Here's an interesting tip for those who want to improve their acting skills and have a bit of fun while doing it - play Charades! Charades, sometimes called "Dumb Charades", is one of those simple acting games which is fun to play whether you are a child or an adult and essentially uses gestures, facial expressions, body and hand movements and mime to help players guess the name of a book, song, film or TV series. There was actually a very successful TV series based on this game in Britain called "Give Us A Clue" in the 1980's.

The main rule of Charades is that you are not allowed to say anything, although some players may allow sound effects if the group agrees to it. One person thinks of a song, film, book or TV title and then mimes either the whole thing or individual words. The winner is the first player to correctly guess the title. The winner then takes centre stage and mimes a new title, and so on. Ideally you want a group of at least 4 or 5 players or more to make the game fun.

There are a few conventions to the game - for instance, the placing of a number of fingers on your other arm to indicate the number of words in the title, or syllables in a word. There are also simple mimes that everyone uses to indicate whether they are miming a book or a film, a song or a TV series, and these will quickly become established as game practices as the group gets into it. As the person mimes their title the players can shout out what they think is being mimed and then the mimer can alter their mime depending on the feedback of the players. If one player makes a correct guess the mimer can point to the person to show they have guessed a word or part of the title correctly thereby adding to the clues as the mimer tries to get the players to guess the title. If you have lots of players then you can divide them into two teams and play it as a team game. You may also want to award higher points if someone guesses quickly than if it takes the mimer a long time to get a correct answer. You may even want to have a time limit so if it is not guessed within say one minute then the floor passes to the other team. However you want to play it it is a fun way to give you non-verbal acting skills a good workout! If you have any doubts about how to play the game just ask someone who was around before cable television!

Labels: Charades, Dumb Charades, Non-verbal acting skills

If you are having difficulty in finding that perfect monologue for your audition, then despair no more. Actorpoint.com has created a directory of over twelve hundred monolgues to suit every occasion. All the monologues are divided into categories - classical, comedic, dramatic, for men, for women, and even Shakespearian monologues and monologues for children. There are also many monologues from films if that is what you need and they say on the website that they are adding new ones all the time. They even have a facility where you can upload your own audition monologue, just in case you find one somewhere else and want to share.

The website also has a number of other useful directories, including a directory of acting schools and film schools, both home-grown and international. There are also links to articles and tips on acting, books, plays and scripts on acting and even casting calls. There is also a free newsletter that you can sign up for. As they say in their tag line - "A place to get your act on"! Enjoy.

Labels: Auditions, monologues

Here is a useful bit of acting advice showing you ways to make learning lines easier - a subject rarely touched on by other acting courses. This video lesson is the second of a series of acting tutorials by Robert Carne, author of the 'Home Acting Course'. If you find this useful you might like to check out some of his other videos on such diverse subjects as "Other", "Cold Reads", "Vulnerability" and "Smeffland Question". . . ? Check it out for yourself! Robert also has a website - http://www.homeactingcourse.com/ which goes further into his 'Home Acting Course'. If you are checking it out - let us know what you think!

Labels: lessons, lines, Robert Carne, video

Above is a short video from a very useful website called expertvillage.com
This particular video talks about the importance to aspiring actors and actresses of having their own website. Indeed, a website is a powerful tool, something that is not only a showcase for all your best performances and casting photos, but which is always available to casting directors 24/7.

And this is just one piece of advice which expertvillage.com provides in video form. There are many others including 'How to Sign up for an On Camera Audition', How to Use Props in an Audition, Tips for Memorizing Lines, and so on. These advice videos have been put together by Lori S. Wyman, ExpertVillage.com's resident expert on acting and one of southeastern USA's most prominent casting directors. She worked on the 2nd and 3rd season castings for 'Miami Vice' and ended up heading their entire casting division, so she should certainly know wht she is talking about.

Expert Village gives advice about a whole range of subjects, not just about acting. But if you search around the 'Arts and Entertainment' section you will find several items that will be of interest to the up and coming actor or actress. I certainly saw several entries under the heading of 'improv', and there are many other topics relating to theatre, such as 'exercises', 'standup', 'comedy', 'auditions', and so on. Some pretty useful stuff, and all in video form - check it out!

Labels: acting, Advice, ExpertVillage.com, video, website

Here is a very good online resource for all you budding actors and actresses - actingbiz.com - a website written by actors, for actors. It is full of useful articles about acting, acting tips and advice, spotlights on particular actresses and actors, video clips, casting call notices, and even provides a list of films and TV shows that are currently in production or that are prepping, casting or about to begin shooting - how great is that? They also have a great video section where well-known actors and actresses discuss their careers, the characters they have played, casting, and what it is like to work in Hollywood.

While you are there, check out some of the articles by Ruth Kulerman. They are very useful in their advice and cleverly and wittily written. Her latest article is called "Five and a Half Tips Not Taught in Drama Class" and looks at important acting matters like when and when not to pause; how to ask without asking; and 'semaphore' acting! Ruth has many articles listed and I would defy anyone not to find something in each that they didn't know before! Very good.

Another great feature of this website is that it has a free forum where actors and actresses of all ages can "swap ideas about all aspects of the art and craft of acting; Exchange information, stories, acting tips and gossip about working within the field of acting." The forum is usefully split up into various categories including one for beginners, general advice and tips, classes and workshops, casting and agents, personal experiences, and so on. I think the site must be fairly new because there are not that many entries on many of the forum topics when I looked at it, but that aside I would rate this site very highly and am sure that it will expand rapidly as more aspiring actors and actresses get to know of it. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Labels: acting, actingbiz.com, forum, resource, website

Here is a classic example of how easily one can be distracted by the internet! There I was just writing a piece for something else and all I wanted was a simple little quote to finish the piece off. So I did a search for the quote - that led me to finding a quote by an actor on acting - that in turn led to yet another distracted hour looking through acting quotes.
If you ever need a good acting quote, by the way, there are no end of websites out there that will happily deliver what you need. I have to say that I do love a good quote and there are some good ones when it comes to the acting profession.

Here are the top ten I enjoyed most on my diversionary journey (in no particular order, except perhaps the Michael Caine quote which is probably my favorite!):

1) First of all, I choose the great [roles], and if none of these come, I choose the mediocre ones, and if they don't come, I choose the ones that pay the rent.
Michael Caine

2) Do not try to push your way through to the front ranks of your profession; do not run after distinctions and rewards; but do your utmost to find an entry into the world of beauty.
Konstantin Stanislavisky

3) Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide; he exposes himself.
Jeanne Moreau

4) Acting is the expression of a neurotic impulse. It's a bum's life. The principal benefit acting has afforded me is the money to pay for my psychoanalysis.
Marlon Brando

5) I am acquainted with no immaterial sensuality so delightful as good acting.
Lord Byron

6) I don't want to read about some of these actresses who are around today. They sound like my niece in Scarsdale. I love my niece in Scarsdale, but I won't buy tickets to see her act.
Vincent Price

7) I never said all actors are cattle, what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.
Alfred Hitchcock

8) Why, except as a means of livelihood, a man should desire to act on the stage when he has the whole world to act in, is not clear to me.
George Bernard Shaw

9) Remember: there are no small parts, only small actors.
Konstantin Stanislavisky

10) The real actor has a direct line to the collective heart.
Bette Davis

Labels: Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, George Bernard Shaw, Jeanne Moreau, Lord Byron, Marlon Brando, Michael Caine, quotes, Stanislavski, Vincent Price

For those of you considering a professional career in acting one of the things you will need to consider is becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild - www.sag.com. Now, this is large subject, too large for a simple blog post. However, I did come across a good source of basic information for those who have reached that stage in their careers. Written by the Screen Actors Guild, it appears on the entertainmentcareers.net website, a good site for all kinds of resources in itself.

The article goes into a number of subjects starting with an overview of the purpose of the Screen Actors Guild. One thing they make clear from the start, they are not a source of employment themselves, but they will see that your best interests are looked after when you do get hired for a role. Another important area they cover concerns the employment of children in the acting profession, encompassing from babies to teenagers, and there is a website link and a 'Child Actor Hotline' phone number. They seem to be particularly concerned about the number of scams on parents eager to see their child getting ahead in the 'business'.

In terms of advice in getting started in acting, they recommend that you have enough savings to allow you to live for two years without income while you try to get that important first break! There is also important information in regard to being a union member, whether that be the Screen Actors Guild or any of a number of other acting unions out there, such as AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), Actors Equity Association, American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), and so on, depending on your particular niche in the industry.

There is also advice on getting work if you are not a U.S. citizen or resident alien, and also advice on getting an agent - obviously an important aspect for any actor first starting out on their career path. I thought this a very useful overview and with a lot of useful information in one place - probably more useful than going to the SAG site itself initially. If there are any actors out there with personal experiences of the Screen Actors Guild, or any other actor's unions, please feel free to share them through the comments section below. I'm sure it would be valuable to many of our readers.

Labels: AFTRA, AGVA, Screen Actors Guild, Union