How To Start An Acting Career

Build An Online Presence

The online community has been providing equal opportunities for aspiring talents to build a name for themselves and to get more people to know that theyre here and ready to take on the challenge. There are a lot of platforms now that rookie actors can use as marketing tools to introduce themselves and let more people know what they are capable of doing.

When it comes to social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the big three. Uploading photos on a regular basis, sharing your interests and goals, and simply talking about how your day went are a few ways you can boost your social media following. Putting up a blog or website is also another effective way to market yourself as an actor. This will serve as your digitized résumé. Many actors and celebrities also found their voice on YouTube, which ultimately helped them land jobs and build fame, like Justin Bieber.

Online, everyone starts with nothing until their following grows bigger. Its all about how you utilize the digital media and make things work to your advantage. It may not be an instantaneous success, but its a good start.

How Does One Without Experience Start An Acting Career

Is getting into acting like needing a valid ID just to get very your first valid ID? Is it like needing experience just to get your first job? Fortunately, its not. However, it does take quite long for most aspiring actors. Just like any dream career, acting takes grit, perseverance, hard work, and dedication to achieve success.

If youve just figured out that acting is your calling, heres how you get started.

Bachelor’s Degrees In Acting & Theater

Bachelor’s degrees in acting, drama, theater and fine arts are liberal arts programs designed for those who want to enter the performing arts. Performing arts schools tend to offer fewer general education courses than colleges or universities, but both options take about four years to complete. Students will be required to work with various productions, whether on-screen or backstage. Here are some of the more common classes taken at this level:

Dramatic Techniques

Physical coordination, proper singing postures, changes in speech and intonation, voice projection, the Alexander method and other techniques are taught in this course.

Skills Gained

• Improvising based on a very small set of requirements
• Proper interview techniques with casting agents

You May Like: How To Start Devops Career

Dont Quit Your Day Job Unless You Can

One of the benefits of starting acting later in life may be that you have been able to achieve some financial stability in your previous career.

Bridgman still lives in Ohio. When necessary, he can fly to Los Angeles for an acting gig.

When he talks with younger peers, he said a lot of them change course from wanting to be an actor to becoming a camera operator, producer or writer because working for next to nothing and supplementing your income with a service job isnt always sustainable.

I am simply not in the same economic condition that I was in when I was graduating from college. Which was zippo money and zippo prospects, other than law school, Bridgman said.

White also isnt financially dependent on landing acting gigs. But if youre not financially secure, dont throw away your safety net, Sturges said.

Ive had people say to me, Im all in. I quit my job, and Im going to live in my car, she said.

Instead of quitting your day job, talk with your employer about your new pursuit and see if theres the possibility of a flexible schedule, she said.

People are often so supportive, she said. The people who arent supportive are usually people who havent followed their dreams. A person following their dreams is a threat to those who havent.

Start With Acting Training

You dont have control over who hires you as an actor for their project. You dont have control over what auditions you can get, what gigs you can book and what people you can work with. But what you do have control over is your acting training.

If you have a little money to spend every month on an acting class, then this would be the best way to confirm whether you truly enjoy this craft. Many people have taken acting classes before auditioning for drama schools simply to see if this whole thing is worth the effort.

Getting a taste of the process is one reason to start your acting career with proper training.

Another reason to put acting training as your first priority is of course to become a better actor and demonstrate your acting chops once you finally start booking work, and to become better at auditioning in general.

There are multiple types of acting training options out there, starting with regular Introduction to Acting type of classes, more advanced training and specific classes. Some of those include:

and then some more. Obviously, you dont need to take all of them. In fact, you dont have to take most of them, at least in the beginning. When you just want to know how to start an acting career and spend the least amount of money, then simple introductory classes will suffice.

Don’t Miss: Career Academy Of Hair Design Rogers

Start Building Your Acting Reel

Your reel is video footage of work you have done. Years ago this was all of your best work put together in one, five minute video. Now its more common to have a series of 20 second clips. Clips are also split into different genres dramatic, comedy, commercial, languages, special skills etc. whatever applies to you. Student films and indie projects are a great place to start for this and once you have some footage it makes it easier for you to get cast in the next project!

Hire An Acting Agent:

While it is a great idea to put in your best efforts to market your skills, it may still not be sufficient. Acting agents are the ones you may have to hire to get you the right assignment. They have been in the industry for a very long time. They have influence and contacts. They are also aware of the latest projects in the industry.

Acting agents may thus help you bag the right opportunity. While they demand a high fee for their services, it may still be worthwhile to get your first opportunity through acting agents.

Don’t Miss: North Shore Career Training Institute

Tips How To Start An Acting Career With No Experience

How to start an acting career with no experience is every new starts dream to know. Being a tube king or queen is one way to be known globally as a superstar. Its no wonder those in the movie industry work really hard to stay on top of their games any day, any time. For this reason, they have to keep up with the trends that operate in their industry at all times.

While some say that actors and actresses are born, others say that they are made. That is why there might be some youngsters who possess these keen acting skills. However, this in no way negates the fact that, even as a rookie, you might not be as great as an actor or actress.

So what should you do if you have a penchant for the acting industry but dont know if you can really make it here? This reading will surely give you an idea of how you can convert and enter the world of cinema even without experience. If youre ready, here it is.

Becoming a Successful Actor / Actress Inexperienced: A Beginners Guide

• 8. decide to start humbly

What Is Your Why: Why Do You Want To Become An Actor

So often the only things we focus on are craft and how to get work, but a great question to ask yourself is Why? Why do You want to do this? Is it about the work? To tell stories? For the camaraderie you feel in acting classes? The promise of big money? Or to be famous? Everything is a valid answer no judgement here! But if its purely money, honestly, a banker or stockbroker might be a better choice. Reality stars can become famous, and writing is also telling stories. Maybe your answer is a combination. mine waswhen I finally figured it out years later. Knowing your why is highly personal and will help you avoid the pitfalls, wrong turns and bad advice. To thine own self be true.

Also Check: Journal Prompts For Career Exploration

How Well Can You Deal With Instability

So what do I mean by a normal life? In short, I mean economic stability.

Pursuing any creative field carries risks of uncertainties, and thats especially the case with acting. Writers, for example, can secure jobs as copywriters or journalists to bring in money while pursuing their dreams to be a novelist or screenwriter.

Actors dont have that kind of luxury. Instead, they often need to turn to the service industry or gig economy to get by. Balancing these jobs with acting classes and auditions usually leads to an unconventional and unpredictable schedule.

Is this something you can see yourself handling for the long term?

If stability is important to you, then pursuing a career in acting may not be the right choice for you.

If you dont mind being in a non-traditional industry and handling a non-traditional lifestyle for a minimum of five years, then get started with acting and see how it goes.

This is another reason why I say starting younger matters. You have far fewer responsibilities as a 21-year-old than someone older. You can afford to take a huge risk in your life and then correct course if needed. Someone with a stable job or relationship doesnt have that luxury.

What Does It Mean When A Casting Director Asks An Actor To Change Their Audition

It is easy to feel bad or paranoid that the casting director hates your audition if asked to make an adjustment during your audition.

However, you will learn what being asked to make a change in your read really means in the video below.

Nothing can guarantee you a booking. But doing these 3 Things can increase your chances of having success.

You can still have a successful audition without booking the job.

Read Also: Strange Career Of Jim Crow Sparknotes

Ways To Develop Career In Acting:

While you may possess all the skills and abilities that are required of an actor, you may still not achieve success unless you have a strong profile. It is thus the next step in the process of entering the acting career. You need to work hard to develop a strong profile. Here are some simple acting techniques and suggestions that may help you becoming an actor.

The Voice Acting Community And The Amazing Clients

As you begin to book projects and build a portfolio, youll be connecting with producers and coordinators who can very easily become repeat clients if you employ some simple rapport building tactics. Before you know it, you can be working with the producers responsible for Coca-Colas international campaigns.

Networking also extends to fellow voice actors. Its quite important to pursue this particular kind of networking, too. Not only to expose yourself to others who are open to sharing business, technical, and artistic tips, but also because voice actors frequently refer a fellow talent in situations where theyre not quite right for a job.

Many voice actors report feeling that the voice over community plays a major role in the fulfillment that they experience as a voice actor. Attending VO workshops and other events are great ways to start meeting other VO artists to build your support and referral network.

To get a sense of what the voice over community feels like, check out our community forum where voice actors regularly celebrate each others highs and support each other through the lows.

You May Like: Fastest Training For New Career

What Do Actors Do

Many actors find that their desired roles call for them to change their physical appearance, whether it be gaining/losing a significant amount of weight, changing hairstyle or color or other drastic methods to transform into the character. Some extremely dedicated actors take this to what some call too far, virtually becoming the character in real life throughout the duration of filming. This is called method acting and can seem excessive, but the results are often inarguable.

A milder and more realistic way to submerge themselves in the character they’re currently portraying is by researching the jobs and lifestyles of their characters to see the world through the character’s eyes, though the character may be much different in personality and social or financial standing than the actor portraying them. Many actors research emotional trauma if their character is to experience it, to truly encompass the whole character as convincingly as possible.

Actors work with agents, directors, producers and costars during the search for roles, auditions and readings. They’re required to take cues and directions from producers and directors to interpret and characterize their role, following instructions to use certain body movements, speech patterns, gestures and more to fully portray the character in the director’s vision. They’re expected to read, interpret and memorize the lines in their script, work under various environmental conditions and receive feedback from the director.

Acting School Programs & Concentrations

Have A Job Or Side Hustle That Pays The Bills Yes Really

I know, this may suck, but dont underestimate a steady, reliable income, or overestimate yourself, luck or fate. Life and careers are challenging enough without having to wonder how to eat and pay the bills. Plus, when you first start out, and at times when you are not working, acting is expensive! You have to be able to take classes, and get headshots, and then more headshots, as well as have time for auditions. So unless youve got a trust fund, you are going to need some cash. Flexible jobs like restaurants or bartending gigs, catering staffing companies, dog walker, Uber driver or personal assistant are perfect for this. Trust me when I say, acting is ugly on a super tight budget. Give yourself some breathing room and take care of the basics.

You Can Finally Make A Successful And Sustaining Acting Career A Reality

If youre ready to launch and grow your acting career but dont have access to an elite professional Acting Coach, my interactive webinar course 7 Steps To Launch + Grow Your Acting Career will give you the industry-savvy career guidance, marketing tools and proven acting and audition technique needed to take your work to a professional Performance Level and get you started on a Career Plan of Action. The online course also includes two 60-minute Skype or FaceTime coaching sessions with me, giving you Professional Level attention that will push you, support you, and lift your work to an entirely new level. You can use the one-to-one coaching sessions to work on any part of your career plan, marketing, acting or audition technique you need to improve. By understanding Your Castable Types®, using the right techniques and having a clearer, current grasp of the industry, you can finally make a successful and sustaining acting career a reality.

In the webinar you will learn how to:

You will receive:

This program has been so successful for my interactive coaching clients that I offer a 10 day money back guarantee. If you arent satisfied with the webinar course, for any reason, let me know within ten days of purchase and I will give you a full refund with no questions asked. Thats how confident I am in 7 Steps To Launch + Grow Your Acting Career.

Understand The Unpredictable Nature Of An Acting Career

Dont expect to land roles right off the bat, Sturges said. There isnt a set timeline or path to landing an acting job.

Like anyone in the industry, theres a lot of auditioning and rejection before landing a role. And there are no guarantees.

If you can enjoy the auditions and the process, itll make rejection easier, Sturges said.

White loved the four days she spent in Canada to film the prescription drug commercial. She got the star treatment being driven around, staying in a hotel and getting fitted for filming day.

But she also loves the rush of auditioning for a role and getting a callback. Its all part of the process.

I just know it happened once, its going to happen again, and Im just going to keep going. Im not going to stop, she said.

Rejection and uncertainty are part of working in Hollywood, but joy, creativity and fun can be too. Heres how to manage your mental health.