What Acting Venue is Best For Me? (Part I)
Lets discuss which arena of acting you prefer. Your options are anything from what you might usually think about, like TV shows and feature films, to some venues you may not have thought existed, maybe industrial films and student films. It might really be a good thing to try all of them. You will be exposed to knew things in each area, and turn into an all-around actor. Now let us examine the acting venues that are more familiar first and in a future article we will talk about other ones.
Episodic TV
"Episodics" are shows aired weekly, such as detective shows or sitcoms. A little part on an episodic may put you in future episodes, or maybe a recurring role. A permanent role on an episodic show is about as close as a professional actor ever comes to having a "regular" job. The hours are consistent, the pay is wonderful, and you usually get weekends off. What I dont like: you pretty much need to be in New York or Hollywood to even audition. Rarely, there are episodics that are shot in different towns, like Miami or Las Vegas, and if you are in one of the different towns, lucky you.
Soaps
Soap opera shows make a class all by themselves. The pay is great and the hours are steady. Theyre also a great place to build your acting skills. The bad part of soap operas is you need to be in Chicago or New York, they may be a tiny bit more difficult to land than an episodic.
TV
Lots of TV shows are a one-time project, meaning the TV show is put on film once and showed on TV one or more times. These can be easier to get a job with, and are usually filmed in medium sized markets. The pay is decent, but most of the time it is not stellar. A role of this type doesnt last too long, does that sound familiar?
Stage acting
Many of the greatest actors of our timeframe were taught the craft on the stage. It can be lots of work with painful hours, weeks or even months of rehearsing and performing. A part in a wonderful Broadway show may last years. Personally, I dont adore doing the exact same thing over and over again, but it is a great way to become a good actor, and a steady paycheck. I DO love the instant applause from a live audience. You know instantly whether what you are doing is good or if it is not. Stage acting is very easy to get into, even in a smaller town. The paycheck is not very good but overall, Id recommend stage acting for everyone, especially when first starting out.
Feature Films
There is something undeniably magical about working on feature films. For me, you can not beat dressing up in period clothes and putting your foot on to the set for a feature film. Its close to transporting in a time machine, to have fun AND get paid. Here is where you are a piece of something that is bigger than anything a person could do alone. The time can be long, usually with twelve or sixteen-hour workdays, which could start well before the crack of dawn.
Usually a non-union film won't pay very good, between $100 and $300 every day, it would depend on how important your role is. An "indie" film, or any film on a smaller budget could pay little or nothing, with a guarantee of food, credit and your own copy of the movie. A union film will usually pay alot better, though still dependent on the part you have. Of course, the A-list actors get paid more than a million for a feature film, but even lesser known actors can get very good paychecks.
Your work on a feature film could be one afternoon, a day or a week. Some projects last as long as two or three months. Shooting is frequently rushed due to the ever-present production deadlines or budget constraints. Many films are shot on location, which means traveling to that location and many times sleeping in trailers or hotels during the shoot.
Ok, weve explored the more familiar acting venues, the less evident ones we'll discuss in the next article. And, these topics are also covered much more thoroughly in my ebook, but I do strongly recommend that you try all the avenues to get the greatest variety of education and experience. Stay tuned for the next article and well see you in the movies.
John Fisher is a 20-year veteran actor and acting coach. His excitement about acting enlives his free, tell-all newsletter which covers everything concerning how to get into acting from the best way to get headshots, to getting into voice-over acting.