The Actor Begins: The Starting Point

Prime your brain, Practice your profession & connect to the Business.

Hi Actor,

This one’s about the beginning of this journey. The starting point. The first foot forward.

It’s born largely out of a few questions: If I was starting my career today, what would I do? How would I set myself up with an efficient and robust preparation so I operate well when it really mattered?

It's for those of you that are coming back to acting after a much needed break; those of you reassessing your approach because the current one just doesn’t seem to be sustainable or enjoyable; & lastly, perhaps more directly, it’s for the fresh faces. Those of you that are new to the business, having just discovered that maybe acting is something you’d like to have a crack at.

If you do find yourself in the fresh-faced position of wanting to be an actor, my hope is that this post will save you some time. Welcome. This pursuit is one to be excited about! Let’s get started.

To try and encompass everything needed to set you off in the right direction, I think, for clarity sake, it’s important to break the process down. Split it into three key areas.

PRIMING, PRACTICE & BUSINESS

Priming

First off, we need to set up our brains in a way that gets us motivated, enables us to see our progression & clearly establish a pathway forward. I call this: PRIMING.

After buying yourself a notebook to record your thoughts, reflections and plans, I recommend the 3 Pillars of Priming: Watch, Listen and Read.

Watch

This one is fun. Watch shows & movies you love. That’s right, go and enjoy a movie. Regularly.  Movies that feature one of your favourite actors for example. Pick an actor that you admire (one you find yourself excited to talk/ think about) and work your way through all their films. Notice how their work changes over time. Ask yourself “what makes this person so captivating?”. Stick up pictures of your favourite actors on a cork board and display it somewhere at home. Somewhere you will see often.

Here is a quick exercise to do right now. Go to google. Type in 'Actors born on Insert your birthday' and see who comes up. Finding personal connections to people you admire can be a huge motivator. If you don’t share a similar birthday with someone you are inspired by, that’s fine! Maybe it's a birth month or star sign where you find relation? Maybe even something that had nothing to do with when they were born, maybe its their opinions, humour or values. The point is to find commonalities with those you admire. Be creative with your own way to relate.

We want to focus on the people that are achieving a high level of success. Watch interviews. Note any similar characteristics they have. There are no real rules to this exercise. Just start connecting.

On the front line of acting is auditions. So start watching actor’s audition tapes too. Begin with people that you love. Adam Driver, Christin Bell, Steve Carell and many others all have audition tapes available to access on YouTube. Ask yourself if you can you steal anything from these brilliant performers? Steal ideas that will help you in your own practice? These guys are phenomenal in the audition room. So what makes them so great?

Listen

Listen to the many podcasts that are available and find interviews with your favourite actors. I recommend checking out ‘Off Camera’ with Sam Jones to get you started. It shines a beautifully positive light on the career you’ve chosen. Sam’s questions evoke wonderfully insightful conversations from many brilliant actors (Robert Downey Jr, Danai Gurira, John Goodman & Joseph Gordon-Levitt to name a few). Keep an eye out for more interviews and podcasts that illuminate the process and allow a peak behind the curtain of the A-listers.

Read

I can’t tell you how essential reading has been for me. Have a look around at your local library, bookshops, online bookstores in the search for relevant books. Not just for acting techniques but look for books on self-help, business, skill development, writing and general creativity.

I particularly recommend looking at books like ‘The Talent Code’ and ‘The Little Book of Talent’ (By Daniel Coyle) that are not strictly “Acting Books” but these for instance, talk directly to Developing Skill. Here you will learn that “Greatness isn’t born, it’s grown”. A huge lesson. Once you get through these two books keep coming back to them as you continue to learn more about the foundations of acting. The practical application of them is second to none! They are just wonderful! An acting book to read is ‘Life in a Midshot’ By Les Chantery. These 3 books should get you started.

There you have it. The three pillars of priming. Watch, Listen and Read. This priming work should ignite you, firing you up to audition, prepare, rehearse, research, network and generally speaking motivate. It can illuminate goals and allow you to begin to see a pathway forward. Continue to use priming throughout your entire career. Particularly in quiet times or in moments of self-doubt. Priming is what gets you back on track. See the above as just a starting point - don’t limit yourself only to what I’ve mentioned. Keep growing your “Priming Practice” and look for opportunities all around to motivate and inspire you.

Practice

“Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training”

Now that we have primed our brains for the journey it’s time to start making tracks. Let’s start practicing. When it comes to practice, I’d recommend scheduling it daily and on a weekly repeated cycle. Knowing how your daily practice looks from week to week is not only important for intentionality but it also helps with consistency. Keep a flexible mindset and don’t be deterred if your practice looks different each day because of circumstances outside of your control.

Acting Practice

First you need to get your hands on the essential equipment.

·      Camera (Phone camera is more than fine)

·      Phone holder attachment (if using a phone)

·      Tripod

·      Backdrop: Portable options are available

·      Lighting: Gives you more flexibility (allowing you to shoot at night)

·      Reader: Find a friend, a willing house mate or another budding actor and work together each week.

·      Obtain and collect a library of scenes.

A library of scenes is probably the most time consuming essential to come across and maintain. If you want to save time – the Online Acting Resource ‘Stage Milk’ have a great selection of scenes to work with so consider signing up to them if you don’t mind paying the monthly fee. They have heaps of other great resources too. Going forward, collect every scene that is sent to you from classes, workshops, acting friends and any you stumble across on the internet. I know some people sit and watch movies as often as they can to find scenes to transcribe and then use them for practice. Do script trades with your fellow actors as another idea. 6 scripts for 6 scripts. Keep that library growing.

Now we need to set a structure to our practice. Here is a step by step suggestion to get you going:

1. Pick a time each week to work on a scene with another person.

2. Spend no more than an hour together and keep the focus on producing the highest quality tape you can.

3.  No prep time needed.

4.  Show up, select the script, start the (1hr) timer, learn your lines, make your choices and dive into a few takes of the scene each. When times up, pack up.

5. Reflective practice: Watch your material back afterwards and note what you’d like to do better next time and what were some strengths within your work.

This process may be challenging at first but keep at it. You may not even get through one full take before the timer goes off. That’s okay. Keep at it and review what you have done. You’ll be amazed at how quickly and efficiently you will be working after just a couple of months.

Keep an eye out in your reflective practice for a dip in quality from tape to tape. Don’t beat yourself up if your tape sucked, that’s an important part of the process. Be curious, stay focused and problem solve. After each session ask “How can I set myself up to do better next time?”. I recommend this exercise to film and theatre actors alike. By filming the scene you’re giving yourself the opportunity to (#1) watch yourself back & review your work and (#2) have an audience (the camera serves as a watchful eye).  I’ll write up another blog breaking down how to effectively review your material another time but for now just have a go at it on your own.

A quick note: Many people struggle watching themselves back, even years into their acting journey. The only way it gets easier is by watching yourself frequently. Know that any discomfort you feel in reviewing your own footage is commonly shared by every single other person for their own work - those who don’t have a regular practice of reviewing that is. Regularity is key.

Voice Practice

Next we are going to add a voice practice component to our routine. Not to be confused with the Singing Voice (although that will be improved with this work too), we want to learn and study how to open up the speaking voice. Have a look on YouTube and there are some great vocal exercises run by Jeannette Nelson through the National Theatre. Covering Breathing, Resonance, Opening Up the Voice & Articulation (LINK). This is enough to get you started on your own Voice Practice. Learn the exercises, do them each day and once you’ve got them down to memory just practice for 10 minutes, 3-5 times a week. Be curious with the work and over time you will be breathing feely & speaking with resonance.  

One of my wonderful teachers was the late Kristin Linklater. She was one of the great pioneers of Voice practice. I’d go grab yourself a copy of her book ‘Freeing the Natural Voice’ and work your way through that. If you can manage to find a ‘Designated Linklater Voice Teacher’ in your local area then even better. Participate in one or more of their workshops and give yourself the time to immerse yourself in this progression. Patsy Rodenburg & her work with voice is another recommendation I’d make. I’m actually reading her book ‘Second Circle’ now which I’m finding very interesting.

Make Voice a part of your daily practice and you’ll start finding a confidence in the way you stand and hold yourself. So much is unlocked in the body when working on freeing the natural voice consistently. Your emotional work will largely be affected by this practice too.

Note: Extra emphasis on curiosity. Curiosity is of huge importance when it comes to voice practice. Without it, the learning will be shallow, the voice could be damaged and our time would have been wasted. This isn’t to scare you, but noting that “you are continually straining your voice” for example, is an important observation to make and perhaps further investigation of that strain is what’s needed. Without curiosity, the strain would not have been picked up or cared about and over the long term this is where the damage will come from.

Body Practice

This is a pretty simple one. One you’re probably somewhat familiar with or aware of. Workout. Get to the gym, go for a run or head out for a surf. Dance, Yoga, Stretch, Go for a walk even. Whatever works for you. “Get into your body”. Anywhere between 3 – 5 times a week. This isn’t about aesthetics; it’s about using your body and keeping it alive and agile. Make sure you have a strong habit of stretching too. Exercising will give us the energy to keep showing up for ourselves. Eat Well. You’ll be glowing in weeks. This can extend into physical special skills down the line too.

Class Practice

Find yourself a weekly class. This will be your audition gym with a coach to give immediate, clear feedback. I recommend acting for screen and audition classes to start you off. Work on weekly scene’s you’re allocated each day (if you are given them a week in advance that is).

Another bonus: Going to class will connect you with your first community within the industry. Other aspiring actors (and a teacher). Yay! Keep each other in the loop with events & find other times to practice together.

Business

You’ve developed your own practice which is intentional. That routine is strengthened and motivated by your routine of Priming. You are a few weeks into your practice and are already starting to understand acting’s foundations. You’re in a weekly class or two, and connected to your first group of acting friends. Fantastic work. Now it’s time for business.

Events

You will be wanting to have your finger on the pulse of your local industry. Start looking around on websites, Facebook, Instagram and ask around (acting class) if anyone knows of any organisers that host industry events. Local government-owned agency events, union events, actor gatherings, Q&A’s, screenings & premiers, in room auditions, breakfasts, festivals (local & interstate), industry drinks, opening nights to theatre shows, closing nights, birthdays, play reading groups, classes, workshops and anywhere else where industry pros may gather. There will be plenty to keep you busy meeting and connecting with your industry which gives you more of an insight to where the work is and how to get into the audition space.

A note on networking: You want to go to these events and connect, not just talk about work. See if you can’t make some new friends. One mistake I see some people make is going to events and feeling obliged to only talk about auditions and projects they are working on which (funnily enough) may put some people off. It sounds counterintuitive but people like casting directors might have just spent 12 hours in the office casting a film before racing to the opening night of a film festival. If you see them in the lobby of this hypothetical festival there is a fair chance that the last thing they want to do is talk about work (and the project they know you want to get a chance on). If someone asks what you’re working on by all means talk about it with all the enthusiasm and passion you have, but don’t make it the only thing you talk about at these events. Talk about life. Life is interesting, creative work just helps it.

Representation

Next thing is to find is representation. Pick your 2 favourite tapes (keep them short: roughly 1 minute each) that you believe best represent your skill level and show some contrast. Consider your casting too. Create a link to the videos (Upload to Vimeo or other and share link for example). Put together a CV of your experience & training. Get some professionally shot Headshots (again consider your casting). If you want a good example of great actor headshots along with a reasonable pricing, visit Studio Gracie’s Website. You’ll want to find a photographer in your area. Now that you have your marketing package, collate it all and attach it (link the tape) to a personally written email to a specific agent at a specific agency, hit send and done. Now repeat with another agent. and again. And again. ‘IMDb Pro’ is an invaluable tool at this stage too. Ask your industry mates “Who is good?” and “Who is not?”. Have a look at the agent’s website and see if you can see familiar faces, look for people that are currently booking to give an indication on how busy this agent is. When you get interest from an agency, there are a few considerations to make. If the agent is asking for money upfront, I’d avoid. If the agent seems disinterested in meeting you but is happy to sign you, I’d avoid. This is part of the job that is really tricky to navigate. It’s a little like dating. Keep your eyes open for red flags but there is no real right or wrong rules with this. Just find someone that fits. Someone you think you could work with. Keep applying to agents till you find one that fits. Don’t settle.

A quick note on casting platforms: An agent will want you to be listed on one or more casting platforms. These require you to pay for a subscription. Not to be confused with an agent asking for money upfront. As a general rule I like to follow – if I’m not getting paid – neither is my agent.

Casting Workshops

The last thing I’d like to mention is attending casting workshops. This puts you directly in front of the people that are crucial in casting film & TV (Theatre too). It’s an expense that I think is worth investing in. You learn more about the casting process as well as build report with the people that make some of the big decisions. Think about it, any business starting off has to spend money on its own product before it makes anything back. Think of this like that product. Relations Building. Have a little window shop around for an idea on pricing. Different studios have different fees and may vary a great deal even for the same amount of face time with the same Casting Director.

Summary

Let’s look back now on what’s been covered. You’ve spent time fuelling the fire of your own inspiration. You’ve committed to practicing a little each day to improve on the many skills required of the Actor. You’re making connections with communities of creatives as well as actively seeking auditions. You’re connecting with representation and getting in front of casting. You’re now majorly setting yourself up for success in the entertainment industry.

Now, as you continue along, add to and take away where you think it is necessary. Approach the full thing with curiosity and take breaks where needed. See this as your starting point.

I would love to hear from you about what things you have found helpful starting off. If you've been around for a while, has your strategy changed over time? If you are new to the pursuit of this career, have you found this helpful? Feel free to reach out directly or leave a comment below. I’m also open to hearing about topics you’d like me to cover. Thanks. Talk soon. 

The Starting Point List

Priming

• Buy yourself a notebook – and use it

• Buy a cork board

• Watch – Movies & Auditions

• Listen – to Podcasts

• Read – relevant books

  • Recommendation:

    • ‘Life in a Midshot’ by Les Chantery

    • ‘The Talent Code’ by Danial Coyle

    • ‘The Little Book of Talent’ by Danial Coyle

Practice

• Buy yourself:

  • A Camera (Phone camera is more than fine)

  • Tripod

  • Phone holder attachment (if using a phone)

  • Portable backdrop

  • Lighting

  • Script library

• Acting Practice: 1 tape a week

• Voice Practice: 10 minutes a day (3-5 times a week)

• Body Practice: Workout (3-5 times a week) & eat well

• Class Practice: 1 Audition/ screen acting class a week

Business

• Attend events

• Seek representation

• Attend casting workshops

Lachlan is an Australian Actor who has been working within the industry nearing a decade. He’s worked in Film & Theatre.

© Lachlan Stuart 2024