Acting /modelling for dummies :)

All right here i go .. its not rocket science :) .. i know how it feels when u r in a small town .. nobody around u is in this field ur parents dont consider it a career and u feel lost .. u pick up newspaper .. and see shady small ads saying actor /models required .. and wonder if these ads are genuine .. a lot of people have asked me how to go about it on orkut .. if u are decent looking ur frns and ur family coax u into it (chane ke jhaad pe chadha dete hai ) .. well acting and modelling is not only for stunners but people of all ages shapes and sizes are required .. hope this infornmation is helpful

Training :-i would say observe ur self .. if u have a desire to act .. u mustve done something in school or college or ur colony related to drama .. these things help .. infact any kind of training .. be it some acting school or a theatre group .. Its important to know where u stand .. u must listen to people what they think about ur performance or how u could improve .. surround urself with encouraging positive people ur well wishers opinion matters most .. at times u might think u are brilliant .. but maybe thats not what others think :) .. Go according to what u can afford .. if its not affordable dont go to expensive acting schools do theatre with some local group

Portfolio :- a set of pictures is a must .. its like ur visiting card .. so that when casting is happening they can pick up pictures and take a look at what u look like .. what age group, height etc .. whether u fit in a character or not .. so a good portfolio is important .. here again if u dont have money and u cant spend thousands .. ask ur friend to click pics of u..approach someone who has a good camera.. go to a professional when u can afford .. the other way of doing it is request a known photographer.. promise him that ull pay later .. or model for him free when he needs .. but if he says No ..pls take a no as a no!! its a small industry and u deal with same people again and again .. and u dont wanna be on ignore list

Co ordinators :- U need co ordinators/agents to get u work .. ur reach can be 5 offices .. but the cords. who have been in this line for ages have more contacts and a wider reach .. they work on commission basis .. ranging from 20% -30% .. u need them .. they can put in a word for u too ..u can go directly to production houses to drop pics email or courier ur pics too .. id say dont leave any stone unturned .. do all :) buy a film directory wihch has numbers of all production houses and co ordinators ..

Auditioning :- even if u are related to someone important all depends on ur audition .. common they cant risk crores of rupees just becoz u r someones relative .. be real .. u ll get calls for auditions based on ur pics .. when they call ..they audition you on camera .. they give u lines and they tape u .. they are not taping you just like that .. some bigg people who cant be physically present at the audition watch the tape in their offices .. u get shortlisted on that basis .. so dont shy away from auditions and do give loads .. auditions also polish your skills and u can learn a lot from other actors/models who audition with u .. also u make a lot of contacts .. and build relations .. remember the more people know you exist .. the better it is :)

Be Nice & be liked :- there are thousands of aspirants .. u gotta be nice .. u are dealing with creative people and they are bound to have big egos .. afterall you need them more than they need u !! be dedicated .. be prepared .. they are senior people they know the job much better than u .. if u wanna give a suggestion give it tactfully without hurting their ego .. they are not ur parents that u come late to shoot ,you dont deliver what they want and still be nice to u .. be professional .. they can either speak highly of u and work with u again and again .. or just black list u

Patience :- it might happen that u get ur portfolio in order and do the acting course and dont even recieve call for an audition .. have patience my dear :) things dont happen overnight .. make use of ur time .. meet more people from this industry .. watch plays ,watch movies , if u like to workout go to the gym ..be prepared for the call when it comes .. remember , if u keep sitting at home .. u are staying away from all possibilities .. go out .. the more people u meet the more u know about who is casting .. and whats the buzz better for u .. so be social .. its all about networking .. simply if i see someone more often than you .. and if someone asks me for a recommendation .. his name is more likely to come to my mind than urs ..

I know of some cases where they say that they wanna run away from home to come to mumbai to act .. here i think u dont need to run away .. u must take ur parents into confidence .. ull need them again and again .. u gotta make them understand .. trust me even if u are doing theatre for free without making any money .. shows ur dedication ..and ur parents can see ur dedication and desire .. theyll support you .. :) media is booming and lots of work happening .. but remember there is a huge number of aspirants reaching here everyday so competition is tuff .. not really that easy too .. i know businessmen doctors engineers CA s who have left their jobs and got into acting coz it attracts .. do finish ur studies that way ur parents will also feel better .. afterall u are their responsibility :) Good luck guys .. hope this helps