How do i become an actor without having to pay so much just to get started?
Breaking into the acting industry is tough. Actor’s pay thousands of dollars for training, photos, and website investments so that they can get an agent and catch their big break. If you’re not willing to make the investment, you’re either not serious about it or already have industry connections.
You cannot become an actor without making investments, unless you are very lucky and meet all of the right people and just happen to get an offer for a good role.
There are a few ways that you can cut costs of the unecessary fills such as:
- Photos: You just need one really good headshot and body shot. If you or a friend have a very good camera and some good lighting, take a few hundred photos and pick the one or two that look best for you.
- Training: You need to constantly train and perform to keep your skills sharp. You can take monthly lessons and spend your other time on low or no-budget indies to keep your resume building.
- Website: You can create a blog and social media network for free with sources such as WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and other free blog sites. Setup a Twitter and a blog to promote yourself.
- YouTube: Get in contact with YouTubers that do miniseries. Offer to perform for free in exchange to adding it to your reel, which you can include on your website.’
Aside from the cost of getting in, there’s also the cost of staying in through SAG/Aftra membership and taking care of yourself by eating right and keeping up your appearance.
A couple of things you should know is that the business of being an actor is not free. Just like any start up you will have to invest in yourself. That said, paying for auditions is a big no no. That is simply not the way the real industry works. The investment in yourself comes in the form of your training as an actor or entertainer, your head shots, your resumes, your mailings, your travel to and from auditions, basically all the tools of building you as a business and marketing yourself. As such an agent who takes you on will also be investing lightly in your career and he or she will be paid their commission if and when you book jobs. As for going to auditions and getting an immediate response, forget it. That’s just not the way it works. You audition, you walk out the door, you put it out of your mind. Maybe they will call you back, maybe they won’t but any given project that a professional actor auditions for has received over a thousand submissions. There isn’t enough time in th
