To ask how to audition for any TV or film roles ?

[Happyspring123]

Probably pie in the sky , but how do I audition for any tv or film roles? Do not have any previous experience of industry, but would love to get into it . Is there any way in to audition? Thanks

Tbf to extras work, it gives you a flavour of what its REALLY like on a filmset and you can decide if you want that. You might find you like other roles behind the camera instead - i did! I much prefer costumes, props, sets and writing nowadays. MAKING a film HAPPEN is the high, iyswim.

Probably pie in the sky , but how do I audition for any tv or film roles? Do not have any previous experience of industry, but would love to get into it . Is there any way in to audition? Thanks

What other sorts of job do you think you can just 'get into' without any previous experience/professional training? Acting is actually quite hard and it's certainly extremely competitive. To think you can just show up at an audition is laughable. You can't just show up for an interview in other industries, can you?

Go to drama school for three years, come out with a qualification, get an agent (hopefully) who will put you up for auditions which you compete against hundreds of others for

This. I'm dating an actor and it's a real eye opener about how shit the payis for professional actors. And he's amazingly talented too.

Thanks everyone so far Some really great advice !

What’s the easiest way to obtain voice work?
Thanks again!

What’s the easiest way to obtain voice work?

Be famous :)

Aside from that, you will need a voice reel and a cv. Beyond that I'm not sure - I get all my voice work these days (which isn't much, just a sideline) from connections I made in the industry. So I'm "known" for having a particular kind of voice, and if someone wants someone who sounds like me, I get asked.

But honestly, Im getting the feeling you are thinking that this is a brilliant idea to make lots of money easily, and that you can just stroll in, since nobody else had thought of this. Voice work is also v competitive - listen to the radio and realise how many voices are familiar /from famous people.

Subscribe to The Stage
Join Mandy as well, it's often more for backstage roles but some open auditions do crop up.
Also join theatre network and local media Facebook groups.
We get quite a lot of filming done where we live (pretty and historic) and they will often prefer to give small roles to local people as it's cheaper for them. Also extras.
I work as a dresser for extras occasionally, amongst other things, and I love it.

Yep being famous lol! Having an unusual voice helps sometimes to get your foot in the door. Some of my EAL friends walked straight into work with Radio 4 but it was few and far between as they had such strong accents. I have an excellent ear for accents and the ability to sound very young and current which has taken a LOT of practise, honing and understanding of vocal anatomy, phonation etc. I did lots of Radio training at drama school and studied for voice qualifications. You need excellent microphone technique and a voice reel these days. A VERY good voice reel around £500. You can get agents for voice exclusively and/or email relevant people like Nadia Molinari etc. But there are also other avenues like voice work for gaming and even tube announcements lol which I don’t have much knowledge of.

Once you are in with voice work it tends to lead to other things but it’s often quite niche. A lot of people got into voice work by winning Carelton Hobbs which is a big competition that drama schools enter one or two students from an entire cohort for per year.

It’s just as hard to break into as regular acting and, I have to be honest, I’ve met only the tiniest proportion of voice actors who haven’t trained at Drama School. 3 off the top of my head. An Arab actress trained at a uni who won a BBC voice comp for unrepresented BAME actors and two older (mid 50s) “posh” men.

Finewords- it’s not that I thought it would be really easy, it’s just that I had no idea at all how to get into it...

What is it that you want to get out of being a voice actor? I mean that very sincerely - our advice would be more useful if you could say whether you were looking for a hobby, for a fun experience /meet people, a bit of extra money or as a full time career?

.. for the experience, to have experience of the industry and maybe make a tiny bit of extra money

Extra money??? Extra?? You mean you want to act professionally alongside holding down a normal job??

Cloud cuckoo land.

But when will you be able to audition if you're working? Auditions mean hours and hours of hanging around waiting for a two minute slot.

Professional actors and voice over artists spend a lot of time and effort training for often very little reward.

Lots of agents out there.

It is a bit, “who you know, not what you know”

Do not ever pay to be ‘on the books’

Realise that even as a tv/film extra it’s incredibly hard work, long hours (16/18) in a freezing field or wearing heels whilst standing in the background.

Google really is your friend. I’ve done about a dozen films, tv and adverts.

Oops, just read full thread. Unless you live in London, you’ll be lucky to cover travel costs.

I travelled to Sheffield, for a major movie, as an extra (SA) to find that the 200+ extras had turned out to be less than 50. That meant the scene didn’t get shot, I didn’t get paid and I’d spent £80 on train fair.

Other times I had bought new clothes specifically for a scene (SA’s don’t always get wardrobe) the best you can hope for to begin with us ‘costs’

I loved just seeing my name on credits, getting an IMDb credit, meeting old friends etc. It’s nit a money maker for a long time. I have a over a dozen IMDb credits for movies, I rarely go filming now. 5am starts, 15 hour days and syrup in my hair is no longer for me.

ShatnersWig - I was taking about voice work
How would I pay bills if I didn’t work some of the rest of the time !???

HappySpring it is VERY difficult to get voice work, unless you have a stroke of luck, ie know someone. I have done a few voice overs, but all through various contacts.

I spent thousands on drama school fees, have worked as an actor for over 20 years.
I paid £300 for a voice over demo. I then sent this to voice over agents. Not a sausage. I have a TRAINED voice, I learned voice over technique at Drama School, but I have not got a voice over agent!

Voice over artists have separate voice over agents from their usual agent. It is hugely competitive as every actor who has been to drama school makes a demo and tries to get a voice over agent.

If you want to be an actor you need to go to drama school. Have you done any acting at all?

@Happyspring123 So in the space of the thread you've gone from wanting film and tv roles to voice work?

I’m not an actor or voice actor but I have worked in a similar creative, insecure industry. You don’t work full time to pay the bills if you really want to pursue it seriously. You dedicate all your time to it, accept that some months you’ll earn next to nothing, maybe pick up some temping or bar work when things are really tight. You won’t get anywhere if you see the creative industries as a sideline - you might get some unpaid hobby stuff, but you certainly won’t make any money.

If you're really serious, then as a first step I would advise you to practice. Record your voice speaking (read out a book or a radio script or something) and then listen back to it critically.

The number one thing to get over is the "do I really sound like that??" self consciousness. Yes, you really do sound like that. Now try to listen to yourself as if you were a stranger. Is your voice clear, expressive, natural sounding? Do you have any vocal habits that you never noticed, is the tone varied, are you speaking fast or slowly?

Most voice actors have trained voices - ie they have worked with a vocal coach/taken classes so they understand the basics of how sound is produced, how to warm up and support their voices, how to break down accents, and are very aware of the idiosyncrasies of their own natural speaking voice and accent. Would you consider looking for a class in that? Depending on where you're based, there might be a drama school nearby that offers a short course?

Yes, it sounds like what you actually want is to be an extra. Bit of extra money, experience of being on a set etc.

Otherwise, what you are saying is akin to "I fancy having a crack at being a barrister. How do I do that? Just tip up to a court and have a crack at it? How hard can it be?".

I have taught at Drama schools, and I always say to my students that if there is anything else they want to do that is not acting, they should do that. That is how difficult and soul destroying the industry can be.

I'll start by saying I'm not in the industry myself.

However, years ago a friend of mine (who had not been to Drama School but had studied it at college) landed the job of a PA to a director at Pinewood studios. He was great at networking. After a year or so he landed a speaking role in "From Hell" with Johnny Depp. He said it was an amazing experience but funnily enough made him realise he didn't want to act in films.

He went down a creative Arts route instead. Now at 50, he hold down a day job, a design sideline and also directs Theatre groups.

He loves it!