What qualities do I need to be a successful actor?

To be a successful actor you need a combination of things working in your favour not least the ability to act! You need:

Talent Ambition Patience Ability to withstand constant rejection ? thick skin Luck Hard work

Try to get as much experience as you can while at school by taking part in school plays and amateur film productions. Perhaps join a youth theatre and acting classes, etc. that run outside school hours and at weekends. Helping out back stage is also good experience.

What do I need to do to get started?

Acting is a competitive profession to break into. It's one of those things that you mainly need experience in to get a part but how do you gain experience if you don't get a part?

• Take part in as many amateur productions as you have time for and offer to help out behind the scenes of local theatre company's. Join an amateur dramatic society, youth drama club, etc.
• Take acting classes to increase your range and keep your skills up to date.
• If there is no major theatre company near to you or you want to work in TV/film, you may need to consider relocating to a major city that has a film studio, etc. where you can attend auditions.
• Ideally you need an agent with a good reputation to represent you.
  Beware agents who ask for money upfront as a genuine agent will not ask this instead they take commission on jobs once a fee has been paid by the employer.
• You will need a good Head shot to forward to casting Directors and for you agent to keep on file. A headshot is a black and white photograph of your face, 8''x10''. It is rather like a passport photo but much more arty and professional and including your shoulders. You will need up to 50 of these as you get through them fast.
  You write your name and sometimes your agents contact information below the photo. You attach your resume to the reverse side of this.
• You need an up to date portfolio /resume, which details all your acting experience and training, etc. This is technically your acting CV!
• Prepare a cover letter to forward with your headshot and resume to all the casting directors and agents in your area. Update them every few months with details of your current acting projects.
• Subscribe to the trade papers regularly, things like ''Backstage,'' ''Dramalogue,'' ''The Ross Reports'' and ''Variety,''. There are also many online publications you can read such as newenglandfilm.com.
• Keep up to date with what is being cast and forward headshots and resumes directly to directors and producers requesting auditions.

What problems may I face if I choose an Acting Career?

Being an actor may seem like a dream job, but until you make it big and are in demand you have a hard road ahead to be successful! Here are some of the problems you may encounter:

• You have lots of enthusiasm and ambition but no clue how to get started or how to find a decent agent that you afford.
• You're not being sent to many auditions and don't get many call backs. This can lead to an overwhelming sense of rejection and wondering if you should be an actor at all?
• You don't know how to network and make contacts that can help you get into the biz!
• You can get the work but can't accept it due to your other job which conflicts with the demands of an acting career. You also find it hard to juggle acting with family commitments.
• You need to eat and you need to support your family, acting seems like a bit of a luxury but that's all you want to do.
• There aren't enough hours in the day to work, spend time with family and friends and prepare for the acting job you just landed.

Your cold calling doesn't seem to be generating any response. You can't afford acting classes but keep being told by your agent you need them! You're told the headshot you provided courtesy of a photo booth is unacceptable but can't afford a professional photographer and don't know how to pick a good one.

Useful sources:

To gain more knowledge and experience of the areas that you need to focus on in order to overcome these obstacles check out some of these links.

Not all sites on the web are reputable and deliver on promises. This site http://www.starsearchcasting.com... has a section which advises you on what questions you need to ask the site owners in order to establish their authenticity.
Check the details here:
http://www.starsearchcasting.com/html/before_you_join.php

ExploreTalent.com
This is reported to be the World's largest database of actors and models.

CastingAudition.com This is a large free on-line database, with details about commercial, Broadway and movie auditions.