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Acting Tips

Read these 197 Acting Tips in 19 categories ranging from Acting - General Information to Voice Acting. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Acting tips and hundreds of other topics. Become a Guru or Become an Advertiser.

What Makes a Good Resume?

Think of your acting resume as a calling card. You are presenting yourself to complete strangers who know nothing of your talents. With that in mind, be sure your resume is:

  • Neatly typed
  • No longer than one page
  • Edited and proofread
  • Updated on a regular basis
  • In correct format
In addition, you should be sure that your name and contact information are prominently displayed at the top of the page. This is so your resume can be found easily among others.

When attaching your resume to the back of your headshot, be sure it adheres solidly. There should be no clips or opened staples to snag on other photos in the casting director's pile.

Don't use clever fonts or colors on your resume. Keep the type simple, such as Tahoma, Courier, or Times New Roman. Always use black ink to print your resume, and be sure it doesn't smudge.

A small effort on your acting resume will go a long way toward presenting yourself as a professional.

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Acting Technique: The Vocal Warm-up

Part of any serious actor training involves training the voice to articulate and project. Here's a great exercise to get your pipes in tip-top shape for performance time.

Begin by standing up straight, knees unlocked. Breathe long and deeply. Exhale through your lips in a sigh.

Open your mouth very wide, and stick your tongue out. Then pull in pack in and purse your lips very small.

Next, blow air through your loosely closed lips so that they flap like a horse.

Stick your tongue out and move it in all four directions.

Then try a tongue-twister. You can find lots of tongue-twisters online, or ask your friends for their favorites.

What to Wear for an Audition

One of the biggest stresses of auditioning is not what to prepare, but how to prepare. What you say or do during an audition is just as important as how you present yourself. If you're uncertain about what to wear or how to look for an audition, consider these points:

  • What is the type of role for which I'm auditioning? You don't need to wear a nurse's uniform if you're playing a nurse, but a simple suit that mimics a uniform would work just fine.
  • If you're not sure which role you're there to read, simply find out the age range of the character. Dress age-appropriately.
  • If there's no information about the role, dress simply and neatly. Avoid garish colors or accessories.

Art Imitates Life

Want to keep your acting from getting stale? Make sure your life is interesting!

Your most crucial dramatic lessons won't come from film acting class but from your own life. Sure, it's important to go to movies and plays, read scripts, and study the great directors. But if your only reference point is other movies, your performances will come across as flat and derivative.

Snoresville.

An actor has to continually fill his well of creativity to stay inspired. The broader your experiences and your studies, the more resources you'll have to draw from during a performance. Follow these tips to spice up your acting:

Read. Learn all you can about art, music, science, psychology, history, and theology. Each field in its own way examines what it means to be human.

Become a first-class people-watcher. Keep a notebook with you and jot down dialogue, mannerisms, and interesting situations.

Travel to experience other cultures. How do people greet each other in France? What does it feel like to ride a camel in the desert?

Follow current events for insights into the best and worst of human theater.

Seek novelty. Do something you've never done before, such as learn belly-dancing, repair a car's engine, or pet-sit a snake.

Take risks. Bungee jump. Travel solo. Love and lose. Love and win.

Live with your mind and senses fully engaged, and you'll perform the same way. Not to mention you'll have fantastic stories to tell your grandkids someday!

How to Find an Agent

Here are the top three most common ways of how to find an acting agent:

  1. Word of mouth. If your actor friends have agents, talk to them. Find out who represents them, then see if he or she can put in a good word for you. This will allow you to get your foot in the door for an interview.
  2. Be seen. Every time you're in a show or even a showcase, send agents postcards inviting them to come to see you perform. These postcards should ideally be miniature postcard versions of your headshots, but you can also send theatrical postcards from the show itself. (Be sure they get comped!)
  3. Attend talent agent seminars. Check Backstage newspaper on a weekly basis to see where there are seminars in your area.
  4. Check listings of local agents in the yellow pages or in publications like Backstage. Send blind mailings to agencies with a cover letter, headshot, and resume.

The Meisner Technique

Sanford Meisner (1905-1997), together with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, is generally regarded as one of America's most brilliant acting teachers. The Meisner Technique is one of the most popular acting techniques being taught and practiced today.

Meisner aimed to break an actor's dependence on easy tricks and to get him to respond truthfully to a given moment. He taught that a performer's attention should remain on his partner — on what the partner is saying and doing — and not on what he himself is preparing to say or do. The result: a far less self-conscious performance that resonates with authenticity.

The Meisner Technique owes a debt to the great Russian acting teacher, Constantin Stanislavski, who steered his students away from the stiff and affected acting that was common in his day. The interdependent series of exercises developed by Meisner expand on Stanislavski's teachings. Each exercise builds on the earlier ones and increases in complexity. Improvisation, emotional truth, and an actor's personal response to the script are all important aspects of this approach.

Preparing for a Headshot Session

Once you've booked your headshot session with a professional photographer, you may be wondering how to prepare for your session. Here are a few key pointers for how to get ready for your headshot session:

  • Call to confirm your appointment 24 hours ahead of time.
  • Don't drink alcohol the night before, which can make you puffy. Get a good amount of sleep the night before.
  • Show up to the studio 15 minutes early. Never arrive late.
  • Keep colors basic. Blue is best. Your headshots should be shot in black and white, so stay away from white colors, as they tend to wash you out.
  • Bring at least three changes of clothing: casual, business, and business casual.
  • If you wear any jewelry, keep it small and simple. Remove any facial piercings or be prepared to have them airbrushed out.
  • Get a professional hair and makeup artist to do your hair and face. Yes, men, too.

Visiting the Acting School's Campus

A critical part of researching acting schools is visiting the campuses. Yes, it is important to consider the school's statistics, but that is not where your consideration should end. It is also important to consider schools that meet your needs. One of the final arbiters when choosing a school should be the campus visit. Visiting campuses gives you a unique opportunity to question the students who attend the school. If the physical environment of the campus doesn't feel right, chances are you and your potential acting career won't be happy there.

What is an Actor?

Your mail goal as an actor is to be the face (and body) of the human condition. Think of yourself as a diplomat for all mankind. The beauty of acting is the ability to "play" in the role of another human being, representing him/her to the best and most natural of our ability. Acting is communication. You, as an actor, have the honored task of creating (or recreating) life on the stage or in front of a camera. You must be able to reflect all sorts of characters, some of whom may even seem odd or distasteful to you. That's the challenge and the reward of acting!

Voice Acting

A great way to supplement your income between acting gigs is by doing some voice-over work. It's so great, in fact, that it's extremely competitive and tough to break into. But if you'd like to try it, here are some steps to follow:

Take a voice acting class. Voice acting takes special skills, and you'll have to learn specific techniques.

Voice acting is real acting. Whether you're doing a voice-over for a commercial or bringing an animated character to life, your skills as an actor will be challenged. There's more to this field than simply making funny voices.

Put together your demo tape. Ask a voice acting coach to help you. Keep your demo tape short — one and a half to two minutes maximum. Record a few commercial segments. Is your voice deep and rich? Try an ad for ice cream. Can you play it sexy? Try a perfume spot. Does your voice ring with authority? Do a medical ad. Then do a line or two of a couple of different character voices.

Don't repeat a voice on your tape and make clear distinctions between each character and scene. Casting directors want to see how well you can vary your own voice, so give them plenty of contrast.

Voice actors need agents, too. Casting directors won't consider you if you don't have representation.

Voice actors must audition. If a casting director likes your tape, you'll be called in for a voice acting audition. Be prepared to be rejected a lot. But if you keep working on your skills and you audition persistently, your chances of landing lucrative voice acting jobs increase exponentially.





 
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