ALT-4 Steps to Success in Acting
Who hasn't dreamed of being successful as an actor? The entertainment industry is alluring, but many of the celebrities who are so well-known today had to go through hard times before they were recognized and given big roles. It won't be much different for you, and getting your career off the ground won't be possible without a plan. Here are some steps to take if your goal is to be a successful actor.
Take Acting Classes
The importance of training can't be understated. This is the gap that should be filled between wanting to act and getting an agent. You may have talent, but that won't mean a thing unless you can grasp the techniques of acting and learn how to audition. A reputable school is also the only place where you will begin to develop your own style of performing, a quality that will set you apart from everyone else. You'll need that in this business. Otherwise, you're guaranteed to remain obscure.
Get Quality Headshots and Have an Updated Resume
Your headshot says it all when you're just getting started in show business. Casting directors have to see what you like before they ask you to come for an audition. Agencies will accept either black and white or colored photos, and the image should look exactly like you. The cost of getting a photographer to take the pictures can be steep, so you may want to try this at home with a friend who has a digital camera and tripod. Make sure the background is bare and white. As for a resume, don't forget to attach it to the back of the headshot because your agent is the one who sends it to the casting director. Look it over once, twice and three times until you're positive there aren't any mistakes.
Treat Acting Like a Business
This isn't a game. This is your career, and you should take it seriously. For every actor who is amazingly successful, there must be at least five or ten others who aren't. One thing that separates the successful actors from the ones who continue to struggle is self-promotion. Acting is a business, and in this case the product is you. Self-promotion has to be done carefully and with the knowledge of how to make agents and casting directors notice you. If you can fulfill a need at the right time, you'll build great relationships and this will get you more work. Acting is all about being out there and projecting a favorable image without being pushy, arrogant or dishonest. It may not be easy at first, but if you give up nobody will know who you are. When you're just another face among hundreds of others, expect to be a starving artist for a good long while.
What Does It Really Take?
It takes determination. When everybody else thinks you don't have even the slightest chance, and when so many doors are being slammed in your face, you just have to keep working at it. No dream can be achieved without hard work.
