THE ACTOR'S GUIDE: How to Become an Actor

- 1.1: Terms to Know Before Becoming an Actor

Before going into the acting business, there are things that's required to be instilled in your big brains if you don't want to be completely humiliated and/or put a false mirror over your career. There are con artists all over the place, trying to steal your thunder.

SOOOOOO lemme hook you up with some of the most important acting terms, dumbed down for mine and your understanding (because Lord knows I didn't know what the heck was happening with the smarter version.)

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1. Headshot: This 8x10 picture from the top of your pretty little head to the bottom of your shoulders is gonna be the start of it all. Going into the industry without a headshot and resume is like going to school without a pencil (that's ultra shade to the Timmy that always needs a pencil.) You will be hella unprepared, and you will look like an idiot. (Again, Tommy. . . Nobody likes you sweetie.)

Headhot prices can range between $100-5,000 if you want them to be taken professionally, capturing your unique style and personality.

Wanna know about how to get a professional headshot taken?

Research photographers that HAVE A HISTORY IN TAKING HEADSHOTS in your area. It doesn't matter if the woman that photographed your mom's maternity shots takes great pictures and made your mom look like a cutesy patootsie with her preggo bello.

If that photographer has never taken headshots, it would be your best bet to go with someone that has. They can give you the right instruction as far as projecting who you are as a person and capturing it into a picture.

You would want to get multiple shots with different emotions just in case you are auditioning for a different role with a different mood. They want to see what types of roles you can play with this picture.

You don't want to send a picture of you looking like a borderline murderer with eyes that are kinda teary cause the wind was hitting you wrong and the sun was blinding you so your eyes were wide and creepy (😳) to the Disney Channel, expecting them to give you the role as Polly Rocket with the best smile in eight grade.

Sweetie, your head shot stays with the casting director. When they see your face, they want to say, you know, I really see (we'll call you AJ Rope for future prefrences) AJ Rope in this film. They kinda have that whole smiley Polly Rocket thing going on, ya know.

Your headshots play a BIG part in booking you the job.

2. Resume: Your resume comes next. This babe needs to be stapled to the back of your headshot, in all four courners of course, looking neat but not over the top, and with all truths and nothing but the truths showcased across that beautiful property.

Here on this document, you're letting the casting director know who the hades you are, what you've done so far with your acting career, what you have been doing to perfect your craft, and what you can do with yourself besides act (for me, not very much.)

Even though casting directors glance at your resume, know that everything you say on that paper will count and will be used against you in front of the larger court, so DO NOT LIE.

At the top you wanna have in a bigger font than anything else YOUR NAME, then you wanna have your phone number and email adress. If you are working with an agency, you should put their contact info. After that, type if you are part of a union or not (which you shouldn't be if you just started. This is qualified as Non-Union) and what your occupation is. I usually just put Actress but you can put Actor/Singer or Singer/Model or whatever.

Then you put in a smaller font, your age/ age range (the ages in which you can play or look like. Some 13 years olds look like and can play 15 year olds. I'm 15 and can play up to 17 so I would put Age Range: 15-17.) Along with your age/age range, add your height, weight, hair color, eye color, and vocal range if you can sing.

Skip a line.

Type EXPERIENCE in big letters.

Then seperate it into sections as far as experience: THEATRE, COMMERCIAL, FILM, MUSICAL, ETC.

It's totally fine if you have no experience.

If this is so, I suggest you go get some babe.

Community theatre is all over the place, at your local theatre, at your school, at a church you may attend. Find out where someone is having a play production or a short film and audition to get more experience. Then, when you've got a few things, list them on your resume.

Skip a line.

Next up, is TRAINING.

Where and who have you trained with?

In my case, because money is tight and transportation is limited, I read, read, read all the kinds of acting books I can. There are tons of books you can check out at your library, PLUS, I'll be listing some of the training I've collected from books right here in this book and you can add that to your training.

This part is self explanatory soooo,

Skip a line.

Next is SPECIAL SKILLS.

Whether you can sing, swim, or juggle bowling balls on your esophagus, everyone has a unique special skill about them. You would want to list all that you CAN do and not any lies because when it comes to it and they want to see you play the trumpet with your left toe, and you can't play the trumpet with your left toe. . .

REPUTATION. DESTROYED.

Moving on.

3. Agents/ Agency: An Agency is an organization of such that books you auditions and puts your hiney out there in front of casting directors. They push in that networking that you need so the whole industry knows your name.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN GET AN AGENT AND THEY WILL SAVE YOU FROM YOUR TROUBLING, AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOU.

NOOOO SWEETIE just have a seat and let me explain.

If there's an audition that your agent sees is best fit for you, they'll call up the casting director and be on the phone like:

"Heyy how's it going," your agent says with that voice your parent automatically gets when talking on the phone with the rich folks, somebody important, or the pastor.

"I'm doing great."

"Okay enough chit chat. I want my client, AJ Rope, in your movie called Space Aliens: The Part Where the Aliens Eat Fries and I'm tryna get her all up in your face. Let's schedule an audition?"

"Sure, sure. How about The Day After That Day?"

"That's great," your agent says. "Wait what?"

But notheless with that little skit aside, you get your audition, which brings us to a new chapter.

chapter 2: terms to know before an audition >>