4 Reasons You’re Not Landing Roles
Being an actor isn’t just about acting. It’s also about luck and preparation. Giving yourself the best chance to meet luck half way is the key to having a career as an actor. So, here are four reasons you’re not landing roles.
Your Headshot Doesn’t Look Like You. When casting directors request to see you for a role they expect you to look like your headshot.
They have already pictured you playing the role and believe you can do it. They have matched your look to other actors they are auditioning and think you make a good match.
So, if you arrive to the casting looking completely different to your headshot you will throw everything out of order. In headshots, as in life, honesty is the best policy. Agents, casting directors, producers, and directors, all want your headshot to be an accurate representation of your look. If you want to land roles, look like your headshot.
Find out how to nail your headshots with Australia’s leading headshot photographer Sally Flegg.
Your Showreel Is Bad. Having a great showreel is one of your most valuable tools when it comes to landing roles.
A showreel is usually the first exposure anyone has to your work. It’s your calling card; your ticket to success.
Lots of actors make the mistake of trying to show too much in their showreel. Slapping every little piece of screen work together into a hap hazzard, hard to watch, reel. According to casting directors and agents, the best showreels are short (approx 3 minutes).
Start your showreel with your best work. It only takes 5 seconds to make a first impression so make sure it’s the right one. Try and finish your reel with something funny to leave viewers feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
If you don’t have enough professional experience to make a showreel, pay a professional to shoot a scene. If you can’t afford that, shoot two contrasting self tapes that show your range.
We talk to Dean Francis, a showreel expert from JJ Splice films on how to master your showreel and get the most out of it.
You’re Not Auditioning. The main reason you’re not landing roles is because you’re not auditioning. You’ve got to be in it to win it! So how do you make sure you are getting seen for roles that you could play?
The first steps are practical. Get your headshot and showreel in order. Then you need to make sure your agent is doing their job. That’s right! Your agent works for you.
If they aren’t getting you into the room, it’s time for a chat. They will help you develop your career and craft to a point where you are auditioning. If not, it’s time to find a new agent. Find an agent who has faith in you as an actor, and has the connections to get you auditions.
If you are freelancing, it’s your responsibility to expose casting directors and producers to your work. Put some scenes down on tape and email them to the people in power. Stay proactive and get in that room!
We cover everything from how to land an agent, to how to ace auditions and how to start getting more roles in our online drama school.
You’re Untrained. Everyone can act. Under the perfect circumstances, with the right script, the right role. You can act. But those circumstances are rare. If you haven’t trained as an actor you won’t have the tool kit to approach a script that is less than perfect.
Acting training is about creating a foundation of technique so that when inspiration fails, you have something to fall back on. If you’re not landing roles it’s probably because you don’t have a process. So, if you have the chance to train, take it. Whether it’s a full time theatre course, or a local drama class, just do it. Broadening your range through technique will dramatically (haha!) improve your chances of landing roles and having a career as an actor.
Taking control of your career can be scary. The great thing is that all of these problems are easy to solve. If you want to take your acting to the next level and start landing roles join us at StageMilk Drama School. It might just change your life.
We built StageMilk Drama School after being fed up about there being no decent easy to access, affordable, online training for actors wanting to start taking their career seriously and to develop more as an actor.
