Category: On Camera Acting

Open up Tim Bagley’s list of TV and film credits and it might just unroll to your feet. Tim Bagley has been working on stage and screen for decades and with good reason: he’s serious about comedy—and acting in general. I met Tim in 2015 on the set of Teachers where he played Principal Pearson and he was kind enough to chat with me recently about his career and his…

Got a co-star audition and not sure where to begin? Well, welcome to the right place! These 7 tips will help set yourself up for success so you can nail your co-star audition. 1) UNDERSTAND YOUR FUNCTION IN THE SCENE.  Co-star roles in television, and featured roles in film, are considered functionary roles. A functionary role – you guessed it! – serves a function in the telling of the story….

See what the Pros at ASC advise for creating a top-notch Virtual Audition!

By Donna Simon Dunn Imagine your mind is a garden. You get to choose which seeds to plant. So why not plant seeds of positivity, joy, opportunity and success? Why not have a giant patch of dirt, void of nutrients, where your bad seeds: rejection, self-doubt, worry, go to die?  What’s stopping you from waking up every day and stepping into your purpose? Your initial response to this might be,…

Auditioning is mostly a solo career. Yep, preaching the truth, friends.   As actors, we spend a lot of time by ourselves on the train, in the car, on the bus, in an Uber, on the way to, or returning from an audition. Sure, people might be sitting next to you on the train, but usually, you are self-focused, in your audition zone. It’s rare that an actor will go with…

Misconceptions of Movement, Dang It!  There’s a misconception about on-camera acting out there in the universe that I think needs to be dispelled. There’s this general feeling/idea/thought that you have to stay frozen and barely move, and talk really, really quietly. Actors want so badly to come off as real and authentic, that I’m finding that some actors get locked into an unmovable position once they hit their mark and…

You got the part and it’s your first time cast in a television show! You’ve worked hard and you’re excited about this first day. But you’ve never been on set before and you aren’t sure what to expect. Here are a few guidelines to get you through that first experience. 1. Don’t be late. There’s nothing that sets a bad precedent more than holding up production because you didn’t arrive…

by Chris Agos All actors need reels. The question is how to build an acting reel that works. In Part 1, we talked about the reasons for having an acting reel (showreel), covered the hierarchy of reel footage sources, and highlighted the importance of building an actor’s credibility through a reel. By the way, notice I’m not calling them “actor demos” or “demo reels”. Demos are for voice over. Anyway….

by Chris Agos If you’re an actor and you don’t have an acting reel showcasing your work, you’re doing it VERY wrong. I don’t care how much or little experience you have if you’re pursuing an acting career, a reel (or showreel for non-US readers) can be the first step in getting work you’ll be able to book again and again. Why?  The number one question casting directors have about actors…

Check out ASC’s 2023 Online Acting and Voice Over Classes! If you have visible tattoos and you book a commercial or TV show, know that an actor’s tattoos will either need to be covered OR you must provide a release from your tattoo artist(s) before you can appear on camera. Even if the images on your body have not been copyrighted by the artist, production companies and their clients are…