Acting Info

Here's a little acting info you should know before you start down the road to Hollywood stardom.

Simply being a good actor is no longer enough to be successful in the dog eat dog profession of acting. The competition can be staggering. So much so, that you really need to do everything you can to get exposure as an actor.

On the good news side, there are more opportunities as an actor than ever before.

Getting Noticed The Cheap And Easy Way

While tomorrow's star is no longer discovered sitting at the counter of a coffee shop, there continues to be more and more opportunities for getting discovered. One of the most popular in the last decade or so has been through reality shows. Wife Swap, American's Top Model, Big Brother, The Amazing Race ... the list goes on and on. Just about anybody can apply for these shows and it can be surprisingly easy to make it on.

The key to getting noticed on these types of shows is personality. You don't have to be an angel (in fact, sometimes being the villain will get you noticed easier), but you do need to have a personality that the audience finds interesting. Boring definitely won't cut it.

If this is the way you want to go, just look up the websites for your favorite reality shows. Most of them have an area where you can apply to appear on the program. Of course, you have to realize that this isn't going to guarantee you an acting job. All it might do is get you noticed.

Getting Noticed The Hard Way

The traditional approach takes more time and more work, but also gives you a much better chance of success. You start out by learning your acting craft through local classes and opportunities. Try out for your local theater, for local commercials, at the local television station, as an extra when a film is shot in your area. If you don't get a part, volunteer to help around the stage or the set, anything to expand your knowledge and feeling of the profession.

Practice your craft at every opportunity.

Put yourself in front of the people who are already in the business as often as possible.

And above all, be persistent.

Here are two essential acting info resources that should be the foundation of your career as an actor:

Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association ("AEA" or "Equity"), founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 48,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans, for its members. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists' rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents nearly 120,000 working actors in film, television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and other new media. The Guild exists to enhance actors' working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists' rights. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO.