Tag: acting career

Seda Stepanyan

October 4, 2021

What Do LA Working Actors Need to Know?

As a professional headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I see how many people wish to be working actors in LA but they never will be. And, it is not because of lack of hard work, luck or talent. It is rather because they usually have a wrong attitude.

With plenty of hard work and the right mentors or teachers, many of you hope to become successful actors. But, merely talent and hard work are not all it takes.

In reality, to become a successful professional actor, you need to view acting as a career. It means that you should gain the mindset of a working actor along with other skills and professional headshots. But how to think like a professional working actor?

Be Easy to Work with

Besides delivering good work, casting directors usually search for actors who are easy to work with. If you perform well, and are polite to the people around you, and are trustworthy, anyone would want to work with you again and again. Even I sometimes go the extra mile with a professional headshot session if the person is pleasant and polite. This is the most important thing in building a successful acting career in Los Angeles.

Get into the Habit of Listening

Being able to listen is a key factor if you wish to work with directors, photographers, actors and other professionals in the Los Angeles entertainment industry. This does not mean that you shouldn’t have your own ideas and opinions. It rather means you listen to the directors and your fellow actors’ ideas and give them a thought.

As you are trying to get into the film industry, you should remember that the director is the authority when it comes to the final decisions. And their decision is the final one. A failure to listen to the director’s instructions can get you blacklisted faster than anything.

Accept Rejections and Move on

Any actor in Los Angeles should understand that they are going to get rejected – a lot. It is the nature of the LA film industry: actors spend less time on acting than auditioning. You cannot control the casting director’s decisions no matter how perfect you think a part is for you, or how talented you are. You should learn not to crush any time you get rejected as it is more than normal. You should not take it personally, and you better develop a thick skin to take everything easy.

Be Confident without Developing Huge Ego

It is important for actors to professionally achieve the right balance of humility and confidence. However, it is also vital to avoid developing a huge ego. Nobody wants to deal with a diva. You should remember that nobody is irreplaceable, especially in the Los Angeles film industry. Irrespective of how talented you are, the casting directors will find someone else if you are rude or miserable.

No matter how successful or famous you are, always be respectful and polite to everyone from the director to the film crew, and your fellow actors. Remember, that everyone has their key role in the production and they deserve to be treated with respect.

Learn Every Day

You always need to remain open to learning new things if you wish to build a sustainable acting career in Los Angeles. The most important lesson you need to learn is that you can never know everything about acting. That means you should never stop taking acting classes, polish your skills, and develop new ones.

As a headshot photographer, I’ve heard a lot of my clients say that every audition is not only an opportunity to get casted but also a great chance to learn. Have the attitude of improving your acting skills every day with every chance you get. Never underestimate the power of watching your fellow actors perform or taking people’s feedback. If you want long-term success as a professional actor, keep all these in mind.

As a Conclusion

Remember that as an actor, you need to develop a strong mindset. Wherever you are in your career you will have to deal with criticism, insecurity, rejection, dream stealers, and the massive highs and lows. They are all just part of ‘normal’ life for an actor in Los Angeles. This is what I’ve heard from my clients as a professional headshot photographer. And, you will have to not just deal with all these but stay positive and focused through it all.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Mirdon

June 5, 2020

YouTube for Actors in Los Angeles

The world develops very fast, and today it is a must to be aware of the new technologies. One of the main reasons is that they may create new opportunities for you. Many people dream about a successful acting career. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I know how challenging the road to success is. Actors in Los Angeles attend various Los Angeles acting schools and casting studios. They try to find different agents, producers, directors, etc. to market themselves and get their dream role in the movie. There are many stories in history when famous actors have been discovered in different places, such as streets or cafes.

But nowadays, many tools may help actors in Los Angeles to market themselves and gain an audience. And those tools have made the process of becoming famous, more simple, and quicker. One of the tools is YouTube, and there are many ways that actors can benefit from it. This platform can help you express yourself, get creative in filming videos, and gain attention from a lot of people. And maybe YouTube will open many doors for you. Below you can read about why you should start using YouTube and the main benefits that you can get from it.

Free Marketing

Creating an account and uploading videos on YouTube is free. Especially for beginner actors, this is an excellent opportunity to market themselves and not pay for that. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, who works with actors and takes affordable headshots for them, I know that marketing may be costly for actors. Of course, in order to have a quality account on YouTube, you have to put a lot of effort into it. If you get creative and spend some time making videos, I am sure you will gain your audience, and people will start to pay attention to you. In addition to this, if people like your videos, they will begin to share it with others. So more people will follow you. And maybe a producer will notice you and offer you a role in a movie.

The hardest part is to start, but I can assure you that the process will go smoothly once you begin. Here is a video on how to start a YouTube channel and grow it. I hope that this may help you to start your YouTube channel right now.

Youtube Gives Freedom to Your Creativity

As I have mentioned above, creativity is one of the main parts of a successful and exciting YouTube channel. And what’s more important is that this platform gives you a huge room to express your creativity. If you spend some time researching and watching different videos on YouTube, you will notice that the content is diverse. People try to create videos about everything in order to stand out. In addition to this, you take the whole responsibility for your job, and you can control it as you want. You can decide when you want to post videos and what its content should be.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, it is essential for me to control the whole creative process. Usually, I have many ideas and I want to make them into reality. I think this is a crucial part for creative people, and actors in Los Angeles can gain a lot of experience from Youtube. Hence have an opportunity to express themselves and give freedom to their ideas and creativity.

Gain Experience and Learn from Other Actors

You can also benefit from YouTube by watching videos of other actors and by learning from them. There are a lot of useful videos that may interest you. For example, you can watch how famous actors auditioned for their roles. It is always interesting to see how they developed their skills through years, and how they were acting at the beginning of their career. You can also follow other actors in Los Angeles who have their blogs on YouTube. Try to learn how they promote their accounts and what they do to grow it. Learning from others is one of the essential parts of becoming successful. Following others’ experience is critical. I highly recommend you to search for new people and pay attention to details. This doesn’t mean that you are copying from them. You just learn from people who have experience and can help you in the process of becoming successful.

Also, you can make new friends and be part of a big community. Provide your help to them as well, and share your experience. Remember, that you may know something which can be helpful for a young actor. As you may already know, networking is vital in your career, so pay attention to it. Here you can read some helpful information about actors’ networking events in Los Angeles.

A New Format of Casting

Another way that you, as an actor in Los Angeles, can benefit from YouTub is online casting. Maybe you are used to traditional casting methods. But with the help of YouTube, you can post your demo reels, and everyone will be able to see it. This gives you more chances that someone may notice you and call for an audition. YouTube makes your job more comfortable than it was before. Now, the chances of getting a role increase because agents search for talented people everywhere. Of course, YouTube is one of the most significant sources. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I would highly encourage you to pay massive attention to your demo reels. It also may open many doors for you. You can show your talents in a couple of minutes. And believe me, it will be enough for directors or producers to become interested in you.

This is a great tool, and try to use it wisely. High-quality videos grab more attention, and in addition to that, this will make you seem professional and prepared. So don’t forget to make a quality product and in some time you will see the result.

Upload Trailers of Your Movies

You can post the trailers of the movies on your YouTube account if you have already acted in different movies. This will not only help you to promote your film but also will show the audience your work. They will be able to see your skills in a real movie. Also, this will add to your professionalism and confirm that you are an experienced actor. If you have a couple of thousands of followers, then your audience will share your trailer with other people. Hence it will gain a lot of views. If the audience likes the movie, usually they want to see how the film was made, or some backstage videos. For example, if I like a movie, I always search for backstage videos or photos to understand the making process. You can post some interesting videos, and with the help of it, the movie will gain more attention.

These types of videos are not only exciting, but they also create a very warm feeling, because actors show themselves outside of the role.

You Can Generate Income

After some time, when you gain an audience with a lot of followers and become trusted by them, you can start to earn money on YouTube. You can make money from views, advertisements, likes, etc. Nowadays, many YouTubers earn a lot of money because they have millions of followers. In time, they start to do ads, make contracts, have partners, and make a huge amount of money. Of course, this may not happen immediately, because you will not have a lot of followers from the beginning. And also, you should not start YouTube with the thought that you are going to earn a lot of money. Your biggest goal from YouTube has to be the desire to get noticed by others and gain an audience. Monetization comes second, but of course, it is an excellent way to earn money.

Personally, I have favorite YouTubers who make different advertisements in their videos. Still, they try to do it in a very balanced and creative way. So the audience doesn’t even get distracted from it. To conclude, everything is good if you make it with a sense of taste.

YouTube is Available for You Every Day

When you post a video on YouTube, it stays there as much as you want. So that means that people can watch it 24/7. YouTube will not take the video away from the platform (unless it doesn’t contain any privacy problems). This will help you to promote yourself and track how your audience is reacting to your videos. For example, you can see which video got more views, likes, comments, etc. With this, you will understand which type of content is more enjoyable for your audience and interests them the most. Hence you will post more content like that. It is always important to listen to the needs of your audience because they are the ones who follow you. As the videos stay on your account forever, people will be able to watch them later and get to know you.

Step-by-step, you will notice how the number of subscribers is increasing. In addition to this new people will visit your account in order to get to know you. Also, after a couple of years, you can look back at your first videos. You will see how time changed you and that each next video is even better than the previous one.

Film Your Small Movies

If you don’t get role offers for a long time, or the ones that you get are not appropriate for you, then you can start to film your own small movies. You can write a small interesting script and start filming according to that script. This will help you to show your acting skills, and many directors and producers may get interested in you. If you can’t find a role in movies, in the beginning, don’t give up and start finding alternatives. This is a perfect way to illustrate your creativity and also to gain an audience which is important for actors in Los Angeles.

For example, if you start filming a mini-series and post it weekly, people will be interested in the next episode. You can invite your friends or family members to help you with filming. You can even ask them to play a role in your small movie. This will not be expensive, and also you will have a great time with the people you love. And they will enjoy the process. YouTube gives room for a lot of creativity. If you open your imagination, I am sure you will come up with some great ideas. People always search for new content, so be sure that your content will find its audience.

As a Conclusion

As you can notice, there are many ways that YouTube can help you in your career. In reality, it is one of the best tools for not only actors in Los Angeles but everyone. The internet has become an enormous source of information. People started to search for different information and people on the internet. Technologies have made the life of people a couple of times more comfortable. If you examine the road of success of other people, you will notice that they didn’t have as many resources as you have today. So you should be wise enough to use those resources and take opportunities. Today many people become famous and start to build their successful careers from YouTube. And it is always interesting to watch them and see how they develop their careers day by day.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I highly recommend you start your YouTube account and try to grow it. It will take time, and of course, the process will not be effortless, but as you already understood, it is worth it. So move forward and build your career as an actor in Los Angeles with your everyday hard work.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Mirdon

April 23, 2020

5 Things Actors Should Do during COVID-19

Many of us have wondered what we would do if we happened to be on an island for a long vacation. Or, what we would do if imprisoned. The answer is everything that we do not manage to do in our everyday life. COVID-19 has given us a unique chance to do whatever we have been procrastinating for a long time, to work on ourselves or to open up new talents in us. I am a Los Angeles headshot photographer, and I have closed down my Glendale photo studio in mid-March.

It’s been about a month without headshot sessions. So, I’ve started to paint. I had zero knowledge about painting. Meaning, whatever I used to learn at primary school. I was lucky enough to purchase professional paints and canvases right before everything shut down. Online painting classes have come to replace my regular professional photography workshops and masterclasses.

With this blog, I would like to share my thoughts on what actors could do during the self-quarantine to grow as a professional and not to waste time while at home. Some people say that to be an actor one has to have natural talents. However, the professionals state that acting is a skill that one can develop over time. If you want to become the actor you dream of, to be confident and captivating, you should build your acting skills. And, now is the right time for that.

This article will help you enhance your acting skills irrespective of your acting level and where you are in your career. Everything mentioned in this article requires efforts and dedication.

If you think it is impossible to strengthen your acting skills every day, I am going to prove you wrong. We will talk about working on movement, knowledge, text work, voice, and acting. All the elements mentioned above are crucial for you as a professional actor.

1. Voice

Some actors neglect the importance of voice; however, it is one of the essential instruments that an actor should work on. It includes your form of expression, articulation, breath support, and resonance.

1. Why Work on Your Voice?

Voice is one of the essential aspects of the character. If you want to get various roles, your voice has to vary, too. You cannot use your voice for all the roles you get. What if your character speaks twice as fast as you? You cannot develop a fast-paced speech overnight. It is long hours of out-loud reading and practicing. When my clients try to create various characters during the headshot session, they even change their voice, accent, and overall their way of speaking.

Los Angeles actors know how to make the headshot sessions fun. Professional photographers know that, too. So, for emerging actors, we use some of those techniques to help them relax and calm down. The professionals’ advice is to keep your voice flexible to embody any character you want. Collect as many “voices” and accents as you can. You have plenty of time now.

2. Voice Warm-Ups

If you google, you will find plenty of voice warm-ups for you to choose from. All shapes and sizes. You need to define which one works for you. The best option is to have a professional acting coach to select the best warm-up that will work for you. If you have a chance, try to schedule an online lesson with an acting coach. I am sure there are many acting coaches available online. Or, if you have done it beforehand try to remember what warm-ups you used to do with your acting coach. When you finish choosing the warm-ups now, it is time to schedule a 5-10 minute warm-up every day. As a professional photographer, I can tell you that consistency beats everything. When I was learning adobe photoshop, I would watch online lessons every single day. It would work for me better than a three-hour session just once a week.

3. Articulation Exercises

Choose a literature piece that inspires you and start working on your articulation. Some actors often neglect this skill; however, it is vital to work on it. Don’t forget that every skill you are working on has to be on a daily basis. Add 5-10 minutes of articulation exercises to your daily routine of becoming a better actor.

– Strengthen your Tongue

There are several articulation exercises that can help you strengthen your diction. Firstly, work on your tongue. Try to get more control over your tongue. You can do it by reading aloud or just talking to yourself whenever you are by yourself.

– Work on your Articulation Muscles

Learn tongue twisters and practice them as much as you can. Whenever I feel that my clients cannot relax during the headshot session, I ask them to say 3 pf their favorite tongue twisters. And here they are laughing. Besides, it helps them relax their facial muscles. Another good exercise is stretching the jaws and running the tongue around the walls of the mouth.

– Mirror Exercises

While doing all these articulation exercises sit or stand in front of the mirror. Choose a favorite story or a dialogue from a Hollywood movie and try to read out loud. If it is a movie dialogue, try to mimic their style and pronunciation.

2. Move and Do Yoga

Every professional actor has to be able to move freely. Like with voice, being able to move and do any basic physical movement is essential for a good actor, not to mention how much more role opportunities get the ones who specialize in martial arts and other sports.

As we all have to stay home, and there is no hassle, it is the right time to do yoga. Find an online yoga course on YouTube and work on your body on a daily basis. Here is my favorite yoga channel. Day by day you will feel how flexible your body becomes. Like with any skill, you have to be consistent. Whenever I was fully booked for headshots, I would spare 5 minutes in between headshot sessions and stretch my body on my yoga mat in my photo studio.

3. Enrich Your Knowledge

Quarantine is the right time to challenge yourself and expand your knowledge. Write down a list of books, scripts or plays you wish to read. Be realistic but don’t pity yourself. Ready at least 100 pages per day. It can be something about the Hollywood industry, acting skills, self-improvement. For example, I prefer reading books on photography business in Los Angeles, online marketing and psychological books as every headshot photographer has to know psychology as well.

To improve your acting skills, some professionals advise reading drama plays and movie scripts. Most reading materials are available online, even for free. Reading helps you observe different characters, genres, language styles. After reading so much, you may start writing yourself. This is what some actors do after a certain time in the industry. If you don’t know what to start with here is a list of top 50 drama plays.

Watch Online Movies, Theatre, and TV Shows

When you get tired of reading there comes another great way of expanding your knowledge as an actor. Watch a movie, or a TV show or an online drama play. Here is an excellent list of streaming theatres. Now, it is the right time to enjoy almost live performances. You have to engage in the industry to be able to get your niche in it. Challenge yourself to at least a movie or a performance a day. Even if you think some of those are terrible, you will also learn how you should not do and will be able to tell the good stuff from the bad stuff.

4. Work with Text

Working with text is tied to your voice exercises. A good actor can bring any text to life and give it a unique interpretation.

1. Read out loud

Another thing that you can do while at home is reading out loud. This point is tied to your daily voice exercises and expanding your knowledge. It will help you become more confident with text, try various accents, voices, styles. Choose an article, a dialogue, a script, or just read the rest of my blogs. I have a lot of blogs on the acting industry in Los Angeles, networking in Hollywood, tips on how to choose the headshot wardrobe and get ready for a headshot session. Just make sure it is out loud.

2. Learn a Monologue

As you have to stay home during this COVID-19 pandemic, it is the best time to learn a monologue. Some emerging actors think one cannot practice acting alone. In this case, it is not true. Pick at least two monologues a week and learn them. As you have a lot of time, you can record yourself and share them on social media and get comments. You can also send them to your acting coaches to get their professional feedback, too. Or, just send it to your headshot photographer who is sure to have some spare time to watch your video. In my practice, I always end up being friends with my headshot clients as they come back again and again with their friends and classmates.

Work on Your Acting Skills

COVID 19 has shut down all the acting schools. But it cannot stop you from improving your acting skills. Consider taking an online acting class. There are plenty now. My advice is not to just watch them as entertaining stuff. Take notes. The best thing about online courses is the opportunity to pause, to watch again or just to jump if it is too boring. From my personal experience, as once I was watching a lot of photography courses, I can say that Masterclass has the best stuff for online learning. Read more on Los Angeles acting career.

5. Keep Learning

The key to becoming a professional actor is to keep learning. Again, I’m not tired of saying that you have to learn on a daily basis. Don’t strive to be a perfect actor, just be better than yesterday. If your goal is to be perfect, it won’t work because none of us is perfect. Moreover, it may make you miserable.

I may take you years to become a skilled actor. But hard work will take you anywhere. Use this time, and by the end of the quarantine, you will become a better actor, and you will not feel depressed or even lonely. Of course, nobody knows when this pandemic will be over, but we should not get miserable because we have no chance to do our jobs as an actor or, me, as a headshot photographer. Now, it is the right time to invest in yourself. If you had an idea to start an Instagram page or a vlog, it is the right time to do so. It will strengthen your acting muscles and improve your on-camera techniques.

Organize online reads

If after all these you feel lonely and need some companionship, schedule a skype call with an actor friend and do dialogues with them. When you master the craft, you can do a live performance for your social media followers. Another motivating thing is to do all the mentioned above exercises on camera, record yourself and turn it into a success story that can become a movie or a YouTube vlog. Why not? Entertain your friends, family, and followers who are at home. Share the tips from this article with them with your samples. That will definitely be motivation not only for you but for the viewers as well. It can turn into a job as you get more views on Youtube and monetize them.

As a Conclusion

Now that you have plenty of time, you can plan your actors’ post-COVID-19 activities. Define what kind of actor you want to be. Comedy or drama? Stage or screen? The same is true for the photography industry. Nowadays, most of the headshot photographers in Los Angeles have turned into product photographers.

Consider taking an acting class. There is a huge selection of acting classes in Los Angeles. Google or ask your friends. Read the reviews. Explore their pricing. And make sure they are not a one-time or a one-weekend deal as it is crucial to keep the consistency even after the pandemic.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Mirdon

April 9, 2020

How Successful Models Network in Los Angeles

Networking is one of the essential parts of a successful career in any sphere. This skill may help you to open a lot of doors and be one of the most useful tools for you. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles who does many affordable headshots for actors, I have already written an article about actors’ networking events in Los Angeles. This time, I want to talk about how models network in Los Angeles.

Today, the modelling sphere is also very competitive, and besides being beautiful and having the original appearance, you must even know how to network with people from your industry. You should know how to represent yourself in the best way, and get recognized by your communication skills. Of course, at first, this may seem scary because not everyone likes interacting with others, but believe me, if you master that skill, you will notice how it benefits you over time. So read carefully, and you will gain a lot of useful information on how models network in Los Angeles.

What is Networking?

Most of us know the meaning of this word, but it is crucial to make sure to understand the purpose and meaning of it entirely. Networking is communicating and building relationships with influential people from your sphere, which is an essential skill for a successful Los Angeles modeling career. One of the purposes of networking is to have connections with different people, who have passed a hard road in your field. Of course, this will not happen very fast, and you should know that you must put a lot of effort to build connections.

To start networking, you must be courageous to start a conversation with strangers and be confident enough. This may make you get out of your comfort zone. But you should take risks to enjoy the success fully. Try to be natural and create a friendly atmosphere. I am sure people around you will like to talk with you if they feel your positivity.

Where Should you Network?

If you wish to become a part of the Los Angeles modelling career, then you should know that it is a must to be aware of all the opportunities. Remember that even the dullest conversation can transform into something huge. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, who does affordable headshot, I know many cases when an elevator speech helped to make a great impression. The most important thing is to be confident. The best places to interact with other people from your industry are parties, fashion shows, and different events. I highly encourage you to be prepared before going to places like this. Do a little bit of research and get to know the ones who may attend these events.

Use social media, where the organizers of the event will probably post information about the events, and you’ll know the ones who may attend. Such kind of events always has its pages on Instagram or Facebook. Also, join different forums and other useful sites and try to be open and friendly during different jobs that you may do. So make sure to be informed and well prepared. This will help you to make a good impression.

Who Should You Start Networking with?

Models networking in Los Angeles may be hard because the competition is severe. Every model wants to be one step ahead of the others. But in every situation, if you show a friendly attitude to other models, then I am sure people around you will notice it. It would be great if you could have a good relationship with models. That’s because there will be different situations in life that you may need help from them, and also you may help them in response.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, who takes affordable headshots for many actors and models, I would highly recommend you to be in a good relationship with photographers as well. If they enjoy working with you, then I am sure they will introduce you to other photographers, designers, and influential people from the industry. You will notice that step-by-step, you get to know different famous people from your industry, with the help of your positive and friendly character. Here is a simple guide on how to behave while networking.

1. Get Acquainted with the Person

In the conversation, it is important to listen to what the other person talks about. Sometimes staying silent and carefully listening is better. Try to ask appropriate questions in order to get to know the other person better. Tell about yourself, also about your achievements and current projects. Always make connections, so that the conversation goes smoothly and in a fun atmosphere. I am sure you will have a lot of common topics with other people who are connected with the Los Angeles modelling career. So even in 5 minutes, you can have interesting and memorable conversations. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I know that in such a big industry, it may be hard to stand out of the crowd. But keep in mind that you are unique in your way, and it will be noticed.

2. Point out Your Uniqueness

As I have already mentioned above, the models’ network in Los Angeles may be quite hard. There are a lot of beautiful girls in the business, and you should bring something unique with you in order to stand out from the crowd. I am sure, right now, there are a lot of modelling agencies, fashion designers, headshot photographers in Los Angeles who are tired of ordinary appearances. They want to find someone who will bring something unique to them.

Today, if you want to be successful in your Los Angeles modelling career, you have to be natural and bring a new wave with you. And also, not only the appearance is important, but also what is inside of the person. Be smart, intelligent, kind, helpful, and you’ll see how the doors are opening for you. Because anything that is cliche is getting out of style. So find your uniqueness and represent it to others.

3. Choose Appropriate Dress

When you make the first impression, usually, the way you are dressed is critical. Los Angeles modelling career is very much connected with the fashion industry. And many fashion designers will appreciate your sense of style and the way you are dressed. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I pay a lot of attention to how the model is dressed while I am taking affordable headshots. Sometimes many people ask me why Los Angeles headshot rates are high.

The most logical answer to that question is that headshot photographers in Los Angeles pay attention to everything in order to have quality pictures. Another important thing is that you should wear something in which you feel comfortable. During events you will not stay in one place, so choosing the most comfortable dress and shoes is the right thing to do. This will help you to concentrate on what is important during the evening, and not worry about what you are wearing.

4. Leave Alone the Phone

I know that sometimes it is hard not to get distracted by our phones. We are highly connected to our phones. But if you are planning to network during an important event, then a good thing will be not to pay attention to your phone for a couple of hours. Your biggest goal is to have conversations with people and make connections with them. If you sit in the corner and check your Instagram or Facebook profiles all the time, then people may think that you are not interested. If you want to be successful in the models’ network in Los Angeles, then you must fully engage in the process. Of course, it is not simple, but nothing huge happens effortlessly. So you must be very attentive and make your steps. Also, you should know that you are not the only one who is nervous during these events. There will be a lot of beginner models who came there with the same mission as you.

5. Be Confident

Confidence is the key to successful networking. In every situation, people will notice your confidence, and you will make a positive impact. If you want a little help during your first experience, you can ask one of your relatives or friends to join you. They may accompany you so that you know that you are not completely alone. I am sure when other models network in Los Angeles, they also ask their friends to come with them. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you must talk only to your friend for the whole evening. They are coming with you to motivate you and make you more confident, but you must spend your time getting to know other people. After some time, when you become more confident, you can already attend these events alone as you may know many people from the industry.

6. Listen Carefully

As I have already mentioned above, listening is one of the main skills that you may need while networking. You should listen very carefully. In your industry, there may be a lot of professional and smart people who can give you precious advice. And even in a small amount of time, you can learn a lot from others. If you listen to what the other person says, it will make it easier for you to continue the conversation. And with the help of it, you will be able to keep the conversation smoothly. In addition to that, listening carefully is a sign of being respectful.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I always try to listen carefully to my peers, clients, colleagues, and other professionals from my industry. This helps to develop my skills day by day and make not only professional and affordable headshots, but also be aware of my industry. I highly encourage you to watch this informative video about listening.

Continue Communicating after Events

You will network a lot during these events. And you will get to know a lot of different people. But after the events, it is important to continue keeping in touch with them. Because after some time they will forget about you, and by reaching to them after the events you will make them remember you. I highly recommend you to ask for their emails during your conversation. This channel is one of the most professional ways to get in touch with someone. Of course, there is also social media, but most fashion designers or photographers communicate via emails.

But with your peer models, you can also communicate through Instagram and Facebook. Also, you should always remember that most of the people that you may write to are very busy. It will take a couple of days and even weeks before they write you back. Even if you face a couple of rejections, then it will only make you work even harder and get your goals.

As a Conclusion…

If you are an introverted person, then networking may be scary for you at first. But if you want to reach something significant, then you should fight that fear. And after some time you will notice how you stop being scared. And you will start already feeling very comfortable while networking. The first thing that you must keep in mind is that you have to make a good impression. You will not make a deep connection with anyone during networking events, but because of your positivity, people will remember you. And it will be an excellent base to build up your relationship with them. If you want to have a successful experience while networking, then you should nurture your relationship with them. So don’t be afraid and start networking. Remember that you are not the only one on the journey. There are many models who start networking in Los Angeles.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

March 2, 2020

Actors' Networking Events in Los Angeles

Every actor dreams about a successful career in Hollywood. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, who does many affordable headshots for actors, I know that many young talents work hard to be one of the most successful actors. But in this sphere, being talented and having a good portfolio is not enough. In order to stay in the game, you must develop your networking skills during your whole life. Networking is one of the essential skills that every actor must-have. It makes your circle of connection bigger and helps to get to know many people who may play a massive role in your life. Many actors fail at the beginning of their careers. One of the reasons, which explains this may be that there are many barriers, which are hard to conquer if you don’t know how to network. So, as a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I am going to share with you why networking is so important, and give you an easy guide on how to behave during actors’ networking events in Los Angeles.

Why Networking is Beneficial for Actors

Networking doesn’t mean that this is the only way to get your desired roles in the movies or become successful. It means that in order to become one step closer to your dreams, you must meet people and get yourself known by other actors, directors, writers, etc. Maybe during one of the actors’ networking events in Los Angeles, you may meet a director who tries to find new and interesting talents for the upcoming movie. This is also an excellent opportunity to learn from people who may have been longer in the industry. Even if you talk to them for 5 minutes, you can get a lot of valuable information and use it for your future career. For headshot photographers in Los Angeles, 5 minutes is a whole eternity to capture beautiful pictures. So even in 1 minute, it is possible to make an impression. As I am a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I also try to learn from others and, at the same time, have an opportunity to share my knowledge.

How to Start Networking Right Now

For most of the actors, one of the first questions is “ How to start networking?”. At first, it may seem hard, because you may think that you don’t have enough experience. Especially when you are fresh to the industry, everything is strange for you. But once you start communicating with other people, you’ll notice how even the first experience helps you to develop your networking skills. If you are in Los Angeles, I can assure you that there are many ways that you can meet people from the industry. You may meet with someone accidentally, and then that one meeting can change your life. I am sure you have read or watched a lot of success stories like this. But let’s not rely on life’s fate and start creating your path yourself. So to be well prepared here are a couple of tips that every actor must be familiar with.

Attend Acting Classes

One of the ways to start your networking journey can be by attending acting classes. I will recommend you to get involved in an acting class which has a good reputation. Such courses arrange their events, and many people from the industry attend those events. This will help to meet other actors, agents, directors, and get to know many talented and well-known people. Those classes will not only be a source of new information but also you will have an opportunity to communicate with other beginner actors. I am sure that they also can recommend some events or places which you must check out. And it is always useful to talk with people who share the same path as you do. They may tell you about things that you have never heard or thought about. Here you can find a couple of best acting classes in Los Angeles.

Find Special Events

As I have already written above, those classes arrange their events. The best acting classes may organize huge events for special holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.), so you don’t need to miss those events. But there are also other ways to find actors’ networking events in Los Angeles. You can ask other people from the industry for some recommendations. But if you don’t know whom to ask, you can use the unlimited amount of information that the internet provides. If you search, you’ll notice that many events get published in famous publications. Even if you find a huge event that is far from where you live, I highly recommend you to do your best to reach that place and attend the event. For example, Los Angeles is one of the centres of such events. Of course, big cities may host more significant and more influential events, but if you are from a small town, that doesn’t mean that you are unable to attend those events.

Social Media

And of course, today, one of the best ways to get new information is social media. With the help of social media platforms, it became more comfortable and faster to connect with people and find what you want in a couple of minutes. I am sure there are many groups which are posting things that actors like you may need. Try to join those groups, and you’ll get a massive amount of information. There are many blogs that will also be very useful. In one of my articles I wrote about them, so you can check it out here. Don’t be afraid even to start your small group. You can create a group that will connect with other beginner actors, and this will make it easier for you to acquire useful information. You may post questions, and I am sure many people will give you their answers. So make sure that you follow certain pages and keep yourself updated.

How to Behave at Actors’ Networking Events in Los Angeles

As I have already said, networking events are full of influential people in the industry. Many producers, directors, writers try to find new talents who will be part of their stories. They try to find people who are new and who will bring fresh waves with them. This doesn’t mean that you need to look extravagant or do crazy things to get noticed. There may be many people in the game, so to stand out from the crowd, you need to be open and communicate easily. Don’t try to be fake; just be who you are and try to feel comfortable. Nowadays, people appreciate honesty more than fake things. Start a conversation with people, and you’ll see how smooth it will go forward. Grab your favourite drink, and just enjoy the evening and appreciate the opportunities that you have. For taking beautiful and affordable headshots, most of the headshot photographers in Los Angeles also try to find people who are not ordinary and have their unique energy.

Build Up the Relationship

Attending actors’ networking events in Los Angeles and communicating with people is not enough. You should try to keep in touch with them even after those events. This may be a little bit hard at first, but when you start communicating with other people, you’ll see how many topics you can share. You can suggest they meet and talk about the actor industry, your profession, etc. Networking doesn’t mean that only you need to have a good relationship with others. Other people also may need to communicate with you. So your professional relationship may be beneficial for everyone. This process is not simple, but it gets more exciting and easy in time. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I always try to build relationships with other photographers, clients, and people from my industry because there is always a place to learn from them, share my knowledge and just have a great circle of connections.

Become More Confident

I know that it is tough to get out of your comfort zone and start to try new things that you have never tried before. But as you are an actor, you need to know that confidence is the key to your success. You must be courageous enough to talk to strangers and introduce yourself to them in a proper way. But if you feel shy at the beginning, you can ask someone to come with you to actors’ networking events in Los Angeles, so that you don’t feel alone. Suggest one of your parents, siblings or friends to accompany you. But remember that this doesn’t mean that you must talk only to your friends. They are there to help you to be more confident, but you should try to communicate with other people and introduce yourself. This is what you should do in order to survive in the industry, so start to master your skills beginning from today.

Quality not Quantity

At the actors’ networking events in Los Angeles, you’ll meet many people, but it is important to understand that you don’t need to get close to everyone. This will disturb you, and others may build a wrong idea of you. For example, I know a lot of cases when someone made fast relationships with others, and after a short time, they started not to talk to each other. When you attend actors’ networking events in Los Angeles, try to make deeper and quality contacts with the ones to whom you speak. Nothing happens quickly, so you will work hard and try to nurture your relationship with others. Your biggest goal is to step-by-step become closer to your dream career, so be wise in your moves. If you talk to someone, and suddenly understand that he or she is not the one with whom you would like to have contact, then it is not shameful to stop talking to them. It is essential to be patient and flexible.

Provide Your Help to Others

Remember that this industry is full of people who may also need your help. The truth is that for many people, it would be important to know how you can help them before they help you. It is crucial to listen to people carefully and understand their needs. If you go to those events, only for satisfying your needs and only for finding people who will help you, then I want to tell you that you are not on the right path. You should try to offer them your help as well. For example, if someone is filming a movie and he or she needs a particular prop which you have, it would be very useful if you could offer it to them. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles who does affordable headshots, I always try to help the ones who may need my professional advice, skills, or something else. This is very important in the professional world, so I advise you to be as open as you can.

In Conclusion…

In every industry, you need to work very hard to achieve your goals. You can’t effortlessly reach any kind of heights. Especially if you are an actor in Hollywood, you must be aware that each year thousands of people try to make their steps in Hollywood, and you should move forward in a persistent manner. As you saw, one of the most important skills of this journey is networking. Even if you are the best in industry, knowing how to network will lead you forward in many situations. If you can’t communicate with others, then it may be impossible to attract the attention of many famous people. There are no specific rules for this. All you need to do is to be natural, open, and easy to communicate with. Be ready to meet with different people, and don’t be afraid of diversity. So I highly recommend you to start mastering your networking skills right now and discover actors’ networking events in Los Angeles.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

January 9, 2020

Top 5 Los Angeles Acting Blogs to Follow

If you live in Los Angeles, and you are an actor, this is a blog you should absolutely read. Los Angeles acting blogs will give you an insight into all the musts of acting. Reading acting blogs, you will understand how to create good resumes, how to participate in auditions, how to respond to Los Angeles acting calls, and how to find a professional Los Angeles headshot photographer. Acting blogs will also introduce you to how and where to book acting auditions, and most importantly, they will provide you with good ideas about building an acting career in Los Angeles and, most importantly. Therefore, you may find it essential to know about acting blogs and follow them. Below, you can read about the top 5 acting blogs.

1. Reddit Acting

Reddit Acting is a platform where you can participate in various discussions connected to acting. If this form of art interests you, you can register to Reddit and meet up with many other people who share your interest. Reddit Acting welcomes both professional and starting actors on its website. Reddit Acting describes itself as a community, where the users support each other with valuable information as well as share exciting topics for discussion.

For instance, in case you want to know specific details about how to respond to Los Angeles acting calls, or how to get a good headshot by a Los Angeles headshot photographer, you may go through the articles on the Reddit Acting discussion forum.

In case you have a specific specialization for your acting career, Reddit Acting offers the following subreddits:

Theatre
Shakespeare
Musical Theatre
Technical Theatre
Voice Acting

Reddit offers a considerable amount of acting information that can be extremely helpful for you. Here you can find:

Professional Information

If you have made a final decision to become an actor, you can consult the Reddit articles on some theoretical knowledge. You can get introductory information on acting techniques such as Method Acting and The Michael Chekhov Technique. You will find the articles helpful as a start for building your Los Angeles acting career.

Suggestions

Reddit Acting, being one of the best Los Angeles acting blogs, also provides some tips that you may find helpful for starting your acting career in Hollywood. You can read the great blogs about resume formatting and tools for starting professional acting jobs.

Reddit Acting is one of the most active acting blogs in Los Angeles. It has about 84 new posts each week. So, hurry up to register and read them all.

2. Daily Actor

Daily Actor has particular reasons for being one of the top Los Angeles acting blogs. This is a blog you should follow not only for getting quality information for your future acting career in Hollywood but also for entertainment. Here are the types of information the Daily Actor offers:

Acting Tips

This is a section that can not only contribute to your development as an actor but also give you the opportunity to spend some good time reading interesting articles.

Actors on Acting

Probably the best thing about Daily Actor and what makes this blog unique among all the Los Angeles acting blogs. You can read multiple blogs with suggestions and exciting facts for actors. You can read entrancing articles about famous actors’ thoughts about their roles. Recently they posted a fantastic article about Joaquin Phoenix’s about his Joker. There are many other articles like this, so don’t hesitate and visit Daily Actor.

Advice Columns

There is no question the answer to which you cannot get in this section of Daily Acting. You will find many suggestions from professional actors, producers, Los Angeles headshot photographers, and many others.

Audition Tapes

Audition: This is a word all the starting actors are scared of. How to prepare for auditions? How to respond to Los Angeles acting calls? Don’t worry! Everybody goes through this. But you are one step forward as you are following Daily Acting, which will tell you what to do.

How to Become an Actor

If you are thinking about an acting career but are not sure how to start, this is a blog you should read. Daily Acting can help you make the first steps into the job of your life.

How to Memorize Lines

If you are an emerging actor, you have definitely faced the problem of memorizing lines. This happens to everybody. However, there do exist solutions, and Daily Acting gives some practical suggestions that you should read.

Acting Resources

This section is more professional and educative for your acting career in Los Angeles. It will give you all the necessary information to become licensed in your sphere and be able to respond to Los Angeles casting calls effectively. Here you can read about:

Acting Resumes
Los Angeles Acting Classes
Acting Schools and Colleges in Los Angeles, New York as well as Bachelor of Fine Arts acting schools
Casting Websites
Headshot Photographers in Los Angeles and New York
Screenplays
Stage Directions

Reviews

Another thing why you should absolutely become a follower of Acting Daily. In the reviews section of the website, you will find quality reviews of the following acting genres

Movies

In this section, you can find fantastic reviews of the latest movies, which will give you a real insight into the film and make you discover new phenomena about them. Sounds interesting, right?

Theatre

Daily Actor does an excellent job reviewing the recent theatre performances in Los Angeles. You can read the reviews not only for professional purposes but also for entertainment. Therefore, Daily Actor is an excellent page to follow to read some interesting articles if you have a couple of free hours.

Books

Never forget about the professional field. Daily Actor takes various books and textbooks on acting and reviews them for you. As a starting actor, you may consult this section and find out some new literature for developing your acting career.

Actor Services

Finally, and most importantly, Daily Actor provides actor services. You can not only learn and have a good time in this blog but also make real steps toward higher points of your acting career in Los Angeles. Here you can find services of

Airchecks
Demo Reel
Website Design
Mailing Labels

Overall, as you may have understood, it is a real lapse for you if you don’t follow Daily Actor. Don’t miss fantastic movie and theatre reviews, and don’t miss the chance to get new skills for your acting career. Go there, and you will love it!

3. Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio

Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio is one of the best Los Angeles acting blogs for students who are eager to learn about acting as a form of art in an inspiring environment. This is more of a professional rather than an entertainment area where emerging actors can develop in their sphere. Therefore, it offers individual acting lessons in an acting studio, about which you can know about following the blog.

Following the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio blog, you can learn about and register for the following classes:

Meisner Technique
Beginner Acting Classes in Los Angeles
Scene Study Acting Classes
Fitzmaurice Voice Workshops and Classes
Movement Program
Speech for Actors
Playing Shakespeare Class
On-Camera Auditioning
Actor’s Life and Business

In this blog, you can also read an educative article about scene studies, which will be helpful for your future work with this blog. Following the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio blog, you will gain a lot of new skills and quality experience in acting.

4. Lesly Kahn Acting Classes and Coaching Blog

Lesly Kahn is one of the best acting coaches in Los Angeles. Here drama school locates in 1720 La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046, United States, is one of the most visited acting schools in Los Angeles. Therefore, it makes sense following her blog, as you will definitely find new things to learn about there. Here is what you can get following Lesly Kahn Acting Classes and Coaching Blog:

Services

Lesly Kahn’s blog offers classes, coaching, and workshops for actors. Following this blog, you will have the chance to find new horizons for your acting career. You will acquire new skills and new knowledge that will help you when applying for Los Angeles casting calls.

Resources

In her blog, Lesly Kahn provides not only services but also some theoretical material that you can use for learning. You can find a fantastic reading list for your studies. The best thing in this blog is Lesly’s Little Black Book. This is a list containing all the possible contacts you may need as an actor, including Los Angeles headshot photographers, casting directors, editors, beauty specialists, and many others.

Blog

The blog section itself is not only one of the best acting blogs in Los Angeles but also a unique one. It is a friendly atmosphere where you can get inspiration, advice, and recommendations from acting professionals and Lesly herself.

If you do not follow Lesly Kahn Acting Classes and Coaching Blog yet, right now is the time to get there and start reading. You will be welcomed from the very first second you enter this friendly online atmosphere. So, don’t hesitate! Lesly is waiting for you!

5. Andrew Wood Acting Studio

Another Los Angeles acting blog you can follow to develop your acting career is Andrew Wood Acting Studio. This is the blog Mr Andrew Wood has graduated with a Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama. Sounds inspiring, doesn’t it? Here is what you can get following the blog of Andrew Wood:

Program

As mentioned, Andrew Wood himself offers acting services. He organizes various workshops and testimonials in his studio, which you might find interesting to participate in. It is a chance to learn something new about your profession and discover yourself in a new environment. Following the blog, you will be aware of the latest programs and the original dates of classes by Andrew Wood.

Resources

Andrew Wood’s blog offers you a vast range of resources that may be necessary for your acting career in Los Angeles. You can find contact information for different schools and services such as:

Casting resources
Self-taping services
Names of acting instructors with contact information
Other helpful sites and social media pages

Blog

Finally, Andrew Wood has a special section called “blog” on his website, where you can find multiple different articles that you will enjoy reading. For instance, you may find great articles about dealing with anxiety if you are a starting actor or how to prepare for a role. Besides, there are some op-ed articles on the acting performance of famous actors in movies and theatre. Therefore, following this blog, you will have the chance to read about the opinion and some professional analysis of a drama specialist. It is also worth noting that Backstage named Andrew Wood’s website, a top Los Angeles acting class. Therefore, it becomes logical why this blog is one of the best Los Angeles acting blogs you should absolutely follow. So you have already got 5 blogs recommended by a headshot photographer in Los Angeles that can turn your acting career into a definite line.

Being an actor in Los Angeles requires you to participate in the new initiatives connected to acting actively. That includes not only responding to casting calls and updating headshots at a studio of a Los Angeles headshot photographer. Those are things every actor does. If you want to be one step forward, you should also be familiar with online activities about acting.

Following acting blogs is the best possible solution you may find for being informed, even for a headshot photographer. Acting blogs offer vast amounts of information and services for the development of your acting career in Los Angeles. You can read suggestions on how to create a good resume for auditions, where to find auditions, and how to behave on them. You can also find answers to all the questions you may have concerning acting. Now you know what the best Los Angeles acting blogs are, so what you have to do right now is to follow them. Don’t forget to check out actor’s headshots on our main page.

1. Too many Headshots

The fact that you have a website does not mean that you can post every single photo or headshot you have taken so far. Let’s set a basic rule. The site has to reflect your professionalism primarily. The opportunity of having multiple galleries on your website makes it possible for you to post headshots, set photos, and red carpet photos. However, your job is to choose only the best pictures.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I understand that you have difficulties with choice. That is natural. However, remember that you are an actor and not a model. Casting directors are looking for one or two headshots at most. They don’t want to see every single look you have done but rather the best headshots that demonstrate you as a professional actor.

Do not make casting directors waste their time when they get to your website. Make it easy for them by providing your best headshot that just shows who you are. This way, you will seem professional and concerned about your career rather than your appearance. Be modest, and that will be appreciated.

2. Outdated Content

One of the common mistakes of an actor’s website is keeping old information. If you have relocated to Los Angeles, your website should not state that you live in New York. We live in a modern world right now, remember? This means that with every new day, yesterday’s information gets old and becomes unnecessary. Therefore, you should follow this principle on your website to help your acting career in Los Angeles proper.

Your website should contain your latest credits, including the most recent resume and a fresh headshot by a skilled headshot photographer in Los Angeles. It would be a failure if the last update on your website if from 2015 today. Casting directors will immediately consider you unprofessional.

Instead, you should take the time to keep your website up to date. Don’t forget that your website is an excellent tool for your development as an actor. Show the casting directors that you are active in your job and that you are always looking for new opportunities. No agency will cast you if they see that you are not engaged in your professional domain.

Even if you have gone through a period with no new roles, never leave your website without updates. You can post content about your personal life, or you can write blogs to keep your website updated. If one sees a gradual stop in your updates, they will think you quit acting.

According to Backstage magazine,

“If you can’t update your website with new photos, videos, bios, and/or news on your own, you’re going to have a heart attack .”

So, take care of your own future.

3. Auto-Playing Video

It is indescribably annoying when you visit a website, and a video starts to play without your command. This is an essential point for you to consider in order not to make one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website.

This point mostly refers to the videos or the demo reel page. Make sure to embed any videos you upload on your page so that they do not start playing automatically. Just check the default option.

For you to understand why this is extremely important, let’s get into a casting director’s shoes. Imagine a casting director reading your resume when suddenly a video starts playing. The director will be annoyed by the function and may decide to leave your website as he/she has many other candidates for the role.

About the quantity of the videos: keep in mind the same as we discussed the headshots. Even if made by a professional headshot photographer in Los Angeles, many headshots are excessive and even give low quality to your website. For the videos, however, the quality is something more actual. If you have many videos on your page, it may start loading slowly. This is one more source for the casting directors’ annoyment and the potential to leave your webpage. So, try to keep it simple and don’t do risky things.

4. Inconsistent Navigation & Design

Any website loves easy navigation. People love it when everything is clear on a website, and it does not require much effort to find the necessary page.

Make all the pages of your website similar. If each new page is entirely different from the previous one, it will be very confusing for your visitors. They may need to take time to find specific sections, and they may essentially get lost on your website. But what if one does not have that time and what if your visitor is a very busy casting director? The answer is obvious: he/she will leave your page immediately.

Therefore, give an easy organization and a logical sequence to the sections of your website so that your visitors are not frustrated.

Make the front page with a brief description of you. Afterwards, give a logical follow to the section about the first steps of your acting career in Los Angeles. Then, get them to your resume, headshots, and demo reel section. Leave the video sections to the final part of your website.

Not following these standards is one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website that you may wish to avoid. It is not enough to have a website; it should be attractive for the vie as well!

5. Where is your contact information?

Many actors get fantastic websites for developing their acting career in Los Angeles using great tools and systems such as WordPress. Their websites have beautiful designs and look very professional. However, surprisingly, having all of this, they forget about the most important thing. That is the contact information. Believe it or not, people do not pay attention to how their contact information page looks like.

You should provide all the conditions so that it takes a little time and effort to contact you. Therefore, link to all your social media profiles so that people can access them immediately. Also, try to make your telephone number clickable as well. This way, the ones who visit your website with a smartphone are able to call you just by one click.

The contact information of your agent and manager should be easily accessible to the visitors of your website. Make their social media page link clickable so that people can find them fast. As a reminder, agents are the most critical people for actors. Agents and managers are the ones who look for opportunities for you to build your acting career in Los Angeles. They are the ones who organize photo sessions with Los Angeles headshot photographers and book auditions for you. When casting agencies to consider you for a particular role, they first find out whether you have a manager, and if you do, they look for his/her contact information. Therefore, don’t make one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website: don’t forget about contact information.

6. Paying too much or too little

Today, there exists a common opinion that a good website is something very expensive. You may think that you should hire a specialist and pay him a lot of money to get a terrific website. However, that is absolutely not necessary. Furthermore, excessive investment in a website may seem an unnecessary luxury. An essential function of a website is just serving as a tool for building an acting career in Los Angeles. Therefore, your website should first and foremost care about providing quality information about yourself.

On the other hand, paying too little is also a common mistake on the actor’s website. Spending just a few dollars will give you low quality and poorly composed website. It will be noticeable that you decided to save money. Your mission is to seem as professional as it is possible, so it is not a solution to pay very little. Your marketing shows casting directors how serious you are in relation to your future acting career in Los Angeles.

Taking all of this into consideration, your primary goal should be having a simple, quality website and nothing more. The finances you allocate for this purpose should be neither too big nor too little. A perfect solution would be paying monthly services such as Squarespace for creating your own quality website.

7. Mixed-up Purpose

This is probably the worst among the common mistakes of actor’s websites. Since the second person enters your website, it should be clear to him or her what is your website for. Is it a website with information about a professional actor, or is it just a personal site that has some information about acting as well? There should be no mixed-up purpose if you plan to have a successful acting career in Los Angeles.

If the purpose of your website is to promote you as an actor, you should include only the information corresponding to that purpose.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I always ask my clients what the purpose of their headshot is. Where is it going to be used? Depending on the answer, the headshot will have specific characteristics. Moving on, the videos you post should have merely acting content. This way, the casting directors who visit your website will know for sure who you are and what your purpose it and most importantly, they will consider you a serious candidate for their project.

8. Boring design

The final common mistake of actor’s websites is their boring design. As mentioned before, it is not obligatory to pay tons of money for a website. You can use the available templates on the internet. However, make sure to edit the premade templates. Your website should not look like any other. It is your professional territory where you are free to express yourself.

You are an actor! Therefore, the words cliche, default, and template should have no connection to you. When visiting your website, casting directors can evaluate your creativity and individuality by the external look of your website.

You can change the fonts and the colors to make it characterize yourself. You can insert any backgrounds and shapes that will make your website unique, among others. However, do not forget to stay in the scopes of professionalism. The design of your website should communicate to the visitors and make them remember you as a persona with no similarities.

Pay close attention to the design of your website. Try to make it memorable so that after reviewing the website of other actors, the casting directors memorize yours and return to it.

And Finally…

A website is an essential tool for the development of your acting career in Los Angeles. Having a quality website, however, has many nuances, and there are many mistakes many actors make. Focus on the purpose and the content of your website. Include only necessary information and take good care of its appearance. Don’t forget to post the details that casting directors look for: a resume, a headshot made by a professional Los Angeles headshot photographer, videos, and a demo reel. Take the information of this article into consideration and don’t make the common mistakes of the actor’s website.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

October 3, 2019

How Demo Reel Serves your Acting Career?

Hey, future Hollywood star! Still in the process of creating a resume for an acting career in LA? Have you already got a great headshot done? Well done! But it is not enough. It’s time to complete your resume with a demo reel, which is another kind of a calling card for an actor. Wanna know how demo reel serves your acting career?

What is a demo reel?

Briefly, a demo reel is a video collection of your previous acting work that lasts no more than 2 minutes. Imagine that it is an audition where you do not have the script. The casting group gets a real sense of how you act without your physical presence in the LA casting agencies. They evaluate your abilities based on what they see in your reel, so you may understand that it is a pretty significant thing. In some cases, your demo reel may be what determines whether you will be invited to an audition in Los Angeles or not.

Why do you need a demo reel?

You should remember one thing before applying for an audition. Casting directors are truly busy. They do not have much time to read every applicant’s resume . For that reason, except for a headshot, demo reels are a perfect solution for them. They will know everything they need to know about you in only 2 minutes. You understand that your demo reel should perfectly demonstrate your acting skills, right?

With a demo reel, you can show the casting directors both your experience as an actor and the skills you possess. Moreover, the casting director will understand how you look on the screen. However, your demo reel should not only show the range of your skills, but it should also design kind of an emotional response to yourself that will motivate the directors to give you the part. But never consider this as a necessity to stage too emotional appeals. The most important thing will always be naturalness.

Demonstrate your best, but never be artificial!

One more thing. Let’s say you successfully impressed the casting director during your audition. Your camera presence, your performance, your consistency were all perfect. However, there is one more candidate who made the same impression on the casting director as you did. Who would they choose, what do you think? Correct, the one with the better demo reel. So, let’s start making the best demo reel ever.

What should your demo reel include?

To begin with…

For a start, provide some personal information in your demo reel. Even if you have the coolest video in the world, your watchers should know who you are. Just a couple of seconds, including a headshot made by a professional photographer in LA, your name, and contact information will be enough for the beginning.

The best part

Right after the introduction part, you can move into the best components of your demo reel. Here you should include the highlights of your career. You may ask, but why not leave the best for the end? The point is that Los Angeles casting agencies may need time for watching only some parts of your reel. Logically, they will watch the first part, so you would better give them the best in the beginning.

Your clips

You should include 4-5 clips in your demo reel. They should not be long, just some 15-30 second maximum. The whole demo reel should also be short. The casting director will never dedicate more than 3 minutes to watching your reel. So, 3 minutes is the absolute maximum.

Don’t introduce each clip

There is absolutely no need to talk about each clip you are going to show. However, not to talk does not mean not to make reference at all. Just put a one-line-long description of what yo show so that the casting crew knows what the meaning is.

How long should my reel be?

The most important thing you should be aware of is that casting agencies in Hollywood do not have much time for you. Yes, it may sound rude, but it is the reality for every starting actor. You have to impress the casting director in a short time. As Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Even though he talked about a letter, the principle is the same. You should take time to prepare a shorter demo reel, which will be more impressing than if you did a long one.

I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.
Mark Twain

An ideal demo reel will contain 5 different scenes and will be less than 3 minutes. 3 minutes is OK. However, when the casting director sees that your reel is 2 minutes and some seconds, they appreciate it. Visually, the number 2 seems more pleasant for them, even if the next number is 59.

You may say, but what if the director does not get the whole plot or does not fully grasp your experience. No and no. You are not making a short film. It is a bigger plus if you are able to make an impression with a 2-minute-long video than if you did a half an hour-long documentary with fascinating special effects.

What are the main qualities of a great demo reel?

You may already have some kind of an understanding of what a good demo reel is; there are still certain concrete qualities you should take into account.

Honesty

Your demo reel should follow some moral standards of honesty. This is not the case when creating something significant out of nothing works. Here you should show who you are in fact, without imitating any great accomplishments. Be yourself, and it will be appreciated.

This is not the case when creating something significant out of nothing works.

New Material

Your features should be as new as it is possible. An acting career in Los Angeles is a concept that gets old really quickly. You, as an actor, are expected to develop throughout time. That is why, if you include features of 3 years ago in your reel, you will be removed from the shortlist immediately.

Sound and Visual Quality

The quality of your demo reel talks about your professionalism. Good actors should understand the significance of quality videos. If your video lacks sound and the visual quality is below average, you will be considered amateur.

Marketable Qualities

This is about yourself. Your headshot is not capable of making a good reputation for you by itself. The demo reel gives you the chance to market your best qualities. This is to say; there should be something special in your reel. Something that is unique and differentiates you from other candidates.

Focus on Yourself

Concentrate the focus of the reel on yourself. This may sound obvious, however, experience shows that it is necessary to highlight this point. Some actors come up with real high-quality reels. However, in the end, it is not clear who the reel was about. So, make sure that the scenes of your clip start with you on the screen and finish similarly. The shot should be on you rather than the environment or other actors.

Some actors come up with real high-quality reels. However, in the end, it is not clear who the reel was about.

Do I need to hire a videographer?

Even if you have some understanding of video making, it is much better to hire a professional videographer in LA, as it will guarantee you a professional demo reel. All the technical requirements of a professional reel will be satisfied. You will not have to worry about the quality of the light and sound, as the videographer will take care of that all.

It is very important to highlight your professionalism in the eyes of the casting director. If he/she finds your reel amateur, you will most probably not be selected. You can consider this a small investment in your acting career in Hollywood.

A tip for you! While filming the introduction video of your demo reel, it is a really good idea to invite a headshot photographer. The point is that you may manage 2 things at the same time: to get headshots and a demo reel. Your professional photographer in Los Angeles will make some amazing headshots for you.

Can I edit my own reel?

Well, if you have experience in editing and you believe that nobody else in the world can do that better than you, then go for it, why not? OK, so here are some tips for you to do the editing of your own reel in the best way.

Share the Screen Just a Little

The casting directors want to see you primarily. So, keep the focus of the video on yourself. Start with a scene of your face from the very beginning so that the directors know who to look at.

You First

Your footage should be the first in the reel. No backstory, no plot. Just you in the beginning. Nobody in the LA casting agency is interested in where you are or who are the people surrounding you. The only thing they want is you.

Holding Attention

Have footage as concise as possible. One scene should not last long; otherwise, you will lose your audience. Yes, the concentration should be on you, but the scenes should change.

However, there is a huge problem in editing a personal demo reel yourself. You may never know which parts to keep and which ones to eliminate. This is about objectivity, which one can never have toward himself. This is why it is much better to trust the editing of your reel to a professional who will be able to distinguish between important and trivial parts.

How many reels do I need?

You may ask, “Do I need to make many demo reels just as I do with headshots?” You ask an interesting question. The answer to this question depends on the content of your reel.

Here are the main points:

Drama and Comedy

If you had a chance to play both dramatic and comic characters throughout your acting career in Hollywood, then it will be a better choice to make 2 separate reels for each of them. If a director is casting a comedy, for instance, he/she will hardly be interested in your drama experience. In that case, he/she will not be satisfied with your demo reel, as there will be not enough information for them. However, if the director likes you and wants to see your other abilities as well, they may turn to your second reel.

Either Drama or Comedy

If you are specialized only in one of these spheres, you should absolutely have only one reel. The casting directors will not be much happy if they know there is one more reel to watch about the same actor. They may conclude that you were not able to fit everything into one reel and disqualify you as a professional.

What should you not include on your reel?

As you may have noted, there are a lot of requirements you should follow to have a good demo reel. However, what dos without don’ts? Here are some things that should not be in your reel.

No Repetition!

Never ever include 2 things from the same experience. Each clip in your reel should be from a different show/performance and of different time periods.

No Sci-Fi!

Well, probably you were not going to make a sci-fi reel, but this mainly refers to special effects. They are actually not needed. The casting director wants to see you, rather the amount of money you paid for an expensive video with special effects.

No Flash Drives!

Do not even try to give your reel to a director in a flash drive. They will simply not take it. Instead, have your reel online and open access for them. The same refers to CDs.

A demo reel, just like a headshot and resume, serves as a calling card for you and helps the casting agencies decide whether to hire you or not. It is extremely important to be natural in your demo reel and follow the requirements so that the casting agencies of LA consider you a decent candidate.

P.S. Before making your demo reel search for as many demo reels on Youtube as possible.

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Seda Stepanyan

September 26, 2019

How to Book Auditions in Los Angeles

Auditioning is a necessary and unavoidable process for the beginning of your acting career, especially in Los Angeles. However, you should not consider auditions as a job interview, but rather a chance to start doing what you love the most, to begin creating new characters and to get used to performing in front of the audience. Still, auditioning, especially in Los Angeles, may be a tense and stressful process as a group of casting directors will gather in a small room watching your performance. For this reason, here are some tips for you to gain an insight on how to audition for a role in Los Angeles.

What do you need for an audition?

The first thing you need for an audition is to arrive not less than 15 minutes earlier to enter the casting room. However, there are several things you should prepare before the audition:

Role Preparation

As Konstantin Stanislavski’s method of acting dictates, “The actors’ job is to inhabit the characters they play.” This quote applies not only to confirmed roles but also to auditions. In fact, it is far more essential to have that task completed for the audition to have more chances to get the part. Having done the character research, you will build a reputation of a professional actor for yourself.

Know the plot of the play/movie/commercial

If the casting director does not consider you for the role you auditioned for, you may get another one if you know the script and the whole plot well. Your knowledge will make an impression on the casting crew, and you will have a chance to demonstrate yourself as another character. Tom Hiddleston, for example, first auditioned for the role of Thor in Marvel’s “Thor.” However, the casting director did not see the Thor in Hiddleston and suggested him to play Loki, as he knew the plot very well. So, follow the example of Tom Hiddleston, and go to the audition maximally aware.

Memorize your lines

Los Angeles auditions are tough. They are even tougher if you are going there without memorizing the lines of your character. Moreover, it is a complete waste of time. They expect you to learn your lines before entering the audition room so that you can demonstrate your acting skills and not your reading skills. The professional casting crew may put you in various situations to test your body language skills, your posture, eye contact, etc. If you need to have a paper with your lines in your hands, you will surely fail all the task you may be assigned to do. Some Los Angeles casting agencies will immediately kick you out in case you do not know your lines by heart.

Who auditions you?

You are already in the room where you have to perform in the best way you can to get the role you are dying for. Forget about yourself for a moment and look at the people sitting in front of you. Who are those people? Obviously, they are the ones who decide whether you will receive the part or not. So, it is worth knowing them well, isn’t it? So, just Google them as much as you can.

Casting Directors

These are the first people who see the actors in the auditioning room. The job of casting directors is not only to look at the actors and consider them for roles but also to take those talents and lead them to become distinguished actors. We say that directors “have an eye on the talent.” Hence, the casting director is the person who you should impress first of all, even if you are not chosen for the role. Casting directors not only look for an actor for that particular role, but they look for talents for the future. If you impress them with your performance, they will be likely to remember you and help you to grow as an actor.

Remember, it’s all about connections in Hollywood.

Casting Associates

Casting associates are the casting directors’ right hand. They “filter” the actors. Out of thousands of candidates for a specific role in a movie, they pick a maximum of hundred. Therefore, you may need to impress them to get the chance to impress the casting director as well. In reference to the final audition, the association takes care of contacting the agents and schedule your audition. Casting associates know everything about you and sometimes even present you to the casting director. So, make sure the casting associates like you.

The Reader

Even if compared to the casting director and the associate, the reader may seem to be a secondary persona; they are more influential than you can imagine. Basically, the reader is the person who reads the lines of the other characters of the story. However, your interaction with the reader is extremely important for the casting director. The reader is considered to be your partner, and your interaction with him/her is a test of your ability to interact with your real acting partners.

The Creative Team

All of the movie industry professionals mentioned above are important, right? However, the creative team is probably the most essential out of everyone. The group includes the director, producer and the writers. These are the people who are going to make the final decision whether you will play the part or not. In other words, if you impress the casting associate and the casting director, you are on the final line of your audition. This team meets the final candidates for the role. If this team finally chooses you for the role, it will also match you with your future co-stars and the crew.

What to bring to an audition in Los Angeles?

Now, when you are already registered for an audition, and you have done your preparation, it is time to think about what you are going to take there with yourself.

A Headshot and a Resume

These are the two things that are undoubtedly the most important for your presence in a casting room. Even if the casting director knows you very well, you have to have a detailed resume and a headshot by a professional photographer in your hands. These 2 items serve as a passport for an actor. What is more, it is essential that your headshot and your resume are stapled together. The headshot is the first thing Los Angeles casting agencies look at when considering an actor. If you wonder how much it costs to hire a Los Angeles headshot photographer, click here. It is vital for them to have your resume together to be able to form an opinion.

The day before the audition

You have done preparation for your character, researched, learned your lines, and read the script. Now is the last day before your audition that will give a start to your acting career in Hollywood. There are a couple of things left for you to do. You should:

Revise your lines

Yes, we said that you have already learned them. Repeat them once again. It will not take too long, but “repetition is the mother of learning.” Make sure you know everything well, and if you forget your lines, you will most probably fail your audition.

Put an extra copy of your headshot into your bag

If you forget your headshot or something happens to it on the way, it will be hard to find a headshot photographer in Los Angeles in a couple of minutes to get a new headshot. Remember, the headshot is your entrance ticket to the Los Angeles audition room, so take care of it.

Choose your outfit carefully

Never ever leave this task to the day of the audition. Choosing clothes is a source of panic, which you need to avoid by all means. You should not load your mind with the difficult task of picking an outfit. The last day before the audition is a perfect time to decide what you are going to wear at the audition. The only thing you will have to do on the day of the audition will be just putting those clothes on and leaving the house. Audition clothing rules are similar to those of headshot sessions. Here is information on wardrobe rules and restrictions.

Make a morning checklist

Does it sound an obvious thing? Well, most people forget about this and run in the house in the morning of the audition, and when they finally get out, there is an impression that the house has been under a nuclear attack. The audition is a key event in every actor’s life and your future acting career in Hollywood. That is why everything should go smoothly on the day of your audition. So, take a moment to write down a morning schedule for the audition day.

Set 3 alarms

Childish? No, it is extremely efficient. Most of the auditions start early in the morning. You need to make sure to get up on time on the day of the audition. Try to wake up from the sound of the first alarm, but if you accidentally don’t, no trouble as you have 2 more alarms set.

What’s happening after leave the audition room

The audition process generally takes from a couple of weeks to several months. You may have to wait very long until you get final decision. If you do not receive an answer for months, do not worry! The audition may still be in process. You may be interested in what actually happens when you leave that room to wait for the life-changing decision.

Basically, after you leave the audition room, other candidates walk in and out. In the end, the casting team starts narrowing down the list. It happens very rarely when one candidate takes the role immediately. Usually, the casting team makes a shortlist of candidates and calls them back for new tests. It is necessary to note that in this whole process, the final decision is not made by a single person. A whole team works on choosing the best candidate. Therefore, after you leave the audition room, a whole discussion about you and your performance may take place.

Los Angeles Actors’ Common Mistakes

You may be perfectly prepared for your audition in LA; however, there exist a certain amount of common mistakes. Even the most experienced and talented Hollywood actors can make those mistakes you would like to avoid. Here are the main mines actors tend to step in:

Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse

It is always evident for the casting director whether the actor has rehearsed his part or no. If you have not rehearsed, you only waste your time during the audition. If you do not rehearse, it means you do not take the audition seriously. It also means that you are not very passionate about the role you are auditioning for. More practically, if you have not rehearsed, you will not be able to have a natural conversational rhythm.

Learn your part every day

Do not leave the rehearsals to the last day. You need time to get used to your role so that you can perform in the most natural way. Do not say that you got the script a day ago. Everybody can say that. You may want to look above the other contestants. So, if you really want to have the role, take some time, and prepare. The casting directors notice everything. They will understand that you have spent a couple of days to prepare for the audition; hence, you have a serious approach to your role, and they will pay special attention to yourself.

Don’t ask to perform once more

Casting directors hate when the contestants stop in the middle of their performance and ask to start over. Never pronounce the phrase “Sorry, can I please restart?.” It makes the casting directors nervous. They prefer confidence in actors. That is why, if you feel that you did not start well, just say, “I will start once more” and do it. The casting directors will appreciate that. They do not like vulnerability but prefer courage and certainty. In one of our previous articles we offer 3 tips to emerging actors.

You, as an actor, should know that you will need to participate in several auditions in Los Angeles to build an acting career in Hollywood for yourself. Auditions require serious preparation, professional headshots, and there are numerous things you will have to do before the audition date so that you leave the room successfully gone through the audition process.

Finally, if you would like to get information on casting calls in Los Angeles register yourself in some top casting agencies. If you are not sure which ones to trust, ask Yelp.

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Tag: acting career

Be Easy to Work with

Get into the Habit of Listening

Accept Rejections and Move on

Be Confident without Developing Huge Ego

Learn Every Day

As a Conclusion

Free Marketing

Youtube Gives Freedom to Your Creativity

Gain Experience and Learn from Other Actors

A New Format of Casting

Upload Trailers of Your Movies

You Can Generate Income

YouTube is Available for You Every Day

Film Your Small Movies

As a Conclusion

1. Voice

1. Why Work on Your Voice?

2. Voice Warm-Ups

3. Articulation Exercises

– Strengthen your Tongue

– Work on your Articulation Muscles

– Mirror Exercises

2. Move and Do Yoga

3. Enrich Your Knowledge

Watch Online Movies, Theatre, and TV Shows

4. Work with Text

1. Read out loud

2. Learn a Monologue

Work on Your Acting Skills

5. Keep Learning

Organize online reads

What is Networking?

Where Should you Network?

Who Should You Start Networking with?

1. Get Acquainted with the Person

2. Point out Your Uniqueness

3. Choose Appropriate Dress

4. Leave Alone the Phone

5. Be Confident

6. Listen Carefully

Continue Communicating after Events

As a Conclusion…

Why Networking is Beneficial for Actors

How to Start Networking Right Now

Attend Acting Classes

Find Special Events

Social Media

How to Behave at Actors’ Networking Events in Los Angeles

Build Up the Relationship

Become More Confident

Quality not Quantity

Provide Your Help to Others

In Conclusion…

1. Reddit Acting

Professional Information

Suggestions

2. Daily Actor

Acting Tips

Actors on Acting

Advice Columns

Audition Tapes

How to Become an Actor

How to Memorize Lines

Acting Resources

Reviews

Movies

Theatre

Books

Actor Services

3. Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio

4. Lesly Kahn Acting Classes and Coaching Blog

Services

Resources

Blog

5. Andrew Wood Acting Studio

Program

Resources

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