I’ve been putting together a mental list of things new actors should know for a while now. I finally decided to get off my ass and write them down. These are only based on my own experiences and in no particular order.
You will not “make it big” doing amateur, independent, low or no paying short films and features, no matter what the filmmaker says. When a film has no budget or a very low budget, they will not have the ability to market effectively, which means very few people will see the film. Mostly friends and family of the people associated with the film.
Deferred payment projects will almost always be non paying projects.
There are tons of scams. If you get an audition or role for a major motion picture starring A-list actors, its probably a scam. These casting calls are almost never public and only go to agencies.
Major production companies do not post casting or crew calls on Facebook. These are also scams.
Spend the money for good headshots. Headshots are your calling card and casting directors will decide on whether you get an audition from your headshots. Cheap headshots almost always look cheap.
Do not worry about getting an agent when you first start. Your focus should be classes, building your resume and building your reel. Once you get to the point where you can prove to an agent that you can book consistently, then you’re ready for an agent.
Focus on doing short films over doing features. They have a quicker turnaround and you will get your footage back faster for your reel. I have done 6 feature films and have only gotten footage back for 1. It’s been over a year for most of those projects. I’ve done over 10 short films and have gotten footage back as quick as 2 weeks. I have only one short film I never received footage back from.
I focused on quantity until I had a full resume. Now my focus is on quality.
You will not always get footage back from your projects, but stay on the filmmaker. Your footage is important for your reel and a lot of times, the only reason you’re doing the project is for credit and reel footage as most short films and independent features pay nothing.
Unpaid series are not worth doing. They take up way too much time for very little or no return.
Don’t ask filmmakers for a role in their next film. They get asked all the time by actors. Spend time getting to know filmmakers. Once you have a relationship with them, the offers will eventually come.
Almost everyone who is in this industry in Atlanta has a movie on Tubi or Amazon Prime. It’s not the flex you think it is.
Don’t brag to actors about background work. If you are not booking roles through auditioning, we don’t care. The only people who care about background roles are background actors and people who are not in the industry.
Getting IMdB credit for background work is completely meaningless. It doesn’t go on a resume and casting directors, agents and managers don’t care if you did background work.
Know what roles you are most likely to play or get cast in before you get your headshots. Ask others what roles they see you in. I see actors who see themselves as leading men or action heroes and they are clearly not. Lean into the type you are most likely going to get cast as.
Don’t worry about typecast. I told myself when I first started, that if I had to play the ‘Chinese waiter’ every role, then I would do it until I made it. Once I made it, I could pick and choose what I wanted to play.
Most film festivals will get you little to no exposure. The big 5 are the ones that are really worth getting into. Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance. Others are great if you want laurels, but you aren’t going to get your short film funded and made into a feature film at smaller festivals.
Most agencies will not consider representing an actor with no classes or training.
Agents work for a percentage of what you make on projects you book. If any agency asks for money up front or monthly, it is a scam.
Learn to love auditioning, spend the time to prepare, and get good at it.
Acting will cost you money. There is no low or no cost way to do it properly.
If you’re acting to be rich or famous, you’re in the wrong business.
You won’t hear back from an audition 99% of the time. If you didn’t get the role, you will hear nothing.
Overnight success takes years or decades.
Simon Shih 