Sabrina Harper

Acting for film is the holy grail. Where theatre is the soul of acting and its origin story in so many senses, film - especially feature film - is where the gold standard of performance has been taking place for the best part of a century. This guide is a step-by-step process from how to get an audition through the preparation, performance and post production stages of working as an actor in a feature film. I will say that by and large the process described here can be applied to short films or TV/streaming productions as well. However for the ease of writing I am going to be specifically referring to feature films for the context of this piece. Without further ado, let's get into it.

Okay so first things first, how to get a feature film audition. If you have an agent, they will be the one to secure auditions for you. You will receive an email with details of the production, material you need to prepare and instructions for the audition. Too easy, all you have to do is follow instructions, and start your audition prep. That being said, not all agents are created equal. There is a definite, mysterious pecking order of agents in your town. With the most established, best known ones getting more casting opportunities than their counterparts. Long story short, you want to be with the best agent you possibly can in order to maximise your chances of getting great opportunities. We have a full article on how to go about getting an agent.

The special skills section is one of the main ways that child actor resume differ from those of adult resume Expand this section by naming it Special Skills and Hobbies. Casting directors and talent agents pay special attention to this section if the child actor does not have professional credits yet as special skills and hobbies give them a hint of the child's personality. Begin by listing down performance skills like singing, dancing, playing instruments, modeling, hosting, etc. Specify styles or genres they specialize in. Next, add sports that your child plays like baseball, soccer, tag, acrobatics, skateboarding, or swimming, and then other physical activities like martial arts, hula hooping, jumping rope, bicycling, horseback riding, etc.

If relevant, your child's resume hould also include headings for any relevant training they have undergone. To expand the child actor resume describe performing arts training in more detail. You can list the specific types of classes your child has taken, as well as the elements of each course. For example, if your child has taken a commercial acting class, you can describe specific elements of that course like audition prep, cold reading, improvisation, etc. Be sure to list singing lessons and dance lessons as well, detailing specific styles of dance or singing.

During the school year, YAS classes happen during the day on Saturdays. During the summer, YAS offers week-long classes and camps for students.

Just like adult classes, YAS curriculum includes Method Acting classes, voice, dance, singing, musical theatre, and more! Lee Strasberg’s Method includes sensory exercises like ‘breakfast drink,’ where students spend time feeling, smelling, and tasting a breakfast drink like tea, juice or coffee. In classes “the material and work is definitely age appropriate,” said Kristi, “they learn the in’s and out’s of what goes into acting training.”

For kids of all ages, acting classes give them a chance to express emotions and explore their own creativity. There is so much pressure in schools, especially high school to be very academically focused. “For kids who are artists, they need the art,” said Liza, “they get to come here and they get to write what they want to… their thoughts are so valid.” Even for kids who have done a lot of acting before, taking classes at LSTFI gives kids the chance to continue shaping themselves- “there is no end to the growth and creativity, ever,” remarked Liza.

The techniques taught at LSTFI can help students in areas other than acting. Relaxation, one of the core pillars of The Method, can benefit kids before taking a test or to center their minds if they get anxious.

Acting is a skill. Like most skills it’s aided by natural talent, but that’s not enough. So how do you develop your acting skills and become the confident, captivating actor that you dream of? By the end of this article you’ll have some techniques under your belt to help enhance your acting skills, regardless of where you are at in your career. None of the work outlined in this article requires spending a great deal of money, but it does require dedicated and focused effort.

Acting authoritative -- without becoming authoritarian -- isn't easy to do, especially in the heat of the moment. These techniques can help:

Pick your fights. Battle your 3-year-old over every bad behavior and you'll be at war all day. Instead, list the top few behaviors that really bother you -- because they're dangerous, uncivil, or annoying. For those you deem forbidden -- riding a tricycle in the street or leaving the house without an adult, for example -- set clear, specific rules and logical consequences. Biting back, for example, is not a logical consequence for a child who bites because it simply teaches that the bigger person gets to bite. A reminder of why it's not nice to bite and a brief time-out in a boring place make more sense. Always follow through on whatever discipline you decide on. Lack of consistency confuses kids and promotes rebellion.

Some actors and talent agents in British Columbia are positive about the new normal of the film and television industry, where auditioning doesn't look like it did before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Hollywood casting has slowly returned to province, which entered Phase 3 of its restart plan in late June.

Despite the lifting of more restrictions, auditioning for roles by actors is predominantly virtual instead of physical, following the B.C. government's safety protocol that production companies should limit the number of people on set.

WorkSafeBC recommends employers in the motion picture industry do their casting remotely wherever possible by using virtual meetings.

Lena Lees-Heidt, agent and partner of Vancouver-based talent company Play Management, said her clients have been doing virtual auditions, which they either tape themselves or conduct through video conferencing platforms.

In self-taped auditions, actors film themselves rendering the script provided by the casting director on several takes, and send the recording to the director for feedback.

Lees-Heidt said the method, while abiding by pandemic safety rules, doesn't have the real-time interaction with a director or producer that actors have in video conferencing auditions.

The camera captures every moment; what you're thinking, what you're feeling, your internal conflicts, and your physical impulses. What's more, it can get all of this through your eyes. Treat them like magnets. They pull the viewer into the soul of the person you're portraying. Imagine a rectangle around the lens, and when in thoughts or transitions between lines, allow the lens to see what you're thinking and feeling by giving the camera your eyes. The closer the frame, the tighter the rectangle for you.

The camera captures every moment; what you're thinking, what you're feeling, your internal conflicts, and your physical impulses. What's more, it can get all of this through your eyes. Treat them like magnets. They pull the viewer into the soul of the person you're portraying. Imagine a rectangle around the lens, and when in thoughts or transitions between lines, allow the lens to see what you're thinking and feeling by giving the camera your eyes. The closer the frame, the tighter the rectangle for you.