Summary
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What does acting work consist of?
Play a character
The actor puts his talent and sensitivity at the service of a role. His interpretation conveys the emotions, comic or dramatic. The actor, led by a director, takes the viewer into the author’s universe.
Learning texts, rehearsals, filming or performances, each show imposes a sustained work pace.
Vary the activities
The actor performs roles for both cinema, theater and television.
Advertising and corporate theater also offer some opportunities.
The actor can also use his voice to dub foreign films.
But, whatever path you choose, the competition is fierce and the course is often strewn with pitfalls.
Multiply the hearings
The audition remains the obligatory passage to get a role. The actor then has a few minutes to convince of his talent. Some actors use the services of an agent who helps them obtain new contracts.
How much does an actor earn?
The profession is very marked by unemployment and the actors work mainly under the status of intermittent of the show. It is impossible to quantify the average salary, the differences being considerable depending on the notoriety and the importance of the contracts won.
To know: an actor must have worked at least 507 hours during the last 319 days to receive the allowances of the intermittents du spectacle.
What are the prospects for acting?
A difficult professional integration
There are too many candidate artists on the job market and the competition is fierce. The actors alternate periods of activity and periods of unemployment. The decline in subsidies paid to the world of entertainment reinforces this precariousness.
Complementary food activities
Having irregular and often insufficient incomes, the majority of actors are obliged to exercise another activity in parallel.
What qualities are you looking for?
Talent !
This is obviously the first criterion. If the mastery of vocal, breathing and body techniques is the expected basis, it is essential to have the little extra that makes the difference. Being passionate about literature, knowing how to dance, sing, play an instrument are, for example, indisputable assets.
passion and perseverance
The actor, to succeed, must be passionate. He must have the strength to persevere despite material difficulties and go through castings without getting discouraged.
To break through, he must also have an assertive personality, a real presence and charisma.
Spirit of initiative and system D
Are you starting from scratch? You don’t have any connections in the industry? Subscribe to the specialized press to identify the agencies and the next casting dates. Go to the theater and festivals to try to meet artists and exchange with them. Cultivate yourself, read, go to the cinema… Finally, multiply the initiatives to gradually integrate the environment.
How to become an actor?
Public schools
The National Higher Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris (CNSAD), the Higher School of Dramatic Art in Strasbourg (ESAD) or the National School of Theater Arts and Techniques (ENSATT) in Lyon are considered royal paths . The entrance examinations are very selective.
Private lessons
There are many private lessons that teach various stage techniques. Often expensive and of unequal quality, it is better to target recognized establishments: the famous Cours Florent or Cours Simon, located in Paris, remain a safe bet.
It is finally possible to start self-taught.
To know more ?
To find out more, contact the French union of performers.
Content updated on 08/07/2012