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Print out this page and place it where you
will see it on a DAILY basis!
To join a community of your fellow actors
who are all working towards building a creative career,
Join the Actorsite.
First some helpful links regarding your
Headshot
and your Resume.
It's every actor's business card and if yours isn't working for you, then you
might wish to check our resources page and link to several photographers to shop
for new headshots.
It's important that you establish some
BASIC habits that you can practice on a REGULAR BASIS to keep your
instrument in shape. Remember, an actor's instrument is EVERY SINGLE ESSENCE
that translates to film/video and live performances. It's your charisma, your
physical type, your voice, your other unique qualities and it's important that
you PRACTICE and HONE that uniqueness to stay in shape.
Remember, acting is a muscle, you have to
work it out!
- Practice breathing exercises
every morning.
- Practice tongue twisters
and mouth and lip
dexterity exercises every morning
- Practice
the ELEMENTS OF SPEECH every single day. How you speak is an important
aspect of your ability to create demand for your services as an actor.
- Practice COLD READING every morning for at
least 1/2 hour. Look down see the words, look up say the words. Read three
scripts per week this way, or one book per week this way!
- Walk, run, play sports
or go to the gym
EVERY SINGLE DAY of the week for at least 20 minutes. If you are a physical
type, then extend that to 1 hour or more.
- Send a postcard, make a phone call, e-mail
or have a friend call at least THREE people who can impact your career
per day. Don't get obsessed with anyone so that you make contact with them
more than once every six weeks, but GET BUSY and make contacts.
- Be
sure to make sure you are getting regular workouts and coaching to tweak
your skills by an outside "eye". As an actor, you need that
constant grounding that comes from working with a gifted director, be it an
acting teacher, acting coach, or fellow actor.
- Keep a daily journal
of your work and
progress!
- Workshop and network on a regular basis.
How else can you learn how a BUSY casting office works, if you don't
workshop to experience the knowledge of a busy CD? Plus, if
you meet 3 or more new industry people per week, that means that you have 12
new contacts to postcard at the end of the month! THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE,
TOO!!! You were the HARDEST WORKING actor in the workshop! You listened, you
learned and you grew as an actor!
- Start writing a short
film---STARRING YOU!
- Write some short monologues
for a
one-person show---STARRING YOU!
- Work with a scene partner
to practice a
scene at least THREE times per week for at least one hour each session, and
WORK for that whole hour, cut the idle chatter.
- Make a goal to become the HARDEST WORKING
actor in your acting class and STICK TO IT! Be the most reliable, the
hardest working, work the scene the most times, and take the strongest
risks!!! Step out and make progress QUICKLY!
- Make the rounds of the commercial casting
studios at least twice per month to drop off or have someone do it for you!
- Get rid of your
flakey friends. Surround
yourself with winners. You can't change and motivate those who aren't
motivated! Find those who ARE motivated and make new friends.
- Take a fellow actor to lunch once per week
and share information.
- Read the industry trades at least once per
week to get an idea of the industry as a whole.
- Get all of the insider information you can
find and send postcards that show how BUSY you are to everyone out there who
could impact your career.
- Take 30 agents that you would like to meet
with and send them postcards every 3 weeks for three months!
- Target the casting offices that you want to
meet and send them postcards every 6 weeks year around. You can send more
often if you have HOT NEWS to share!!!
- Find filmmakers who are making films every
weekend and get out and star in their films. There are 100 or more short
films shot every weekend in Los Angeles, find out who is doing them and get
to know them and help them get their projects made!
- Take advantage of all of the benefits of
membership in the Actor's Unions. Find out what activities they provide and
participate.
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| Questions: contact actorsite@yahoo.com
Website Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, 2000, 2001 2002, 2003, 2004 J. P. Turnbull
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