Abraham 1

Marynna Abraham

Mrs. Kathleen Trace

English 111

26 October 2018

Building a career in film

The boom of the explosion, the roar of a car starting up, and a hero running away in just

the nick of time. The actors that help bring this idea to the big screen have a hard career to fulfill.

I want to be an entertainer and create action for the screen, but there is so much to expect that it

is mostly a mystery to what the job actually is. Each individual's job in theatre is different and

the career as a whole can be very unstable, but there can be stability in the many personalities

and responsibilities that everyone can expect as an actor.

Actors have a very unstable career for multiple reasons. The career as a whole cannot be

generalized because some big name actors can have several jobs consecutively and there are

those breaking into the field who will get a job once in a blue moon. An actor needs to build their

reputation to start getting jobs, especially when first starting out. I do not have much experience,

but I am building my resume so that I can begin to have consistent jobs. Some actors will go to

thousands of auditions before they get a part, while others will go to their first audition and get

the part, so much can’t be measured. The work schedule of an actor is hard to predict as well, as

they can work early mornings, late nights, and even holidays, depending on the schedule of the

start to release date, reshoots, and premieres. In addition to the hard schedule of filming and

auditions,

“About 1 in 4 actors work part time” (“CollegeGrad”). Most actors can’t work full time because

of the need for a flexible schedule to accommodate the inconsistency of a career in film. This
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career is very unstable in the idea of getting and keeping a job, but you can expect some

consistency in how actors are characteristically.

The personalities of successful actors are very similar. Actors have to have a ‘gotta get it

done’ attitude or nothing will happen. Noone is going to walk up and discover them; they have to

work hard. Actors have to be personable and kind, put themselves out there, and be willing to be

put down over and over again. If a director doesn’t like an actor for any reason the actor won’t

get the job and the director will tell them why. This is why “creativity; speaking, literacy, and

reading skills; memorization; physical stamina; persistence, discipline, and dedication; ability to

communicate with a wide variety of people” (“Acting Career Information”) are all very

important characteristics to have as an actor. While actors must have similar characteristics they

also have similar responsibilities no matter what jobs they get.

The responsibilities of actors are mostly the same around the board. No degrees are

required, but some trainings are suggested to enhance your craft. Your jobs are basically to read

scripts, memorize lines, audition, rehearse, and perform (“College Grad”). Sometimes side jobs

in technology or the back side of the camera are required to get your name out there. There are

some similarities in jobs and responsibilities in acting.

A career in the field of film is very hard to achieve based on it's unstable nature, but if

you have certain personalities and understand the responsibilities you are more likely to succeed.

You must understand your place on the set, you must understand your responsibilities, and you

must be able to be comfortable in an unstable career.

Works Cited
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“Acting Career Information: Becoming an Actor or Actress.” Study.com, Study.com,

study.com/articles/Acting_Career_Information_Becoming_an_Actor_or_Actress.html.

“CollegeGrad.” Jobs, Career, Salary and Education Information, CollegeGrad LLC , 2018,

collegegrad.com/careers/actors.

Strassberg, Rebecca. “Backstage Experts Answer: 14 Tips for Starting a Career Later in Life.”

Backstage, 7 Aug. 2017,www.backstage.com/magazine/article/backstage-experts-answer

-tips-starting-career-later-life-9578/.