How to become an Actor: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Eligibility, Top Colleges, Jobs, Scope, Salary 2023

How to Become an Actor: Quick Facts 

What Does an Actor do

The job of an actor is to invoke emotion within the audience with the help of the person’s acting skills. Actors portray characters through their own perspectives and skill. Like every artist, actors also aim for fame.  

1. Most actors these days conduct research about their roles in order to understand their characters better and put on better performances.
2. The actors attend workshops before starting with their projects to familiarise themselves with the other members of the projects.
3. A stage actor must perform various dress and technical rehearsals before the actual performance.
4. Actors must travel to different cities or countries in order to perform in different tours and programs.
5. The last and the most important role of an Actor is to entertain their audience, by keeping them glued to the screen and engaging them with every single aspect of the performance.

Types of Actors

The key types of actors based on their professions are

1. Film Actor: The actor who is performing in feature films produced by famous studios. They can audition for roles in student films, short films, independent films, and other identical, low-budget projects.
2. Television Actor: The actor who has a screen appearance on television. Television production is basically in the low-budget range. Additionally, the actors have web series and OTT platform projects.
3. Theatre Actor: The actor who performs in a theatre company most likely in a play. They have huge demands in cities that have huge cultural touch even today
4. Voice-over Actor: The actor would be giving a voice-over to a particular character in that project. They are in demand for animated movies and shows.
5. Commercial Actor: The actor who acts in advertisements. They need good improvisational skills to thrive in this field.
6. Background Actor: The actor who would be present in the scene in the background. This is where almost every actor would be starting their career.

Steps to Become an Actor 

There are several steps that need to be mastered in order to become an Actor, some of the crucial steps are discussed below for your reference,

• Take Acting Classes: The first and foremost step in becoming an Actor is enrolling in proper Acting Schools and getting well trained. There are numerous workshops and camps that are conducted by these Acting Schools in order to be able to understand the depth and process of the profession. 
• Join a Local Theatre: Before jumping into the big screen, it is very important to face the audience on a small scale basis, such as a theatre. Through this one can not only gain confidence but also master the basics. This will eventually help in building an informal relationship with other co-actors as well as people who are directly associated with the profession such as costume designers, light personnel, scriptwriters etc.
• Learn about the Industry: If a candidate is not prepared to join a talent agency or hire a manager, one should go through various guides about the profession that would help them understand the industry as the various other factors that would eventually help them make it big there.
• Make your Resume: After completing the necessary education and gaining substantial experience, one should start assembling them into a portfolio or resume which would help them present their work in a consolidated way when they are called in for interviews at big production houses.
• Create Professional Headshots: Big directors and casting agents often ask for headshot videos once a candidate is called for an audition. Candidates must prepare headshots of themselves, typically headshot videos for an acting career before they go for any auditions.
• Step 6 – Hire an Agent: Agents are very useful when it comes to getting calls from big production houses. Small firms with few clients would prove to be useful as; they tend to offer more attention than big agent houses where too many candidates make it a tough competition to get called for an audition.

How to Become an Actor in India 

The preparation to become an actor in India can start from the school level. The candidates should have prepared a detailed plan regarding the steps that they can follow in becoming actors. 

School Level Preparation 

• In your school days, give importance to your academics and get in touch with the acting career. 
• Make contacts with people from the acting field or who are aspiring to be. Work as an assistant in some short films and theatre plays. 
• Participate in competitions and register yourself for the acting club in your school.

See: Acting Courses after 12th

How to Become an Actor After 12^th

After completing class 12^th board exams, students who aspire to become actors can follow the steps mentioned below for a successful career in the same.

UG Preparation 

• Students who want to enhance their acting skills can apply for any UG acting programs available in India. 
• There are diplomas, UG, and PG  degrees, and Ph. D programs available across India. 
• This will give them a clear idea and the teachers will help them to execute that idea in the real world. 
• Join some theatre companies, and work as an assistant in the work field.

See: BA Acting Colleges in India

 PG Preparation 

• At the postgraduate level, you can choose the specialization you need. 
• This specialization will be mainly focused on that domain only. That can be about theatre acts, screenplay writing, scriptwriting, history of acting, film acting, etc. 
• Choose wisely because this is going to be your final change of decision in your life.
• After completion of the PG courses you can either pursue jobs as a consultant in the acting field or go for PhD courses.

Important Links:

Apart from India, students who aspire to become Actors can pursue various acting courses from abroad countries as well. Several countries offer different types of jobs in this career. Amongst all, some of the top cities that are famous for making Acting careers are Los Angeles followed by London and New York which are famous for their stage plays. Australia is best for its native Dramatic Arts.

The abroad admission procedure will be different from India. They will be having a personal statement, audition, and personal interviews to select students. Even in job offers, foreign countries like the US, and UK would expect more from the graduates.

USA

Students from India can become an actor in the USA, but the eligibility and other requirements are different. Hence here we have presented the eligibility to become an actor in the USA. The student must have a work permit to work in the USA. The USA has lots of opportunities for a career in acting.

Eligibility 

• You must be over 18 to start a course.
• A minimum academic record of 65% and above in class XII (for UG and PG Programs).
• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum score of 60% in a recognized university in a relevant stream.
• Need a credible score (6.5 or more) in IELTS or an equivalent score in any other English Language Test.

Top Colleges 

The top colleges in the USA for acting courses are according to QS rankings

UK 

Some of the top colleges in the UK offering Film making and learning courses are listed below along with the necessary eligibility criteria

Eligibility 

• You must be over 18 to start a course.
• A minimum academic record of 65% and above in class XII (for UG and PG Programs).
• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum score of 60% in a recognized university in a relevant stream.
• Need a credible score (6.5 or more) in IELTS or an equivalent score in any other English Language Test.

Colleges 

Top colleges in UK according to QS World ranking are

Canada 

Universities such as McGill University, the University of Toronto are some of the top names that come to our mind when we talk about Film Making and learning colleges in Canada. Apart from these, there are several colleges that offer other relevant courses.

Listed below are the eligibility criteria and other prerequisites for your reference,

Eligibility

• You must be over 18 to start a course.
• A minimum academic record of 65% and above in class XII (for UG and PG Programs).
• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum score of 60% in a recognized university in a relevant stream.
• Need a credible score (6.5 or more) in IELTS or equivalent score in any other English Language Test.

College 

Top colleges in Canada according to QS World ranking are 

Australia 

Australia is home to some of the top Film Making Colleges. Listed below are the few eligibility criteria and prerequisites that are essential to become an Actor in Australia,

Eligibility 

• You must be over 18 to start a course.
• A minimum academic record of 65% and above in class XII (for UG and PG Programs).
• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum score of 60% in a recognized university in a relevant stream.
• Need a credible score (6.5 or more) in IELTS or equivalent score in any other English Language Test.

College 

The top colleges in Australia according to the QS world ranking are

Skills Required to Become an Actor

Every profession has its own skill sets, which if inculcated and mastered can guarantee a successful career in the same. Similarly Acting as a profession too comes with its skill sets that need to be mastered by students aspiring to become Actors.

Some of the major skill sets necessary for in the field of Acting are tabulated below for your reference, 

Benefits of Becoming an Actor

The benefits of becoming an actor are not just the fame and the money, there are more beyond the money and fame in the profession of acting. 

• Salary: There is no definite salary for the actors in India. It will change according to their job position, experience, and demand from the consumers. Top actors in the industry can charge up to a salary of INR 100 crore per film. However, on average an Actor In India makes INR 6,00,000 per year. In the television industry, famous actors will be getting INR 2 lakhs per episode. While fresh TV actors will be getting INR 8000 – INR 15000 per episode. While the background actors in both film and television industries will be getting INR 500-2000 per day.
• Job Security: The job security of being an actor is very low. That is the person with the job would have a high chance of losing his/her job for many reasons. Sometimes, even if there is no concrete reason, the person might lose his/her job. But with the increasing resurgence of Indie movies the actors can experiment and land jobs in the different smaller-budget films. The actor can translate into different mediums allowing them (film to TV and vice versa) flexibility in the profession.
• Positive Impact of the Career: An actor gives a great aperture to one’s feelings by their way of acting. The performance and the accolade received by the actors act as a positive influence on the morale of the actors. The chance to work for charity work, healthcare, animal care, and other welfare also leaves a positive impact.
• Higher Studies: There are some postgraduate programs and certificates that will help you to elevate your acting skills in different phases even when you have become an actor. You can do your higher studies in India or abroad.
• Unique Experience: As an actor, you will be working with different co-artists and different teams at different places. You will have exposure to places and their locality. Ou. Acting will enhance teamwork, improve public speaking skills, and give confidence.

Top Recruiters for Actors

Some of the top recruiters who hire fresh graduates as well as experienced professionals in the field of acting are tabulated below,

Salary of an Actor

As mentioned above, there is no definite number when it comes to an actor. It will be changing according to the job position, experience, and demand.