How to Start Your Acting Career

They say it’s impossible but it was possible for Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Once upon a time, the biggest stars of today were aspirants just like you. They settled for small roles on TV or commercials that hardly showed their face just to make ends meet. But look at where them now.

If you want to kick off your acting career, you need to have the following: Motivation, Confidence and Passion. These three will serve as your driving force to handle rejection after rejection. We’re telling you right here right now, there are a lot of those in Tinsel town, and even on Broadway.

If you want to live your dream, you can start it off by:

1. Find an agent. There are tons of agencies in Los Angeles and New York. Somehow, these two cities are the focal points of entertainment. If you make this your home base, then you will have an easier time getting an agency. Although, agencies are picky. If you aren’t what they are looking for (physically and experience-wise), don’t expect to get any calls from them. Just be patient and keep on trying till you find the agency that signs you on as a talent.

2. Get started. Now that you have an agency, you will be informed of the auditions. You will have to be there and expect a competition. A casting call means there are hundreds of hopefuls trying out for a single role. You need to understand this as well as have the patience to sit through the entire casting procedure. You have to wait your turn which may take an eternity.

3. When it’s your time to shine, shine and don’t choke. Think of a time when you waited for something. Once they let you in and you are face-to-face with the casting directors (better yet, the writers, producers or directors), show them what you’ve got. Try to not impress them too much because they know when you’re showing off. Everything in moderation and most importantly, you should be in character. You are, after all, an actor.

(Read Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part)

4. Have a good supply of headshots. First impressions last in this industry. Most of the time, these first impressions come in the form of your headshots. Casting directors judge on what they see in your headshots. Have them professionally taken. They may be expensive but it is something you have to invest in if you want to turn your dream into a reality.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

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The Reason Why You Need to Take an Acting Class

Lee Strassberg taught Marilyn Monroe. Salma Hayek was trained by Stella Adler. Acting is a craft and it has to be learned. If you want to be the best, then you have to sign up for acting classes.

It may look fun but it has to be taken seriously. Acting means you have to take on characters. There are different approaches in doing this. There’s Meisner, Strasberg and Morris to name a few. Now if you aren’t familiar with those names and you want to be an actor, you have to grab some acting books right now and read up in order to catch up to your fellow aspirants.

Acting shouldn’t be merely regarded as a hobby. It is a profession for most aspiring actors and actresses. If you have problems speaking in public, are shy and introverted, then you may want to consider another career.

For those people who want to make it big in Hollywood, they know that acting classes must be taken under authentic acting coaches. If you’ve seen Ellie Parker, theirs is a part where she catches her acting teacher sniffing cocaine. She didn’t have to say anything; you could see in her expression that she was disappointed. Obviously, the acting class she enrolled in was a hoax.

Look at acting classes as a workshop. You must choose a schedule that is convenient for you. When you go to class, you have to be completely focused. Leave your other concerns behind and just let go. For most professional thespians, they feel rejuvenated after acting classes because it might not be on camera or onstage but the exercises they did during the session were still acting.

When searching for an acting class, do some background research on its credibility. There are classes claiming to have the likes of popular actors under their belt. Double check this information. It may just be a hoax to entice you and other aspirants to enroll.

You should also be careful of acting classes that require you to have your headshots taken by them. Clearly this is a collaboration between the owner of the acting class and the photographer to make some money at your expense.

The tricky part about acting in cities such as Los Angeles and New York is that most people know that there are tons of actors and actresses trying to make it. If the offer seems too good to be true, it might just be.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

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Spend Summer Learning How to Act! Summer Classes Are In!

Summer is just around the corner. Surely you wouldn’t want to spend your time letting the hours fly by and do nothing. This lifestyle makes an artist dull. As an actor, you have to be constantly up and running, constantly learning and constantly getting experience. You can use all of these in your craft.

Therefore, we suggest that you look for an acting camp this summer. Surely, there are tons offered in your state. There are a lot of aspiring actors and actresses out there. The thing you have to be concerned with when making a sound decision is choosing the acting camp you will invest your talents in. Remember, you will be there for the whole summer.

A dreamer such as yourself can have a one-of-a-kind experience at an acting camp. If you’ve seen Lindsay Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, there were times she seemed like she was a loner because she was so different. Well at summer camp, you will be spending your days with those who share your interests as well as your dreams of making it big in Hollywood.

Choose a summer camp that will teach you about the film and television industry. Most of these camps can be found in Los Angeles because it is closer to Hollywood but there are other states that offer these nonetheless. If theaters more of your thing, choose a summer camp that focuses on onstage performances.

There are some summer camps that let their students make a real feature length film as their final production. Then there are those that celebrate the end of summer by staging a whole production for the students parents to see. These culminating nights showcase what the students have learned during those hot, yet fun summer days.

Choose a summer camp that will help kick off your acting career. Check out the core classes they offer. Examples are on-camera acting, commercial workshops, sitcom workshops and audition workshops. There’s also a special class for the business side of acting.

You see, acting isn’t just about fun. If you are aspiring to make a career out of performing then it should be taken seriously. The more you learn about the craft, the more you’ll become a better actor or actress.

So choose your camp wisely. Make sure it offers what you need, it’s close to your home and it’s within your budget.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

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Acting as an Extra - The Process of How to do It

Whenever you see the posters of old epic movies, you might notice an often-repeated phrase: featuring a cast of thousands In the good old days of movie making, producers had all the money to pay thousands of people to show up as gladiators, raucous crowds, or protesters. To act as an extra in a movie was akin to rubbing elbows with the stars, and people who acted as extras were more than happy to lend a hand in making a movie.

Today, movie studios rely heavily on special effects wizards to create artificial crowds. For instance, entire battle scenes can be filmed with only ten to a hundred people standing in as soldiers, with the rest of the people designed into the scene. Nevertheless, acting as an extra has not lost its appeal, and there are still many ways to land a role as an extra. You can walk through a scene, raise a shield for a scene, or simply be someone in the background.

If you are interested in acting as an extra and yes, getting paid for your services; here are a few tips that you might want to follow.

- Join an acting workshop. Most workshops will either be headed by people who have worked in the industry, or organized by people who regularly cast for major studios. In order to land a role as an extra, you need to have connections, so start making them.

- Look for an acting agency that specializes in landing extras. Do a lot of Internet research on this one: you can find acting agencies that regularly look for extras, and who like to keep pools of people to act as extras. Get your resume ready and have some good photos of you taken.

- Join online groups or forums that are frequented by people who work in the movie industry. In order to land a role or get a job, you need more than abilities and skills: you need to have connections, and you need to know people. Activate your social network: if you have close friends, you can ask about working as an extra. Who knows? Simple questions and friendships can sometimes make for big breaks in a career.

- Watch out for calls for extras in your local newspaper or on your favorite Internet movie site. Be especially vigilant if a movie is shooting in your town or nearby, as the producers will certainly post openings for extras. When the call for extras comes, get everything ready as though you’re already posing for your shot!

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

Read more...

Audition - Guide to Finding Acting Jobs

Have your Resume Handy

Before even beginning to look for an acting job audition, you should remember that, like any good job opening, it all begins with your resume. No stint in acting should be overlooked, even ones in your high school or college drama club. Formal work with any theater will help pad your resume, and most importantly, if you've actually got stage acting experience list the plays you've done and the theaters you've worked with. Character references from any old contacts you have in the industry will be helpful, too.

Know Where to Look for Auditions

The simplest and easiest ways to look for auditions is to check common public information sources. Newspapers and the internet are the easiest and fastest ways to find any openings in your area. These openings will usually, but not always, be casting calls for a certain role on the stage. If your acting repertoire is limited by inexperience be sure to pick the roles that you know you can handle.

Do Research on the Role

Once you've got a set of potential auditions to go to, don't just jump into the car or hail a cab and run off to the theater. Do some research on the role that the audition is being held for. Remember that you'll most likely be competing with dozens if not hundreds of other hopefuls trying to land a place on the stage. You have to be able to slip into the character role in a heartbeat. You have to know how the character thinks, dresses, walks, and talks. If you can look and act the part before you actually start the audition, so much the better! There have been instances where a stage or movie director actually canvasses the line of applicants incognito, looking for someone who will jump at him out of the line screaming "pick me!" by his or her bearing and demeanor.

(Read Acting Is a Job: Real Life Lessons about the Acting Business)

When all Else Fails, Get an Agent!

Lastly, if you're having trouble finding an audition or getting booked for an opening in one, you should consider getting an agent. Do your research so you can find a decent and reliable agent. Call your local Screen Actors Guild office and you can ask for a list of any and all registered agents they have. Guild registered agents have to adhere to the rules and regulations set by the guild, and as such are completely reliable. A bonus to this is the fact that they will have contacts who are already established in the acting industry, and they can put in a good word for you to help you along.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

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Fun Acting Games You Can Do For Classes and Parties

Learning the art of acting can be both difficult and enjoyable. If you are an acting instructor, you need to teach people how to find something within themselves that can drive every single emotion and motivation available. You need to teach people how to discipline themselves so that they express the right emotions for a particular scene, nothing more, and nothing less. You need to teach people how to act, not overact or under-act.

All the same, acting can be enjoyable. As an actor, you can meet new friends in acting workshops, learn a lot of new things every time you learn new scenes, and discover things about yourself that you didn’t know you could do. Acting can be even more fun to learn if you are engaged in acting games; so if you are planning to hold an acting workshop, take a look at these possible games for your students to learn how to act.

- Charades can be a great way to allow your students to know how difficult acting is. The best acting is done without words, so if you can discipline your body and make precise, recognizable movements, then you are on your first step to acting well. Play charades with your students using different themes: you can do statesmen or famous celebrities, so that your students can learn about characters and their habits; or you can do actions or jobs so that students know about details of movement.

- Play guess the emotions and use only your eyes. Because many great actors can act up a storm using only their eyes, you can train your students to not only use their eyes in acting, but to recognize emotions by examining peoples eyes. Pair up your students, and give one of the pair a card containing an emotion, such as anger, amusement, indifference, and the like.

The first to guess the other persons emotions wins the game. A variation on this is played using only your lips, which can be even more difficult. Try it on your students, and you all might end up laughing!

- Have you ever tried gazing into another persons eyes for a long time, without laughing? Teach your students how to control their emotions and gain focus by pairing up your students, and letting them look into each others eyes or stare at each other. The pair that can look at each other for the longest time without making any reaction wins the game.

- Have your students sing a happy song without breaking into a smile. The one who controls his or her emotions the longest also wins the game.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

Read more...

Everything You Need to Know About Acting Companies

There are many companies that offer acting experiences for students and would-be actors and actresses. Acting companies are specialized organizations that provide performing and producing skills to complement learning in the classroom and hands-on experience. Here are some of the things you should know if you want to be an actor.

1. Acting companies cater to all ages, from children to adults, undergraduate and graduate school students. There is an acting company that will suit you, no matter what skills you have or your age.

2. A lot of the famous actors originated from companies like the Acting Company. This company is one of the most famous and personalities like Kevin Kline, Frances Conroy of Six Feet Under, Harriet Harris of Desperate Housewives and Jeffrey Wright of Angels in America performed. Theater performance is the specialty of this award-wining company.

3. Acting can be a profession. Acting enthusiasts have benefited well from acting companies. Many have made it big and have toured places around the world to perform in different play performances. These students have also acted as mentors to university acting guilds because of the skills they possess.

4. London history shows that acting companies took advantage of winter and spring months to perform in London. When the plague struck in the summer, the performers traveled to other places, giving rise to traveling troops.

5. Even in the 1500s and the 1600s, children were actively participating in play performances as part of acting companies. They performed at courthouses where the scripts showed moral themes. These companies were highly preferred by Queen Elizabeth and were extremely popular at the time.

6. Modern times have allowed acting companies to evolve into many different mixtures. Although the original concept was there, music and dancing were incorporated. Different genres are mixed to create interest among viewers. Many aspects of life has been explored to create original masterpieces.

7. Nearly all countries have developed their own styles in different acting companies. Each one has an originality that depicts its culture and traditions.

8. Many of the present performances have been derived from past works like those of Shakespeare. However, to add more interesting viewpoints, acting companies of today have given more credit to directors who standardized performances and ensured greater performances.

9. Joining an acting company will ensure that even without innate acting talent, you will learn skills that you thought you never could. So if you think you really want to try out acting, join an acting company today. Your area surely has a company that will bring out the actor in you.

Want to be an actor? Get Instant Acting Tips from one of Hollywood's acting coach Calvin Jung. Jung, also an actor, is the coach to a number of illustrious actors like Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Mel Gibson. Be an actor, click here to learn Instant Acting Tips now.

Read more...