We have found 19,462 posts across 4 actor forums:
Is being "indie" fair justification for paying voice actors less? by Mechtree • last post May 19th
I hope everyone is doing well. Recently, it seems as though most paid auditions out there stipulate one of a few things: 1. "Please send your cost per line or word" - a manner in which the VO industry doesn't operate as far as I can tell, and a way of saying "don't try to send me an 'easy to Google' link to standarised GFTB rates card based on time, I don't want to pay that aka I don't want to pay for your time" and "we're going to compare you all in terms of cost rather than solely on your audition" which frankly, puts me off spending, or should I say, wasting my time auditioning. I know agents negotiate, and negotiating is a part of the process, but there is a time-based minimum in that space for a reason, and this always feels like a blatant sprint at low balling. 2. "The gig only pays X amount because it's a small part" is something I've literally just read on this sub. You're not just paying for the small part. You're paying for years of someone developing their craft, conditioning their booth, building their gear, building their edit skills. 3. "We're an indie project so, therefore, offering 25%-50% of what we should" despite the fact it's a project geared at the commercial space. More often than not, a PC game for Steam. Yeah, get out of here with that nonsense. It's obviously market saturation that is driving fees down but let's look at this in terms of the actual work involved, what it takes, what it's worth, and what creators save on just by casting via the indie route instead of the traditional one: \- no studio hire because the VA provides the equipment they bought themselves: money saved \- no engineer because the VA records themselves with the equipment they bought: money saved \- no audio editor because we are expected to edit: money saved \- we're also sometimes expected to name and organise files in a ridiculously time-consuming fashion...btw, please don't if anyone asks you to...you're not their production assistant... either that or charge for it, it's only fair. Even if indies paid what a VA should be earning for recording an hour in the studio for games/animation, they would still be making a huge, huge saving. Of course, things are very saturated and this is why this can happen to begin with, but I think it's about time we start trying to normalise a few boundaries. Some might disagree with this but if your project isn't for commercial gain, I can get on the unpaid/for the love & craft/minimal payment wagon with you a bit easier. Everyone has to start somewhere. I did and there are projects that will get you good exposure even if they are few and far between, to be honest. Even then, a back-end agreement, if the project was to be financially successful, isn't such a crappy idea. People look at indie/student animation projects and think it's acceptable to work for free just because it's only one guy or a few poor students creating it.... but cartoons win at festivals all the time. These prize pools can be anything from £250-£5000, and you deserve a piece of that in the instance that happens on an unpaid job. Where I seriously lose my mind is when creators are trying to lowball on a project blatantly for commercial gain. Now, I can understand that that person may not have the money there and then, but I've got to say, I was raised in a very "if you can't afford something, you don't have it" sort of culture. Maybe save up? Maybe go without? OR At the very least, capped back ends and/or payment plans need to become commonplace. The market might be saturated, but why should any creator get us cheaper than the minimum studio time-based cost for an hour when they are already saving so much by going the indie route on casting? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts. Feel free to disagree. I'm just a little worried to be honest because I'm a video producer too, and while I see this happing online in the VA space, I can see the VO space on the agency and corporate side of things also getting infected with lowballing. So much so, it's becoming how things just are. It's going to be normalised as a standard in a few years if people don't start saying no and ditching the content mills a bit more. I really just want talented people to be able to make a living from doing this, you know? And I think the only way to at least try and effect any real change is to keep having dialogues about this, and hopefully shift people's minds so they don't leap to insulting payment offers quite so fast.
Monologue Competition by No-Worldliness-7339 • last post May 19th
Hi Everyone, I used to act in college and a bit after before getting into tech. I'm working on an actor discovery app for fun. The way it will work is: 1. Each week we'll pick a monologue or scene 2. Actors can perform the monologue and submit in the app 3. People come and vote on their favorite performance. My hope is that actors looking for a creative outlet will have some fun with this and hopefully get some more followers. I'd be interesting in hearing the thoughts of this sub, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. If you'd like to learn more, the site is here [https://actout.io/](https://actout.io/).
Is an industry day job good or bad for actors? by DangerousNanMcGrew • last post May 19th
Do you think working for a studio, agency, production company, etc. as a day job is a good idea or a bad idea for an actor? And if you do go after an industry job, is it beneficial to hide the fact that you’re an actor?
Does your rep get you feedback from casting directors? by CuspChaser111 • last post May 19th
I smirked at this when (long overdue) reading Jenna Fischer's book "The Actor's Life" - some great insights for all levels in it but when she writes to get feedback from Cds from your reps...do your reps do that for you? ​
Thoughts on using a teleprompter for an audition tape by StrictlyLoony • last post May 19th
So I have a big audition tape due in a couple days and the sides that have been given to me are pretty lengthy. I’m worried I might not have time to memorize everything for the tape. Another actor friend recommended I use a teleprompter app to read off of and just line it up with the reader or whatever I’m using as my eye line. Has anyone else ever tried this? If so, what have been the results?
Never say these directions to an actor on set. by ActorDirectorTalk • last post May 19th
Advice on Training by amtaru • last post May 19th
Hi everyone! If I can get some help/advice on my training I'd be extremely grateful. I went to school for Finance and then decided I wanted to be an actor so I already have an undergrad degree (and no more financial aid). I applied to NYU's summer acting program - specifically the 6 week Stonestreet acting class. The cost is $13k + room and board. My question is - if I do this summer intensive would it be better than only having done scene study classes/acting technique classes at studios like Stella Adler and Berg Studios. Is the $13k tuition worth it? Or should I just continue taking classes at studios like Stella Adler. Thank you!!
TV Credit Question on Resume by S_Gertie • last post May 19th
The standard for the production column on resumes for films tends to be: \- Production Company. Director But for a television series, I generally see it as: \- Network, Director Makes sense since with prime time network shows the network is the production company. Is the same standard holding for what people are seeing for things on cable TV and streaming services where someone else might be producing the content and the network is just the viewing platform? From what I am seeing.... Yes, still show the viewing platform...but I wanted to be sure I wasn't only seeing examples where the streaming platform/cable TV channel was also the production company. For a maybe better example: If Pizza Studios creates a series that is going to be viewable on Netflix, does the actor put "Pizza Studios" on their resume or do they put "Netflix"? People reading the resume will be more familiar with Netflix or Amazon Prime or whatever. But, that's not necessarily the ones behind the project.
Best shows to watch? by SnooPets9936 • last post May 19th
I like watching shows and movies to learn about how many successful actors act. Do you guys have any recommendations?
Has anyone heard back from Disney Showcase NY? by RaccoonJust7243 • last post May 19th
Has anyone gotten an audition from them? I know people in LA did a few weeks ago, but I don't know anyone in NY who's heard back which is odd since some of them are great actors with good agents that I would've expected to make it past the screening round.
YouTube channel asking for narrators said my price was too high. Should I let this opportunity pass? by HappyAnonymity • last post May 19th
So I saw a YouTube channel that I follow asking for voice actors. I sent my audition in and he liked my voice and said they could do it for their next video and see how the audience responds. Then he asked for my price. I told him I could do $100 per video minimum as was willing to go lower if my first video was accepted well.(10 min video with lots of voice over, probably 1-2k words) He responded and told me that he usually pays $10 per video(for the current narrator) and that my price was way too high($10 was “his budget”). Keep in mind he gets 5k views regularly and has several videos with a couple million. Now I could try to compromise somewhere between his and my price, but I feel like anything less than $100 is a bit cheap. I mean I would be paid for multiple videos(1 every other day), but $10?! That’s like $30 a week! Am I wrong? And would It be worth it to try and negotiate for around $50 a video? (He might not even be willing to pay that though) Or would that be selling myself short? I’m a bit of a new voice actor, so I don’t know a ton about pricing this kind of stuff yet. Any help/advice appreciated.
[TOMT] [Movie Actor] Who does this actor, named Mike Bash, look like? by ShubShubShubShub • last post May 18th
I was watching Doubting Thomas and this actor named Mike Bash showed up in a scene where he has one line. I thought I recognized him from something iconic in the 90s , but his imdb doesn't show anything that old and he is way too young to have played an adult in the 90s. Here is a link to his actor website that shows a picture of him: https://mikebash.weebly.com/ The original actor I am thinking of played a character that was scruffy haired with crooked glasses and king of nerdy. I can picture him explaining something to the main character as if he we an authority on the topic (possibly drugs) within the group. I can see him speaking in a kind "hey man, yeah man" stoner kind of way. My first thoughts were Dazed and Confused or Encino Man, but it's neither of those.
Acting in Vancouver, BC by Imslightlyconcerned_ • last post May 18th
Hey, so I’m a new actor who is moving to Vancouver soon. I have experience in child acting classes, high school theatre, etc. But I’ve never done any professional work. Does anyone have any advice as to how to make the leap to professional acting in Vancouver and also where to find work, and audition materials (monologues, etc.). Also I’m thinking of getting headshots done with Buck A Shot. Any reviews on them? Anything and everything would be helpful.
I got an offer! by PrincessCake94 • last post May 18th
(17F) Hi, I'm an aspiring actress. This is my first time taking acting classes so I don't have a headshot, etc. I recently got an official offer to be a part of an agency. What should I do? I wanna work on my craft more before I do other things. Can I have some advice. Thank you, my fellow actors <3
A project I voiced in has led to me having a small following of preteen kids and I'm not sure how I should handle it. by DreamCatcherGS • last post May 18th
Hi! This is kinda a strange problem to have, and I was really wanting to get opinions from other people, not too sure where to go, and figured if anywhere might have people with similar experience, it would be here. I'm a voice actress who has worked on a pretty wide variety of different kinds of project types, and none before these have really garnered any sort of following. I've been voice acting in short films for a Youtuber/animator whose work primarily appeals to preteens and younger teens. These films often end up on YouTube and Amazon Prime, and as far as the specific community of content creators he's in, I've learned he's one of the most popular. I've been doing these movies for a while now and I'm used to when a new movie comes out, usually getting a few kids interacting with me more on Twitter for a while. Recently however a few of the kids have found some of my contact information I have publicly available for clients, including my Discord. They'll reach out and message me every now and then and usually when one messages me, the rest will follow, as I assume they talk to each other about it. At first I didn't think too much about just chatting with them a little bit from time to time when they reach out, since sometimes it can really make their day, and I didn't think about it too differently than from interacting with them on other social media. However, I've been seeing more and more coming out about content creators having inappropriate interactions with their underage fans in different private messages, and it's had me thinking a lot more about how I interact with these kids. Of course I know that I would never behave in an overly personal or inappropriate way with these kids, but I worry if me responding to them shows them that they can reach out to other content creators and celebrities and sometimes get a response, and if those people might take advantage of them. I feel bad ignoring them, but I also do not want to encourage behavior that might lead to them being taken advantage of. At the same time, I can never have any idea how old any of my fans are and if their parents know they are messaging me and are okay with it. I feel a little silly for not even thinking about that before now, but realizing it's something I do need to think about. I'm honestly leaning on cutting off any interactions that are in a more private setting like them messaging me on Discord, but I'm not sure about the other interactions on Twitter. I like interacting with them, I know they get super excited when I respond to them, but I want to make sure I'm as responsible as I can be with my interactions with them. It's something I never really anticipated having to deal with. I'm nowhere near being famous or anything like that, and it's one of those things that there's just not that many people I know who I can ask for advice. Any opinions, thoughts, personal experience, or ideas are very appreciated!
How do I get better at voice acting girls? by Chill4234 • last post May 18th
I’ve been meaning to ask this for a long time as I have a small indie project with two other friends, two of us are phenomenal at voice acting and the other one is me. It mainly became a side issue though as I was more focussed on writing and animation, and even then the voices are passable. What really put this into a major issue though is the video game OMORI. I played through it once and I adored everything about it, but after contacting a friend about it, he said he never heard about it which was strange as I thought it would be right up his alley. He liked undertale and doki doki, and it’s a humorous rpg that certainly takes...turns. So I decided to use discord’s streaming feature to show him the game, for clarity he is one of the two fantastic voice actors mentioned above, but he doesn’t like reading, so on the first session I had him voice Aubrey, Basil, and a not very plot important NPC called happy. Two plot important roles, one gets princess peached and is missing for half the game, but that still leaves me with Mari, and if you’ve played omori then I hope you can see why my inability to voice girls makes me feel like I’m not doing the character justice, plus, when the “I don’t feel like reading” gets really bad, I have to do Aubrey too! I’m fine with doing all this, please don’t misunderstand, but if he feels flakey in faraway town (the place where Aubrey has d i a l o u g u e) there’s no way I could manage that. All I really can do is make my voice softer for Aubrey and slightly softer slightly deeper for Mari and these are characters with m o m e n t s. Please, I beg of you internet, if we get to sweetheart’s castle I will die of not-giving-my-favourite-character-a-good-voice-syndrome.
Mid-Atlantic actor with NY agency question by drewlar • last post May 18th
**Context**: I'm nonunion and I've been acting about 4 years, but can commit more to acting now that I've graduated college. All of my roles have been for film, with the exception of one pilot. I have 5 lead roles (one in a feature, one in a pilot), and 7 supporting roles. I just submitted today to a few local agencies in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I'm expecting to hopefully get into at least one of them. I'm based out of western Maryland, about a 4 hour drive from NYC. Closest airport is an hour away: flights to NYC would only save me about 30 mins. **Question**: I'm curious what your opinions would be on submitting to NYC agencies. Am I too far away? Lacking credits? I feel like if I make a deal with a NY agent to not submit me for things unless it's SAG work or above a certain rate, it might be okay to do the 4 hour drive for a callback or audition now and again? I keep going back and forth. Any feedback is appreciated, thanks in advance.
Care to share any podcasts or episodes that inspire you? by HMS_StruggleBus • last post May 18th
I would love to hear any podcasts about the art form, why people chose acting, what makes actors tick, etc, etc. Bonus points for people who gave up solid careers and stability to pursue what they love. Would also be open to similar stories about other art forms if you've got something particularly juicy in mind. Thanks all.
Is this possible to become a better voice actor without any formal training? by MrPeanutbutter__ • last post May 18th
I ask this since I can’t afford to kick money around at the moment, fortunately I do have a DAW setup at home. Thanks!
Mimicry as the goal instead of original characters? by S_Gertie • last post May 18th
Meaning this in a non-offensive way and asking out of genuine curiosity: Why do so many aspiring voice actors seem to think that mimicry of existing characters is the main goal? Or, like why do they aim to do that instead of trying their own thing? I am talking about the ones that are trying to do an exact duplicate of the original voice, not just use it for inspiration. Some examples I am thinking of are when they post here about something like "I can mimic the voice of the character of Mickey Mouse, does that mean I can be a voice actor?" Or "I want to be a voice actor but I can't mimic the voice of Skeletor, does that mean my career is doomed?" Like, I get wanting to practice and play with things. But, it often comes across like that is the end goal of the person asking rather than just a practice thing. I am an on-camera actor too and don't see quite the same thing in those circles with on-camera actors asking how they can do a scene exactly the same way their favorite actor did. At least not at the same volume level as I hear voice actors asking about how to mimic doing a character exactly the same way the original voice actor did. Are the people asking this really more interested in just doing fandubs rather than professional voice acting? Or are there articles or coaches out there saying that is a thing they need to be able to do? That's where I see a lot of strange on-camera acting beliefs come from. Or something else?