Question by Shelly890: Exactly how effective are acting classes anyhow?
I’d like to be an actress, but I seem to have natural ability to act really well, and I don’t want to spend thousands on uneffective acting classes. I also think acting classes may lead me to over-think everything I’m doing. What are some of the things you learn in acting classes anyway? What kind of exercises do you go through? Why should I take acting classes? (Please note that I’d like to act in feature films and not stage productions).
Just so you know in the future “d_cider1”, Tommy Lee Jones never had an acting lesson in his life.
Best answer:
Answer by oncameratalent
My acting coach Cliff Osmond (see link below, he is the bomb, and no, I am not saying you should study with him because he only takes advanced students on audition. I am using this as an example ONLY that you should find a teacher at your level in your area and study), told me once that a student came walking into one of his classes and had such a huge level of confidence, that everyone in the room looked up and noticed it. He was not cocky, but was just so confident in himself and who he was, that when he was performing a scene, he was a true “natural”. This guy took 3 weeks of acting lessons and then landed a contract role on a tv show. He is now a huge celebrity actor. But Cliff told me he has seen that happen only twice in his career as an acting teacher. So don’t fool yourself into believing that you are one of those rare people. Just go with the odds and study study, perform, practice, and study some more. Why wouldn’t you want an edge on the competition when you are getting that rare audition before a great casting director for a great role in a great film? Those doors do NOT open very often, so BE PREPARED for when God (or whatever you want to call that “greater power that be”) gives you that chance!! There is no worse feeling in the whole world as when you go in and audition for something really big, and all the casting director says is, “thank you”. And you walk out the door and realize that you just stunk up the joint. I have been there and done that. You DO NOT want to go there. The casting directors remember those stinky auditions and you end up burning bridges. I eventually got smart and took acting lessons, cold-reading workshops, private coaching. And finally when I was in my late 20’s I finally became a “succesful” actor. So just skip all of that trial-and-error crap and just learn as much as you can before you get those chances to audition for big roles. You can’t go wrong, and you will have that special extra edge on the competition.
Be smart, and be prepared. Even the Boy Scouts know that motto!!
http://www.cliffosmond.com
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