We have found 19,995 posts across 4 actor forums:
How I Made $5,000.00 My First 3 Months as a Voice Actor by Ello_eff • last post Jan 19th
I posted this about a month ago and a bunch of you seemed to get some value from it. I get a lot of questions on here about what I have done to be successful after people see my voices profile ( [www.voices.com/actors/elloeff](https://www.voices.com/actors/elloeff) ) I wrote an article for Medium that goes over the things that I find most important to being successful! Hopefully it helps you on your journey :) [https://www.codystewartvo.com/blog/how-i-made-5000](https://www.codystewartvo.com/blog/how-i-made-5000)
How do you walk away from this? Chasing acting has been a nightmare for me and I just want to remove the desire from my body so I can have a quality life by legion8975 • last post Jan 19th
This industry is toxic, it’s unfair, it’s not based on merit, I’ve just had a really horrible time chasing this with my life and I just want the desire to go away. I’ve gotten just enough in return to keep chasing the carrot dangled in front of my face, and it’s at the cost of my sanity and stomach. I hate everything about this industry and being an actor. I’ve seen bad people succeed, good people struggle, I’ve taken so many risks that have not really paid off but gave me just enough breadcrumbs to keep chasing, because maybe I’m just so close to finally getting to a better place with it... but nope. I just want to be done once and for all and it’s like my brain is just fixated on it. I don’t know how to break away from this in a healthy manner but I have to, I can’t live like this anymore. Nothing is worth feeling this way. I don’t know. Sounds so simple like you can just snap your finger and walk away, I just feel resentful that these desires were put inside me in the first place, fucking torturous bullshit. How do you truly remove this tumor and move on with your life? I want to have control over my life, I want to be respected and valued, have my hard work and passion actually equate to something and not just constantly feel like I’m being fucked with ripped apart exploited abd unappreciated. I hate this. I would never ever advise anybody to be an actor after my experience, never ever. I just wish I had my life back.
Looking for a voice actress for a role of a teenager by BKInteractive • last post Jan 19th
Hey there! I'm working on a short film and I'm looking for a voice actress! The character says only 5 lines and I could pay you 5$ via PayPal! DM me if interested :)
Is social media a requirement by EagleEU • last post Jan 19th
Do i need to have social media? Like instagram twitter etc..? I despise social media. Im a good looking guy dont get me wrong, and camera loves me but i hate the whole concept about it. I know before actors didnt need social media, for example Robert Pattinson never had any social media. So is it a necessity today?
My Advice to Beginner Actors (2 years in) by throwawayacct145223 • last post Jan 19th
Hey beginners of r/acting, I was you 2 years ago. Here's a chaotic and incomplete itinerary of what l learned in my first couple years acting. If you’re starting out, I hope this helps. If you’ve been at it a while, I hope this still helps. If you’re Robert De Niro, you probably know this and some, also I loved you in Dirty Grandpa fuck what the critics say. This is a throwaway. But for context, I signed this fall with a solid agent in a major N.A market. No union credits yet, but now getting opportunities to audition for major shows. Deffs not an expert, I could get dropped tomorrow, so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but I wanted to share what has worked for me in the hopes of helping someone else. So here goes: First off: Acting is 2% acting and 98% percent getting the fuck out of your own way. ACTING = PLAYING PRETEND I play pretend all the time. As a kid I pretended to be superheroes and soldiers. Whatever I felt like being. Acting is just like that except you’ve gone through puberty and more trauma. And if you think you don’t have it in you to play pretend anymore? Think about your last masterfully executed lie. I spent an entire dinner convincing my girlfriend's aunt that I loved her coconut squares because she baked them to welcome me. She bought it. Shit, I convinced myself that I liked coconut squares. She felt very good about her cooking and I felt like a good dude. Obviously, though I fucking hate coconut squares, they taste like dirt. But unless you’re the most biblically honest person on the planet, you put on a facade for people sometimes. If you can convince someone you like a coconut square, you can convince a sleepy casting assistant that you spotted a criminal. So why is acting so hard? Because we want it to be. Who's ‘we’? ‘We’ are the critics. We are the collection of repressed motherfuckers that want to stop everyone from being happy. Critical parents, people who gave up their dreams to pursue ‘safe jobs’. We are the people who sneer at LARPers as they gallivant around the park. And unless you grew up in a rent-controlled loft with avant-garde artistic parents, chances are you grew up surrounded by judgemental fucks, and, worse yet, have some of this voice inside you. ‘We’ are also acting coaches and academics who want to justify why you should pay them money, or why they have a Ph.D. Nobody needs a Ph.D in acting, thats like having a Ph.D in riding a bike. All they are going to do is sell you on their own intellectual superiority and debilitate you into paying them more money. (THIS OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT APPLY TO ALL COACHES AND UNIVERSITY FACULTY, BUT IF YOU'RE AN INSTRUCTOR AND YOU AREN’T AWARE THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM, THEN YOU ARE THE PROBLEM). So what does the critical voice sound like: * Acting is a stupid career choice/why am I an actor * You suck * You look like shit on camera * I wonder what everyone in the class is thinking right now * I hope the instructor likes this * That was a dumb impulse * Fuck i want to stop waiting tables/walking dogs/etc * I'm only going to be good with X more years with Y coach Your critic freezes you, it wants you to fuck up. What it wants more than anything is for you to get into your own head and out of the moment. But luckily, it doesn’t have to win. Easy ways to beat the critic are: * Use grounding practices like rubbing your pocket lining, or pressing down into your toes * Make eye contact with your scene partner * Don’t pre plan your performance. Know your sides, know generally what your actions are, then improvise and adapt to feedback. That leaves you open to the moment rather than replicating a movie in your mind. Your scene partner is the only thing you need to pay attention to, they have the answers. * Get to a place where you believe you are enough * Therapy, group sessions, self help books, whatever. This is an industry that has long been fueled by people’s insecurities. But honestly one of the greatest superpowers is loving yourself for who you are, no matter what size, shape, colour, what your voice sounds like, or where you’re from. If you own yourself, that will resonate. If you feel that there is even one part of you you should be ashamed of (which i promise you there isn’t, that will translate). * no coach, casting director or lover can give you worth or take your worth. that comes from you. * dont compare yourself to other actors. they were the first them. youre the first you. * Mediate * Cant stress this enough, doesn’t matter what type of meditation. It allows you to focus on the scene, quiet your critic, and block out intrusive thoughts. If you only do one thing to practice other than learning your lines, practice meditating. It is a superpower. * Don’t stress the outcome * Thinking about what you want out of the performance will guarantee a bad performance. So don’t think about impressing the teacher, or agent, or casting director. Just focus on doing your best in the moment. If you do your best, great. If you fail, let it go, and know that your best is coming very very soon. This is a game of averages. If you let yourself hinge success or failure on any particular performance, you are putting waaaaaaaaay too much pressure on yourself. * Rejection is great. I was rejected by a shitload of agents before landing one of the better agents in my city. Success is a diamond mined from a pit of failures. Failure means you're one step closer. Would it really be worth anything if you got what you wanted right away? If mt. doom were a 5-minute uber ride from the shire? Fuck no. Embrace that grind man. * Find good friends * Your mindset is the product of the people you spend your time with. If the people around you make you feel bad about yourself, tell them. If they wont change, find new friends. Same goes for family. You deserve respect and encouragement and to pursue your dream and become even more yourself every day. I can't stress this enough. Find people who believe in you, and who you believe in. then, anything is possible. * Not all actor friends are created equal. Jealousy is normal sometimes, buried feelings of resentment are not. “Faster alone, further together”. The same goes for you. If you can’t celebrate someone elses success, get ready for a pretty sad party when you book your first big gig. * Notice your own judgemental behaviours * What we think about others we think about ourselves. Mentally shitting on your classmates performance? Youre increasing your own insecurity. Mentally shitting on the lady in a purple jumpsuit at the mall? Jacking up your own insecurity. Is a feedback loop/cycle. Accept others, accept yourself. * I had to learn to check my own ego a lot. Thinking of classmates as either better or worse than me. Fuck it, everyone is trying their best and learns at different rates. There is a place out there for everyone. Accepting that makes you less fragile. You don't go into existential despair every time you fuck up a line. * Your ego will tell you that everything is about you. Its not. Its about the work. Its about the script, what the writers want, whatever, you're a small piece of a bigger operation. And that's great thing. * at the same time, don't beat yourself up for having shallow aspirations sometimes. Yeah, we love the craft, but it would be dope to be on conan. one doesn't negate the other. not saying that your primary goal should be to chase celebrity, cause there's better ways, but more that its not shameful to fantasize about it sometimes. * perhaps most important: fuck the critics. they're just jealous you're out here living your life. let them sit on the sidelines and talk shit. Another reason we make acting hard is because we make the mistake of thinking that acting is about thinking, when really acting is about listening and reacting. You can’t think your way into being a good actor. If your a person with a tendency to intellectualize things, this is especially true for you. This isn’t Kant or Nietzche. You can’t philosophize the optimal reaction to finding out your wife cheated on you, you can just react how you would react. You brain doesn’t have the answers (and, arguably, it never did). Your instincts have the answers. But what about theory and technique? Fuck technique and theory. At least in a strict sense. Take what tips work for you and move on. Acting is riding a bike. You don’t need to debate the physics of how exactly it works, just **feel** what works. If your acting class is 5 minutes of acting, and 45 minutes of talking, get out of that class. It would be like a biking class where you fall of the bike once and they explain to you the theory of balance when you just need to get back on the fucking bike. If a coach is selling a strict technique that they claim is better/different than all other techniques, they are a fraud, and probably have operated off of luck and cult of personality. Love yourself, trust yourself, trust your instincts, trust your ability to take feedback, listen to your gut when you think feedback is wrong, and protect your self love and vision with all your might. Most importantly, don’t let anyone deprive you of your common sense. Because in terms of the 98% ‘getting in our own way’ thing, our common sense is our first line of defense. You have everything you need already, go get it. But what about that 2% acting? Am I about to sell you my technique? No. Acting is doing. Learn to identify what your objective is (the thing you **want**), then don’t overthink it. Learn to identify actions (sometimes called tactics). The things you **do** to get what you **want** (persuade, interrogate, charm). Then literally do those things to the person in front of you. Seriously do it. It wont be the same every time, and will depend on the person you are doing it to, thats cool. Acting is just doing, really doing. Once thats happening, it will start a ping pong of genuine actions and reactions that will be an absolute treat to watch. In terms of training, ive done a variety, on-camera, Meisner etc.. A screenwriting class helped me understand the writers POV as well. Most of my growth has been through improv. Improv is not as intimidating as it sounds, and it a really silly way to get good at playing the who/what/where, quickly visualizing given circumstances without getting stupidly academic about it. I advanced more in 5 months of doing lots of improv than a year of ‘serious’ acting classes. Thats just my experience, but maybe it’ll help you too. If I haven’t mentioned it yet. Acting is a fundamentally silly affair. We're playing pretend. **Playing.** This doesn’t mean to goof around when playing serious topics, but more that the craft itself is rooted in freedom and play and exploration and childishness. Don’t let anybody take that away from you. Other than that, learn your lines well so you don’t have to picture the page when you recite them. Try singing them, or repeating them monotone as your exercise. Idk. Just try to have them down so that you are free to be loose in the moment. If you do forget a line, don’t sweat it, just ask line and keep crushing it. Most importantly, I have no fucking idea. I just have whats worked for me. Everyone has their own way of learning, all I know for sure is that getting out of your own way is the first barrier that everyone i know faces. Learning to act is really about letting go of the things that are preventing you from acting. \-- Anyways. Just go do, we all have everything we need. Great notes lie ahead of us, but that doesn’t mean we're not great already. You are one email away from that agent, job, whatever. Reddit doesn’t have the answers. You do Go film a self-tape, watch people in public, film a tik tok, sign up for class if you like the teachers vibe, quit a class thats holding you back, nap, journal, go to therapy, dance, sing, take a shower, do silly voices, meditate, sit in the sun. Play. rejoice in the fact that you are using your time on this earth to follow your heart. you fucking rock and i love you. Im gonna take my own advice and go to the beach instead of spellchecking this feel free to hit me with any questions or if anyone would like me to re-do this with more clarity Peace
Seeking Actresses to Consult on my Novel by wpmason • last post Jan 19th
I hope this is acceptable here. I’m writing a book about an actress, and I just think it’d be really helpful to hear from some of you to really wrap my head around some of the issues the character is going to encounter. Long story short, she is a struggling actress on the verge of “aging out” of consideration as a starlet. She even contemplates giving up on the industry all together. When a seemingly last chance at a leading role in a feature film is presented to her, she has to navigate the decision making process surrounding performing nude scenes and all the baggage that goes along with that. So, yes, this consultation will be heavily focused on sex, nudity, gender politics, and similar uncomfortable topics of discussion. That’s why I’m asking for volunteers. If you’re not comforting getting into all that, then I wish you well all the same. But if you are willing to discuss it, then I’d really like to have a back and forth conversation (preferably in chat or DMs where there won’t be any outside shaming or interjections), so just reach out however you feel most comfortable. Thanks.
Why did you want to become an actor? by StrobeRogers • last post Jan 19th
I was in a callback zoom and they asked us this. The other actor had this beautiful speech about talking about mental health. I said it was just something that called to me.
Mods should make a pinned post that is a message board for every agency/offer to afford. This would really help out a lot of new actors, including myself. by UltraConstructor • last post Jan 19th
YouTube channel influence on success by actordownunder • last post Jan 19th
Hey guys! Do you think that having a large YouTube channel (500k subscribers +) would negatively effect your chances of making it big in Hollywood? The reason I think it might is because you might start to get type cast because of your internet persona. Also another reason is because i can not think of one actor that had success both on YouTube and in film and television, and there surely has to be a reason for that right?
What's the Place to Read Pilot Scripts by nancysong74 • last post Jan 19th
Hey Guys! I heard on an episode of Audrey Helps Actors podcast that there is a place where pilot scripts might be available to view...something along the lines of ShowFx? Anyway, I was wondering if there's anything remotely similar to that website at all. Thanks for the help!
Is My Agent Pitching Me? by nancysong74 • last post Jan 19th
Recently, I asked for a talent submission report. I noticed that she submitted me for a lot of small actor roles, but I wasn't called in for those parts. I notice that the only roles I get called in far are the ones where I fit the ethnicity or if I have a special skill that's needed. The parts where it's open ethnicity actor roles in TV within my age range I don't even have a chance at. I have a reel on my Actor's Access account, slateshots for my headshots, and constantly training. In other words, I'm doing everything I can to be competitive. My agent has said that although I have my package prepared, it might still be difficult to get me auditions because I have no professional credits. We have a very good relationship, and she is excited for me and my work. From what I hear, she would write a small blurb for me when she submits -- but I have a feeling that is as far as she would go to pitch me. I want to ask her *if every time she's not hearing back from something she has submitted me to, is she emailing or calling the CD to push for me.* So my question is: **How do I phrase that politely without sounding rude or blaming her? How can I bring it up in a conversation or in email?** Thanks for all the answers in advance!
Will a low budget ($1-2.5m) movie hire international actors? by throwawayacccccccoun • last post Jan 18th
Let’s say it’s an LA prod, and they have that small budget. Will they hire actors from diff countries? And will they process a visa for you, or they’re already assuming you have one already, considering that you’re submitting to them from whatever country you’re from.
Why Does Voices Dot Com Require Payment? by thedarksamurai96 • last post Jan 18th
I admit that I'm still pretty new on [voices.com](https://voices.com), but I just don't understand why they require you to pay, (and on top of that, pay so ***much****)* just to have access to the jobs posted on there. It doesn't make sense! And that's just for the premium membership--- don't even get me started on the Platinum membership lol. It's not like voice actors get paid a whole lot, to begin with so why do they expect you to just have wads of cash to work out every month just for access to jobs you'll probably get rejected from anyway? It kind of reminds me of LinkedIn except with Linkedin they actually allow you to search for jobs and apply with a free account. Voices makes you rely on people finding your profile (it seems), and relying on them to want to reach out to you, but the odds of that happening are obviously very slim. Again, maybe there's something I'm missing here but this doesn't really make sense to me.
Should you put your weight on Actors Access? Why or why not? by burteyf • last post Jan 18th
Unable to be a star on stage. by cupcakeforlife • last post Jan 18th
I am supposed to play a character who is a digital media star and has a lot of tantrums and throws attitude on almost everyone. And there's a dance sequence too after a few dialogues. I either perform the dialogue part well or the dance part. I'm unable to do both. I just get out of character once I finish my dance. Also, I've been dancing all my life but this time I'm really getting conscious and nervous while performing and I cannot understand why. Fellow actors please help!!
Advice on my studio set up by AdOwn866 • last post Jan 18th
Hi everyone. I'm writing this to ask for any guidance or tips you guys might have on my home studio. My wife and I are both actors who would usually, if we got a job, record in a proper studio: but right now that's obviously not happening! Most producers are asking for recording from home, and so I've done my best to set up a studio in one of the only spaces we have in our apartment. Current set up is shown in the photos. It's a closet, lined with some cardboard and then acoustic foam (since we're renting so can't really affix directly to the walls!), with heavy moving blankets hung around and overhead, and carpet offcuts on the floor. It's very make shift: but does the job, especially for "normal volume" voice overs (audiobooks, commercials etc). Also tends to be fine even for louder shouted stuff (video games etc) when my wife is recording, but I'm getting lots of reverb (I think that's the right term) when recording louder/shouted VOs (the classic video game battle stuff). ​ [Current studio set up](https://preview.redd.it/tcdelq4y10c61.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4011d6d2f5d02e14641576f57893d2dd840e3667) Now I know that this is almost certainly because I'm in a 2 foot wide closet with no proper sound treatment besides cheap foam and blankets! But right now I can't afford or have the space for a proper voice booth set up, so I'm wondering if anyone has any tips to improve the current set up as it stands... I'm looking at adding in either: 1. A microphone isolation shield (e.g. the Moukey Tabletop Compact Microphone Isolation Shield) (cost around $50) 2. A homemade version of the Kaotica Eyeball (cost around $40) Or maybe I need to bite the bullet and spend more -- I'm happy to if it's going to work -- up to around $300 if you can recommend something that will improve the current situation (new mic, more insulation?) Or maybe I just need to change the "layout" and not be facing into the cupboard but facing out of it, so that there aren't three walls surrounding the mic? ​ [Layout of the booth](https://preview.redd.it/6azivge410c61.png?width=2112&format=png&auto=webp&s=d3a0d80382ad703288e3075b4d6e5d859460d4a9) Any tips -- however brutal or disappointing -- very much appreciated. I honestly cannot wait to get back into studios run by people who know what they're doing!! Thank you so much! ​ [New angle showing blankets](https://preview.redd.it/o7vbvnwz10c61.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c2fe9980476508d10a0d1a1b342c0ec3aae1615)
Call for auditions! Open casting call to all actors! by RandomUsernameeeee • last post Jan 18th
Hello everyone! I posted on this subreddit a few months ago (I don't remember exactly when, as the post has since been removed) with a title similar to "Let's make a movie!". In short, the post called all actors and filmmakers to join together and collaboratively make a film from the comforts of our own home, without ever having to meet face to face. The original idea revolved around the project being filmed entirely via Zoom (as this was the beginning of the pandemic and Zoom had blown up overnight), but it didn't end up being very practical. Anyway, long story short: we created a Discord server (with 72 members so far), **and we were extremely lucky to have found the most talented team of writers for our script. This whole project is their creation and all credit goes to them. After only a few months, the writing team came up with an amazing script without ever meeting in person or knowing each other beforehand.** The writers have told me they are ready for auditions, so here is the call sheet for this short film! Everyone is welcome to audition. Please read everything and let me know if you have any questions: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/193\_D2UhM3GGosMPUdHmKbXaO2XuJm3FEHJRaMPo-\_94/edit](https://docs.google.com/document/d/193_D2UhM3GGosMPUdHmKbXaO2XuJm3FEHJRaMPo-_94/edit) I am also leaving a link to our Discord server for anyone who wants to join: [https://discord.gg/TDYrGuda](https://discord.gg/TDYrGuda)
How much of Daniel Day Lewis’s approach is exaggerated? by MedicalKitchen • last post Jan 18th
When people say he stays in character that must just mean he stays in costume and the accent no? From an actors perspective I can understand that. But there’s no way he acts like an asshole to everyone. From a non actor’s perspective it would seem very mythical and difficult which I suppose he uses to his advantage.