13 year old who wants to be in film, Brit School?

[halpmeh]

Hi,

So my daughter has been attending Bit School on Saturdays and really enjoys it, and it's coming up to the point where she can apply to go full time next year,

The last few years though she has drifted away from theatre and wants to get into acting in front of a camera. The Brit school seems more theatrical and music based so I'm not sure if it would be the right choice for her,

Has anyone's children been aspiring actresses or actors and what path did you take?

Thanks

If she goes into acting as a profession she won’t wont have the luxury of choosing theatre or film. She is more likely to be choosing between which coffee shop to work in between auditions. Harsh but true

Best she does as well as she can at school whilst continuing her extra curricular activities and deciding at 18 what path to take. THIS leaves all doors open

I agree. DS1 acts and has been in some TV stuff and films plus some adverts (tv, print and web). You take what you can get (he is still only 13 but as an adult it is even more the case since you need an income)

A few questions (as the parent of a dd who attended specialist school from the age of 11)

Is she happy at her current school?
Are you happy with her current school?
Are you struggling to fit in her extra curricular stuff and is it impacting on her academic educatin/family life or are you managing it ok?
Is she academic?

Depending on the answers to those questions and considering the path your dd is leaning towards I woulod be inclined to say stay at her current school and re-evaluate her options at age 16 where she can choose between A levels or a Btec but look at the straight acting btecs with a range of modules including a range of acting styles.

Then start looking at drama school from the age of 18. Start by visiting the CDMT conference and maybe applying for summer schools to find out what is out there.

My dd is a dancer and we were unhappy with local schools, struggling to fit in and access the number and quality of classes needed to get to the required standard and so our decision was very different.

As the parent of a child who has had parts in several movies I can honestly say which school she goes to is wholly irrelevant at such a young age.

All her parts have been simply based on her looks (she has a very distinctive hair colour and petite frame). I’d like to think she has some talent too but she got everything she needed just by going to her Saturday performing arts school.

If she is that serious then I would say to get an agent (sometimes easier said than done) and concentrate on a school that would be accommodating in terms of allowing time off for auditions and jobs.

Honestly, it won’t make a jot of difference if she waits until 16 or 18 if she wants to go to drama school. If dance his her thing then that’s a totally different scenario.

Also be mindful that your daughter is at a funny age for work. Children under 16 need a licence to work and have limits on how many hours they can work. For that reason parts for teens tend to go more to 16 year olds plus who can “play down”. Are her expectations that going to a specialist school that she would get more opportunities?

I also agree with the post above that as an actor you really have no choice as to what work you do. Work is scarce and I have yet to find an actor who would turn down a part on stage because they prefer film and TV. There are huge parts of time that you will be unemployed. You need good qualifications to fall back on for the leaner times.

The British school sounds like an amazing opportunity for someone who is serious about a career in the performing arts. Acting is a skill, so best learned from a specialist teacher in a specialist setting from an early age. Of course it's no guarantee that she will succeed as an actor. But if she is serious about it, why not give it a go? There are alternatives to the Brit, but they are private and will also involve drama and music, which will only broaden her skill sets. Is she already going to auditions/has she worked professionally yet?