Infographic on Acting notes.

Ideas-

Industries: Film, Radio, TV.

Personality types: Creative.

Departments: Performers.

The lowdown:

Interpreting others’ words in order to bring a script to life, and to put flesh and blood on characters.

Is this the role right for you?

For this role you need to:

  • Need to know how to prepare for and perform at auditions and casting sessions.
  • Need to have a good short-term memory and the ability to ‘learn and forget’, especially when working on a popular drama series with little time for rehearsals or repeat takes.
  • Also need to be able to learn new lines at very short notice, to accommodate script changes and cuts.
  • Be able to assume a different body shape or language.
  • Also need to have singing and dancing skills, ideally.
  • Also have clear and concise diction, and be able to assume different regional and national accents.
  • Be able to deliver lines at a specific pace and to precise timings, particularly when dubbing lines onto live action or animation
  • Need to have strong powers of observation, in order to learn from others’ body language and create believable characters.
  • Be aware of health and safety issues, and ensure that your actions do not constitute a risk to yourself or to others.

 

What does an actor do?

 

Actors need to understand others words in order to bring a script to life, and to put flesh and blood on the characters they perform. They usually work across television, theatre, film and radio, each requiring some specific skills. Actors must be able to adapt to the differing requirements. They are cast by the Producer, Director, and Casting Director or, in some cases, they may be recommended by the Scriptwriter, or by the broadcaster.

For some roles, they carry out extensive research, for others their character is molded and developed during rehearsals. They work with the Director to create believable, natural characters based and built on the Scriptwriter’s words.

On television productions, lines must be learnt quickly, and retain their inflection while sometimes repeating the same scene many times over. They should know their fellow actors’ lines so that they can respond to them appropriately.  They need to remember their exact positions and movements at any given time during the performance, to assist with continuity

Actors must be highly adaptable, as they may portray many different characters over a short period of time. As casting a well-known Actor may provide the main marketing point of a television production, he or she bears a great deal of the responsibility for its success or failure.

Will you need qualifications?

You will certainly need to train to become a professional actor. You can start training at weekend and part-time classes from a young age. At further and higher education level, you can take drama or theatre studies courses. If you aspire to become an actor you will need to have had many experiences in the background otherwise it will be found rather difficult. You could also go to a specialist Drama School, College or University. These usually only accept students over 18 years of age and conduct auditions for places. They should have strong links with Agents, casting directors, production companies and broadcasters if they’re the right ones.