Acting Career Tips

Preparing for an audition also includes having a resume and a few headshot pictures. This is because aside from performing your monologue or reading from a script, cast directors want to know how you look on camera or on stage as well as your previous work experiences. To help you, here are few tips.

1. Prepare for everything. Prepare yourself physically. You have to look your best at your every audition. To achieve this, you have to take care of yourself. Improve both on your physical and mental capacity. It will also help if you will practice rehearsing dialogues or plainly, speaking in front of many people. Your physical appearance is an investment. So if you have to spend money in order to enhance what needs to be done, do it for the purpose of looking fit and confident.

2. Learn the ropes. If you want to be taken seriously as an actor, present yourself as one. It will help if you will meet the right people, especially an agent who will represent you and find you audition schedules. You have to know where that action is taking place. You don’t necessarily have to live there. But it will be less expensive if you do. If you can find small gigs on the locations where the auditions are usually going on, then that will be much better.

3. Be the master of the craft. Watch a lot of movies and learn how the actors attack their roles. Read aloud dialogues from scripts. Read books and references that can help you improve and where you can learn a lot from.

4. Be careful in hiring an agent. Do not believe those who will make you pay even if they still haven’t found you a job. That’s when they are supposed to get money from you. They get certain percentage as commission for the work that they helped you find. They are your allies. They must know your strong points so that they will instantly think of you for roles that fit you right.

When you submit a resume, make sure that this is stapled to the back of your headshot. If the resume is much larger than the picture, trim it a bit so they appear to be the same size.

For those who don’t know what a head shot is, it is picture of your entire face. It must be very artistic and is intended to put you in the best possible light. This is usually printed on an 8 by 10 inch format. Your name should be placed on the print or just below it.

As for your resume, just tell the truth of your previous accomplishments. Make sure that your contact details are up to date so it will be easy for the casting director or a representative to easily get in touch with you for a call back.

Creating a resume is easy. If you are going to an audition, make sure that it will focus on the part you are trying to get. For instance, if you want a part in a Broadway event, make sure you list down your previous experiences in the theater. If this is for a movie, tell them what you did even if you played a supporting role or as an extra. Should this be for a commercial, mention what your roles was as well.

You should bring at least 5 copies of your resume and head shots every time you go to the audition because you may never know who else will want one.

Now it is time for the things you must never do.

The most important is never lie about your experience. Just like applying for a job, the casting directors will get someone to do a background check about your credentials so it is only a matter of time before they find out the truth.

The same goes for special skills which you claim that you have but actually don’t. People won’t be able to do a background check here but they will find out when you are told to do something and suck at it.

When you submit a resume, make sure that this is printed on a sheet of paper that measures more than 8 ½ x 11. Again, this is because of the size of the head shot. If you insist doing that, chances are your resume will be thrown away.

Since you are not the only actor applying for a part, don’t waste the time of the casting director by giving them a resume that is more than one page. If you have a lot to say, put the most relevant using a 10 point font. If they want more information and this won’t fit in your resume, mention it later on during the interview.

A resume is a piece of paper with a list of your accomplishments. You must never staple reviews or clipping from newspapers.

An acting career should always have a resume and a headshot. Write a few drafts and take some photos then just use the best.

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