please answer anyone please?

Question

well im 14 year old boy and im trying to become an actor but i have a plan and i want to know what u think about it well first off my mom is finsto enroll me into acting classes (shouldnt take that long hopefully) but anyways after i get done with that im going to do a few gigs here in STL and with the money i get from those gigs im going to hire an agent and then by the summer im going to take a trip to LA and find some big gigs and relocate there so tell me what u think my mom likes it also could u tell me how long u think acting classes will take

Answer 1

First off, congratulations of undertaking such a nobel profession. Now get ready to be ridiculed and shunned for it by society for the rest of your career.

Now for the flaws in your plan:

1) Acting classes are either going to be at best moderately helpful or they will actually be a hindrance. They are never a great help. A better idea would be to audition for a theater company and put up work on stage. There is no better class than getting notes from an audience in the form of applause or boos and hisses.

2) You are going to get a few gigs? That may or may not happen. Getting gigs should be the last thing you need to worry about. Someone attempting to be a Surgeon studies and hones their skills as a surgeon, constantly preparing. It is their love and passion and that is what they focus on -- not getting diseased people upon which to operate.

3) Hire an agent? Stop! Actors don't hire agents! Agents sign actors for representation, and when those agents get those actors work, the agent keeps a percentage. Any agent requesting a fee up front is a phony and you should send them to me for a good talking to.

4) I live in L.A. I am friends with actors you see every day on T.V. and in film. They got where they are by being the best actors they could be, not by wishfully stating they are going to get some big gigs.

It may sound like I am being harsh with you, but I am a director and I love actors. I love working with them and I love the fearlessness in great acting. Willem Dafoe (I think) once said something to the effect of, a great actor bends himself to suit the role, whereas a movie star bends the role to suit himself.

You may want to reconsider your motivations for being an actor in the first place and see if you have the passion for what will definitely be one of the hardest lifestyle choices anyone could ever make.

Meanwhile here is some suggested reading for you:
True and False by David Mamet
Directing Actor's by Judith Weston
Story by Robert McKee

There you have three books, one about acting, one directing and one about writing, yet all three books are about all three subjects.

Good luck, and I hope to see you make it.

Answer 2

I applaud your desire/dream, but will answer your last Q first.

It's a "lifetime" process in ones passion. With "lessons" initially, you'll hopefully learn technique, practicing self assurance, "delivery", developing character, develop a stage presence, and dispell any angst. Once you graduate, you can throw away the BIG gray book of rules.

"Learning" to "Act",,,if that's truly possible, is a "process" as I said, and should evolve with the presentations, in the growth of the one delivering any performance, and certainly some possible recognition. Related to that last word,,, Thousands have the same idea, and competition is less an issue than the "GEM, shining from the pile of Rocks" Certainly there are "prodigies" of a sort, and you may be one? BUT there are also people who literrally starve, following creative passions.

Learn this along with anything else. Don't take rejection as a personal attack. Think of any,,, as a trophy,,, gained, as you develop.

Also at some point, audition for commercials, voice overs, small parts in live theater, and take your lumps when they happen. Seek info on getting a SAG card, eventually an agent perhaps, network, network, network, with others in the craft.

Stay within your limits initially, given your age, and don't be afraid to explore all possibilities in finding those parts and characters you feel suited to,,, then smile politely at the casting director, say "Thank you" when/if they say, "Thank you" or "Next"

Steven Wolf

Answer 3

If you listen to actors, learning the craft is a life-long task. You get better at it as you go. When you get an agent, you don't usually have to pay them upfront. They take a percentage of your earnings. You should save your money to invest in good head shots and reproductions of that headshot photograph with your stats and contact info on the back. That is what you leave when you go on a casting call or what your agent might send out.

Learn to accept rejection, you will get a lot of it. It isn't a reflection of you as a person. Sometimes the role calls for a short kid with red hair and buck teeth. If you are a tall skinny dark haired boy, you aren't going to get that role no matter how good of an actor you are. Good luck, kid!

Answer 4

You will not need money to hire an agent. An agent isn't hired, they decided to represent you and then they get a percentage of what you make...usually 10-15%. You NEVER give an agent money up front and be sure that they don't try to con you into using their photographer.

If you are a good actor, you will need a few classes to learn terminology and get comfortable.

If you are a GREAT actor...you will want to take classes for the rest of your life.

Answer 5

I reply first, and if the answering makes me suppose or makes my day, then I'll superstar. I realize...it is choosy of me, sorry. o.o But this manner I become pointing my lovers and contacts to the *well stuff* you recognize? ^__^ Or a minimum of I attempt to. But have a celeb besides only for being sufferer and information. ^_^

Answer 6

Good luck.