Study Acting to Hone Your Skills and Increase Your Chances of Stardom

October 25th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

Many people do not realize that most of today’s actors and actresses actually became famous because they decided to study acting. We always hear about the overnight sensations in the movie industry, but the reality is there are very few overnight sensations, as a matter of fact there are probably less than a handful of people that have shown up for an acting job and got it without having some training in the field.

Many universities offer the opportunity to study acting. There are entire programs dedicated to the art. A lot of folks that make it as actors have chosen nontraditional routes to study the craft, and they take private lessons or they attend one of the performing arts schools.

Curriculum

There is an acting curriculum in place at many universities. The drama departments at many universities have a serious curriculum set up. The curriculum is geared toward teaching the students various acting techniques from stage drama to stand up comedy. The classes that are given teach the students not only the art of acting but stage direction and common terms used in the industry.

Some of the classes that are required have nothing to do with being on stage or in the movies, some of them are dedicated to back stage goings on and behind the camera activities.

The Road to Study Acting

Making the decision to study acting usually begins early on in an academic career; it can start as early as elementary school for some people. A great way to get started on this road is to join clubs as part of extra curricular activities, like the drama club. Getting involved in school plays and neighborhood playhouses is also a great way to get your feet wet; it will also increase the odds of getting accepted into a formal program.

Making it big as an actor is not as simple as it seems there is normally long years of study and of pursuit. Actors have usually been fine tuned to the industry and have spent a great deal of money and time to study acting. In the end only a small hand full of people make it to the big leagues.

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Enroll In Child Acting Classes for A Successful Acting Career

October 18th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

Most of us have the notion that the acting is an in-born quality. But in this challenging society, every skill needs nurturing. The best way is to realize this aim of your child is to enroll him/her in a child acting classes.

Stage fear is the common obstruction in an acting career and then comes the camera fear. For a successful acting career, to overcome these two fears is very crucial and child acting classes would be your best bet. The classes would help your child gain that confidence at an early age which is the recipe for success in acting. The right acting classes will help you to show your true emotions, so that the audience can feel the passion.

Young Actors Camp is one name which assists you in enhancing your skills in the field of entertainment. They give the best classes for acting and singing. We build up the routes for your success in this severely competitive industry. All the people of different age groups can be the part of Young Actors Camp classes to foster polished manners, self confidence and triumph over your shyness. And at the end of the child acting classes and singing classes your child will be full of self confidence and will be prepared to enter the world of entertainment.

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TV-Film Acting Training Builds Confidence in Youth

October 11th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

A child has a natural acceptance of themselves; however, this doesn’t always equate to gaining confidence. Confidence in children often results from their environment. Children usually develop their confidence at an early age. This confidence or lack thereof will be brought into their adulthood or possibly the rest of their lives. TV and Film Acting training is one way of teaching kids and teens how to gain confidence in themselves.

You may want to consider enrolling your child in an on-camera acting class with a goal of simply providing your child the opportunity to develop their self-confidence.

One advantage of an on-camera acting class is that your child will be able to watch their performance during a video tape playback (in our studio not every studio). During this playback session, the child will observe how they present themselves and make the desired changes almost immediately. I have seen students with bad habits of eyes blinking, fidgeting, head bobbing etc. stop this behavior once they have seen themselves on camera. Children are learning “self-awareness” and how they appear to others.

When contacting any particular school ask them if they will allow your child to audit and participate in a class before deciding to enroll. It is best to take a class or at the very least observe whether or not the child is cooperative and wants to be in the class. Many parents will say to me, “Oh, my son/daughter is too shy for acting.” This is precisely the reason to take acting! Acting helps a shy child break out of their shell.

Finally, TV and Film acting training requires kids and teens to listen, focus, concentrate, speak clearly, communicate emotions and work well with others. I am consistently rewarded by observing students who during acting lessons become very outgoing. The many beneficial skills learned through on-camera acting training will be used their entire lifetime. So why not give your child the chance to gain a positive winning personality to help them succeed in life?

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Child acting can help with self esteem

October 4th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

It is often assumed that children with a flair for the dramatic, who feel a naturally tendency to emote and who feel comfortable in front of an audience, are the best candidates for child acting classes. However, children who are shy or who may have poor self-esteem are good candidates for child acting classes as well. Children who take acting classes learn about communication more rapidly than those who don’t. They also are usually better able to handle public speaking than other children, which can save them from the crippling fear of speaking in front of others that many people face even into their adult years. When a child takes, they are instructed in ways that help them express themselves better, which can also help to improve their relationships with others, not only as children, but throughout their adult lives. It is in these child acting classes that many children learn to open up. As a result, they often make lifelong friends with their fellow students. At a young age also fosters discipline and poise. These attributes are necessary when engaging in theatrical endeavors. They benefit developmentally from the structure provided by acting classes, and they also are better able to cultivate an appreciation for the arts. Children who are asked to memorize lines as part of their child acting roles also experience improved memory as adults. Child acting can help a child unleash his or her creativity and can help them learn to explore more of their gifts and talents. If your child discovers that he or she has the ability to make an audience laugh or clap, that will instill in them a sense of confidence and self-esteem. Your child just may discover a new side of themselves that they did not know existed. For children, their first child acting classes are often a step into a new world of entertainment that they often come to love, which will give them both the skills, visibility, and contacts needed to make their acting dreams come true. It is often assumed that children with a flair for the dramatic, who feel a naturally tendency to emote and who feel comfortable in front of an audience, are the best candidates for child acting classes. However, children who are shy or who may have poor self-esteem are good candidates for child acting classes as well. Children who take acting classes learn about communication more rapidly than those who don’t. They also are usually better able to handle public speaking than other children, which can save them from the crippling fear of speaking in front of others that many people face even into their adult years. When a child takes, they are instructed in ways that help them express themselves better, which can also help to improve their relationships with others, not only as children, but throughout their adult lives. It is in these child acting classes that many children learn to open up. As a result, they often make lifelong friends with their fellow students. At a young age also fosters discipline and poise. These attributes are necessary when engaging in theatrical endeavors. They benefit developmentally from the structure provided by acting classes, and they also are better able to cultivate an appreciation for the arts. Children who are asked to memorize lines as part of their child acting roles also experience improved memory as adults. Child acting can help a child unleash his or her creativity and can help them learn to explore more of their gifts and talents. If your child discovers that he or she has the ability to make an audience laugh or clap, that will instill in them a sense of confidence and self-esteem. Your child just may discover a new side of themselves that they did not know existed. For children, their first child acting classes are often a step into a new world of entertainment that they often come to love, which will give them both the skills, visibility, and contacts needed to make their acting dreams come true.

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Acting Tips on Memorizing Lines

September 27th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

Here is one acting tip – acting is not about learning lines. Yet actors often worry about memorizing lines, so below is some information on when you need to know your lines and the best way to avoid drawing a blank.

1. Do you need to know your lines for acting auditions?

It depends on whether you have to do a monologue, a prepared scene or a cold reading.

  • If you’re presenting a monologue, you have to know your lines perfectly. Casting directors assume you’ve worked on your monologue for a long time and expect you to have it down. If you don’t know your monologue like the back of your hand, you could easily draw a blank once you feel the added stress of auditioning. That’s not a situation you want to be in, but if you do fumble a line at an audition, here’s an important acting tip – don’t stop acting. Say the line over if you can or just move on, but don’t apologize and don’t break the fourth wall. Act the way you would if this happened on stage and the casting director will know you’re a professional.
  • If you’re asked to prepare a scene from a script you don’t have to know your lines by heart, but you should be very familiar with them. If you can memorize the scene, that’s better of course, but always keep a copy of it in your hand no matter what. That way, you won’t have to interrupt your acting if you do forget a line, plus it reminds the casting director that your audition is a work in progress, not the polished performance you would give if you got the part. Here’s an acting tip for film auditions – keep the hand you hold your script with steady to avoid annoying shuffling paper noises being picked up by the camera.
  • If your audition consists of a cold reading, no one will expect you to know your lines, but try to show up early at the audition so you can read the scene over several times. The more familiar you are with the lines, the more you’ll be able to focus on your acting and not the words. Here’s a cold reading acting tip – slide your thumb down the paper as you read your scene. This way, you’ll have a mark for your next line and you’ll be able to look up during your audition without breaking the flow of your scene.

Naturally, once you nail the audition and get the job, it’s time to memorize your lines.

2. What’s the best way to learn lines?

It depends on the type of person you are. Some actors do better if they work on the acting first because once they know what motivates their character to speak, memorization is easy. Other actors prefer to get the memorization part of the way so they can concentrate on their acting.

Try these different acting tips and methods and see what works for you.

  • Write your lines down – That’s what Anthony Hopkins does. He writes each line three times. By the third time, he feels he’s committed the line to memory. Writing your lines down will help you process and memorize them.
  • Reading lines out loud – It’s easier to learn words when you hear them, so read your lines out loud over and over while you figure out the subtext of your script. Try to read without any specific intonation so you don’t fall into a rhythm that will keep you from being spontaneous when you act. When you’re ready to test yourself, record the other characters’ lines, leaving enough space for your dialogue. Run lines with everyone you can (friends, roommates, family…)
  • Rehearsing – If you rehearse your scenes every day, working on your objectives and connecting with your partner, most of your lines will eventually come naturally because you will have worked out the impulse that makes your character say the line. The legendary acting teacher Stella Adler called this “experiencing” the lines. Actually, if there’s a few lines you just can’t seem to get right, those could be clues into things you haven’t figured out about your character yet.

Here is one last thing about learning lines – it gets easier the more you do it!

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Guidelines for Child Actors

September 20th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

The entertainment industry is littered with child actors whose careers came to heartbreaking and sometimes tragic endings. From Gary Coleman to Danny Bonaduce, there are lots of horror stories of child actors who were not prepared for the ups and downs of show-business. Before you get your child involved in acting, here are a few guidelines you should first consider:

1. Does your child really want to be an actor? Make sure the dream of being an actor is their dream and not a dream of yours being lived vicariously through them. If you are merely forcing them to live your dream for you, it can do serious damage to the child. The stress and demands of acting will take a toll if a young actor doesn’t enjoy what they do; if they are simply doing it because you are forcing them to do it.

2. Beware of scams. There are many, many acting scams out there. Unscrupulous people prey on others who don’t really understand the industry by charging huge sums of money for photos and selling unnecessary products. Learn about the industry before you involve your child so that you (and your child) are not victimized by scammers.

3. Find a reputable agent. A talent agency helps actors find acting work in the area. But sometimes talent agencies can be scammers, requiring you to pay money upfront before they provide your child with representation. Before signing on with an agency or paying any money, ask the talent agency for references so you can see if others have had a good experience with the agency. You may be surprised what you find out.

4. Forget the money. There is much money to be made for child actors. But, you have to make sure that you don’t focus on the money. Your focus, as a parent, must always be on your child. Focusing on money may cloud your ability to do what is in the best interest of the child. Forget the money and concentrate on the well-being of your child.

5. Have fun. Acting should always be a fun experience for any actor, but especially, for a child actor. The minute it stops being a fun and rewarding experience is the minute you should halt your child’s involvement in the entertainment industry.

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Child Acting Career Tips

September 13th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

How can you help your child’s acting career? Here are five tips you can use to help them succeed while they pursue their dream of acting.

1) Sign them up for a good kids’ acting class

If your child is six or older, this is the first step to take before even thinking of an agent or headshots. Children actors don’t need that much training and “acting technique”. What they need is to build the confidence to be themselves when they act. Being around other kid actors and knowing what to expect when they go to children acting auditions will help them book their first acting job. A good child acting class teaches kids to stay natural by using their innate ability to make believe. It uses methods like theater games and improvisation that make learning acting fun and exciting for the child. Kids can quickly pick up bad habits as actors, so take your time when looking for a good class. Talk to other parents and look for a teacher that will give your child a strong foundation, rather then teach them “tricks” to be cute that will quickly wear off as they get older.

2) Get them a good kid headshot

Headshots are very important for any actors, because a headshot is the first thing casting directors see when they look through actor submissions. A kid headshot is even more important because children often don’t have much experience on their resume yet, so a lot of the time, all a casting director has to go by is their picture. What makes a good kid headshot? One that is natural, looks exactly like your child and shows their personality. You don’t even have to spend the money on a headshot photographer if your kid is just starting a child acting career. A good snapshot taken by you should suffice to start with. Just make sure you take it outside using natural light and that it is a smiling shot of your kid that shows face, hair and shoulders. Avoid make-up and fancy hairdos at all costs! A kid’s headshot should look like a kid. That’s what casting directors are looking for: children who can have fun and be themselves in front of the camera. Once you have a good shot, make 8 x 10 prints for auditions.

3) Try not to coach them

It’s natural for parents to want to help our children, but coaching them can really hold back their child acting career. That’s because we don’t see the world like they do. If we tell them how to say a particular line for an audition, we’re giving them an adult’s point of view on how we think the line should be said. Not only will their rendition sound awkward and forced, but we will have taken away a chance for their uniqueness and personality to shine through. What casting directors are looking for at auditions is a child’s unique take on a role, not an imitation of how a parent thinks the role should be played. No matter how smart a parent’s interpretation is, it can’t rival the spontaneous take a child will have on things. Another reason not to coach your kid is that if you want them to have a long child acting career, they have to learn how to work on it themselves without any help. Even if mimicking works at the beginning, it will only take them so far.

4) Audition Locally

If your child is just starting to attend kids casting calls, don’t travel miles to go to auditions in major cities far from your home. Not only will your child have to deal with longer lines and fiercer competition, but oftentimes kids’ auditions in big cities are not that kid friendly. Although auditions may be few and far between at first, it will be better for your child’s self-confidence if they start off in a smaller town where the casting director can take the time to talk to them and make them feel comfortable.

5) Keep it fun

Acting should always be fun for children. It’s the children who are passionate about acting that are successful because it’s like a game for them. How can you help keep it fun? Make sure no one – no teacher, agent or family member – is putting pressure on them to succeed. Also make sure they keep up with school work and have other hobbies and interests than acting. This will help create a balance in their lives so they don’t have their self-worth tied in with whether they get the next acting job or not. Having other hobbies can in turn be helpful in their child acting career, so be sure to mention on their kid acting resume if they have special skills like ice skating, skateboarding, etc.

Kids who love acting have fun when they audition. They don’t try to guess what casting directors want. They are able to be themselves and remain kids. And that’s what producers are looking for when hiring young talent!

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Young Teens get themselves enrolled into Acting Classes

September 6th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

During their growing years, a number of young adults and teens express their interest in acting and a whole other lot of vocational skills. At this point, parents should sit up and pay heed to their child’s desires and even encourage them further to make a standing for themselves. They should allow them to nurture their own ideas rather than shove some age-old concepts and beliefs down their throat.

With a lot of schools and institutes specialising in vocational fields like acting and music, one can just encourage their kid or teen to take up those hobbies which they always thought were a sheer waste of time. Run by some of the best in the showbiz industry, these establishments offer workshops and classes throughout the year and at very competitive prices.

What’s on Offer?
The classes offered by such schools include courses that help students in perfecting their acting techniques, present themselves on the camera and, better still, give them a good understanding of theatre and production study. These institutes also enable teens and adults to uncover their hidden creative potential, which includes skills like gaining confidence in front of the camera; getting a better understanding of acting, as well as technicalities involved in working on camera and what it is to create shows from scratch. In essence, such courses are also awesome communication and self-esteem builders for your child to take on the tough journey called ‘life’.

Parents residing in proximity to such acting schools should consider themselves lucky as their children have the opportunity to start early in the lucrative showbiz industry. Sounds quite promising! However, with plenty of such schools and institutions having mushroomed in a short span of time, it’s better to be on your guard before deciding on the institution you want your teen to attend. Sometimes, these establishments charge outrageous rates, and deliver nothing in the end. Therefore, you should talk to parents of teens attending similar classes, conduct proper research, and check the institution’s faculty portfolio before finalising anything.

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For the Young Actors, Auditioning is Fun!

August 30th, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

OK, the key to survival as a young actor is summed up in one little three letter word: FUN. According to acting school instructor, students have to enjoy going to acting classes, going to auditions and driving around town meeting people. The process of getting work is so difficult sometimes that we don’t want to even try. But try you must. And the key is to ENJOY trying.

Ways to have fun getting work in the acting industry:

1. Find acting classes. Having a place where you can grow, feel supported and unique and where you can take risks and fall on your face and start over. Acting classes are about discovering yourself and what parts of you that are special and learning to include that in the acting work. This is essential to success and happiness. There is only one you and that’s what they cast.

2. Enjoy Auditioning. It’s like a performance with very little rehearsal time. Make strong powerful choices and go with your impulses and make the audition for yourself and not them. Take their direction but make it a performance and a job that you are booked on during the time you are in that room.

3. Get something from each audition. Emotionally or otherwise. Steal the pass from paramount studios that says “visitor” and cross out visitor and write “actor” and post it above your desk to remind you.

4. Create, act and act again. Write your own work, do a play, visit friends, go hiking in the mountains or the desert, go to the beach. Live a full fun life. It comes into the room.

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How to Be a Success in Acting

August 23rd, 2010 by youngactorscampblog

Many people work a long time, perhaps an average of six years is typical, in order to secure the first beachhead on the island of success as an actor.

Some actors, and it happens all too often, mistake that first beachhead for the island. They think they’ve clinched the career itself when all they’ve really got is a foothold on it: a foothold on the first rung of a very tall ladder.

But you, as an actor, haven’t got the island of success secured until you have taken the last beachhead; the one that assures you of continuity in your career and a genuinely solid place in the entertainment world.

In the early phases of his career an actor is as great as his last show. Only the seasoned star rises above his vehicle and has the staying power to survive a bad show, lift a fair one above mediocrity, and always enhance a good one by his very presence.

If you want to “live your own life,” don’t become an actor. As an actor you will have to live the life that will be best for your career. And you will have to accept one final source of authority to determine what that best is.

You will have to put your money into the right kind of clothing and accessories for the furtherance of your career, not into a helter-skelter assortment of clothes that you happen personally to prefer. You’ll have to get the haircut that will get you a job, not the one that follows a fad.

The world of the actor is made up of highly competent specialists who are vastly important to the entertainment industry – and to your career.

No single person ever “makes” an actor. Many people have a hand in creating him – possibly from some of the very substances inherent in you.

The head electrician, you will eventually discover, is just as much a specialist in his particular field as the writer or director is in his. The man in the cutting room is, in his way, just as important to a film as its producer.

The people in wardrobe, hairdressing and make-up departments know how the actor should appear in relation to a production as a whole. With their specialists’ eyes, they “see” the actor as he can rarely see himself.

The sound engineers, who have learned to hear as the sound system hears, know how the actor should sound. The publicists know how to spotlight public interest in him. The agents know how he should be presented for available roles that are right for him, just as the teachers and coaches know what he is professionally capable of doing.

All these people, along with other specialists, know best what is right for the actor. They are not prejudiced by personal whim. They arrive at their decisions by workmanlike co-operation, functioning in a chain of command that goes, link by link, to the top.

Actors today have unprecedented prestige and social standing.

Most of them use their advantages to good purpose, as does Bob Hope, globe-circling, good-will ambassador extraordinary to the court of humanity. Royalty welcomes Danny Kaye, and so, in many lands, do the underprivileged children to whom he has brought the vitalizing nourishment of laughter.

While the successful actor acquires prestige and social standing in plying his well-paid profession, he attains other gratifying goals.

Almost without exception, every notable performer refers nostalgically to some artistically worth-while venture about which he says happily, “I didn’t make much money with it, but it was a great satisfaction to do.”

Where does this satisfaction come from? It comes from giving an audience something he believes in: something that to him represents, either inspirationally, dramatically or amusingly, the truth as he sees it.

Acting is a noble craft and well worth all the effort you can put into it.

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