Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Figuring Out the Business of Acting 5
Chapter 1: Staying on Top of the Changes in Show Business 7
Understanding the World of Acting 8
What You Need to Succeed 8
An attention-grabbing head shot 9
A five-star acting resume 9
Polished talent 10
Taking Your First Steps in Show Business 11
Marketing yourself 11
Finding your first ally: An agent 11
Showcasing your talent: Auditioning 12
Discovering the Many Ways to Make Money as an Actor 12
Managing Money (A Little or a Lot) 13
Knowing What to Expect from an Acting Career 14
Chapter 2: Discovering How Show Business Has Changed and Adapted 15
Understanding the Business of Show Business 15
Taking It “from the Top” — It All Begins with an Idea 16
Selling an Idea 17
Producing a Script 18
Going into Production 20
Action: It’s Showtime! 21
Cleaning Up in Post-Production 22
Distributing the Product 23
Chapter 3: From Agents, Managers, and Unions: Introducing the Movers and Shakers 27
Producers: The Champions of Every Project 28
Directors: The Bosses on the Set 29
Writers: The Idea Makers 29
The Studios: The Ones That Make Everything Possible 30
Financing a project 31
Marketing and distributing a project 32
Casting Directors: The Gatekeepers 33
Agents: Your Door to Show Business 34
Personal and Business Managers: The Guiding Forces Behind the Scenes 34
Actors: The Talent in Front of the Spotlight 35
Unions: An Actor’s Best Friend 36
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) 37
Actors’ Equity Association 38
Part 2: Packaging and Marketing Yourself 41
Chapter 4: Making a Great First Impression with a Head Shot and Samples of Your Work 43
Introducing the Head Shot: An Actor’s Calling Card 44
Examining Variations on the Standard 46
The commercial head shot 47
The theatrical shot 47
Creating the Perfect Head Shot 48
Hiring a professional photographer 48
Picking the right look 50
Making the most of your photo session 50
Getting Your Head Shot Ready 51
Publicizing Your Head Shot with a Twist 52
Avoiding Problems with Head Shots 52
Is that really you? 52
Technical problems: You look great but your head shot still stinks 52
Using Film to Represent Your Work 53
Chapter 5: Creating a Five-Star Acting Resume 55
Tackling the Basics of Creating a Resume 56
Creating an Online Resume 56
Identifying the Info to Include 57
Your name, union membership, and contact information 57
Your physical characteristics 58
Your acting experience and education 59
Your knowledge of special skills 60
Avoiding Resume No-Nos 61
Examining Sample Resumes 62
The beginner’s resume 63
The intermediate actor’s resume 63
The veteran’s resume 66
Chapter 6: Training to Improve Your Acting Skills 69
Mastering the Art of Auditioning: Taking Classes 69
Benefiting from an auditioning class 70
Advancing your auditioning skills 70
Improving Your Performing Skills 73
Stand-up comedy workshops 75
Improvisation classes 75
Speech and accent coaching 76
Singing and dancing lessons 76
Developing Physical Fitness Skills 77
Improving Your Unique Skills 78
Part 3: Taking Your First Steps into Show Business 79
Chapter 7: Representing Yourself, Networking, and Promoting Yourself on Websites 81
Looking for Your Own Work 82
Relying on the actors’ unions 82
Staying in touch 82
Reading trade publications 83
Using casting websites and social media 83
Contact casting directors on your own 84
Advertising Yourself 86
Showcasing Yourself 86
Chapter 8: Seeking Representation: An Agent, Manager, and/or an Entertainment Attorney 89
Differentiating between Agents, Managers, and Entertainment Attorneys 90
Getting the Ball Rolling to Find Representation 91
Discovering potential representation 91
Contacting potential representation 93
Calling for an appointment 94
Staying determined and be positive 96
Interviewing with Prospective Representation 97
Preparing for your interview 97
Arriving for your interview 98
Conducting yourself during your interview 99
Ending the interview 102
Signing On with an Agent 104
Working with Your Agent 106
Staying in touch 106
Following your agent’s advice 107
Sharing auditioning information with your agent 107
Releasing Your Agent 107
Letting your agent go: Why you’d want to 108
Leaving your agent: The how-to 110
Chapter 9: Auditioning: The Art of What You Need to Know 113
Looking at the Types of Auditions 114
Going to open casting calls (cattle calls) 114
Attending casting auditions 115
Auditioning from Home 116
Preparing for an Audition 118
Planning ahead of time 118
Deciding what to wear 119
Grooming 120
Arriving at the Audition or Callback 120
Impressing a Casting Director 121
Auditioning: What to Expect 122
Speaking your lines 123
Making your exit 124
Preparing for the Next Audition 124
Evaluating yourself 124
Getting on with your life 125
Hoping for the Best That Can Happen: The Callback 126
Dealing with Rejection 127
Saying Thank You 128
Chapter 10: Understanding Diversity Challenges in Show Business 129
Defining Who You Are in the World of Diversity 130
Finding Representation 131
Seeking Diversity in Casting 132
Acknowledging Diversity in the Academy and Emmy Awards 134
Chapter 11: Adapting to Difficult Personalities 137
Dealing with Professionals 138
Treating the casting director with respect 138
Showing respect to the director on set 139
Considering other professionals 140
Respecting Your Fellow Actor 140
Respecting Everyone on the Set 142
Part 4: Scoping Out the Markets 143
Chapter 12: Acting in Film and Television 145
Landing a Job 146
Filming from Different Locations Using Your Computer and Phone 146
Acting in Front of the Camera Versus Acting on the Stage 147
Fine-Tuning Your Performance on Film 148
Playing to the camera 149
Acting consistently with different takes 151
Successfully acting scenes out of order 152
Hitting your mark 153
Recognizing different shots 154
Dealing with close-ups 154
Performing on a Set 156
A typical day on the set 157
What to do when your scene’s done 161
Participating in Post-Production: Looping 161
Gaining Experience and Exposure by Working in Different Markets 162
Chapter 13: Acting in Commercials 165
Understanding How a Commercial Gets Made 165
Preparing for a Career in Commercials 167
Taking a class or workshop 167
Studying working actors 168
Hiring a commercial agent or manager 169
Auditioning for a Commercial Role 169
Fitting the part 170
Preparing your part 170
Handling yourself during the audition 171
Understanding the Market for Commercials 173
The Wonderful New World of Commercials 175
Chapter 14: Acting in Theater 177
Mastering Your Skills Onstage 178
Gearing Up for a Theatrical Career 178
Taking the academic route 179
Pounding the pavement 180
Auditioning for Theater 182
Finding auditions 182
Being prepared 182
Familiarizing Yourself with Stage Types 184
Proscenium stages 185
Thrust stages 187
Arena stages 187
Rehearsing for a Play 189
Read-through 189
Blocking with stage directions 190
Scene work 191
Work-throughs 191
Run-throughs 192
Technical rehearsals 192
Dress rehearsals 193
Working in Different Markets 195
Chapter 15: Performing without Being Seen: Voice-Over Acting 197
What You Need to Succeed in Voice-Over Acting 198
What’s that you say? Speaking clearly 198
Voice versatility 199
Testing testing: Playing to the microphone 200
Training for a Voice-Over Career 201
Finding Voice-Over Work 201
Preparing Your Demo 202
Including all the right stuff 202
Laying down the tracks 204
Recording subsequent demo 204
Getting an Agent or Manager 205
Auditioning for Voice-Over Work 205
Getting Paid as a Voice-Over Actor 206
Chapter 16: Working As an Extra 209
Delving into the Glamorous World of an Extra 210
Recognizing types of extras 211
Getting work as an extra 211
Examining a day in the life of an extra 213
Appreciating the Advantages of Being an Extra 215
Investigating the technical business of show business 216
Studying the acting side of filmmaking 217
Networking with fellow actors 218
Making a little (emphasis on “little”) money 218
Advancing Your Career Beyond an Extra 218
Chapter 17: Getting Your Kid into Show Biz 221
Considering the Commitment 222
Does your kid really want to do this? 222
Do you really want to do this? 223
Setting goals for you and your child 225
Exploring the Acting Options 226
Modeling 227
TV commercials 228
Film and TV shows 228
Theater 230
Investigating the Biz of Child Acting 230
Starting as a proud parent of a child actor 230
Procuring the paperwork 231
Watching out for your child’s welfare 231
Restricting time on the set 232
Educating on the set 233
Managing all that money 234
Helping Your Child Deal with the Ups and Downs of Show Business 236
Part 5: Managing Your Money as an Actor 239
Chapter 18: Don’t Get Ripped Off! Avoiding Con Games, Scams, and Self-Destruction 241
Identifying the Elements of a Con Game 242
The hook — Baiting the suckers 242
The line — Exploiting your trust 242
The sinker — Taking your money 243
Exposing Common Show Business Con Games 243
Fake screen tests 244
Phony agents 244
Shoddy photographers 247
Worthless acting schools 247
Sleazy casting directors 249
Meaningless beauty pageants 249
Shady get-rich-quick schemes 250
Dealing with Dishonesty 251
Potential problems with non-union productions 251
Unscrupulous business managers 252
Casting and networking parties 252
Missing residuals 253
Protect Yourself: Beating the Con at His Own Game 253
Being Your Own Worst Enemy 255
Dealing with drug abuse 255
Separating sex from show business 256
Dealing with alcohol and drug addiction 257
Curbing excessive spending 257
Avoiding criminal activities 258
Handling emotional and psychological problems 258
Chapter 19: Working to Pay Your Bills until You Hit It Big 259
Considering What Kind of Employment You Want 260
Getting temporary work 261
Getting full or part-time work 263
Considering supplemental work 263
Working for Yourself 263
Getting a Job That Pays You to Be Entertaining 264
Teaching traffic school 265
Performing on the street 265
Amusing patrons at an amusement park 266
Entertaining the kiddies 266
Catering to the public or the acting crowd 267
Working in a film or television studio 267
Reading scripts for payment 267
Winning big on a game show 268
Doing a song and dance in a casino 269
Performing on a cruise ship 269
Acting in an interactive play 270
Reading for actors during auditions 271
Getting “extra” time in the studio 271
Chapter 20: Managing Your Finances 273
Handling Your Money 273
Saving it! 274
Dealing with income taxes 275
Digging yourself out of debt 276
Investing your earnings 278
Living Well Without Going Broke 279
Dealing with housing expenses 280
Eating cheaply 280
Buying clothes 281
Deciding When to Quit Your Day Job 281
Part 6: The Part of Tens 283
Chapter 21: Ten Myths Debunked about Show Business 285
Myth #1: Show Business is Closed to Outsiders 286
Myth #2: It’s Who You Know, Not What You Know 286
Myth #3: Only the Young and the Beautiful Get Work 287
Myth #4: You Have to Move to L.A., Vancouver, or New York to Succeed 287
Myth #5: Plastic Surgery and Body Implants Get You Work 288
Myth #6: You Have to Sacrifice Your Principles 289
Myth #7: You Can Break into Show Business by Taking Off Your Clothes 289
The myth of posing nude 290
The myth of sleeping with someone famous or powerful 290
The myth of appearing in adult movies 290
Myth #8: You Can Be Discovered and Made into a Star 291
Myth #9: The Right Agent, Manager, Coach Can Get You Work 291
Myth #10: Show Business Will Destroy You 291
Chapter 22: Ten Traits of Successful Actors 293
Respecting Other People’s Time 294
Planning Ahead 294
Being Flexible and Adaptable 295
Being Professional 296
How a professional actor behaves 296
Acting professionally with your agent 297
Acting professionally with casting directors 297
Acting professionally on the set 298
Being Yourself 299
Being Well-Groomed 299
Being Persistent 300
Avoiding Mind-Altering Substances 301
Being Willing to Improve Yourself 301
Believing in Yourself 302
Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Improving As an Actor 303
Mastering the Art of Auditioning 303
Knowing How to Audition and Act for the Camera 304
Auditioning for the camera 304
Acting for the camera 305
Expecting the Unexpected: Improvising 305
Developing a Sense of Humor 306
Overcoming Stage Fright 307
Understanding Human Psychology 307
Developing Your Voice and Improving Your Body 308
Your voice 308
Your body 308
Maintaining a Reliable Source of Income 309
Avoiding Guaranteed Failure 309
Staying Sharp 310
Chapter 24: Ten Ways to Act Just for the Fun of It 311
Join a Community Theater Group 312
Become a Storyteller 313
Join an Improvisational Group 313
Volunteer at Your Local School Drama Department 314
Put on a Play for a Charity 314
Appear in a Student Film 315
Work as an Extra 315
Volunteer at Your Local Museum 316
Appear on Public Access TV 317
Produce Your Own YouTube Show 317
Index 319
