6 Acting Tips for Beginners

Welcome, aspiring actor. Here is your ultimate guide to acting tips and tricks that will help you kickstart your acting journey. Becoming an actor can take a lot of time and effort. Even if you’re a naturally gifted performer, it’s still important to work on your skills and to seek professional guidance to help develop your acting career.

We’ll focus on the importance of taking an acting class to fine-tune your acting skills, the importance of having knowledge of the acting industry when it’s appropriate to get headshots taken, when to create a showreel and how to find a talented agent.

So here are our 6 acting tips for beginners to help you move forward with your acting journey. If you want more acting tips, then browse our range of blog articles packed full of insightful and practical acting tips.

1. Do Some Professional Acting Classes

One of the most important things for anyone that wishes to pursue a career in acting to do is to take acting classes. For those of you that have never had any acting experience before, it’s going to be a much longer process for you to build talent. Start with some beginner acting classes until you’re ready to move on to a more advanced class.

Acting classes are essential in order to learn techniques, characterisation, improvisation and to learn how to overcome stage fright. However, it is important to understand that real talent cannot be taught.

Not everyone has what it takes to become a professional actor in film, TV and theatre. Many amateur actors often make the mistake of thinking that they will become an acting sensation after just a few weeks of training, and that is far from reality.

2. Broaden Your Knowledge of The Acting Industry

Taking professional acting classes is, of course, one of the most important things any aspiring actor can do. However, broadening your knowledge on all things acting related can also be a great help. Watch more films, watch actors performing live at the theatre, read more plays, discover playwrights that you might like and study books on acting.

3. Get Some Professional Headshots Taken

Once you’ve mastered your acting techniques and you feel confident enough to start thinking about acting professionally, it’s time for you to take the plunge and get some professional headshots taken.

Casting directors need to look at your headshot and in an instant, feel that you fit in their production. This won’t be a cheap task, but it will be a worthy investment for your future. Casting agents are extremely unlikely to consider an actor for a job if they don’t have professional headshots.

4. Get Some Acting Experience

Once you’ve had your professional headshots taken, it’s time for you to start trying to get some acting experience. Sign up for casting agencies (Anna Fiorentini’s Acting Classes in London) for extra work and go to as many open auditions as possible. Another great thing to do is join an amateur theatre company that holds regular showcases. This is a great way to gain vital performing experience. It’s also a great way to network with other industry professionals.

5. Create a Memorable Showreel

A showreel is one of the most important tools for showcasing your acting talents to casting directors. To create a memorable showreel, it’s imperative that you show yourself acting in as many different ways as possible, in a short amount of time. I bet you’re thinking, do I need to hire someone to professionally film and edit the scenes?

The answer is, that it’s entirely up to you. You could get some friends and family to help you and it might just look the part. But if you want to have the best showreel possible, hiring a professional is definitely the best option. Of course, if you don’t have the funds to do so, reach out to a friend that has a high-quality camera and good video editing skills. Coming across as a professional actor in your showreel is fundamental. A casting director will make casting calls and will choose between you and your fellow actors based on how you present yourself in your showreel.

6. Find an Agent

One of the most important things an actor can do is to find a good agent. This might sound like a simple task, but any actor will tell you, that it’s not as easy as it sounds. Finding an acting agent that is willing to sign you can be very difficult. Since the acting industry is extremely competitive, it’s hard for newbie actors to get noticed.

Talent agencies receive an overwhelming number of enquiries every day, so you really need to have some reputable experience behind you. Always make sure that you have references and recommendations from companies/organisations that you’ve worked with pin the past. When you finally get signed to an acting agency, it will increase your chance of finding work.

Distinguish Yourself From Your Fellow Actors

Arguably the most famous question that every actor will ask many times throughout their career: How to get an agent?

The topic of acting agents can be as complicated and lengthy as a whole book. Many actors wonder how to get signed by a talent agent the minute they decide to pursue a career in acting. Rightfully so, everybody knows that talent agents can open up many doors for aspiring performers.

And there you have it! We hope you found our 6 Acting Tips for Beginners useful and insightful. Before you go, please remember that becoming an actor is not an easy task, and it can take some people many years to perfect their technique. However, if you have the passion, drive, dedication and talent to achieve your acting goals, you will go a long way. If you want to join our acting for beginners class then click here. Or explore our musical theatre for beginners course.

by Shadia Ashiru