Acting : What do you think you need to succeeed in the biz? by Mike Chinea

Having the right attitude and a means of supporting yourself will carry you a long way. From what I've seen here, you have the right attitude. Here's my cliche of the day: Shoot for the stars and if you miss you'll still may hit the moon.

He asked what your aspirations are. Not how you intend to 'get by.' Today each of us need to have a clear Vision of what we are going to do, how we are going to get there (not how we're going to survive until), and where the end point is. Know your First, Second and Third Acts (to use a writing metaphor). And yes Mike, I like that 'cliche' too!

Emme, here's one thing you and others just starting out can do and it shouldn't cost you a dime. Get 5 or more actor friends to write down 5 or more traits about you and what roles do they see you in. Are you the girl next door type, the biker chick, the motherly type, totally insane, kooky, passionate, cold blooded killer, etc. It should give you a starting point and then you branch out.

Don't know about others, my only impression has been of someone with the right attidute and that's more than have the battle.

Lots of hard work, dedication, and determination. Those overnight successes you here about have been in the works for years.

So true Federico.

What is most commonly missing is a "Plan". Remember it's a career you want not a job. You can get jobs even if your not ready but a career takes serious planning and follow through. Train, train, train, network, act at every opportunity no matter where you are or the opportunity is. What most people fail to do is understand that you have to arrange your life to pursue the profession not try and force the profession to fit your life. Get a subsistence job that gives you the time to pursue your career. Ask questions to everyone that you ever meet in this industry. This site is great for that. Remember that making yourself an asset is how you get cast and ultimately build a career. I have been cast in productions because of networking I did as grip, DP, boom, etc. An actor needs to understand his/her profession and the best way to do that is to constantly learn. Be ready. You should be able to go on any audition on short notice. That means all your tools are done, headshots, slates, demos, audition clothes, etc. Never put auditioning off because you intend to lose weight, want your hair to be longer, need more money, etc. of course you will sooner or later have to be SAG and get an agent but plan to be an asset before your plan to sell yourself to an agent. Just so you don't forget, train, train, train then train some more.

Great comments Yehoshua. Wish somebody would have told me that 40+ years ago.

It's never too late.

More great comments. You definitely have to love what you do otherwise is only velleity. Being in the right place at the right time and being prepared is very important. If Tom Cruise wasn’t on his A game when he auditioned for “Endless Love” would he be the super star he is now? In just 5 years and 6 movies later he got the role that shot him up straight to the stars as Maverick in “Top Gun” and after that was one top grosser after another. Luck was being the right age, having the right look at the right time but his passion, training and preparation go him the part.

Staying power, and a driven desire to advance and succeed... There is no such thing as No, there is only Maybe :)

I want to continue being a makeup artist for film. I submit for as many jobs as I can find, I try to reach out to production coordinators. IMDB, this site and many others. Do good work etc etc. Sometimes I actually don't know what the hell I'm doing when times are slow. I want to throw my kit out the window and go work on a Cruise Ship ?!?!? Can you tell it's been a slow season : )

I think you first need a strong desire, without that nothing will get done. Then you need training, a work out group and mentors. Classes will give you a strong foundation but you need to consistently practice what you have learned. That's where the work out group comes in. Together you can learn, improve and keep each other motivated and accountable. Your mentor can help you with the knowledge and business end of the equation. Learn from their mistakes and benefit from their wisdom. I'm now working on finding the mentor now.

I would like to be a sexy action movie type actress like Angelina Jolie. I think it would be a good fit for me because of my build- athletic/muscular but curvy at the same time. I am moving to LA Jan 24th to achieve my dreams! I have a place to stay and a modeling gig in place.

Talent, luck and persistence

Talent is nice - but the world is filled to the gunwales with very successful teak thespians, so it isn't a guarantor. What will cut it, though, is perseverence, and connections. The rest is up to you. Don't ever, for one moment, rely on luck as an outside factor, because luck is what you make yourself rather than something that happens outside you. The reason people fail is that they give up, and you know the old saying - there is no failure save in no longer trying. That said, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always had.

Passion, Passion, Passion, If you love what you do then you will be good at it. I wake thinking Screenwriting, Sleep thinking Screenwriting, Dream Screenwriting. It possesses me totally. My life would not be complete without it. My moto is "Strive for perfection, and achieve fame. Strive for fame and achieve nothing".

I love this thread. Thanks for starting it, Mike. Mikayla, I thought your contribution was spot on. Mike makes a great point as well - You need to be prepared for the moment. Taking that a half step further, you need to have confidence in yourself to be prepared for the moment. In this business, opportunities often come out of nowhere. If you've put in the time honing your craft, you should be ready for just about anything. One other aspect I think is vitally important...You need to look at yourself as a brand. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Identify both. Play to your strengths. Market yourself around those strengths. I was watching an interview with Charles Grodin recently where he said that people think they know him based on his public persona. But, that's his brand. The grouchy, put upon, comedic foil is what he does best. And he made a career off of it. But it's not who he is in his private life.

I agree with Richard that branding is the key. I tell my students all the time that casting decision makers do not cast talent. That is a given just like breathing. You must ask yourself the following question "What about you puts butts in the seats?" If you can not articulate an answer go back to class, get on the stage, talk to your peers, learn what you have that will make an audience yearn to see you perform. Their are lots of very good actors but very few unique ones. To many actors work too hard to become what they see as the "norm" in acting. They want to be good looking, sexy, etc. If you happen to be stunningly beautiful well your lucky in society but in acting it's just one more thing you have to sell and may have to sell even harder because the stars that are already cast do not want to compete against your beauty, height, body type, etc. So find your branding and you will finally have something to sell if your talent is ready. A good actor has talent, a great actor makes an audience want to see it.

When you see a bad actor acting in Hollywood blame the the poorly trained CSA that cast by appearance and not by branding or talent. Sometimes a bad actor can put butts in the seats because he/she has branding from another endeavor such as sports, politics, wrestling etc. These are not the actors anyone should emulate or use as an example of how to get into Hollywood. There are bad actors of all body types and the same can be said of great actors.

Terrific posts, Yehoshua. I may add, your post about actors trying to fit a "form" is also very true about screenwriters these days. Many try to follow the trend or write what they believe is "hot" as opposed to writing what truly moves or inspires them. Huge mistake. You have to create your own voice, your own vision.

A strong almost untouchable belief in yourself and your talent (always leaving room to improve), discipline, perseverance and a lot of patience.. And to never forget why you are doing what you are doing, which is (or at least should be) because IT IS YOUR PASSION, AND WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO DO!

Plan your work - work your plan

my second mentor used to say: "contacts, contacts, contacts. Then comes nothing else for a long time. Then comes a lot of patience. And then come your ideas." Problem is, I pretty much see that is true, yet I usually live it the other way round…