10 Pieces of Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Act

Since I began acting again in June, I have received a ton of questions from friends who say they've always dreamed of acting but have been too afraid to pursue it, or simply aren't sure who to go about doing so. I got a lot of similar questions when I worked as an assistant at a talent agency, but the only advice I could offer was based on my limited exposure from the business side, as well as what I remembered from acting in middle school. Now that I'm actually acting nearly fulltime, here is the advice I wish I'd known to give back then.

Of course, all of this is based on my experiences and opinions. Your best bet is to do your own research (There are many excellent books on getting started and any acting instructor will have their own advice, as well.) and follow the advice of your agent if you have one.

1) Accept that you will fail. A lot.

Notice that I said will, not might or even probably will. Failure is inevitable in this industry and is simply part of the job. Recognize that you will hear "no" far more often than you'll hear "yes". But also recognize that this is true for all actors, not just you. Every movie star has been turned down for a role they wanted and many are still turned down even after becoming famous. Rejection doesn't mean you suck, it just means that someone else was a better fit for the part (maybe because they were a better actor, but also maybe because they simply looked right).

2) Set a schedule that is viable for this industry.

Know your schedule. The best schedule is one that is both consistent and flexible, but it will be possible to act even if your schedule only has one of these things. Consistency is important because the people booking you on roles need to know whether you'll be available; your agent needs to know if they should spend time submitting you for roles and directors (even for student films) don't want to hear that you won't know your schedule until the week before the shoot. They need to cast people ASAP and if you aren't sure whether you're available, they're going to choose someone else.

Do NOT flake out. Please do not ever lie and say that you'll be available if you won't be. Not showing up for a day of filming is not only extremely inconsiderate to everyone's time, but it also costs money and requires tremendous stress for production teams who will then need to re-book their location, set another schedule, etc.

Have some availability on Saturdays. Full Sail has auditions every Saturday from 1-9 and UCF has a lot of Saturday auditions, as well. Their times vary, but they usually begin around 10 am or noon and go until 6 or 8. If you know that you'll be trying to build your resume and demo reel, it would not be a good idea to block yourself from the best resources to do so.

3) Take every opportunity, even if the role is "beneath" you.

First of all, nothing should be beneath you if you're just starting out. I don't care if you know you're "destined" to be a star. I don't care if you know you could be on a network or cable TV show if someone just gave you the chance. The fact is, people don't just give you chances, you have to earn them. And this is how you do that:

Most importantly, work on student and independent films. Seriously. If your resume is not filled with film and television roles, you have no excuse not to. In fact, you won't even be considered for "real" (SAG, paid, whatever) projects unless the director likes your resume and demo reel, so you need to build those. In fact, even if you do have a solid resume, unless you're regularly booking big projects, you should be doing student films anyway. You can continue to build and improve your reel so that you can compete with actors who are on TV all the time.

Every set experience is a learning opportunity. Even if a student film you star in isn't the quality you need for your demo reel, there is still something to learn. Maybe you can study your face and see what your best angles are, or you can see if you actually communicate the emotions that you are intending. You learn your bad habits, like blinking too often, not maintaining eye contact, moving your feet too much, or not speaking clearly. You also get to watch your co-actors and see what they do that you could emulate in your own work.

4) If you have the time, do extra work.

If you're not taking what you can get, don't complain when you get nothing. Nothing irritates me more than actors who complain that they never get any opportunities to work, but they're actually just turning down small opportunities in hopes of bigger ones coming along. In Florida, there isn't a ton of work for actors aside from commercials. If you actually want to make any money, you're going to have to work as an extra. It pays about $100/day once your agent takes their cut, but you get set experience.

You may get bumped up from "extra" to a role with lines. I've gone to shoots with the intention of just being in the background, and then been promoted...TWICE! Sometimes the director comes up with an idea while filming and wants to make it happen that day. Sometimes the original actor doesn't show up. Either way, roll with it and build that resume!

5) Don't underestimate the value of networking with other actors.

Every actor who regularly books roles (paid or unpaid) has their go-to places for finding audition notices. Joining the right Facebook groups can be an excellent source for finding auditions, but you won't find them unless someone tells you where to look. They'll also tell you who the best agents are, which acting classes are worth the money, and what headshot photographers to avoid. Why make your own mistakes when you can learn from someone else's?

6) Don't get an agent unless you can actually work for them.

Having an agent is necessary if you want to pursue a career in acting (nearly every paid job is going to go through them, so no agent usually equals no money) but don't get one unless you will actually be able to use their services.

If you don't have any availability during the week, you'll never book anything. Nearly all professional productions shoot Monday through Friday. If you can't take off any time from work (or can't do so with 24-48 hours notice) you're going to have to turn down a lot of roles.

If you're not going to tape your own auditions, don't even bother. It's becoming more and more common for your initial audition to be self-taped at home, then to have callbacks in person. While this has its drawbacks, one benefit is that everyone should be able to get their tapes in on time since they can do it according to their own schedules.... and yet, many actors miss their deadlines or simply choose not to record them at all. If you're not going to tape your auditions ASAP (many parts are cast before the deadline if they like an actor they see on the first day or even in the first few hours) then you are just a waste of an agent's time.

You won't be working until you have professional pictures. Your agent can't submit your selfies. You can sign with them based on the promise that you'll have headshots taken, but until you actually HAVE headshots, you are probably not being submitted for anything.

You're just going to burn bridges. The main reason not to get an agent until you're ready is that one day you probably will be ready, but they won't want to work with you anymore. Once you've pissed them off, it's hard to make them take you seriously. So make them take you seriously from the start.

7) Make sure you're doing something acting-related at LEAST once a week.

This could be an acting class, audition, filming (either with lines or just as an extra), collaborating with a photographer to get new headshots, ANYTHING. It's very easy to say "Oh, I'll start next week" but start this week and things will fall into place much more quickly. Full Sail has auditions every week so there is no excuse not to do this.

8) Unpopular opinion: Don't spend a lot of money on headshots if you aren't auditioning for professional productions.

If you have an agent who is submitting you for SAG movies and TV shows, then pay for the headshots that will get you booked. It's worth it if you're actually pursuing work with major networks and studios. But if you're only auditioning for student films, find a photographer to do them at a low rate.

Just make sure they don't have a heavy hand when it comes to the blur tool. Nothing ruins a headshot like airbrushing your skin so badly that you no longer look human. Your headshot should look like you above all else. Consider asking them ahead of time if you can have unedited images, then either edit them yourself or ask a Photoshop-savvy friend. I've edited every one of my own headshots, which has only had positive results.

Know where to find them. Try posting in an acting-related Facebook group. Say you need headshots taken and will happily travel to the photographer, do your own hair & makeup, and otherwise not be trouble for them. Model Mayhem can also be a good resource, but be smart about meeting up with strangers and check out their work before letting them shoot you. Even if it's a free photoshoot, you don't want to waste time if they'll end terribly.

Know what you want them to look like. Find examples of headshots you like and email them to the photographer ahead of time, in addition to saving them to your phone to look at during the shoot. Some photographers don't know what a headshot is supposed to look like, so providing them with examples is the best way to ensure you don't waste your time (or money if they aren't doing it for free).

9) Make sure you're on the necessary websites.

Backstage is an excellent resource for finding articles related to the business, as well as some casting calls.

Frontrunner Casting is a casting agency that primarily supplies extras for commercials and television. They usually pay $120 for a 12 hour day and all you have to do to get booked is upload a good picture of yourself and give them your measurements.

24/7 Heinz Casting is a website that is pretty expensive, but you're guaranteed work if you pay for the top package. You can literally buy experience for your resume. There is much debate amongst agents about whether this is legal, but it is a good resource for actors if you're willing to pay.

Full Sail: Casting (Facebook page) is where all of the breakdowns are posted for Full Sail films. It's best to check this site before showing up on Saturday in case they don't have any roles for your "type" or you want to dress for the role.

Search any combination of Florida/Orlando/Central Florida/Tampa/Miami and Auditions/Casting/Actors/Acting and you'll find Facebook groups. Many of them are very active and people post casting calls in them on a daily basis. Make sure your notifications are on so you don't miss anything!

Your agent's website, if their site allows you to search through their talent roster, is a good thing to be on. It's not required and some agencies will charge you to be on it, but it's not a bad idea. You can put the url on your resume for directors to quickly be able to flip through pictures of you and access your reel.

Your own website. This is not even remotely necessary unless you're also a model or you have a demo reel. If all you have is a headshot and resume, then you don't need a website because you hand these to the director at every audition. If you DO have a website, please buy your domain name. If you notice, I didn't purchase the domain for this blog, which is why the url contains ".wix.com" but you shouldn't do this for your acting site. It looks unprofessional!

10) Nothing good ever came out of a comfort zone. Run toward your fears, not away from them, and don't wait for the "right time" because it will never come.

Did you know that Meryl Streep still gets nervous before every movie she makes? She said in an interview that every time she gets a new script, she feels like she isn't good enough to make that movie and often thinks about backing out. So if she's allowed to be nervous, you're allowed to be...just don't let it hold you back.

Don't wait until ______. Don't wait until you lose weight to start auditioning because you think only skinny girls get cast. Don't wait until you get the perfect haircut to take your headshots. Don't wait until your reel is "perfect" before you submit yourself to agencies. Believe it or not, these are all reasons I've heard from people regarding why they haven't pursued acting yet. This business requires you to constantly improve yourself, and often makes you feel like you aren't good enough, so you'll never have a time that will be perfect for getting started.

You have to do what you're afraid to do or you won't do anything great. Even veteran actors still get nervous for auditions and performances, but that's part of the job description. If you're always going to stay home from the auditions because you're too nervous, you'll never get a role. You miss every shot you don't take!

I hate giving tough love, but I thoroughly enjoy helping people pursue their dreams. This business is tough and full of rejection, but it's also very rewarding if you allow it to be. I'd love to hear your acting stories from set, auditions, etc. so please email or FB message me any time you feel like chatting about the industry.

Until next time,

Emalie

#disappointment #networking #auditions #setlife #business