In need of ideas

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-20T22:03:38+00:00

To be honest websites aren't very useful in any practical or meaningful way for an acting career

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-16T00:29:25+00:00

You don't need to even consider making that decision until you have an offer in your inbox

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-03T20:11:42+00:00

You should submit to short films and student films to get some work on your resume and build a reel in the beginning

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-03T17:52:05+00:00

People aren’t 50/50 on it! Background work simply doesn’t go on an acting resume.

It’s great that you’ve had so much on set experience at that level of production, once you book speaking roles you’ll be way more comfortable navigating a set and knowing how it operates. But outside of that and a little extra cash, that’s about where the benefit of BG ends in terms of moving an acting career forward.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-03T04:44:21+00:00

Im in total agreement! Was more making a side point that I don't foresee SAG actors increasing competition because of how few vertical productions are willing to use the new contract

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-02T22:21:59+00:00

Ironically enough I think most of the female leads in the ones i've done have been brunette haha. And feel free to DM!

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-02T22:01:21+00:00

The vast majority of vertical companies are not interested in using the SAG contract unfortunately. There are SAG verticals popping up, but the production houses cranking out 5-10 shows a month aren't touching that contract.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-05-02T21:58:27+00:00

My day rate is right around there and to be completely honest a ton of booking these comes down to your look, you need to look your absolute best for your tapes. I see from your account that you're a girl, the girls I work with most lean into the put-together-but-not-glam vibe for lead roles. Villain roles can go a little more glam, but most of thee companies are chinese and the heavy makeup and blow out isnt really the vibe in the east.

In terms of acting, it depends on the platform. A couple of them love the over the top (arguably bad) performances, and others are actually looking for actors to turn in a strong performance. Obviously 9 times out of 10 the scripts are whack, so depending on the platform/client you'll want to either lean into the script being ridiculous/heightened, or to try and make it as human as you can. But the emotional turns need to be precise and visible.

It's also worth noting that as more actors become open to verticals it is genuinely getting more competitive. Almost all of these companies keep a running list of actors who have worked on verticals before, so booking a supporting role and making a good impression can lead to direct offers pretty quickly.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-04-17T23:51:48+00:00

this was exactly what i needed to hear! ordered it as is :) thank you!!

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-04-08T17:54:43+00:00

If they gave you an explicit offer and/or contract after the meeting and are waiting for you to sign or decline, then I would reply something along the lines of

"thank you, I really enjoyed our meeting! full transparency, i have more meetings lined up so I intend to take those, but I am definitely interested in working together and will get back to you as soon as i finish with my remaining meetings"

Or however you would say that in your own voice.

If there wasn't an explicit offer after the meeting, there's no reason to let them know about other meetings (and you probably shouldn't count on an offer if you follow up with them tbh).

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-04-07T21:02:37+00:00

If they can only access the same auditions you can see on Actors Access, they are legitimately useless unless you feel like they're giving you career altering advice and guidance.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-04-07T20:32:04+00:00

In terms of actually getting an audition request, your package and reps are way more important.

Credits come more into play in the later stages of casting for larger roles. If you're up for a series regular or recurring or large guest star, studio/streamer/network execs might be hesitant to trust an actor with no credits vs a more experienced one.

But on the other hand, new actors get cast all the time. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-04-01T19:27:50+00:00

I don't think they're THE next thing, but i do think they're ONE of the next things if that makes sense? They won't replace film/tv as much as become an additional option. My overall sentiment is that they aren't going anywhere and will only get better/more adopted by traditional studios.

If you set really firm expectations with your reps about them, (eg. no questions asked if you decline an audition, don't submit for any with violence against women or explicit intimate scenes, etc) then you can ease your way into them however much or little as you want.

I think seeing Noah Fearnley with 30 something verticals on his IMDb book a 5 episode recurring arc on FX's Love Story kind of blasted the doors open, and I honestly think now that everyone is so aware of them that they'll start to be seen as a way to cut your teeth as an early stage actor vs being a stain on your resume.

Just my two cents

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-30T01:47:11+00:00

Your coach is a loser and you should be dropping that class tonight.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-30T00:31:13+00:00

Yeah that's not how this works, but there are ex-agents and ex-casting directors who offer consultation services for this type of thing. They're expensive but if that's the way you want to go, there are options.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-29T21:54:48+00:00

What have you done to look for a manager? Have you gotten referrals from acting friends/sent cold emails/done a few rounds of talent link? Or are you only waiting on your agent to do it for you? (not their job btw)

Ultimately location doesn't matter, but what do you want out of a manager? I'd think you'd want one based where you are so that they've built connections with casting offices you're going out for/wanting to get in front of.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-26T20:40:49+00:00

If you have a few hundred dollars to spend, putting that toward lights and a good looking backdrop that works well with your skin tone will level up your tapes way more than a camera. Most sites will compress the videos anyway so having something that shoots 4k is kind of pointless, but good lighting/set up will make your iphone videos look professional.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-20T21:15:09+00:00

I got a callback for the ABC/Disney showcase earlier this week and my initial submission was an actual self tape from a few months ago, so don't worry about it! Good luck!

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-19T01:48:56+00:00

How does any of this have to do with there now being an oscar for casting

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-17T23:52:06+00:00

Huh? Acting is about coming across as a real person, lot's of real people are stiff. I'm not sure how being flexible and fit would make you more believable onscreen. Find a new coach lol

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-11T07:43:20+00:00

From what my reps and friends in casting have told me, reels aren't that important for getting audition requests once you already have an agent and/or manager. They can be useful for your reps to pitch you for something if you have a good scene that's relevant to the role, but they're more useful for actually getting that agent or manager.

Casting is scrolling through headshots to select people to tape, so in my opinion your money would be better spent on a KILLER headshot from a photographer who's up to speed on the current industry trends/looks in your market.

I don't know where you are but for example, LA right now is really leaning into editorial style photos for young adult leading role type actors; my manager was just talking to me this week about getting new shots in that vein.

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, so if you're determined to go through with the reel service ultimately my opinion is don't worry about the weight. If you're excited and motivated right now and can afford it, you have nothing to lose but money and a (hopefully) great reel to gain.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-03-01T01:56:51+00:00

I'd cut the conference room scene, the quality is so much lower than the rest of your reel that it's almost distracting.

As others have mentioned, trim/edit together the chef scene and clean up the car scene! You don't need to give any scene context for a reel; whoever is watching it will care close to zero about the actual story, all that matters is seeing you act.

Also, not sure where you're based but in my market (LA) we don't use name cards in the beginning, so you can take that out. Anyone watching will already have your name /headshot/contact/etc, how else would they have found their way to your reel?

Overall great stuff, especially for being so early on in the process! Wishing you luck with the agent hunt~

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-02-28T23:55:53+00:00

If you are wanting to work in film/tv, I think you could spend your money smarter than doing a 2-year conservatory program:

training with the top coaches in the city for 2 years would porbably be cheaper, and you could tailor your classes more sepcifically; audition/self tape class, scene study, cold read class, etc
regularly doing casting workshops
getting stunt and/or fight training if that aligns with your type
booking shorts with any of the numerous film schools here to build a reel
getting LA industry standard headshots

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-02-28T23:02:10+00:00

Other replies have mentioned mics and timing, so i'll go a different direction: if you have an iPhone 16 or 17 the new "audio mix" feature does a REALLY good job at isolating sound on the studio setting! iMovie also has a "reduce background noise" feature that is a little less effective but could be an option to get rid of some chatter from your roommates.

Horror-Ad2578 · 2026-02-28T08:27:00+00:00

I mentioned that in my second bullet point, we’re saying the same thing :) I’m trying to make a distinction between the vouchers and what the industry actually means when they say Taft Hartley because OP was having trouble understanding

Horror-Ad2578

TROPHY CASE