Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 4/25/2009

Question
Dear Mr. Taylor Sheppard,

Well, my name is Jake and I am fifteen years of age. A freshmen at Faith Academy Manila, Philippines. I enjoy sports, acting, singing and writing poetry. So that is a basic introduction.
I have been concealed in a can of thoughts. First off, I absolutely love acting; however, only in front of a camera that's filming and not on stage. Is there a difference between theatre production and acting in front of a camera?
Secondly, I have been part of my school choir and drama but have quite, temporary, to receive all my credits. I am very talented in sports, especially soccer, so they say. Yet I am not sure what to do. I also struggle when I sing in front of other people, usually more then twenty. How do I overcome this fear?
I have always wanted to be part of a movie or even a commercial. The surroundings I live in seem to be a limitation to my dreams. I live in the Philippines, Asia and there are like no auditions held for young "stars."
So, basically my question is: What do you suggest I do to be discovered. I am half German and half Filipino-a missionary.

Thanks for the time...
Blessings,

Jake

Answer
Hi Jake,

Dreams exist no matter where you are in the world!

Sometimes it's a matter of traveling elsewhere to find the work/training.

Yes! There is a difference between acting on stage vs. acting for a camera. On stage you are trying to be heard and seen all the way to the back of the auditorium. On camera, you are only trying to present yourself to your "audience" -the camera- a few feet away. If you did the things you do -exaggerate your voice and movements- on stage in front of a camera, you would make the audience wince from how bad it would look! Acting for the camera is really not acting, but being pretty much yourself in real life, but with a few concessions to making sure you do not "hide" what you are doing from the camera. That has to do with camera technique, which is taught in classes and often, learned to a SMALL degree on the set. That is the reason I sound like a "broken record" (or skipping CD) here: you need classes to be a professional!

As to your question about stage fright: I have exactly the opposite problem...I can take a stage of hundreds of of audience members -thousands, and I'm fine! It's small numbers that bother me. I guess it's all perception. That many people are no longer people, just a crowd, they don't seem like people -individuals. When I am up in front of a few people, I see their eyes, see the expression on their faces.

I used to hate myself for not being able to control my nerves, but with time and experience it got better. I also learned to admit to myself that I was nervous, and that made a big difference too. Not telling myself to stop it, just that I am nervous. Strangely, it comforts you to admit it.

Best,

Taylor