An Actors Essential Tools
Showreel
It is very possibly THE most important tool an actor needs in order to progress their career. It can take months, if not years, to accrue the right footage for a good showreel, and quite often, it's hard enough getting the work to make a showreel, let alone make ends meet to support that start.
Because we have worked in the industry for over 20 years, we understand how tough this business can be and how eager you are at the start. So to keep up with that pace and energy, we offer the opportunity to shoot three scenes over a couple of days and have your showreel ready within a few weeks.
We offer a number of duologues (written by our award winning in-house writing team) and are happy to run over any scripts that you may want to use yourself. From there, we combine with other actors and engage in a very intense shoot to create the scenes you need. Once filming has completed, we will take away the footage, edit and return to you a completed showreel.
Headshots
Every actor needs those all important headshots to get noticed. Sometimes its just a look that can get you the job. We understand that this is your photoshoot and we want you to enjoy yourself and come away feeling confident about the image you are showing to the world. Our Photoshoots offer you a 30 min window with our qualified photographer, who will get you the shots you need to best show you and your personality.
The Photoshoot will be private and in our in-house studio. We normally have some music on and there’s refreshments if you’re needing!
We will prepare the shots and have them back to you within a couple of weeks via weblink or in the post. You can choose three pictures to download and keep (as part of your fee) and we are happy to offer suitable advice on a selection if you are unsure.
CV
Your acting CV is as important as your showreel and your headshots. It tells the world what experience you have. It shows what training you have accrued. But most importantly, it shows how serious you are about your career.
Our in house Business Management team has over fifteen years Project Management and Bid writing experience between them. We have written CV’s for professional industries, charitable industries and the entertainment industry. Our CV’s have been responsible for gaining actors auditions for over ten years and we specialise in personalising your CV, whilst maintaining an industry standard template.
Even if you have never written a CV before, we want to help create the image of an actor that will be doing great things in the near future. We want to help make your CV exciting, yet show your consummate professionalism too.
Once we have defined your profile, we will populate the template that best suits you, import your chosen headshot and send you your copy of the final document.
A bit of advice...
Showreels
For Showreels, everyone needs to show themselves at their best. You need to be able to convey the different sides of your personality and show that you grow in dramatic roles, entertain in comedic roles and generally impress in front of the camera. So choose your pieces wisely. For example; if you are not a comedian and you pick a comedic piece, it will show. As an alternative, try being the straight man. You still get to do comedy, but are far more effective. It is about knowing who you are and selling that.
With regards to scripts, we offer two options;
1) You have a piece that you have either written yourself or chosen from the free domain (Shakespeare, for example). Now you want someone to film it. We can do that. All it needs to be is a duologue and based in a realistic setting (a flat, a street, a field, etc.).
2) Our in-house award winning writing team have created a number of bespoke duologue scenes, designed to emphasise particular emotions or characters, to give you a choice of which scene you think will best suit your talents.
From these two options, we can sit down, discuss how you want to be seen and which scripts can help achieve that.
Then comes filming! We move fast and it’s a full day. Everyone treats each other with respect and there is no time for agendas. Be warned! We work as the industry works. If you don’t have your lines down and show up late, you let down your acting partner, we can’t get filming completed and your money and time is wasted. So be professional.
However, it will be exhilarating and worth it! So be on the ball, keep up and most importantly, have fun!
Headshots
We recommend the following 10 tips for the shoot on the day;
1) Bring everything you intend to wear on the day, ironed and wrinkle free.
2) Try to bring three different tops, to give some variation. Try to keep colours fairly neutral and NO logos.
3) Make sure you are rested, have eaten and are well hydrated. You need to look energised and at your best.
4) Try to keep makeup to an even tone. We want to see YOU, not how you’d look going out on Saturday night.
5) Guys, have your facial hair the way you intend to wear it to auditions for at least the next year. You need to match how the casting director sees you for the first time. Don’t attend your Photoshoot clean shaven, and then attend a casting with five day stubble. It won’t go down well.
6) If your getting facials or haircuts, please get these done a week or two before the photoshoot. Make sure you are happy with your cut, as you will need to maintain it for at least the next year to match your photos. Once again, casting directors will not take kindly to a picture of you with long luscious locks and the shaven headed person standing in front of them at the audition on the day.
7) Make sure eyebrows are groomed, teeth are clean and lips are not dry. Golden rule; you need to look your best.
8) Come with hair and make-up ready. You can touch up during the shoot, but every second takes away from time that could be spent getting that perfect pic.
9) Make sure all clothes are lint, dandruff and hair free. It will show up on the photos.
10) Don’t be afraid to bring pictures or ideas of how you want to look and what you want to achieve. This is your photoshoot and we want you to enjoy yourself and come away feeling confident about the image you are showing to the world.
CV
Your acting CV is as important as your showreel and your headshots, so you need to give it the time and attention it deserves.
It tells the world what experience you have. So bring along any information or proofs of work you have already done. If you are just starting out, any amateur dramatics productions, short films with your friends or drama school productions will all act as credits to get you started. Most importantly, always be honest about what productions you have ACTUALLY been in. If you haven't, you WILL get found out.
It shows what training you have accrued. So bring along any training certificates that you have achieved; After school club. Am-Dram society. Acting Class or Drama School certificate. It all helps.
But most importantly, it shows how serious you are about your career. What training are you currently undertaking? What job role are you currently working to gain greater experience in your career? Where do you see yourself in two years time? All of this is important.
Just like a job CV, your acting CV shows how professional you are. If you cant be bothered to make the effort with your CV, the casting team will see it as you can't be bothered to make the effort on set. Its that simple.