Acting : Need advice or a jump strat by Mike Reed

Thanks!!! and it's something I really want do.

Have you taken any classes?

Go to school, study the craft, find friends that want to be photogs and go on photo shoots, create a portfolio, create music videos on your own, train with a reputable singing coach, try out for reality/competition shows, sing in the middle of 3rd Street in Santa Monica. But Hannah's advice is #1 - which of those things is where your HEART lies. And do you want to be working in the industry, or do you just want to be famous?

I would find a private acting coach first. school, as in college, is way too expensive these days. if all you want to do is act, find someone who gives acting lessons. watch TV and movies and re-enact the scenes you like. think, how would I have done that scene? How would I have delivered that line. stick a camera in your face. you're going to have to act in front of it A LOT. so, get used to it. act in the mirror. record yourself and play it back. watch it over and over. rehearse over and over. do some local theater. there's a big difference between stage acting and film acting. but, one will help you learn the other. act as much as possible. watch others and learn from them. ask their advice. check craigslist for student films or 48 hour film challenges. take whatever you can get. show up, on time, and be professional. practice memorizing lines. see how fast you can memorize a line and deliver it. the better you are at that the more likely you are to land a part. go to auditions. watch craigslist and fb acting groups for local auditions. don't go expecting to get a part. go to have fun. don't be afraid, nervous or embarrassed. just do it and have fun. the more fun you have, the more confident you'll appear. and the more likely to land a part. just keep doing it. don't worry about how bad your at first. just keep doing it and you'll get better. you'll learn best by doing. don't get a big head if you start getting parts. be grateful and treat everyone with respect

Hi Mike, I totally recommend my new book, The Truth About Acting, it has great reviews too and I have a blog on my site and Facebook page for actors too. My site is under my name, I hope that helps!

Don't work to be famous, work at it because you love it and try to become skilled. Hang with foks of like mind and the rest will start to fall into place.

Mike, you've already gotten great advice. Let me pile on. ;) If your focus is on fame, money or anything else but following your passion, you are likely in for a hard time, disappointment and a delay in getting to what you really should be doing with your life...whatever that is. The hard times and disappointments also come to the passionate but they have a reason to keep going...because they can't stop. There are far easier ways to become rich and famous. Now, if you really want a career then start by getting in a good acting class. There is quite a bit of work going in Louisiana and Atlanta so you're in a good spot if film work is what you're hoping to do. But you need to be trained so that when the opportunity is there, you are ready to deliver the goods. God bless you and I wish you the best.

If you can have a look at these two videos on Youtube! Scott Rogers is a great teacher and coach based in Portland and Hawaii. He helped me land a role in a short film and I'm up for small parts on CBS Hawaii 5 O thanks to his guidance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE2y6pu-sV8

Hey Mike, I'm new to the biz as well but I understand the biz from being behind the camera. Best thing for you to do is to take some classes and get a few books and start LEARNING your craft! David Mamet has a great paperback book that's about 10 bucks (or you can get it at the libary for free) called "TRUE AND FALSE: Practical Advice for the Actor" . Also check out the videos on Youtube by famous actor Micheal Caine called " Michael Caine - Acting in Film" there are about 6 or 7 parts to watch. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibzR9__N1pQ

Networking + networking + networking = the key. There are a few connections you can make, right here on stage 32, with people from Louisiana. Here's a link about what's filming on NO: The Holding Tent: https://www.facebook.com/THTLA?fref=ts And if you already have acting experience here's an agent that might take a chance on you - Leesa Robinson Model & Talent Agency (she's located in Houston, but represents talent in NO). All the best Cynthia

For what it's worth, I'd suggest deciding which of the choices you've listed you're most passionate about. There are ways of getting famous that might work against you, so just try to develop your craft, whatever that might be.

You are lucky to be blessed with so many options! I agree with J. Louis Reid and suggest you follow your bliss. And then model the success of those you admire and study and work hard and happily towards your goal. Best wishes!

Ditto to Tommy. The best actors are always taking classes to get better and stay sharp. That's also where you hear about parts, hanging with serious, passionate actors and writers and producers (not that they all hang out together at the same place and time).

One other note Mike - dont try to become a "famous actor". WORK TO BECOME A GOOD ACTOR! Fame is not something you want to seek out. People that "Seek Fame" become train wrecks like Kim Kardashian or Scott Disck. People with no talent that happen to be in the public eye. LEARN YOUR CRAFT! Here is a great 1 hour video with Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, John Hawkes, Matt Damon, and Richard Gere all talking about what it takes to make it in Hollywood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTi634iZ7o8&feature=share&list=PLhKcXp78w...

Step One would be to watch this. It's FREE: http://www.performertrack.com/webinars-home-pw-tot-od.html Then depending on what you decide, you'll have your focus and now you'll need to take action. I have access to a lot of great resources but don't want to overwhelm you. So keep me/us posted. BTW New Orleans is a great area to start and maybe stay depending on what you determine in the free webinar.

There is a lot of great advice in these comments and I want to commend everybody for it. I'm nowhere near close to where a lot of you are at but one thing I learned from my two years of putting out an underground cd that sold out and rising to Main Event status in clubs was that I didn't care about the fame. While it was great making the money, meeting and working with some top players and killing it at shows, I found my true passion was being behind the camera and improvising every video I was on after I wet my feet on the first one. A lot of cameramen I worked with had no clue on how to direct so a lot of my ideas were put to use not only on my stuff but on others videos as well. I plotted out storylines and some really good scenes for videos that weren't even mine and fell in love with the acting part of it and that led me to pass on continuing that dream for the greater goal of acting. I even plotted my own death after making a storyline on somebody elses video to get in some more improv acting under my belt and while small it made the video and clinched the fact I'd rather act and put 100 percent into that than to keep on going no matter how big I was getting in that carreer. I put the direction into mine and everybody elses part on that video because it was lacking and didn't use a word just expressions and improvising on the plot and everyone said it made it great and I knew from there what I wanted to do as soon as I fought my demons and bad habits off as I now have. I had some of the greats i came up listening too tell me I was the one people were pegging as the "next to blow up" but my passion and goals were set on an acting career so I put it all down to chase this. Sorry for the vocab and run on sentences but I'm kind of in a hurry at the moment but I guess what im trying to say is it might be better like others have said to pick what you really want to do and pursue that. Don't just go for what will make you famous, go for what you have or develop a passion for. I regret nothing as I used to love music and never even considered acting until I got behind the camera and realized how much I loved that part of it after learning to improvise, act out parts and tell stories on the spot. Im greatful it showed me I have the look and talent to do this and I wouldn't trade that for the fame I would have had, never. Don't do it for the fame do it for the passion of what you want to do, you'll be a lot happier! Hope that helps even a little, I know it helped me just to let that out.

BRAVO !

Well you need to get pictures taken first.Check out LA Casting.com

I noticed a quote from the first issue of my magazine Arizona Filmmaker, "If fame and fortune is your goal, you'll probably give up from frustration long before you make it to your goal." HTTP://ARIZONAFILMMAKERMAGAZINE.COM

1. Get busy living or get busy dying. At the beginning of the movie the partying cowboy Ron Woodroof is given a death sentence: he has full blown AIDS and 30 days to live. So, what does he do? He buys a bunch of coke and booze, hires some strippers, and parties balls. But quickly the reality of the situation sinks in, and soon he’s off on a quest to heal himself and others suffering from HIV. He ends up living years longer than his 30 days. * While none of us have (hopefully) been given a grim prognosis, the truth is that life is finite, and you just don’t know when it will end. So do you wanna spend your precious time complaining about the weather, or your apparent lack of men/money/or meaning? No, you don’t. So get busy living by hustling towards your dreams and loving the life you have, pronto. The clock is ticking. 2. Don’t take no for an answer. This movie was rejected a whopping 137 times. At various points Woody Harrelson, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Gael García Bernal were signed on but all eventually dropped out. Finally Mcconaughey, his director and producers were able to see it through. * Remember many times no doesn’t mean NO, it just means: not right now, not this way, or not with this person. 3. “If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.” The reason Matthew Mcconaughey and his team succeeded when others failed before? He scheduled this film in his calendar. He and the director set the date to start shooting in September 2012 in Louisiana and Mcconaughey began shedding the weight he would need to play an AIDS patient. One week before filming was scheduled to begin, the investors dropped out. The director called Mcconaughey’s agents to say filming would have to be pushed back. Mcconaughey said no. He had another movie scheduled for the next year and he had already lost 50 pounds. This was it: now or never. Everyone started hustling and some rich Texans who were in the fertilizer business but wanted to break into movies put up the money. Filming took 25 days and was shot with no extra lights and a handheld camera. The movie has earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. * Whether you want to start a blog, leave your job, or open a business, give yourself a date to launch and stick to it. 4. Everyone loves a comeback. Jared Leto and Matthew Mcconaughey might both win Oscars on Sunday. But until recently Matthew Mcconaughey may have been best known for playing the bongos stoned and naked, and Jared Leto for a TV series he starred in 20 years ago. *It ain’t over ’til it’s over. You will have many incarnations in your lifetime. So if you happen to feel like the best is behind you, trust me, you will rise (and fall) and rise again. You just gotta keep trying. Which brings us to our last point…. 5. Enjoy the process, let go of the results. In many interviews about the DBC, Matthew Mcconaughey has said this: “I enjoy the process of the making, and I’ve become much less result-oriented. Not just in making movies, but in my life as well.” After many years of forgettable Rom-Com’s, he wanted to start making movies he actually liked and which challenged him as an actor. So he set out to make DBC, not with accolades or money in mind. The irony is that he’s garnered more respect and praise than he ever has in his entire career. *The takeaway: Do what you love. Not with fame or fortune in mind, but because it makes you happy and it’s what you were born to do. Nurture and enjoy the process, and if success comes: awesome! If not, whatevs. You’re doing what you love. You’ve already won.

For modeling join the websites onemodelplace.com and modelmayhem.com its a good way to get experience. For acting get some experience checkout craigslist, actors access, some facebook groups, this website and you can find open auditions. Most of them wont pay anything but its something for your resume that an agent wants to see. Take good acting classes, talk to people in the classes about what agents are good, get refferals from them and join a talent agency. Once you do that your journey begins. At that point you need to get good at acting. Really good. Take classes, lots of them practice a lot and go to every audition you can find no matter what the part is. You get good by doing. Oh also read a ton of books on acting. Some of them have really great acting techniques from guys that were the worlds best teachers.

Hi Mike, do you want to be famous first, or really good at learning your craft? People can get famous for doing next to nothing of value, or from a negative contribution to life. Concentrate on being a really good actor, singer or model and dedicate yourself to putting in the learning and graft that it takes to get good at anything. Let fame take care of itself. Drop by http://www.facebook.com/myfiftydollarfilmschool say hi and post your news. Good luck to you! Best wishes, Allan