no magic formula to follow that guarantees you success, if there is this business wouldn’t be this hard to get into to. But what I can show you, is the path to start on if you REALLY want to make a go of this as a career.
You have to figure out if acting is really what you want to do, or if you only want to do it because you are a fan of a particular show or movie or if it’s a passing trend. Would you be just as happy if no one outside of your community knew who you were, but you got to act every week at the local theatre? Or are you after the money fame and celebrity status that might come your way? If your answer has anything to do with the second option, STOP right now and find another line of work.
Start getting training! You can take classes in your school all the way through college. Or if your town offers a professional acting class all the better. You have no idea how many people say, “I love acting and I know I could be great but I have no training and I’ve never acted before.” That’s like asking an airline to make you a pilot but you don’t know how to fly a plane. Obviously foolish! Start with local plays and build your experience. Any actor worth their trade will tell you that you NEVER stop training!
Read! Read! Read! Read books, not only on the art of acting but also the business of acting as well. You’re never to young to arm yourself with information concerning the business and how it really works. Later in life if this becomes your profession the information you’ve gained will be invaluable. You can buy tons of books on-line or check out your library.
Once you’ve gotten to the point where you’ve done the research and got some training you need to get yourself professional headshots, and this is GOING TO COST MONEY! If you want to be taken seriously as a professional you need professional headshots. Digital copies from mom’s camera ain’t gonna cut it, nor will photos from your yearbook or glamour shots. You will need to find a reputable headshot photographer and hire them to book a session. Prices usually range anywhere from $275.00 and up. Make up artists are extra and will range from 50-300 dollars extra. Now you need to get a couple hundred copies made to prepare for your auditions and mailings.
Now a reality check! If you want to make a go of this you will need to be in Los Angeles. LA is the film and television Mecca for entertainment. Likewise if you wanted to work in theatre you need to be in New York. It’s just a simple fact that you will need to adjust too. How many professional surfers have you ever heard of who spend all their time in Iowa?
After you have your head shots you or your parents need to start submitting to auditions. Simply put unless you have a very specific look or talent, no reputable agent is going to take you on with no experience. They need to know that they can sell you and in turn make money. If they can’t, then it’s not in their best interest to represent you. You can find auditions through on-line services such as LA Casting, Actor’s Access and Now Casting. Keep in mind that these sites usually charge a monthly fee for their services. Again this will cost you money up front. We never said getting into acting was cheap!
After you have landed a few jobs you can start to submit to agencies, or invite agents to see you in showcases. If an agent likes what they see, you can structure a deal with them. Keep in mind that a legit agent will never ask for money up front, however they will get, at a minimum 10% of your earnings once you’ve booked a job. Tell the agent up front if you have aspirations to work on a certain show of type of film, but the reality is you’ll have little chance to select the work you go out for initially. A good place to start would be the publications put out by Wolf press or through
So you still want to be an actor/actress? Then YOU have to be proactive about it. Do the research, find the agents and make the contacts. No one is going to do that for you, without you paying for it! Acting as a profession involves long hard hours of training and work, possibly thousands of dollars in headshots, monthly bill fees and training and that’s just to get a CHANCE to audition.
Long answer short: Get your training, read to get yourself informed, do plays locally to get experience, get your headshots, do small parts to build upon to get experience for your resume, submit to agents, then finally you may have your shot.
As fun as it sounds, and from time to time it is fun, acting is still a job! You have to respect it and prepare for it just like any other job. If you think you can stand in front of a camera, repeat a few lines and make millions, then stay in school and look for another profession. On the other hand if this is really what you want to do and you’re willing to make the sacrifice and do the hard work early on, we may just see you on the screen before you know it. Best of luck!