Question by lolita girl: Actors.. help!! A question for actors and filmmakers…?
I am an actress and a screenplaywriter.. And I’ve started of pretty well here in Sweden.. but I donno how to continue when I get to California.. Any tip? I mean acting is the love of mylife, I aint gonna do anything else.. So please, what should I do to get jobs in California?
Best answer:
Answer by TR
Having some experience will help, but all new actors in the USA will go through similar experiences.
If you aren’t incredibly lucky, here’s the work you must do (and perhaps you already knew part of this, but best not left unwritten):
1. Get your good professional photo package and resume in proper order.
2. Read trade publications, find websites, any other sources that might announce open auditions. Go to all of them (unless they are auditioning only men, etc.)
2a. Check with Actor’s Equity and Screen Actor’s Guild–you want membership in one of these two unions (which one is unimportant). They require that you have a certain amount of previous experience working in union-approved productions. I doubt they’ll count what you’ve done in Sweden but maybe they will–if you get membership, then you can find out about closed auditions and go to them as well.
3. Ask around wherever you’re living and find which are the best actors’ workshops, dance studios, theatrical voice coaches. Enroll–take classes, take lessons. You’ll be able to network with others here, and your connections may lead to work.
Now, screen writers are a different thing–I know less about that trade, only that you need to do lots of schmoozing and you need to know how to pitch your concept. But I’d advise that you make one or the other your first goal, and then go after the other once you’re established in the first.
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