Shaun Rey's Lounge Discussions

It would be a dream to work in the film and television industry. Would you be able to help me with that, Mr. Charnay?

Hi John! I have many hundreds of hours of television and film experience but as I'm new to LA I could do with your help. Would love to meet.

THANKS DEAR SIR JOHN

I'm from newyork. How can you help me?

Oh to live in America. Everything happens film wise in America. Uk sucks!! Not jealous :P

Good luck Alanna!

As an Actor you are working on your brand and name. Take your acting classes, get some professional head shots and submit yourself for short films. You need the experience and credits to build your resume.

Stay non-union as long as you can.

Some great tips here, so I'll take a different angle. Be patient, don't rush things. You're just starting out. Be a sponge. Find a group of supportive artists and learn from them. Stay positive. Always. Remember that you'll hear "No" much, much more than you'll hear "Yes". But, that one "Yes" is right around the corner if you work your ass off and network. Relish in the small victories. A compliment on your performance in class. Your attitude. Anything positive that comes your way. You've earned it, enjoy it. Finally, stay true to your beliefs. This is your dream. Those who try to stomp on it are probably too miserable to have any of their own.

Thank you all!!! These tips are very helpful and encouraging :-)

Study movies.... the best actors in the world are literally showing you exactly what they do in the best movies ever made. If you can separate yourself from the story and force yourself to see the actor for who they are instead of who they are playing you will learn a shit load. I like to pretend I am on the set of the scene, standing behind the director or the light or anything really, watching the performance that way. For some reason it makes me see the performance as it feels on set, when everyone feels real almost like a documentary, and before it ends up with that "cinema" feeling.

Best book? 'Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus' by Marina Caldarone & Maggie Lloyd-Williams. Inspirational.

"How to Stop Acting" by Harold Guskin

awakening the actor within by myself coz I wrote it and I think it's helpful to actors

Hollywood 101 is not directly an acting book, but a great film book that everyone can benefit from, cast or crew. So worth the read. For actors directly, Ice Babies from Oz...best stand alone monologue book. One of the early versions of a book written of monologues from no show...to give the actor something fresh that everyone else was not using. Now that is is older...few use it as much and a great chance for some new talent to go to material others may have yet to spot! The flame thrower monologue a personal fav!