| Acting home >
Acting Schools Info Center
> Acting Work
Acting Work
 Getting
acting work takes preparation and strategy. At this point you probably
have your resume and headshot all lined up. If you don’t,
first things first, get your resume written, and go to a professional
photographer for your headshot. Don’t write a resume that
goes on for pages. The average resume gets about a 30 to 40 second
glance.
The idea is to whet the casting director’s appetite. Make
sure you revise your resume often and take the time to tailor it
so that it is relevant to the director you’re sending it to.
This means you will have done research about the director. You will
know his or her current and past projects. When you go to have your
head shot taken, do not go to a chain photography studio. Get a
professional. Your resume and head shot will stand in your place
and represent you. This is an investment worthy of a few extra bucks.
As you prepare to look for acting work, you’ll need a strategy.
Prepare a big stack of envelopes containing your resume and submission
information, but do not mail them indiscriminately. Do your homework
first.
Identify and compile a list of casting offices and directors who
are in your field. If you are not into Shakespearean acting, don’t
waste your time and money mailing your information in to a Shakespearean
director. If you are a musical actor, find out who casts musicals.
If you’re looking for work in commercials, find out who casts
commercials. Find out which casting directors hire from self-submissions
and who do not.
Explore and investigate audition web sites. There are plenty that
are worth subscribing to. These days, more and more casting directors
want resume and submissions to be sent via email, so take the time
to get your photo scanned and available on your computer or disk.
Learn how to send a link that attaches your submission application
via email.
Find open casting calls. If you have actively participated in casting
calls and feel that it was a waste of time, you are not alone. Most
of the time, productions who hold casting calls have already cast
most of the spots, and competition is huge.
But even if you do not get cast, there are big advantages to the
open casting call. Your name and face will become familiar to casting
directors. Eventually this will pay off in your effort to get acting
work. Successful marketers will tell you that it takes repetition
for a product or name to be recognized. Get yourself out there as
often as possible. It may be the key to obtaining acting work. by
Selia Franco Pender
|
