Daily Archives: April 11, 2012

7 Acting Tips

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By Pluginin.org

Ready to Become an Actor or Become an Actress?

 

Here are some great tips to get you started. You know you need an agent to be a professional actor, but how do you go about getting one? Contacting an agent for representation is actually very simple, and should be you first step to being an actor. All you need are a few photographs, a resume, an envelope, some stamps, and a list of prospective agents.

Acting Tips:

Tip 1

The first thing you need to do is get a few good photographs of yourself. You do not necessarily need an expensive portfolio of photographs to send to your prospective agency. Send a good, clear, simple photograph that looks exactly like you. Keep the background, wardrobe, hairstyle, and make-up simple. Do not wear jewelry or hats in your photograph. Simple and plain is best. Make sure your personality shines through in the picture.

Tip 2

Once you have a good photograph, you need to prepare a resume. When drafting a resume to send to an agent, simple also works best. Do not send a page full of hard to read paragraphs of text. Your resume should include your contact information, personal statistics (height, weight, hair color, eye color, age range, clothing size, shoe size), special skills (singing, impressions, accents, etc.), and a bullet breakdown on past acting experience including production name, production company, and part played.

Tip 3

When you have your photographs and resume, it is time to look for an agency. No matter where you live, contact a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) franchised agent first. Go to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) website at http://www.sag.org. Under the “Agent Relations” page click on the “Find a SAG Franchised Agent” link. This will give you a list of the union franchised agents in your area.

Tip 4

The best way to contact a talent agent is via regular mail. Most agencies do not respond to e-mails for aspiring actors. Never send an agency an e-mail with attachments. Call your prospective talent agency. Tell the person who answers the phone you are seeking agent representation and would like to know to whose attention you should send your picture and resume. Typically, they will direct you to send your package to a specific person or just to the new talent/actor division.

Tip 5

Prepare a letter stating that you are and actor seeking agent representation and request an audition with the agency. Enclose your photographs, resume with contact information, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the letter. Mail the package, then sit and wait. You may hear something immediately. It may take two months to get a response if at all. Most agencies are good about getting back to people quickly, especially if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed.

 Tip 6

Do not call and pester an agency about your submission. They will never represent you if you become a regular caller. Just wait it out by working on your acting skills and preparing for an audition.

 Tip 7

If an agency is interested in representing you, they will call or send you a letter in the self-addressed, stamped envelope you provided asking you to come in for an audition. If an agency is not interested in representing you, do not give up. There are many reasons an agency may pass – they already have too many actors of your “type,” their client roster is full, they do not handle actors with your “look,” etc. Keep trying and continue to pursue acting work on your own. It may take a while or it may happen fast, either way, perseverance will eventually bring about success.

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10 Tips For Emerging Comedians

Posted on by • Posted in Comedian (PA), Performance Art, Pluginin to Support • Tagged , , , • Leave a comment

Top Tips For Emerging Comedians

Comedian: Quinn C Martin

Don’t Attack a Member of the Audience – That is, unless he asks for it. It can be fun to joke about audience members, but be careful which ones you mess with. A good rule is to go after the audience members who heckle or seem to “ask” for it. If they ask for it, they want it. Don’t Joke About Bombing Until You’ve Really Bombed – If one joke doesn’t go over as planned, you haven’t bombed. If three or four go bad, then bring in the bombing jokes. Your audience may think you’re doing great, but if you joke about bombing too early, you’ll let them know that something went wrong. Never admit defeat until you’re sure.

Take Jokes Well – Many comedians can tell great jokes, but they can’t take one. Keep your sense of humor. After all, the best source of funny material is often yourself. Realize That it’s Hard to Make People Laugh – It’s easier to scare someone than it is to make someone laugh. People laugh for different reasons. Some people like witty jokes, but hate physical comedy and others hate dirty jokes, but love funny stories. A successful stand-up comedian knows how to “read” what an audience will think is funny and can deliver the goods. Stay Within Your

Time Limits – Finish your set when you’re supposed to. It’s unprofessional go into the next stand-up comedian’s time. You wouldn’t appreciate it if another stand-up comedian took your time, so don’t do it to others.

Don’t Attack a Member of the Audience – That is, unless he asks for it. It can be fun to joke about audience members, but be careful which ones you mess with. A good rule is to go after the audience members who heckle or seem to “ask” for it. If they ask for it, they want it.

Don’t Joke About Bombing Until You’ve Really Bombed – If one joke doesn’t go over as planned, you haven’t bombed. If three or four go bad, then bring in the bombing jokes. Your audience may think you’re doing great, but if you joke about bombing too early, you’ll let them know that something went wrong. Never admit defeat until you’re sure.

Take Jokes Well – Many comedians can tell great jokes, but they can’t take one. Keep your sense of humor. After all, the best source of funny material is often yourself. Realize That it’s

Hard to Make People Laugh – It’s easier to scare someone than it is to make someone laugh. People laugh for different reasons. Some people like witty jokes, but hate physical comedy and others hate dirty jokes, but love funny stories. A successful stand-up comedian knows how to “read” what an audience will think is funny and can deliver the goods. Stay Within Your

Time Limits – Finish your set when you’re supposed to. It’s unprofessional go into the next stand-up comedian’s time. You wouldn’t appreciate it if another stand-up comedian took your time, so don’t do it to others.

Don’t Copy or “Steal” Jokes from Other Comedians – Never steal jokes or material from other stand-up comedians. If you can’t come up with original material on your own, you should probably rethink being a stand-up comedian. Stealing will only hurt your career.

Memorize Your Material, but Be Ready to Improvise – It’s always best to memorize your set so you can focus on your delivery without having to worry about remembering. However, make sure you sound natural when performing your memorized material and always be ready to improvise. You never know where the audience may lead you.

Don’t Criticize Other Comedians – Criticizing, judging, or making fun of other stand-up comedians in a negative way will damage your career. The world of stand-up comedy is a small one. If you’re good, you don’t need to put the competition down.

Video Tape Your Performances – Want an easy way to improve your performances? Have someone video tape them for you and then watch them back. Many times, you’ll find lots of surprises when watching a video of your set. You’ll find things that horrify you and things that you’ll definitely want to repeat again in the future.

Always Be Professional – If you want to make it as a stand-up comedian, you’ve got to take it seriously and treat it as your business. Your job is “stand-up comedian,” so be professional with everyone from your audience to club owners and other comedians. Professionals always win the game.

 

 

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