I hear from time to time again that the key to becoming an actor involves a lot of professionalism, passion and perseverance. The point is it takes time, I need to have patience and determination. As guest presenter Liam Tobin told us, we need to be prepared to be faced with a lot of rejection. Along with that, after acquiring all relevant qualifications, there are essentials which are compulsory to begin my journey trying out as an actor, these being a headshot, an acting CV and a showreel.
A headshot is a close-up 8x10 photograph of an actor in their natural state which is used to promote themselves to casting directors looking for people with specific qualities to hire. A well-presented headshot should have said actor wearing minimal makeup, a neutral expression, showing their hair length and colour whilst wearing appropriate clothing. Professional headshots can range from £100 to £200 depending on the length of the session, how many photos are taken and how many angles they do. Along with a headshot should come an acting CV. This is an A4 page containing three different sections: contact details, appearance & skills and what experience said person has in acting. This is a representation of my work ethic, previous gigs and professionalism so in hindsight, I have the freedom to express myself in the best possible way to potential employers. Next would come a showreel, this is the most important as this demonstrates talent, it gives the casting director visual verification of what I have to offer as an upcoming actor. As to what should be included in a showreel depends on the actor, the questions that need to be asked are: Where do my strengths lie? What particular roles would I say suit me best? How do I want my personality to come across within these roles? A professional showreel should be no longer than four minutes as I want to stand out to whoever may be watching.
Afterwards comes the difficult part of finding an agent. After attending a careers event recently I sat through a talk about the next steps of developing your acting career after university. The guest speaker was Jade Thomson, she told us that one particular way to find an agent is to find an agency and target a particular agent within it. For example, a specific agency in Soho, London going by the name of Conway van Gelder Grant have a page dedicated to their talent agents with their names and emails. Therefore, this gives me the opportunity to efficiently approach a particular agent addressing my letter specifically to them. This makes me look more professional and determined to get a response.
After achieving all of this, if one is firm in obtaining a career in acting, Liam Tobin went on to say that a fundamental acquirement is signing up to www.spotlight.com. Spotlight was first found in 1927 and now has recorded over thousands of performers from all backgrounds within it. From £158 a year, casting directors are able to send out a casting notice and if by chance I have an agent, it gives me a better opportunity to hear about these roles and progressing my actor's CV.