need advice on Getting started

rabbit assassin

Hey all ,

First of all , apologies if I have posted this in the wrong thread.

I am 21 years old and come from a rural Irish background. I left school at 16 and went to work full time on a farm until just before last Christmas I got laid off. I know I have no real form of education apart from my junior cert but I could say I have an awful lot of life experience, that of someone at least twice my age. I have so many great ideas for short films, short film series and comedy series. I have so many good ideas that I am at the point in my life when I want to pursue a career in it. I do have a little experience in camera work and editing as I used to film nature as a hobby. I really want to get these ideas of mine into action. They are mainly comedy and drama and I have such a passion for this type of thing , yet being from the traditional Irish farming background I am so nervous about telling people " Oh I wrote a short film and want to act in it". Does anyone have any idea of how I get started or what I should do ? Is it possible to make a career out of what I want to do ? any help or advice would be so gratefully accepted. Thank you

iamyourending

Hey there, I was in a similar position, except I more wanted to become a TV/Stage actor, in a major way! I knew starting small and working up was the way to go, and it is. I'm currently a University student, studying Media, and doing some acting stuff on the side. However, to be honest, a big education isn't really a requirement for the acting or the type of work you're talking about. On a CV for anything associated with the Arts, I would say that experience is WAY more valuable than any degree. As for the acting aspect, sites like movieextras are brilliant for getting some experience and seeing how things really are, and maybe even making a few valuable contacts. As for writing/directing and stuff, maybe entering a local film festival would be a start? However, there's no point in just 'entering' a film festival based on nothing! Having all these ideas is great, but you need to write them down, select one which you think is best, and write a full script for it. Get some actors, maybe friends of young actors who are willing to do it for free to perform it to just you, reading all the lines as you have written them. Take notes as you see fit, edit the script, and repeat this until you're satisfied with the outcome. Hopefully at this stage you should have a good quality play! Approach a local drama school or maybe a school or college who run a drama class, and ask them if they'd consider staging the play. Hopefully this will work for you and eventually your play will be staged! Then edit the play based on audience feedback etc, and take it to the next town/city where there's another school where the play may be staged again! I know you had more of a television/film vision in mind, but unless you have a budget where you can film the scenes, pay actors, have a location,etc, then it'd be difficult to do so! If your play has been staged a few times, you might get the cash to produce a good quality film for show in film festivals...Then let the fun begin from there!
So basically, it's all working hard and constantly trying to improve your play! Start small with local productions, and work your way up to film festivals, where someone with major contacts may see your play!
Hope I was of some help, and good luck!

rabbit assassin

iamyourending wrote: »

Hey there, I was in a similar position, except I more wanted to become a TV/Stage actor, in a major way! I knew starting small and working up was the way to go, and it is. I'm currently a University student, studying Media, and doing some acting stuff on the side. However, to be honest, a big education isn't really a requirement for the acting or the type of work you're talking about. On a CV for anything associated with the Arts, I would say that experience is WAY more valuable than any degree. As for the acting aspect, sites like movieextras are brilliant for getting some experience and seeing how things really are, and maybe even making a few valuable contacts. As for writing/directing and stuff, maybe entering a local film festival would be a start? However, there's no point in just 'entering' a film festival based on nothing! Having all these ideas is great, but you need to write them down, select one which you think is best, and write a full script for it. Get some actors, maybe friends of young actors who are willing to do it for free to perform it to just you, reading all the lines as you have written them. Take notes as you see fit, edit the script, and repeat this until you're satisfied with the outcome. Hopefully at this stage you should have a good quality play! Approach a local drama school or maybe a school or college who run a drama class, and ask them if they'd consider staging the play. Hopefully this will work for you and eventually your play will be staged! Then edit the play based on audience feedback etc, and take it to the next town/city where there's another school where the play may be staged again! I know you had more of a television/film vision in mind, but unless you have a budget where you can film the scenes, pay actors, have a location,etc, then it'd be difficult to do so! If your play has been staged a few times, you might get the cash to produce a good quality film for show in film festivals...Then let the fun begin from there!
So basically, it's all working hard and constantly trying to improve your play! Start small with local productions, and work your way up to film festivals, where someone with major contacts may see your play!
Hope I was of some help, and good luck!

Everything you have said is so encouraging and helpful ! Thank you so so much

tabstheatre

Hey there,
Just wanted to stick my oar in here and disagree a little with the previous poster. I work in this industry and to be honest it's not easy to get into. MovieExtras is great and can be fun, but it's extra work, not acting and not writing.
Look everything you can do to give yourself an edge is vital. And training is absolutely important. Most actors and directors, playwrights etc would get pretty annoyed at the suggestion that they didn't need that education and that anyone could do what they do!!!!
Whilst life experience is necessary and being able to express yourself and having great and creative ideas is a must, you do need to be able to turn that into something more. A script or a screenplay or a role. This isn't something that you should just assume you can do without some training.
I think it's important to bear in mind that there is alot to be learned from drama school or from taking a course in this.
And if I'm completely honest, when I'm casting for a new play I do look at education. Much more so than experience. The last thing I would ever do is put someone with no training in with a cast of professional actors. My assumption would be they won't be able to keep up. And when I'm directing a professional production, I simply don't have the time to be teaching too!
Definitely get involved with an amateur group and see how you get on. But look around for a course you could take too. It doesn't have to be university. Just something to dip your toe into to see how you feel. You'll find most actors keep training all their lives. Practice keeps their skills up.
And as I said give yourself an edge. Bear in mind you will probably be sitting at auditions with people who have been training for 10 years!
That's my experience of the industry for what it's worth. And I've been working as an actor, director, producer and playwright for 15 years!
Best of luck with whatever you decide.

iamyourending

Just to reply to tabstheatre, as I've said, I'm more involved in the acting end of things, and all this has been the advice that I've picked up along the way. Some from personal experience, more from friends who have pursued careers such as those that rabbit assassin seeks. I definitely agree that this industry is difficult to get into, and I think that from my suggestion on how to get started in my first post, it's pretty clear that it requires some hard work! And yes, I'm well aware that an education is also useful, hence why I'm studying Media and English at University whilst doing acting work on the side, but for the guy who posted this looking for advice, I was simply trying to encourage an alternative route for entry into the business. I've been told by many great actors and people in the business that while an education helps, you either have it or you don't! Finally, I appreciate that training is a must for actors, but I was under the impression that I was advising an up and coming playwright, not an actor! Many great actors and playwrights have become established without any great training, and in all my experience, which due to my age is not a great as the other guy who posted here, I've learned that experience and being able to produce the goods is a lot more valuable than some piece of paper. However, I won't argue that point any further, as that is just a view of some people, and there are obviously many routes into the business, but they all require hard work and the building of contacts. Degrees help, but they're not the be-all and end-all. Best of luck again, rabbit assassin, who knows, maybe our paths will cross someday!

rabbit assassin

Thank you all so much for the advice, you have no idea how much it is appreciated ! Basically I have soooo many good ideas for sketches, short films etc.. My head is gona explode if I dont get them out there soon ! I have a video camera and up until now I have only filmed wildlife, car rallys and some events. Im not really an actor although I have played my fair share of roles in short films for school. I just have soooooooooooo manny ideas !!!!! Basically my idea is to just get them on paper ie. script, synopsis etc.. then hopefully get some on film ! My question is... where do i go from there ? How do I get my work noticed ?

Thanks again for the help you are all too kind !

Sam V Smith

Don't be disposable. Find things that set you apart from the crowd.

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wingsnfire

I work in international film productions and have also studied theatre craft, classical and contemporary ballet and music in London. My advice would be you need to study because it is OK being 'discovered' but working in the business long term and not being a one hit wonder does take a lot of hard work and you get used to rejection. There are a lot of actors out there so work is competitive and it is not a kind business. Once you have perfected your craft you need a good Agent because unless you were raised in the industry the way I was getting to know the right people which means you get work can be difficult. There is also the point that getting through an audition is a skill all of it's own which Agents don't always teach but they should. You will also need to use a voice coach because the ability to do authentic sounding accents really helps you get work. At an audition and on your showreel it's best to have a neutral accent when your voice is recorded or you won't get past first base.


As for being a writer, the first thing you need to know is how to format scripts because the US use different formats than the UK and China is a whole different ball game. If you are looking at working internationally you need top speak at least three languages, the Spanish and Chinese language film markets are really large.


It is a shame that there are not meet-ups (which are not sponsored by schools or companies) for those who want to enter the industry where people can talk face to face with people who have a lot of experience in the business and who will share their experiences. Boards like this are wonderful but face to face conversations with those in the business are better.