To ask what first steps I take if I want to get into acting

[Cloudylemon23]

I’ve saved up enough to devote all my time to this at the moment. Doing some work as a tv extra.
What else can I do? Any ideas please?
Any other related jobs that I can do that would help my CV?
Ps I’m not naive and know how competitive things are.
Any ideas and advice really appreciated, thanks

Agree with ShatnersWig.

But good luck anyway.

Why do you want to be an actor?

Top tip: tap dance EVERYWHERE! You never know when a famous director may notice your starlight - even delivering pizza. Do it with a soft shoe shuffle a cheesy grin and some jazz hands.

I agree with what shatner is saying, I get that you appreciate the advice here but very few of us will work in the industry, you are lucky From reading replies there are a few of us here that do and please do listen to what is being said by those who are inside the industry.

My advice re training is to train where you want to work as you will build a network around you there as you train and be going to see work there. As shattner said different courses will have specific specialisms but what worries me is that when told about courses above you jumped straight to one year courses.. these are conversion MA courses mostly and not an easy or shorter out. There is a reason people study for three years on a BA. auditions cost money, and I know a lot of actors and I don’t know a single one who got into the first drama school they applied for on the first attempt. Some very successful actors I know ( and by successful I don’t mean famous I mean about to work fairly consistently) got into their chosen school on 3rd attempt. To be an actor is is not just about a passion or a love for it, you need to have a guttural need and drive and singleminded thought that there is nothing else or you won’t get past your first job. Your main career will be in the service industry so train in that also.
Before headshots and spotlight or any of it. Research the art form. Read, go see work,
Voice over is not easy work
Why do you want to be an actor?
Ask yourself do you want to be famous and be on tv and in films and have fans... of the answer is yes ... walk away from this thread

As for recommendations of schools .. where do you want to work? There are a lot of good accredited places around the country but ... and I mean this kindly.. you didn’t even think about this before posing your question. You have mention your extra work but seem to assume you can just walk into acting jobs. Who inspires you, actors, practitioners, directors?

How old are you if you don't mind me asking, OP?

Whats your current level of acting experience? Google for 'student films' - a lot of them advertise for actors, especially actors who are out of their peer group. That way, you can start to build up a portfolio of non-extra acting work, to boost your chances at audition for film/tv work.

21seconds- the reason I asked for recommended drama schools is that I would move to that location if it’s the best one- rather than just thinking of where I want to work

Are student films good to use for making a showreel? Any other recommendations for making a showreel? Thanks

I’d agree, postgrad courses are for people who’ve already done a reasonable amount of acting and ‘role performing’ even in a good amateur company. Not for people who’ve never done it. Mountview, for instance, used to suggest people did their foundation course before the postgrad if they already had a degree in something else but didn’t have the experience to jump into a PG.

In order to be an actor you have to love Theatre. That means going to see lots of things. Looking through programmes, recognising drama schools, researching who does what and who is known for what. Something like 98% of trained actors are out of work at any one time according to someone I know who runs a drama school. There’s no money in it unless you make it as a Name and even if you’re quite well known within theatre circles you can still find yourself on union minimum wages of under £500 a week on a show that’s getting 5 star reviews.

What one person thinks is the best school is very subjective too. Not everyone trains but it is very unusual to get really good jobs without an agent (not an extras agency) or at least an introduction from somewhere. You don’t tend to get open auditions for plays; you get more for musicals but the people who go to opens are folk who have trained but whose agents haven’t managed to get them in front of a casting director (maybe they are another 23yo brunette size 10 mezzo with nothing to give them a USP).

What actual big theatre show experience have you got?

I’m behind the scenes in this industry and agree with the PP - this is one of the hardest industries in the world and if you don’t go to drama school, you are miles and miles and miles behind your contemporaries who did. Not only in terms of honed skills but also in terms of contacts. Agents, casting directors, directors, other actors meet at drama school and people employ their mates / see other actors on the recommendations of their mates.

What do you go and see at the theatre? Actors / related careers go to the theatre A LOT. Whether West End or Fringe, the actors etc I know go two or three times a week. Know. Your. Industry.

You need to go the classes if you can’t yet go to drama school full time. Are you in London? You mentioned evening classes but all are not created equal. Not sure if it still exists but look up The Poor School.

Agree with the removing all Extra credits from your CV. It’s not considered a good look - it smacks of someone who knows nothing about the industry. Like someone who has no respect for the skill & talent involved in acting and will see you instantly on the NCB pile.

I know dedicated, talented, passionate actors who never quite make it. You need to want this with every bone of your (highly resilient) body and even then you probably won’t make it. You need a hide thicker than Johnson, the self belief of Trump and the talent of Joaquin Phoenix with the looks of a supermodel.

That said, someone’s got to get the gig so work hard, develop your skills and it could be you.

Cloudy Forget a showreel. You need EXPERIENCE and TRAINING. Showreels are what you create FROM your paid acting jobs and you haven't had any. Which is why several of us have asked what actual spoken acting experience you have...

Sweetheart, you are running before you can walk... you are so far removed from needing a showreel. No agent will look at it unless they know of you. And see previous post(s) for how they get to know you.

The majority of the ‘best’ drama schools are in London (I went to one, but not to act) - RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall, GSA, Mountview, Central, Rose Bruford. There’s others not in London such as Bristol Old Vic, LIPA. I think Manchester has an acting school. Best thing is to google and do your research (when I was 17 I had mountains of prospectuses from unis and drama schools that I read through to choose the right place).

Competition is tough & auditions cost money. If you’re not in or commutable to London you’d need to factor in travel and accommodation costs. Different drama schools have different offers, vibes, expectations & there are certain schools you see again and again in film and TV and other schools you rarely see in those circles but see more often in theatre settings.

Of the people who were at my drama school in the acting course over the entire three years I did my undergrad, I can count on one hand how many of them have gone onto what you might view as “success” - Multiple TV series and a film or two. So out of a cohort of 75, there are maybe 5 who are now well-known or even the cusp of fame from their acting work. It is a tough world and you have to be prepared for that.

I used to date an actor
Firstly I’d get really good at changing a barrel.

Secondly he who was successful IE got regular gigs (and even then used to spend about 5 months a year either working in a bar or as a garden labourer) had done a BA, and MA and then gone to drama school. It was the same for his friends.

My best mate from school did a BA in drama at an RG did an MA at and arts uni after. Never made it acting but has a successful ish time writing and directing plays. But there are VERY arty and not mainstream so she makes hardly any money despite a few rave reviews at Edinburgh and things. So she works 25 hours a week in a call centre.

You say you’re not niave OP but you don’t seem to know a god damn thing about any of this which is all basic.

You don't "choose" a drama school, OP, it chooses you.

Eg RADA, which perhaps you've heard of, auditions everyone who applies to it. Everyone who has paid some 90 quid and the trip to London. That's about 4000 people a year.

It calls about a quarter of these back for a second audition a few weeks later (the "recall" audition). So that's down to 1000 people.

Of those, it calls leas than a third to a half-day workshop (the "short workshop") audition)!

Of those 200 who do the short workshop, it calls 50 to the final audition ("the whole day workshop").

Of those, it takes less than half.

So from the original 4000 hopefuls, it takes 28.

And you think you choose your drama school?!

SinglePringle Poor School went some years ago.

@shatnerswig I thought so but couldn’t be arsed to google!

Op what I meant by train where you want to work is that others have said.. you build contacts and friends and if you then stay on to live and work there you have that. Be that London, Glasgow whatever... still asking about showreels after all this genuine and real advice from people is really irritating. You do not need a showreel, you do not need a cv of headshots, you need to read a script and then professionally train first. Night classes are often a money maker, and dream vacuum. It’s an insult to those in the industry if you expect to get by on shortcuts

Last queenofScotland- I mean that I’m not naive in that I realise how tough the industry is.
I’m asking questions as I’m trying to find out about things

Cloudy Why are you studiously avoiding answering our questions which might actually help?

I’m not ‘studiously avoiding’. Not sure why you are not being pleasant here. I created post to find out things as I don’t know actors in real life.
I haven’t done theatre but will join a company if that will help me re this

I guess, OP, we’re slightly bemused by someone wanting to be an actor when they’ve done nothing to further that desire. How do you know you want to act if you’ve not stepped on a stage? What is it that appeals to you?

joyfulllittlehippo- thank you, I appreciate your post, that’s great. What in your opinion are the best books?