Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 5/6/2009

Question
Hi! I am an aspiring actress, Director, and Producer. I love everything that has to do with film, and want to work in the industry myself. I want to be an actress first off. I want to be on the screen. I also want to work behind the scenes. This is my Question: What is the best way for me to get started? I am a 20 year old female in Georgia, and there are not many opportunities in the area I live. I have been considering moving to Nashville. And also, there are very few agencies where i live now. How can i tell if they are good ones or not? and a question about my portfolio, well, head shots really: Which kind of photography studio should i be looking for? Is it ok if one of my friends, who is a photographer do it? I really need some starting-off tips. thank you!

Answer
Hi Jenna,

Well hopefully you are one of those people who can do it all, because you sound like you have a wide range of career choices. Usually it's best to focus on one part at a time. They did a study (they -those people -the 4 out of 5 doctors? lol.) a few years ago and discovered "multi-tasking" actually guarantees you will do everything half-assed! People like Arnold Schwartzenegger accomplish a lot, but set their sites on one thing at a time -usually-. He actually went to three schools at the same time for his business degree, but that is another story.

It's good to be a producer and start your own production company once you've gotten a way in acting, that way you can pick scripts and buy them and put yourself into movies instead of being a flounder and hoping something floats by to grab a bite. But first, you need to get the acting down. To start as an actor, SHOCK! -you need to get into classes. Beginning acting, intermediate acting, acting for film, improvisation, character analysis, etc. Why? Because it isn't as easy as it looks! You need to know how to figure out a role (character), how to memorize the script and see opportunities for choices to flesh out the character, as well as how to make yourself look your best on camera. A lot of things on camera look different than in real life. If you stood as close to another person as you sometimes do in close-ups, people would freak out on you. An untrained actor wouldn't know how to "cheat" themselves to look natural, yet show their face. I've been seeing a local commercial for a patio chair company that looks so bad lately. It shows family and friends enjoying their new purchases by the pool. While you'll notice in movies that they often have everyone crowded around one side and the ends of a table, the other side (camera side) is empty. Why? so they can see all faces! Unless they are using a track around the table or use multiple set-ups, they have to do this to get everyone. In this commercial, they have everyone sitting and standing FACING the camera, not unlike a police line up with lawn chairs. VERY unnatural! The key is learning how to make any situation look real and believable, even when technology requires you to do weird things. Acting classes.

If you were going to a university (I would highly reccomend this) you could take radio/tv/film classes and get schooled on all aspects while getting a degree to fall back on. Matthew McConaughey did. Many do. Robert Rodriguez, the director of "El Mariachi", "Spy Kids", etc. went to the same school, the University of Texas.

Once you have gotten well into classes, you could start looking at getting an agent, but you don't want a buddy with a camera to do your headshots. I and many others have ended up wasting money that we should have just put toward gettting them done with a pro, having done that. Professional headshot photographers have equipment, experience, industry standards knowledge, ability to coax out looks from a talent and even replication services and equipment. Some even know makeup artists to hire to work your shoot. You don't want to hope for accidental quality -you are creating your business generating business card with your headshot! If it sucks, you won't get in the door to even see a casting director. It's what they see before they see you. You want it to look like you on a good day, not an idealized, airbrushed version of you. It's ok if the pro photographer gets rid of temporary zits, just so he doesn't change your nose or face.

You will need to move to a state that has business when you are ready. You're right, Georgia is pretty lean for that. I just wouldn't go straight to LA anytime soon!

Best,

Taylor