Acting

U

upper

Member
my sister's 12 years old and she wants to be one of those disney channel star thing. she has been to the audience filming thing, talked to the actress a couple of times. they told her to get an 8x10 headshot, write a resume, and get an agent.
q1) headshot, i got a pretty good camera and lights, does it have to be taken by a professional or can i take it.
q2) what to write on the resume?
q3) where do i get an agent? do i gotta pay them?
i'm just trying to support my sister.
 
1) If you know how to take a decent shot, then go for it. I've taken my own headshots and have received work.

2) A typical resume is generally broken up into sections. At the top your put your name, age, weight, eye color, but generally not your age (this can be a negative factor). You want to give yourself as much range as possible by avoiding any specific age and letting them see the age range based on the photo.
Then you put Film and Television credits, commercial credits, Theatrical credits, any training and workshops you've taken as well as your special skills.

I'll post mine when I'm home so you can see a basic layout

3) Depending on your area you will want to research which agents are representative of what your sister is looking to do. Some agents focus more on commercials, modeling, film and television and theater. If you are in the states you will also want to look into getting a manager, but you start off with an agent. I don't know if SAG has a list of recommended names, but here in Canada, our union is ACTRA and there is a list of suggested agents. Just look around, talk to people and see what comes up.

The most important thing to know is that an agent never makes money up front. They generally receive 10% ( 15% in Canada since they are your agent and manager ) and then 5% i believe goes to your manager (SAG members feel free to chime in here, i am not exactly sure about the system in the States)

So if the agent asks for a fee to sign with them, it's a scam. There is no upfront payment, and the agent is working for you, as are you with the agent. It's a partnership, so remember that you are looking to be hired just as much as you are looking to hire the appropriate agent. It is a relationship based clientele and should be treated as one.

Hope that helps.
 
upper

your sister also needs to take acting classes and possibly singing and dancing lessons too. these days most of the 'Disney' kids are what are called triple threats. they CAN do it all. research your area for legit camera acting coaches...only take singing from a certified voice instructor (others can damage a developing voice***). most towns have dance classes all over (modern, ballet and tap would be the best to look at)

*** Voices:
Female voices are not fully developed for serious training until 2 years after her 'cycle' has begun
Male voices are not fully developed until they stop growing in height around 18-20

That does not mean they cannot be trained but a top notch coach will only teach certain things at certain ages because of this. To over train a voice before it is ready can cause permanent damage.

I know because my sister was a child prodigy who was scouted by the top Opera singers and folks from the NY Met when she was a teenager...and this is what they told her and she ended up going to one of the best schools in the country on full ride because of her voice...it was never damaged!
 
As a dad to a teenage actor in the business, let me steer you in a good direction.
http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/9611031
http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9611031/m/6061061
http://www.bizparentz.org/
She will need a child actor’s permit from your state signed by her school and a trust account.
Chances are she will not get a decent agent or any agent until she has credits. So, she must take classes and get involved in school and community theatre.
Be careful of scams especially Disney Channel promises and read the forums of the above sites carefully.
I have been in the biz all my life and am steering my own 14 year old along.
Good luck.
 
Last edited:
woo hoo Dadin....some great advice!!! listen to the Dad...

i love that you said what i have said before about getting agents. maybe now that someone else is saying it on the boards, others might actually believe it!
 
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