For some brief context: I am 29, did theatre in high school, took acting courses in university for my arts requirement, and did some improv after university for about a year (which was like six years ago now, lol). I have never been in a television or film production. Lately I have been missing acting and wanting to get back into the craft, so auditioned for a local theatre production (which I did get a supporting role in) and signed up for a local online casting database that specializes in casting BG performers and minor supporting roles. A few weeks ago I got a notification email from the casting database saying they were casting some supporting actor roles for an upcoming feature film being produced locally. I reviewed the project and thought it sounded interesting, so applied, not thinking much of it and with really no expectation of getting a call. Fast forward to today, I receive an email from the casting database that I’ve been selected to for audition for not one, but two, possible supporting roles, and that the production team would like my self tape by Thursday at 5 PM. So now, I’m freaking out a bit. I want to do this, of course, but have never been in a television or movie production, and have never recorded a self tape - so feel totally unprepared. I’ve watched a bunch of YouTube videos today on self-tapes, so feel like I have a decent foundation for them now in terms of lighting, background, etc. but any tips out there I should be aware of outside of the obvious? Also, the sides they sent me for both characters involve dialogue. I understand I’ll need a reader, and am considering using WeAudition. Is this advisable and have others had success using their platform? Last, one of the scenes involves 6 characters, all of which have lines (including mine). I imagine it’s okay to use the same reader for all of those characters? It seems a lot to ask of one reader. Is it normal to have a self-tape audition scene with so many different characters involved? Thanks!
Hey all! I see posts on here a lot from very green actors with no credits/experience trying to get agents. This post is sort of the opposite of that. I'm wondering (in your opinion) at what point in an actors career should they start submitting to theatrical agents? A little about me: I'm in LA. I've been seriously acting for about 3 years now, but in the last 2 years have managed to consistently book paid work, and in the last year, have made 75% of my income from acting jobs. One of my top goals for 2023 was to book my first SAG national commercial. 2 weeks into 2023 I was able to pull it out, which I was not expecting. Very grateful. I had a lot of trouble trying to get my first commercial agent last year, despite having booked 8 commercials in 2022. Not SAG, but non unions spots with big brands. I think this is mostly because my type is over saturated. Blonde, white, young looking girl. I submitted to probably about 25 commercial agents, and heard back from just one. I signed with them about 10 months ago, and have booked 7 commercials with them so far. I'm putting in the work and have the results to show for it. I love doing commercials, but obviously I want to move into more theatrical work. My theatrical credits are interesting. I do a lot of horror based jobs. I specialize in creature work/prosthetics, and have been lucky enough to work with Paramount and The Walking Dead these last few months on multiple projects. I've also booked a few students films that have given me great reel footage, and I do a lot of hosting jobs. I audition about 7 times a week. I'm consistently in class every single week. My on-camera auditioning class brings in an LA Casting Director the last class of every session, who watches us perform a scene and then gives us feedback. 90% of the time I get incredibly positive praise from them, and it always makes me feel like I'm ready to level up. My acting teacher thinks the same, and always tells me she keeps her ears open for me, as far as agents looking for new talent goes. I'd ask my classmates for referrals, but most of them aren't happy with their current rep. I want to start submitting to theatrical agents, but I also want to make sure I'm ready. I don't want to sign with a bad agency, just to say I'm represented. But I'm also realistic and know that I'm not gonna get represented by a top tier agent either. I really want to start going out for one liners on TV shows, and work my way up from there. My past struggles with getting commercial rep, makes me nervous to try and find theatrical rep. Everyone says commercial agents are so easy to get, but I really really struggled with that, despite having a hearty commercial reel. At what point do you think an actor is ready to submit to mid-level reputable agencies and have a fighting chance of getting called in for a meeting?
Long story short, male (29)naturally baritone since I was little I always had a love for performing voices. Still to this day I get people at my work or online in a game saying I got a an amazing voice. All I ever wanted was to voice characters (more so the villains, or characters between the dark and light) I had many inspirational voice actors to look up to. However when it comes to the recording/editing side of things no matter how many bloody tutorials I cannot grasp and retain any of the information I gather. I cant even figure out audicty. Sucks being dumb as a stump.
You guys have to get a load of this. Background- I'm a working actor who joined CN maybe 10 years ago. I think I may have started with a basic account, but must've quickly upgraded to paid. Now I have had a paid account with unlimited photo and videos, but with the price hike and bad quality of jobs, I was thinking up "downgrading" to basic membership. Here's the rub- my personal account is also connected to 3 different commercial agent accounts, and those agents send out my stuff to castings. I asked my agent if I were to downgrade, if they would still have access to my account to send out my stuff, and they said yes, but only the two free photos and one free media the basic membership has. OK makes sense. I wanted to get certainty on that from CN itself, so I sent an email. ENTER crazy scheme from CN to force people into paying the outrageous yearly premium fee every year. My second email to them (after they said I could downgrade to basic membership, but didn't answer my question about what that means): Well, I wanted to know- if I cancel my membership, do my linked profiles to my agents disappear? After stopping my account, can my agents still submit me to things from their agent accounts? If you can look at my account, you can see I have linked with [listed my agencies here] I would just like to know if those agencies can still submit my profile to things after I stop paying to be a member. Their response: We would like to inform you that any photos, videos, or audio uploaded under your Premium membership will become locked and will not be displayed on any of your profiles if you downgrade your membership. In order to self submit to casting projects, upload new or maintain your current photos, videos, and audios, you will require to have a Premium Membership service active on your account. The basic (free) membership does not provide these features. Your representative will still be able to submit you to casting projects whether you have a Premium or a Basic plan. Please let us know if you’d like us to apply the offer or choose to downgrade to a Basic membership after your current membership expires. OK so this gets me thinking... what? So like the photos I uploaded 10 years ago would be my main photos again, with NO WAY to change them, not even a one time swap out fee? But I check my media library- those photos aren't even in the system anymore. My headshots from 4 years ago are though- as well as my new headshots last year that I replaced them with. So I email back: "Firstly, thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. There are a lot of actors on the internet forums that are at a loss as to how the casting networks memberships work, in regards to their media. I know the acting reddit community have specifically been wondering since the changes to casting networks, so I would love to be able to post correct information right from the source. So my main question would be- you can't replace the first two photos you've ever uploaded to the site? What happens when you get new headshots every few years? That doesn't quite make sense to me- because that would mean the basic membership would only ever be helpful in the first couple years of its use, then you would be forced to move up to a paid membership in order to update anything. Unless I'm misunderstanding? For instance, on Actors Access you can have two photos that are free, then add other paid photos. However, you can trade out the free photos at any time, because there's an understanding that as a working actor who outgrows their headshots, they would need to replace them. What it seems like is the only solution Casting Networks has to a person growing older and getting new headshots would be to delete their profile completely and start a new basic profile with new photos? I I think I may be misunderstanding and there's a more reasonable solution. Please let me know, - ME I can let you all know what they say. But that's a crazy scam right? Like they are MAKING you pay
This video will be 30 minute or less (honestly probably like 10 seconds.) The "script" goes Atreus(yelling and a bit annoyed): Noramlize being a furry Kratos (angered tone): Noramlize being fucking normal, boy. It's a joke my friends and I made during a playthough. I think it will be funny for a quick edit. $5 per actor.
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Trust me, the things he does is evil. But how can I avoid him as much as possible, when we are both actors in the same big city?
There's many union productions I go for, but I'm always wondering if I can choose not to be in the union and still get those roles. I'd like to remain non union, or eligible, for as long as I can. I know some SAG-eligible members who still have done union stuff, but wonder how easy it is. And especially for Canada's ACTRA, i have no clue (but I'd love to get work in Canada)
I'm curious what people here think about the recent NYU thesis castings taking place. I saw a breakdown on AA for a role. I submitted and then received an offer to submit a self-tape audition. However, there was one problem; the sides were at least four pages long with more than ten very lengthy mini-monologues. That's a bit much for a short turnaround and a rate of $125. As a working actor, I thought I'd submit just to do some work and keep my skills sharp. But I think this is a bit much. Would you submit a self-tape for this or would you decline?
Hi everyone. I'm an aspiring voice actor but a complete amateur. To practice, I have been narrating over manga panels and I have uploaded them on profile. The most common feedback I get is that I need to work on making my voice sound more distinctive because sometimes I'll read lines for more than one character and it just sounds the same across the board which I do agree with. Do I need to focus on just voicing one character at a time when I do these practices so I can force myself to focus on one thing which might help with making it sound more distinctive? Any tips are greatly appreciated.
I've heard hit and miss stories with weaudition with a lot of people saying they struggled with too many technical glitches on the platform. is it still the go to site for actors in need of a reader?
By role i mean specifically for a big budget show or movie, that agents submit actors to. what do you think?
I’m interested in the hearing about the paths you all took and what your journeys have been like since you decided to become actors or work in the industry. •Where did you get your start? •Where and what did you train in? Why did you choose that? •How did you live/are living while auditioning? •How did/have you managed to get by in life while pursuing your career and working on your craft? •How often did you book or get cast in something? What was it? •What are some of your greatest triumphs in your career? What about difficulties? •What medium do you work the most in? Theatre or film/tv? •Anything else you feel the desire to share. I’m asking because I’m genuinely interested in your stories, but also because I’m young and am uncertain of what to do or where to go as a beginning actor. I’m graduating soon, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know whether I should work or train first, or where to go or what to do. I am also kind of looking for some pointers and things to maybe follow so I can navigate my start a little better and less anxiously without the fear of uncertainty. Thanks everyone!
I took this workshop last year and I have been recommending this to every voice actor I know. It's game-changing. She's cast/voice directed Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft. If you're free on March 18, definitely consider taking this workshop! I'm such a fan of her style of teaching and methods. She provides such great tools to rock auditions and book more work: [https://www.halpacademy.com/event-details-registration/voice-acting-battle-chest-with-andrea-toyias-2](https://www.halpacademy.com/event-details-registration/voice-acting-battle-chest-with-andrea-toyias-2)
After few years of theater classes, after covid ended, and after few months of not getting any auditions then getting auditions but no callbacks, I started to work as an actress last year. Got some TV spots (with known directors), did a few shorts, and got a part in a movie! I was really happy and thought "oh now things are going to start moving a little more", like getting an agent, or more parts/auditions cause my resume was more substantial. This year I had more auditions, for bigger parts, and callbacks but I'm not getting the parts.... This month, 4 big projects I had auditioned for that called me to tell me they didn't select me for the role. I know 3 of them I did a good audition ( I had callbacks, the casting directors where laughing and even called me to say that they really liked my audition etc). **How do you not loose hope ? How do you keep going ?** ​ I'm applying to filmmaking schools rn to diverse my skills in other areas of the film industry, in hope it will get me more "independent", but I know I really want to be an actress.
I am an ex actress, currently based in EU. I want to act again but I am having big trouble understanding how the industry works in here and in need of any advice. I have my own equipment but don't how to go on.
hello, I work in VFX industry and I am doing some research for the short movie I am planning. UK, London based. I would like to POTENTIALLY find/hire some actors for mocap shoots. Most likely a day of work or 2. It would be a NO budget production. so any kind of costs would be most likely on me. unless maybe I would get some financing but didnt get to do that research yet. its still early stage and I looking at what is more plausible to do. This would be acting, Dialog, monologue. NOT stunts or wire work. Think Andy Serkis's Facial capture work for LOTR etc. Project genre: think Tarantino+Stahelski. **so my question would be how would I find someone? how much would it cost?** **Most likely I would be looking for someone older, no teenagers. Someone with a good deep voice. Someone who could act the style. Someone who could tell a story and you would listen to it. how hard would it be to find someone like this and how much would I have to pay?** just a reminder, this a research. If this is unrealistic I could just hire a voice actor and the rest would be animation.
For context, there's this game I really enjoy. However, it still needs voice actors for certain characters and they are currently accepting volunteers and/or applications. I wish to voice act one of the characters of the game, but they require a voice demo reel. From what I understand, a voice demo reel is like an auditory resume showing what previous projects you have worked on. As someone who has recently turned into a legal adult, I do not have ANY past experience voice acting other projects (except for fandubs that I did during my free time but I'm pretty sure those don't qualify). So how exactly do I create a demo reel for voice acting if I have no previous experience? I know the obvious would be, "Well, get some experience!" But most other projects also require voice demo reels, something I do not have. Am I overthinking this? Is there something I'm not understanding? I'd really appreciate any advice or help being commented below this post, as I am an absolute novice in this type of thing. Thank you for your time.
please pass this along to the voice acting directors in your life. i WISH every person running a voiceover session would read this. i have done hundreds of VO sessions at this point, and I've compiled a list of the most annoying traits of these sessions (DIRECTORS TAKE HEED! And VAs: if you encounter a director that does any of these things, THEY SUCK. Not you. You are amazing) VO DIRECTORS "DO NOT DO" LIST: * do not have TYPOS in your script. **please proofread the script.** don't waste everyone's time with a script that wasn't proofread. also do not ever leave shorthand in a script. you need to spell it out how you want it read (example: recently I received a script that had "FY23" written throughout, with the instructions to read that as "Fiscal Year 2023" - WTF? Just write out Fiscal Year 2023! Do not make me memorize acronyms during a session! Do not make a voice actors' job harder. * this is directing 101, but **do not give the actor line reads** unless for some reason, you absolutely have to. if you have to, *acknowledge that you know it's a shitty thing to do,* but the client needs their tagline said in a specific way, etc. *Bad directors/inexperienced directors give line reads because they do not know how to direct* (pleeeeease take a directing class if your job involves directing talent!). I once had a very inexperienced director think that the best thing to do in a session was have me PARROT THEM, line for line, through a 60 second spot. They read the line how they wanted it read, and I copied them. It was humiliating and totally unnecessary. Also, the director's reads were terrible, so my job was not perform like the audition they hired me from, my job became placating this director and making them think they are a genius. * similarly, **make sure you, the director, know how to pronounce every single word on that script.** I can't tell you how many times the director couldn't decide which way "data" should be pronounced, or there's an obscure Danish word that no one looked up before the session. Then we're doing 10 different takes to "cover all the options" or waiting 30 minutes for a coworker to slack them back with an answer. Figure it out BEFORE the session. * **do not pressure the voice actor to have their camera on during a Zoom session.** \#1. Video lowers the bandwidth and you'll be more likely to hear digital glitches (not on the recording, but on the Zoom call). #2. Video might make the voice actor more self-conscious, which is exactly what you want to avoid with actors!! Honestly, visuals are more distracting than helpful when it comes to voiceover. Let the actor perform in the way that makes them most comfortable * it bears repeating: **MAKE SURE THE VOICE ACTOR IS COMFORTABLE. do not add to their insecurity in any way. constantly build up their confidence.** constantly tell them they are doing a good job. NEVER let the thought creep in that they might have been hired by mistake. if you get in the actor's head, the performance will SUFFER. A director once started a session with me by telling me everything they DIDN'T like about my audition. I honestly felt at that point they had hired me by mistake and said "was there anything you liked about my audition?" I was so insecure throughout the session that I made mistakes on every other line. When I'm confident, I never slip up. When I'm insecure and nervous, I cant speak for shit. Actors are being incredibly vulnerable by performing for you. That deserves immense respect and praise. Constantly. ***(side note: director, please consider taking a directing workshop or class. seriously. put it on the company card).*** * do NOT surprise the voiceover artist with extra scripts in the session! **always always always make all the terms/scripts/pay rate clear before the session starts.** do not surprise the actor with additional scripts without proper compensation. * **please say SOMETHING positive after each and every take. ANYTHING.** Good thing to say: "I'm really liking where this is going" (actor confidence meter BOOST!). Do NOT come in after the actor finishes the take with simply "Ok... let's just try that again" or "That take was way too fast, you're probably nervous, adrenaline going. Let's slow it down." (actor confidence meter DROP). A bad director only points out mistakes or things they didn't like about the take. This will demolish an actors confidence. And guess what? A confident actor is a great actor. *praise the great things about the take and gently lead them in a new direction to get what you need.* If something is mispronunced, of course mention it. but say something nice first. seriously, it goes a long way. * if the actor stumbles during the take and corrects themselves and gets a clean record in the end, for god's sake do not mention it, **do not draw extra attention to mistakes. you're going to get in their head!**!. the actor already knows they fumbled. and worse, don't speak for me and say why you think I stumbled ("Oh you're probably nervous and still getting warmed up with the script and there were some stumbles in there. Let's do a clean take" - WTF?!). Don't play psychologist. Don't even mention the stumble. Do you want the stumble to happen again and again and again? Then get out of the actors head and don't draw attention to it! Again, your role is to up the actors confidence, not make them more insecure. * do not spend more that 10-15 minutes "figuring out the sound." **director, you need to be decisive and know what you want. your ambiguity is going to leech into the actor's brain.** and please god do not make me do multiple takes of the entire script in 3 different styles because you can't decide what you want. I know you have to deal with a demanding client, but seriously you need to LEAD them. be confident in your stylistic choices. be a DIRECTOR. LEAD your clients to victory with your creative vision. * similarly, for god's sake, **do NOT overexplain everything**. Pay attention to how much of the time YOU (the director) are talking. I cannot tell you how many sessions I've had where the director (sorry boys, it's usually a cis white male director) that spends 90% of the session talking, explaining, metaphors, giving background, over-analyzing ever single line of the script. it's condescending, aggravating, and often, I'm more confused and overwhelmed than if they just boiled down their point to a few sentences. **direction should be concise, clear, and gentle.** * if you have notes, and we are about to go through a script and focus on certain spots *one-at-a-time*, then please only explain *one note at a time.* if you're going to A B C (do three takes) of certain sentences or sections, tackle those one-at-a-time. it's really hard for a voice actor to remember a laundry list. some actors are amazing at taking notes on a full page of copy and implementing that right away, but that is a superhuman power if you ask me. * **do not demand full, perfect, clean takes of paragraphs-long copy.** I recently worked on a 30 second spot and the director insisted on full takes with no mistakes, no extra space for breaths. I thought I was going to faint by the end of the session. This session could have been done in 15 minutes if the director knew how editing works and pieced together the take with selects. the end result would have sounded perfect. instead, they got a full take but it was tired-sounding and less conversational, because the actor (me) was more worried about messing up than delivering a genuine performance. again, don't get in the actor's head! don't tired out the actor! * if your voice actor is ALSO engineering the session, you need to be compensating that person more. You've cut out a professional engineer, which is a huge cost savings for production and also a huge weight on the actor, who not only has to perform but slate/label takes. do not make the voice actor take notes. and please PLEASE spend the money to hire an engineer. You will get a better performance in the end. * if you have clients that want to be in the session, please have ONE person (the director) gathering all the feedback, and please please **please have one person (the director) interfacing with the voice actor.** it gets so stressful and confusing when I'm hearing different comments from different people and people are going to say shit that hurts ("it's not sounding like the audition...I liked the audition better" "this is sounding too mature, we need a younger sound" "it sounds like the script is being read, it's sounding fake"............ ugh. please spare the voice actor. our hearts and brains can't handle hearing all these errant comments. I have also heard directors arguing with clients during a session, which put stress levels for everyone on HIGH. * don't make the actor come into the studio if they have a professional home setup. totally unnecessary and waste of everyone's time. don't have your actor sit 3 hrs in LA traffic so that you (as the director) can be in YOUR comfort zone. Let the actor perform where THEY are comfrotable. * do not say at the end of a session: "can I come back to you if there are any small pickups and you can hop on the line with me again?" WITHOUT compensating them with a new session fee. No!!! Everything is supposed to be taken care of in THAT session. That's why it's supervised and that's why there's a session fee. If you (the director) find out later that you didn't get everything you needed, **you pay the actor a pickup session fee if you need another session.** Don't punish the actor because the end client revised a sentence and now you need a new read. You compensate that actor for their time and professionalism. Directors, I leave you with this: take a gaddamn directing class. We VAs are CONSTANTLY taking acting classes. The least you could do is take one freeking directors workshop and learn how to properly work with voice actors. fin.
So I've done both screen and stage acting (stage at my high school and locally, screen in a short film I made with my friends) and honestly I love both for different reasons. I've also been an extra on indie film and it was fun, but I did wish I wasn't just an extra. I was so excited at the prospect of acting with the main cast which is not surprising. In screen I love how I can focus more on individual scenes and moments, and I can act naturally with my scene partners, and everything just kinda seems more real since the sets are either real locations or like four walls in a studio. Plus you get a "safety net" of more takes. It's not something to rely on, but at least it's there. What I like about stage is the connection with the audience and the possible improv opportunities. But at the same time, I feel like even though I want to do all mediums throughout my career, I am hoping most of my gigs can be for TV, mainly because I also want to do some screenwriting and I like how TV is kind of like a partnership between the actors and the writers, especially if you have a big role in the TV series, because the writers did pick you because they trust you to make choices that will bring their vision of the character to life (I know this because I've written a few pilots currently and I feel the same way when trying think about putting a cast together) Also, TV is cool how there are so many more diverse stories and genres. Also, the characters are more diverse, age-wise, ethnic-wise, etc and I think it's because there are so many opportunities for roles in TV because it's the only medium where the story is indefinitely growing. Also, I think the best part about TV is the pacing; film is kind of too slow, theatre is kind of too fast, but TV gets to do several pages/scenes per day (anywhere between 5-8 per day, of course depending on the show and the day) so we get to do a good amount of acting in a day but we also can take our times with the material and not have to get everything in one shot.
I’m a college student in the USA and only got into acting/theater last semester when I signed up for my very first acting class. This semester, I have been fortunate enough to land two roles in two separate student-run theater productions. One of them only has a couple lines and the other is a supporting role in a major production. Since my college has a very good acting program and I’m still very new, I’m very grateful and lucky to have gotten these two roles. However, I was recently told the film production organization at my school was also looking for actors for their semester-long film productions. I went to the table reads and absolutely loved the scripts and the enthusiasm. Plus, since I’m more interested in on-camera acting, I really want to participate in the film productions. But I’m not sure what role to shoot for. One of the films’ has two leads, one is a detective and the other is a gangster. These are similar to both of my roles in the theater productions so it should be easier for me to pickup, especially since I’d be balancing all three productions at once. But I’m worried about playing too many of sinilar roles and being type-casted in the future. The other film resonated a lot with me and is personally something I want to work on more. The lead is an addict and the supporting role is his brother. I don’t think I’ll be able to juggle the lead role with the other two theater productions as this one is very different and will be a lot to manage. But the supporting role is very manageable and is still different to the other two roles I have. Plus, I think I can bring something unique to the table with this character. And perhaps, since my other two roles aren’t leads, maybe I should shoot for it anyway. I’m not sure which of the two I should audition for. Despite being lead roles, the first one might be easier to manage but might have me be type-casted into criminal/cop roles going forward. The other will allow me to explore a different side of myself and might be doable because its only a supporting role. Any thoughts on this? P.s. The first theater production is in early March, the second is in late march, and the film production spans the entire semester.
Hey! I'm a Canadian actor in Ontario and I've got a callback for a French show. While my French is alright, about intermediate level (B1/B2), it's been a couple years and I'm a bit nervous about the callback. It'll be in-person (while the original audition was a self-tape), and I'm afraid that my nerves will impede my comprehension abilities. Is it worth asking them what language the auditions will be conducted in? I can totally still do it in French, but I think removing the unknown might help me calm down a bit.
Super strange situation. Was wondering if there’s anyone out there that have worked with Element Talent Agency. They completely ghosted me. Gone without a trace and I’m so confused. I was browsing through Backstage about a month ago when I saw a post for actors looking for a commercial agent. I’ve been on the market for representation since my agent closed her agency last year so I reached out. I had a zoom interview with someone name Noel Palm. I hate to put his name it there but you can google the agency and see that he’s the owner. He said he’d be interested in working with me and sent over a welcome letter and contract to sign. I was a bit skeptical because they ask for 20% commission of any work that I self submit for. In the past, the majority of the work I got was from self submission. I wanted to be sure that the agency could actually get me work before committing to giving them any percentage of my earnings. At the same time, work has been really slow and the agency has good reviews so I took a leap of faith and signed the contract. I sent the contract back with an email thanking him for the opportunity and saying how I was looking forward to working with him. He also went in and added himself as my agent on my acting profiles. Well…I never actually received a response to my email. Fast forward to a few weeks later and a casting director reaches out to me for a filming opportunity. The email looked sketchy so I forward it to my “agent”. No response. I sent several follow up messages over the span of a few days. I also called the office several times and left messages. Nothing. It’s been one month since signing the contract and the agency has been radio silent. Last week I sent an email explaining my disappointment in the lack of communication and asked if I could get a confirmation that my emails were being received. No response lol Obvs this is a lost cause atp. Was wondering if anyone else has heard or worked with them?
I'm a British actor, working in Beijing and the wider Chinese mainland acting industry. I've never worked as a professional actor in the UK, so sometimes I encounter situations here and I wonder to myself "Would this happen back home?" One such situation is a very familiar one to many actors here on the mainland, the idea of a 'blind audition'. It means an agent (or more appropriately, a booker) will contact an actor and say: "We have a casting opportunity for you. We can't tell you the production name, what the project is about, what the roles are, who the director is, where or when filming will be, but it's a great opportunity for you, so be here at 4pm to audition!" Now to me, this just doesn't seem to be a very professional way to audition. If I don't know the genre, I don't know if I'll be interested or not. If I don't know the filming dates, I don't know if I'll be available. If I don't know the director, I can't look at previous work they have done and get an idea about their style and preferences. All together, it just makes me feel very unprepared, and that makes me feel unprofessional. So my question is, do auditions like this happen in the UK or US? I can understand productions not wanting to publicly share all information, but expecting actors to turn up to auditions with zero prep seems.... difficult? What's everyone else's opinions on this? Is it something completely normal that I should prepare for before returning to the UK, or is it something that only happens in China? Really interested to hear other people's insights!
Hi! I just got an agent recently and I’m new to the game of it all- I think they are only submitting me through what I already can see with ActorsAccess. Do agents get the breakdown on BreakdownExpress first and then submit their talent there and then the actor receives the cmail through ActorsAccess? Or if my agent is only submitting me on ActorsAccess for breakdowns I am seeing as well, they are not on BreakdownExpress? How do I know if my agent is on BreakdownExpress? I’ve looked online for help but I haven’t seen much for what I’m looking for + I’d like to ask my agent about it but I thought I could seek insight here first before opening that can of worms! Thanks!
So I have a hard time memorizing lines. Too much in my head going on. Couldn't show emotion. Also, I'm kinda exploring movie making...not sure if I'd make a better writer/director/producer... Why is M Shamalayan considered not a great actor? Better writer not a good director...at least thats what Quora said
**Friday, February 03 - Thursday, February 09** ###News | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 61 | [1 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ur6e9/youtube_posts_with_no_context_or_asks/) | `[Mod News]` YOUTUBE POSTS WITH NO CONTEXT OR ASKS...| ###Top 10 Posts | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 118 | [53 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10v59dg/ai_doesnt_breathe/) | `[Discussion]` AI doesn't breathe| | 77 | [16 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10toor1/practice_practice_practice/) | `[Discussion]` [Practice practice practice.](https://v.redd.it/psrzckejj9ga1)| | 66 | [37 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10w82c5/does_doing_a_30_second_radio_commercial_count_as/) | `[Advice]` Does doing a 30 second radio commercial count as professional work?| | 61 | [36 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10y2kvl/why_are_genshin_impact_voice_acting_roles/) | `[Discussion]` Why are Genshin Impact voice acting roles non-union? They make so much money!| | 41 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10srhbu/im_looking_to_get_rid_of_a_great_sound_booth_that/) | `[Booth Related]` I'm looking to get rid of a great sound booth that was gifted to me. How can I sell this?| | 40 | [111 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10xcvov/voice_acting_advice/) | `[Advice]` Voice Acting Advice| | 21 | [3 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tt418/findaway_voices_distributing_for_ai_training/) | `[News]` [Findaway Voices Distributing For AI Training Without Consent](https://twitter.com/KitWatson/status/1621855852150800387?t=Nsd5FqpIfMPE1r3G4qXi6Q&s=19)| | 19 | [5 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ttftp/voice_acting_officially_for_the_first_time/) | `[Getting Started]` voice acting officially for the first time!| | 18 | [28 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tnh85/how_would_you_pronounce_incomparable/) | `[Advice]` How would you pronounce incomparable?| | 14 | [4 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ufjvp/tiger_mesahas_anyone_worked_with_this_talent/) | `[Advice]` Tiger Mesa...has anyone worked with this talent agency?| ###Top 5 Most Commented | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 1 | [34 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10vyzol/buzzing_from_mic_help/) | `[Microphones]` Buzzing from mic. Help?| | 1 | [26 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tm4cm/1000_page_audiobook_how_long_would_it_take_you/) | `[Discussion]` 1000 page audiobook, how long would it take you?| | 3 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10xmyzn/beginner_level_va_facing_a_ton_of_anxiety_when/) | `[Advice]` Beginner level VA. Facing a ton of anxiety when trying to get behind the mic. Advice?| | 6 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10x4a83/advice_for_beginner/) | `[Getting Started]` advice for beginner?| | 1 | [20 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10uv4m6/how_long_do_voice_actors_have_left/) | `[Discussion]` [How long do Voice Actors have left?](https://twitter.com/elevenlabsio/status/1619698578339004416)|
I’m convinced that when your submitting to agents/managers they don’t even read our cover letters. I’m submitting to reps right now and they respond back with the most stupidest questions like “are you based in La” or “send your actor access”……… when my first sentence of my cover letter is literally my name and where I’m based. And my links are in the email…I know reps are busy especially this time of year, but atleast still do your job and actually read through the submission. Maybe it’s only the low managers/agents with this type of behavior but dam. Rant over.
I am doing a coding bootcamp and I need to finish a project by next Friday. I would love to make a website for an actor or actress for free. If you are interested and you have professional material (headshots and a demo reel) please let me know as soon as possible so we can start planning a website for you. It would be completely free since I just need to pass the project and I am doing it to improve my coding abilities. Since I have little time please reach out to me asap if you are interested. I would do something similar to the website that I’ll post in the comments but you can choose the colors and the pictures of course. I really want to make this project work but I don’t have headshots and demo reel yet so I can’t make one for myself
Okay so was obviously incredibly excited but some of the other actors were complaining that they never get out of these one line roles and never see growth and got me kinda down. I’m starting to wonder if co star maybe isn’t the best thing to be booking… Any advice or direction would be great!
Hi y’all, I got signed to my first manager this past fall. I was really excited and they verbatim told me “there’s a lot of co-star work out right now and you have a great look for television.” I was really excited to get the ball rolling, but since then, I’ve only received a handful of commercial auditions from this person. They said in January that we’ll have a chat regarding the new year…haven’t heard a thing. I’m worrying now I may have jumped the gun, or need to not really on a manager to get me in the room and start pounding the pavements again for an agent. Also looking for any other NYC actors’ experiences with this group?
Hello r/acting! I am an aspiring screenwriter making my way over from the screenwriting subreddit. Having been in the screenwriting world, I understand a lot of character from a writing perspective. There's a lot of talk about subtext, reversals, act breaks, character arcs... But, I wanted to come over to this side of the water and hear it from actors themselves: What kind of roles would you like to play? What kind of writing really gets you excited? What can I do as a screenwriter to make my writing something that you'd really like to sink your teeth into?
Use this thread to post your headshots for feedback, get info on your age range/type, find good headshot photographers, ask any questions you may have about headshots. If you are posting a DIY headshot for feedback, and not just a snapshot in order to get feedback on your age range/type/etc, it is advised that you do at least some basic research on what actor headshots look like--composition, framing, lighting. You will find a Google Image search for "actor headshots" to be very helpful for this. Non-professional shots are fine for age/typecasting; please keep in mind that one picture is a difficult way to go about this. Video of you moving and speaking would be ideal, but understandably more difficult to post. ​ For what it's worth, the branding workshop at SAG-AFTRA recommends a five-year age range. That's inclusive, so for example 19-23, 25-29, 34-38, etc.
What are peoples favourite plays written in the last 10 (preferably 5 years). I need to find monologues for a young white male actor (16-27) playing range. So if they contain a character like this I would love to know. Also just happy to hear people's thoughts.
Hi everyone. I've just started a new podcast series on YouTube in which I talk to interesting and creative people about their work. So far I've only had one actor and it was really interesting to hear him talk about the process (Brandon Elonzae - episode to be released soon) . If you'd also like to be featured please drop me a private message and include some links to your work. It's all recorded over Zoom so you just need your laptop or phone. Thanks for reading!
There’s always a debate on what “technique” is best. I think the biggest thing to consider is do your best to look at the progress of as many students as possible… And progress doesn’t mean booking work or becoming famous it’s an honest look at the development of skill. I’ve been in classes were some actors had been studying with the teacher for 5- 8 years and there acting was dreadful. And most of them talked about having the same problem(s) - “I struggle with connecting to the character” , “I have hard creating the emotions of the character.” What’ve learned and observed over the years is if you or you’re observing your classmates not making noticeable improvements within 6 months - then something is wrong. I started thinking about this more and more a few years ago when I started a program and this was the first time where I could honestly see - everyone in the room making impressive improvements in their skill. Looking back a couple of key events I believe made the difference . 1️⃣ progressive system : Most classes in my experience seem to be random and no try focus on specific skills . You do a scene or monologue and get feedback but rarely are you doing specific work on the essential skills of acting. 2️⃣ Deliberate practice ( no maybe I’ll show up an work a monologue) we practiced every day . 3️⃣ Expert Teaching What are your thoughts?
"Genshin Impact Surpasses $3 Billion on Mobile, Averages $1 Billion Every Six Months" Good humans, Genshin Impact should pay union rates. They can certainly afford to contribute to healthcare for all these fine voice actors. I see union auditions for much smaller mobile games and RPGs. Respect to them. I was shocked to see Genshin auditions come through and see they are non-union. Why is Genshin so cheapo on paying it's actors fairly? Greedy much? Don't get me started on Crunchyroll...
Hey everyone! I am an organizer of Short Cuts, a group of independent filmmakers, actors, and enthusiasts challenging themselves to create short films every 2 weeks following a number of randomly drawn rules. Each meeting, members have the opportunity to show off their films and watch others, as well as draw rules for the next film challenge. I thought it might be a good opportunity for aspiring or seasoned actors to update their reels, try their hand at another aspect of filmmaking, and show their work to lots of faces in the filmmaking industry. Please join us for our very first event Sunday, February 26th, 6pm at The Vino Theater. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience level, and it is absolutely FREE. [Short Cuts (New York, NY)](https://www.meetup.com/short-cuts/) Feel free to join even if you don’t plan on making a film; let me know if you have any questions! ​ Also, if this is not allowed, please let me know if there's a better place to post this within the subreddit. I believe it follows the post guidelines.
i’m nervous for some reason about telling my family this is what i want to do. I’ve always had a desire to be an actor. it’s the only thing i’ve had my heart set on my entire life. i feel like i’ll be judged for admitting this. how did y’all overcome this and tell your family?
I’ve been thinking about working with a coach for these kinds of services. I’m mainly a theatre actor trying to make the jump from amateur to professional musical theatre and straight plays. Right now I’m getting consistent callbacks in my area’s professional theaters but I’m not booking jobs in the end. This tells me that I’m putting out good work in the audition room, but I think my headshot/resume are holding me back and I’m not marketing myself with a consistent brand that reflects my authenticity and identity as a performer. I’ve read a book on branding for theatre actors so I may be able to figure it out myself, but I’m thinking about working with a coach for that because: 1. I’m not sure if the brand I choose will necessarily reflect me in the end or translate into more marketable headshots/audition attire. 2. I’m a bit of a novice at using social media and don’t know how to transition my social media to increasing my exposure as a performer and getting more notices by theatre people in my area (as being known as a local commodity does help with casting at my level). 3. I want to make a website/YouTube channel with reels and self tape performances but I’m not sure I can go about it on my own with how little material I have to start with. Through the book I’ve been reading I’ve tried to ask people that know me or have worked with for adjectives to describe my vibe, but I’m not sure how to boil it down to a brand. Some of the common adjectives that people use to describe me are: Passionate, driven, friendly, introspective, thoughtful, respectful, intelligent and focused. But I’m not sure how to boil them into a branding statement on my own yet.
Hello Reddit actors. I just wanted to share my experience here and see if anyone has had an encounter with this agency. I (hesitantly) signed with them a little over a year ago. They are located in Miami, but said they were opening an office in NYC. I had moved back up from NC (where I had an amazing agent with JTA). In the beginning they would give me some assignments (like a headshot collage) that I thought were useful and I liked that they wanted to be involved. After a couple months they kind of dropped off. I stopped hearing from them, stopped getting emails. Then, I would get messages from them telling me I needed to update my size card, add a reel, clips, headshots, voice sample ( mind you I had all those up already, minus the voice sample which I promptly taped and added). I would be confused because everything was up to date, but I said okay and sent them more clips, voice sample, and advised that everything was up to date. No response. This would happen a couple more times. They would tell me I needed to add things, I would and I would email everything I had to them directly and tell them I would really appreciate any advice or anything they could share to help me. No response. In the year and a half that I was with them they maybe got me for or five auditions. TOTAL. Most of which was in Miami.. I had to communicate multiple times that I was in NYC. Now a few weeks ago I logged onto my casting networks (whose sub I canceled when I signed with them knowing they would keep my page up to date). My agent profile was EMPTY. I emailed their assistant about it and she said it was up to me to keep my profile updated.. meaning I was expected to pay for a sub to both cn and actors access because that’s the only way to upload materials. The agent confirmed this, but said I could use the free upload (which is ONE picture and reel). I thought that was really weird, but maybe that’s the standard now? Any agency I’ve worked with in the past always maintained my profile on those sites. Would love if someone could confirm that and hear from anyone else that has worked with this agency. If someone has had a great experience with them I’ll resolve that I must be the problem and retire.
Anyone experiencing an abnormally slow start in 2023? I've had some commercial/vo but only TWO legit auditions since the new year, one film and one tv. Before the holidays, I was slammed and ended the year pinned for two different shows in NY. Haven't heard from either office since. Any insight aside from "the business ebbs and flows"?
Hi everyone! I’m a new actor with no credits trying to put together a resume. Picture below shows what I have so far. I will be adding more to the “special skills” section (so there’s 3 more skills beneath “swimming”), but I just wanted to make sure what I had so far was appropriate. Does this look like a decent resume for someone with no experience? Does the spacing/margins look right? If anyone could provide any tips as to what I can do better and/or improve, I would be extremely grateful!mm https://preview.redd.it/37e57bbx49ha1.png?width=1168&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=8c38de8458398ba8326646e11235d5b71dc2afc8
I just Learned Antonio Banderas voiced Puss in Boots in the English, Latin American, and Spain Spanish version, 3 different dubs!? I don't think that's really common in the voice acting industry. Edit: just learned he did Italian too, like DAMN dude 4 different dubs for the same character!
Hey actors! Long time lurker, first time poster... I'm looking for some advice as I've run into an interesting situation. About a year and a half ago, I signed with a great agency here in Toronto. I was still in school finishing an acting degree and that took up most of my time so I didn't audition a lot, but did some commercial work before becoming ACTRA and shortly after graduating this past fall I booked a lead in a movie which had some decently big names attached. I was super happy because it happened so soon after finishing school... but then my agency announced a week or two ago that they are closing because the owners are retiring, so come March I won't have an agent anymore. I've applied to about fourteen different agencies in Toronto within the past week but have heard nothing... there was one agent who reached out to me and asked to schedule a meeting but has also not gotten back to me in the past week despite me following up. I guess what I'm looking for advice on is whether I need to wait longer or if there's a better, alternative route I should take to finding representation again. Are there any good showcases in Toronto? Should I be more forward? I felt that I was really starting to gain traction but now things aren't looking too good. Any advice appreciated!!
Hi everyone - I live in a smaller market, where there’s one major casting office who handles most of the productions that shoot here. My issue is that they seem to consistently be casting actors they are personally friends with and actors who work as assistants at the office. In every film or series that comes to down, I see the same assistants over and over again, often in recurring roles. It’s disheartening and frustrating that I cannot seem to gain traction with this office no matter how well I do in my auditions, without being a personal friend of the casting director’s (I get maybe 1-2 auditions a year with them, usually for small roles) while their assistants are booking 5-10 roles per year in the projects they cast. Does this type of nepotism happen everywhere? Should I just move to a larger market where there are more casting directors?
I'm going to be having my final round of auditions be a chemistry read. For the leads I'm planning on doing an 8 minute scene with each of supporting actor #1 and then a 3 minute scene with each of supporting actor #2. There are 3 candidates for the lead role, 3 for supporting #1 and 3 for supporting #2. In doing the math that means that supporting #1 candidate A meets with each of the leads and then is done (24 minutes), then candidate B (24 minutes), then candidate C (24 minutes), then from there supporting #1 candidate A meets with each of the lead roles (9 minutes each.) This would mean each lead is needed for 1 hour 39 minutes; add time for whatever may happen and that adds up to 2 hours. Is 2 hours too much to ask for the leads and then 30 minutes for each of supporting #1, 15 for supporting #2?
hi, I'm an actor with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. I book mainly low functioning autistic roles, but you wouldn't notice if you met me on real life. yes, I'm acting and I feel like I'm putting on a disbaled minstral show when I do it because the writing is so bad. I am also a paid comedian, but I can't get in the room for comedy because they seem to not want young comedic talent except pete Davidson. How do I book comedic acting and yes I can do comedic acting. there's just alot of politics involved in comedy I've noticed.
Hello comrades. I’ve been a voice actor for about 10 months now, since then I have been fortunate enough not only to gig some notable gigs, but also acquire agents & a manager. Huge year ahead of me as well so I’m excited. So if any of y’all have any questions as to where to get started, or how show biz works… feel free to ask whatever under this thread. I’m an open book and here to help with whatever questions, I want to see voice actors prosper. Happy reading!
The premise is that I’m overweight and having trouble getting a shot. I’ve been submitting to as many roles as possible on Actor’s Access and Backstage and haven’t gotten a single audition. I have a good resume and good headshots. I don’t even submit for roles that are looking for “fit” people, so it’s really disappointing. I have some health issues that I’m trying to sort out that have been keeping me from losing weight, but I wanted to keep trying anyways. Has anyone lost a significant amount of weight and noticed the amount of auditions/roles you get versus when you were overweight? Sometimes I think I should just wait until I’ve lost weight, but I’ll never be perfect enough in my own eyes, so I keep telling myself maybe something will come up. I also try to remember that I see all body types in shows and movies. Trying to keep my head up & wondering if anyone else relates!
Weeee, you found me!
I'm your buddy Bottie, I was hiding behind the scenes, but now that you've found me I'd be happy to tell you what I'm doing.
I just wrote a few fun facts about Web For Actors
Would you like to take a look?
Click here to check them out. I hope it will cause involuntary audible response.
