Every year, hundreds opt to become actors. Many are under the impression that they must get their photo taken, write out a CV, and an agent will come knocking on their door. That mindset is why most actors fail.
Becoming a successful actor in the present highly competitive acting industry isn’t glitz and glam. The probability of getting a groundbreaking role is astronomically small but not impossible.
By following a few simple steps, staying consistent and remaining patient, you can build a long and successful acting career.
Take Acting Lessons
If you lack the time, money, or patience for full-time drama school instruction, it’s best to enroll in part-time lessons. Taking acting lessons is a great way to hone your craft, boost your self-esteem, and introduce you to a network of fellow artists who may serve as a great resource as you launch your career.
Good thing is that these classes are flexible; hence you can attend them while doing other things.
Narrow Your Casting
Early on, narrowing your casting will offer you two significant benefits. First, casting teams will see your strengths. Second, you will save a ton of time and improve your odds of success as you sift through lists of casting calls.
If you want to get noticed by casting directors, who may not have seen most of your work so far, it’s important to break down your talents, look, and contacts by country and location.
Take a Professional Photo
The next thing to do is take a picture of your primary casting type(s). If you are starting in the acting world and have no budget, you could get away with a simple, well-lit head-and-shoulders photograph with a good camera. If you are, however, serious about acting, a professional snapshot is the way to go.
Create a Resume
A CV is a chance to showcase your casting types, talents, training, and existing credits, even if you don’t have much to include. Attaching a short, personalized CV to your email application will aid you in joining casting sites.
A good CV will also help actor unions to represent your interest whether you’ll choose to work in radio, television, film, or theater. This way, you’ll always get what you deserve (in terms of money and benefits), and more.
Develop Your Pitch
When applying for jobs, it can be helpful to have a “pitch” that highlights your most relevant qualifications. Casting teams lack time to read extensive cover letters, but they would like to know if you specialize in a certain accent or language or have the correct height for the role.
Create a list of all areas of your casting depending on this worksheet’s selling points, and you’ll have a pitch prepared when you begin applying for positions.
Update Your Email to Reflect Your Intelligence.
Always look your best! Improving the style of your email is an effective and simple technique to generate a favorable impression.
Choose a professional email address, including images and signatures, and familiarize yourself with the usage of hyperlinks.
Network
Actor networking is a wide phrase that encompasses everything you do to enhance your present industry ties and everything you do to establish new ones.
This includes attending classes, following casting crews on social media, availing yourself of possibilities provided by industry groups, seeing performances, attending conferences and workshops, partnering on your friends’ and your initiatives, and simply spending more time with your fellow actors.
Bottom Line
Actors new to the industry frequently ask, “How do I get into movies?” or “How do I find an agent?” This is entirely understandable; everyone wants success as soon as possible. However, this perspective can be damaging to your success.
As with other aspiring performers, you will have limited time and resources. So, if you’re feeling pressed for time, try adopting a “little and often” strategy. Consistently attend class and engage in networking. Improve your current abilities, hone your rusty ones, and take advantage of any learning opportunities.
Get a second job to help pay the bills and maintain a social life outside of performing to keep you grounded and positive. Whatever the case when you embark on a career in acting, progress may be slower than you anticipate at first. But if you keep at it, you will succeed in the end.