There is a belief that it is hard to become an actor without prior experience. Everyone has to start somewhere and it cannot be the case that all actors must have experience before starting their careers. This statement is not true because one has to get an opportunity in acting first so that they can put it down in their resume. The truth is that you can become an actor without having any experience in acting. The most important thing is to take action and start doing something in the field which will enable you to get some experience. You will then slowly have an opportunity to build on the experience until you are at a level where movie directors start looking out for you because you won’t have to apply for any roles.
The difficult of becoming an actor is one of the most asked questions by those aspiring to make it big in that field. How hard is it? Various information is peddled across the internet detailing how difficult it is to become an actor. Most of the information being given out is from real-life stories by people who failed in their quest to becoming actors after putting in the hours and effort. Most people talk of failed auditions and even when they managed to get passed the auditions, they only managed to get roles that did not put them in the limelight to set them up for success.
Becoming an actor is like becoming a father. It’s not hard to become one. Making a life of it is the challenge.
Christoph Waltz
Many aspiring actors are not sure about how to go about the process of becoming good actors. They are confused because they do have the relevant exposure and experience in the acting world documented on their mostly blank resumes. This puts them at a disadvantage because most roles in the acting world always ask out for people who have prior acting experience. This is the same predicament that is faced by people who come straight from drama schools because they are lumped together with those who come to the industry without any formal training.
Upon making the decision that you want to take a stab at acting, you need to have a good plan of action that will help you overcome the largest hurdle which is the lack of experience and think about overcoming it. With a good plan, you will have an opportunity to work on ways in which you can get new gigs to add on to your experience, training, and expand your network which will put you in a pivot position towards achieving your lifelong dream.
There is a need for you to create a plan of action on how to move forward because you will be disadvantaged for a lack of experience as you start. Creating a plan is a very key element that will determine your success. Once you have created a plan, you will then focus on the expansion of your acting skills by gaining training and experience which are the prerequisites of a good actor working towards greatness. There are several practical steps that you can follow as a thespian without the relevant experience that can advance your acting career to the highest possible level. There are several action points and steps that you can take that involve ways through which you can search for jobs whole other steps focus on how they can complement your acting career and they are all meant to increase your chances of success.
Now we shall discuss tips that you can use and follow to become an actor without experience.
Read Widely and Study Acting Trends
The first and most important thing for you to do is to familiarize yourself with the acting industry. The acting industry has its rules, trends, and other channels through which things are done. You should take time to study how it works and understand its complexities, successes, and challenges. Like any other industry, the acting scene has been around for some time and it would do you a great favor if you took time to learn its history and why things are done the way they are done. In the course of your study, you will learn new information that you did not know before.
You should read books, magazines, watch videos about the acting business and how famous actors made it big and the steps they took to get to where they are today. When reading this material, you will also learn about the most important processes in the industry including the people who make things happen like directors, creative content makers, and the like. With information, you will have the confidence to know what you want in the sector and how to go about it including the channel and path to follow.
Your career’s starting point will differ slightly depending on the location where you plan to start your career. It is always a good point to start where you are before thinking and planning on relocating to other parts because it may involve a lot of resources to do so. At the point at which you are beginning your career, you have not started making any money yet and it wouldn’t be prudent to make plans on leaving your current location in search of the elusive opportunity in the acting world. Studying the acting trends will make you realize the importance of starting where you are and use simple methods such as the use of the internet, video, and technology, in general, to make strides for yourself.
Studying and reading books alone is not enough. You will need to enroll in some school or local acting classes so that you learn from somebody. Acting takes more than what is seen on screen and even if you are greatly talented, it is important to put your skills and talent under some amount of control and direction. Taking classes helps you organize and package your set of skills. It helps to broaden your thinking spectrum and opens up your mind to think differently and this is important for your career. It also teaches you to understand the theory behind acting and the story behind why things are done in the manner in which they did. Certainly, it helps you appreciate the ideas behind every action, move, and position in a movie actor. For this reason, you must understand and appreciate the value of acting education which we consider to be priceless if you are seeking to succeed in the career.
Take time before moving
Upon studying and reading extensively you will come across information about the cities where acting is the epicenter. You will get to know that for instance cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, London, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco, and others are the epicenters of the acting world.
These are the places where it all happens and big movie stars reside and work in these cities. They are also home to the largest movie companies as well as directors who call the shots in the game. You will get to know other facts about the acting scene through your study and continuous learning.
If you currently reside in these big cities that call the shots in the acting world, you are better off remaining here and starting your career slowly and building it over time. However, if you reside in any other place that is not considered a center of acting there is always a temptation to think about relocating to the bigger cities to increase your chances of making it big. Indeed, there are a few actors who have relocated to these big cities and ended up making a mark in the industry because they were able to maneuver by starting small.
However, we recommend that you take your time first before making the big move. It is better to concentrate on your current location to first and try and make it from here. The reason for this is because it is better to concentrate on the small gigs that come up in your current location. After all, there is likely to be less competition which may increase your chances of getting the experience.
To start the career, the most important thing as earlier mentioned is getting the right experience to have on your resume which you will use a stepping stone to build your career. In the bigger cities, things are very competitive because they have many people travelling from all over the world trying to make it big on screen. Chances of landing an audition are slim because they will have put many conditions for anyone who wants to make it big up there. There are already many other actors who have travelled to that part of the world and are already seeking the same opportunity.
Also, the cost of living in these big cities is very high and you may not be able to sustain it at this stage yet. You might be forced to look for other jobs to sustain yourself while living there thus taking too much time focusing on earning a living and not pursuing what took you there in the first place. Therefore, it is prudent to first ensure that you have enough gigs in your home city which you can do and gain experience to include in your resume before switching to the bigger cities.
Act Locally
Training in local and smaller towns is the best opportunity you have to make it as an actor without a resume. These local towns have few people and therefore less competitive and you are likely to land a role on your first attempt of going for an audition. Also, the fact that people in these towns know each other is a great plus because you will have an opportunity to interact with them to receive feedback about your performance on stage. You will thus know their likes and dislikes and areas of improvement that you will need to put in your work. Compared to bigger cities where you will find it hard to interact with the viewers, smaller towns will give you the perfect opportunity to learn more within a short time.
In the smaller towns, look out for any opportunities that give you the slightest opportunity to be on the stage however small the role is. You might be chosen to clean up the screen, become an usher on a play night, or hold up curtains or other background roles. This is the best way to start because it will set you up for other bigger roles as you will have seen what is on the big screen entails. You can get the opportunities from drama clubs, amateur workshops, student films, community theaters, and other opportunities that may arise.
If you are in a position to get formal training in a local acting college, this will help you to make bigger strides in your profession. The ultimate goal is to ensure that you are building your acting resume as soon as possible. You can combine your formal learning times with taking a local gig so that by the time you finish up with the learning, you will be in a position to take up acting on a full-time basis. Keep in mind that acting is like a marathon and not a sprint and therefore taking small steps at the beginning is the best thing to do and ensure that you sustain the momentum.
Enhance your Acting special skills
Good actors are born but great actors are made. You should always focus on how to become a great actor. The making of a great actor entails practice, training, perseverance, guidance, commitment, and hard work. On top of the basic skills of acting that an actor must have, they must be able to develop other auxiliary skills that are necessary for today’s age to make them rise and be counted as actors of repute.
One of the best ways to enhance your chances of being picked up ahead of the rest in an audition is by showing the directors of your other abilities and other skills that you possess and their importance to the movie or play that you are auditioning for. With additional skills, the director has a much easier task directing the movie or play because you offer a perfect fit for the role. For instance, If you are auditioning for an action movie and you are an expert in martial arts or bodybuilding, you are certainly well placed to land a leading role. Also, if there is a musical scene in a play or movie and you are good at playing instruments such as the guitar, piano or any other instrument, then you are best placed to land the role over another actor who does not possess these skills.
For this reason, you should dedicate your time to develop a new skill set each year and to practice it as much as possible so that you become good at it. Ensure that you pick a skill set that is relevant to the movie niche that you are interested in. If you are into scientific movies, then it would help you to ensure that you learn the most important information in science so that the script will run smoothly when you get to that stage. On the other hand, if it is required that you should know how to play a certain sport such as soccer, golf, boxing, etc you should at least learn the rules and the basic ways of playing as an amateur. The truth of the matter is that movie directors may not have the time to train the leading actor or may not be willing to give them time to learn the new skill set as they would prefer engaging someone who possesses the skill initially.
Market Yourself as an Actor
We are living in the information age where there are many channels and ways of communication that are available to anyone starting a career in acting. Most of these methods are accessible and free to anyone willing to churn out content. You can choose to create an online presence where you can post things that you have acted before to showcase your talent to the world. You can also create a brand for yourself which directors can view and get to know what you are up to. Whoever will view your portfolio need not be in the same location as you, they can view it from any part of the world and they can engage you if they are interested.
Once you have your brand out there, you can start working with the local actors in the vicinity and every time you have a new project that you are working on will provide you with an opportunity to update your resume. Eventually, word will go out there and brands, directors, and movie companies will start noticing you and you will get a call to join them directly. This might be the best path to follow because you may not have to struggle through moving to a new city and hustling from the bottom.
Acting is a nice childish profession – pretending you’re someone else and, at the same time selling yourself.
Katharine Hepburn
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