- Headshots
- Acting classes
- A professional resume
- Business cards
- A documents folder
- Social media presence
- Website
- Take control of the things you can
- Your first year will be tough
- View every audition as a ‘win’
Instead of telling the world what you’re eating for breakfast, you can use social networking to do something that’s meaningful.
Edward Norton
So, you want to be an actor. Well, there are several things you should have to help you navigate the acting world. These are basic requirements to become an actor and knowledge on several matters that will grant you an edge in the very competitive and crowded acting world. We are here to equip you with what you need to navigate the film and television industry.
Headshots
Headshots are a must-have for all actors and they top the list of things every actor should have. Despite headshots being very critical in acting, many actors who are beginners get them wrong. Headshots are not cheap to get. However, opting for a cheaper one rarely gets you anything more than a semi-usable photo.
Instagram filters do not come close to professional headshots. Remember, in the film industry, appearances are a big deal and that is why a headshot is an investment in your career. Headshots give casting directors their first impressions of you. The last thing you want is a negative review from directors before they even meet you face-to-face.
Therefore, although headshots may be expensive, get the professional ones and view them as a business expense. A cheap headshot can cost you a movie role and that price is just too high.
Acting classes
There are famous actors who never went to acting school. However, not attending acting school does not mean they don’t sharpen their skills. Taking classes is important. Acting is a craft that needs constant improvement.
Do research on classes that are right for you to avoid spending money on lessons you don’t need. Ensure the classes you pick help you improve essential acting skills like on-camera techniques and auditioning.
It’s important that you keep on working on yourself so that you are not left behind with changes in the film and television world.
A professional resume
Headshots and a professional resume go hand-in-hand. It’s difficult to audition and get a professional acting job, so you need to provide the directors with all possible reasons for hiring you.
Create a professional work resume that is clean and well-organized. Avoid using unnecessary fonts that can make it difficult to read. Remember, a resume is a brief description aimed at showing why you are the best candidate for a certain role. Make the resume a page long and highlight your best works.
Frequently update your resume every time you finish a job. Updating your resume frequently prevent you from having gaps in your work.
Business cards
The entertainment world is a business, no wonder it is called showbusiness. It is an extremely competitive business and you need to be fully equipped to make it. This means having plenty of business cards that you carry with you everywhere you go whether it is casting workshops, networking events, or while waiting your turn in an audition room.
It might feel weird at first to tell people ‘here is my card.’ However, as time goes on and you dish out your card, it becomes natural. Creating business cards is easy since there are plenty of online stores that design and sell them.
Do not spend a fortune on getting business cards. Start out with simple, but good-quality cards and as time goes by, you can get products of higher quality.
A documents folder
We know documents folders seem like weird things an actor should have. However, before you jump to a conclusion here is why this simple item is necessary. As an actor, you spend money on yourself by attending acting classes, going to the gym, and barber or salon appointments.
With all these activities, it’s easy to forget to preserve your receipts and when taxation time comes you are a mess. It’s hard to recall how you spent every single coin and it’s even harder when the deadline for tax returns is close.
Therefore, to save you from the stress of tracking your spending, you need a document folder. This folder will assist you to keep track of all your invoices and receipts making tax time easy. You can get two folders; one to stay at home and one in your car or everyday bag so that wherever you are you can easily access your financial information.
Social media presence
Having a social media presence especially today is very vital in showbusiness. Through social media, you can easily market your work and brand to so many people. You also get instant feedback of the work you put out on social media.
The more followers and fans you accumulate, the more appealing you appear to casting directors. Today, it is not a surprise to see social media influencers getting roles in movies and films. You know why? Creating a show is a risk that producers take, and that risk must pay off by people buying tickets to watch the film or tuning in every week to watch the television show.
Actors with a huge social media following can alert their followers of the projects they are involved in and help draw traffic and attention to the show and fill the movie theatre seats. Apart from drawing attention to the show using social media, it is important you build your unique audience.
Acting roles don’t last forever and you need a unique audience to keep on building your brand. You do not have to be on all social media platforms. Try focusing on one platform and be active by posting regularly. Keep your followers on the loop of what is going on in your life. People love such content.
Website
A website is a vital platform for actors. It is the portfolio of all your achievements and a sign of how seriously you take your work. You should regularly update your website to add your most recent projects. Through your website, potential employers and your fans should get a clear picture of what you have been up to.
When creating a website think of how you want people who have never seen you perform to view you. What impression do you want them to have of you? Creating a website might seem like a daunting task since you are busy booking auditions and trying to get work.
However, do not let the idea of putting up a website disturb you. The first and most important step is getting something up. Once this is done, talk to someone who is good at web design to carry on with the technical bits. You can also use website creation platforms to create your online presence.
Take control of the things you can
The showbusiness industry has a lot of things that’re out of your control. However, there are situations you have control over. It’s crucial you identify your conflicts. Examples of conflicts are clashing auditioning dates. Communicate clearly with your agent where dates clash. Before confirming your availability for an audition or shoots, double-check your calendar.
Remember, your agent is managing other actors and he/she might not keenly track everyone’s schedules. Therefore, rather than confirming an audition only to cancel it, be sure your schedule is clear. Castings do not take cancellations lightly.
Ensure you regularly check your emails and phone. Fast responses to your agent’s emails and calls will make it easy to create a flexible schedule that works for you. Once more, your agent will prefer to work with the actor that’s quick to respond without constant reminders.
Your first year will be tough
Showbusiness is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a very competitive industry and getting your first break can take a while. The beginning is always difficult. You need to work hard and believe in yourself even on your lowest days. There will be days you will receive rejections from more than one audition.
These days maybe hard and you may feel like you are not good enough. However, learn how to bounce back from these low moments. Be patient and your turn will come to you at the right time.
View every audition as a ‘win’
In Los Angeles and New York there are thousands of actors. The fact that you got a casting call should be enough encouragement that you are doing something right. Out of the thousands of actors, the casting directors think you have a shot at featuring in their film.
Make sure you give your best during the audition. Do your research and rehearse your lines so that you are fully prepared. Remember, there are probably other actors audition for the same role as you. When you get to the audition room, be in the moment, do your part and leave.
Consider your audition as your 10 minutes of acting for that day. Give your best performance and let everything else playout as it’s meant to. What happens after the audition is out of your control. Be at peace knowing that you gave the audition your best shot.
Actors Takeaway:
things every actor should have
There you have it, the things every actor should have. As an actor you need physical, mental, and emotional things to grant you success in showbusiness.
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