Acting Tips for Beginners

Acting is a tough industry to break into, but persevere and you will get paid to do one of the most fun jobs in the world. Just as with any other craft, acting takes hard work and dedication to perfect. It’s a constant balancing act between hustle and talent, and there are no hard fast rules for success in this arena.

While mastering the performance skills of acting can take up a great deal of your time, The Laura Mac Method has some acting tips and techniques for aspiring actors learned from decades experience working on stage and screen.

Here are the top acting tips for beginners.

Acting is Not a Solo Sport

When one of us rises, we all rise! When pursuing an acting career, you’ll quickly find out that there is a full community of film industry professionals, so if you want it; it’s time to build your team.

Your team has four different categories:

1. Teammates are peers who are around your level of experience and heading in a similar direction.
2. Mentors are peers you look up to, actors who have been in your shoes and are now where you want to be, working fulfilling careers. Mentor’s are invaluable because they have so much knowledge that can help you while navigating your career.

Always remember to respect their time and they’ll be sure to give you great advice.

3. Business partners are people who work alongside you in the industry. An agent, manager, co-producer, assistant, photographers, directors and so many more all fall into this category.
4. Finally find your Tough Lovers. These are people who will give you the reality check you need to survive in this business, no matter your feelings. They’re a powerful ally and a sacred role so look and choose this one carefully.

If you’re ready to learn more about building your team, check out the Laura Mac Method Online Foundations Acting Program - lesson 28 is all about doing just that!

Goal Setting For Actors

You’ve likely heard of aligning your energy, “The Secret'', speaking things into existence, and manifesting. Call it karma, call it divine source, call it whatever you like, because goal setting is one of the most integral parts of mindset work. And the right mindset is EVERYTHING.

At Laura Mac Method we work with the S.M.A.R.T. goal system:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

The key to success with goal setting is to regularly check back in on what you’ve set out for yourself and be kind to yourself as you journey to those goals. If you didn’t meet your goal in the time you thought you would? No problem! Make some adjustments and keep moving forward!

The real secret to goal setting? In the end, it’s rarely about achieving the goals, it’s about building the habits! Habits that keep you moving forward with your craft and career development and that lead you to outcomes beyond your wildest vision board.

WATCH AND LISTEN

Great acting can be found everywhere from instagram ads to hollywood blockbusters. A lot can be learned from studying professional performances critically; What are their characters' motivations? How do they use those motivations to move them from one scene to the next? Practice identifying the ACTIONS your favorite actors take in their performances.

And take it one step further and start paying attention to how people take ACTIONS in everyday situations to get what they want too. At the heart of the craft, acting is about revealing a character’s underlying truths, and to truly understand anyone’s motivation, studying human behavior is key.

Easy Acting Exercise for Beginners

Quietly at a coffee shop for an hour with the intention of taking in your surroundings; What do you discover? What relationships are being played out in that small public space over the course of just 60 minutes? Which characters come in and out of the scene?

Start seeing the “acting” that everyone does, every day. As RuPaul says “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag” and that applies to so much more than how we present our appearance.

HONE YOUR CRAFT

Taking an acting class is a surefire way to develop your ever important Watching and Listening Skills. Acting classes come in all shapes and sizes! From full time degree programs to fully fleshed out online courses. Taking acting lessons has never been more accessible and affordable.

THAT’S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY

You’re in an acting class, great! Now that’s just half of it. The truth is, being a good actor is the baseline. There are tons of “good actors"; you’re a good actor,  we’re all good actors! What you need to succeed is to be a SMART actor. It’s called show BUSINESS because it’s a business. And being an actor means being a product. And that product you’re selling- is you!

GET TO KNOW YOURSELF

Yes, actors are selling themselves. Selling themselves as possible solutions to the main problem of the casting director - they have roles that need to be cast!

Casting will make an instant judgment on who you are based on your headshot, and most say they will make a judgment on whether or not you're right for a role in the first five seconds of your audition tape.

This is good news! Because it tells us that we need to pinpoint exactly who we are and how the world sees us. Determine how you are a unique benefit in your industry and create marketing material that represents that and the opportunities will follow.

So who are you? Why you’re you, of course!

Can you write a simple and concise three sentence character breakdown for yourself that represents a character that fits perfecting in your local market?

Yes? Great! Why are you reading this blog? You’re clearly not a beginner!

No? Great! There’s no better place to start than right here! Explore yourself a bit more and get to the specifics that make you so wonderful and unique.

This process never stops! Actors are people and people are always changing and growing so don’t get too precious on getting this “right” - focus on finding the answers that are truest and most specific to you.

GO BEYOND LEARNING THE LINES

Scene Interpretation and script analysis are key tools for actors. When given sides for an audition, dig as deep as you can.

Read over every bit of material you get:

• Full Project and Character Breakdown from casting
• List of Creatives behind the production
• Casting/Project Announcements via industry media
• Scripts may or may not be available, but if they are - read them before you open your sides!

Doing the back work will help you understand the genre and tone of the project and how the character you’re auditioning for fits into the bigger puzzle of the story.

Ask yourself questions to clarify your character’s GOALS and the ACTIONS they take to try to achieve them. Memorizing the script is the LAST step. Choosing ACTION VERBS, or tactics your character uses to get what they want is the meat of any actor's work.

Make it personal and discover your way to move through the beats of the scene. Delve deep into what's between the lines. Because just as in life, what we say with our words isn’t always what we say with our ACTIONS.

Need help learning how to Act with Actions? Click here to check out the Laura Mac Method Acting School.

Last but certainly not the least, have fun with it!

Fun needs to be a priority in any life, but especially in the life of an actor. Fun is not only where we decompress and let go, but also where we recharge our creative juices, let our minds wander and discover new ideas.

A life without fun is not sustainable. So set goals around regular activities that bring you joy.

LEARN ACTING FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

The Laura Mac Method is an online acting course created with an insightful approach to the industry’s most important topics that has helped hundreds of acting students launch their acting careers. This acting program cuts out the fluff and reveals all the juicy details on how to succeed in the acting industry.

The Foundations courses provide you with the tools and resources necessary to create your own path to success. Learn at your own pace and break down both the art and business of acting into manageable steps, so you can feel confident taking steps forward in your acting career.

When you’re ready to turn acting into your full time job, then it’s time to join the Academy online acting classes. The Academy is where the Foundations come to life and you work alongside fellow actors with the help of professional acting coaches who not only talk to talk, but walk the walk; click here to check out the team.

You deserve to get the best training and guidance for your talent and there is no better way to make sure that you reach that full potential than joining with a program that answers all your questions

Now that you've learned some beginner acting tips, it’s time to focus on what’s in your control and take your career in your own hands. Ready to start your acting classes? Click here to start!