Acting Is Everything

In this actor's guidebook, renowned acting coach Judy Kerr shares her lifetime of techniques and tricks of the trade. She opens the doors of Hollywood to acting hopefuls and professionals with a straightforward road map for building their dreams and careers. The previous 11 editions have contributed to the success of thousands of readers. In this new Ebook Judy shares brand new content: including Acting Tools, private dairy entries from those who have successfully applied Acting Is Everything to their careers, and more. A wonderful intro to the world of show biz. -- Jerry Seinfeld This is good, Judy, this is good. Julia Louis-Dreyfus First rate primer, excellent refresher course. -- Jason Alexander Informative and to the point. - Michael Richards

This really is the ultimate guidebook for actors who are determined to initiate and sustain a successful acting career in Los Angeles or in their hometowns. Filled with practical advice, Acting Is Everything helps beginners avoid scams so they can get down to the business of getting work. Written by a renowned acting coach, it helps actors do it right the first time -- saving them time, money and heartache. Enlisting the thoughts and advice of many Hollywood insiders, Kerr teaches actors to approach acting as an art, a business and a career, and gives them the tools to succeed in all three areas. Kerr's essential book covers it all, including... -- Developing your talent -- Breaking into the biz -- Places to work as an actor -- Career team -- Career tools -- Personal tools: style and image -- Acting in everything -- Child actors -- Becoming geographically desirable. Drawing upon more than twenty years in the business, Kerr gives actors the resources they need to make it. From headshots to fake cigarettes, from changing one's name to that great plastic surgeon -- it's all in this book. Filled with invaluable lessons, this book is like eavesdropping at all the right Hollywood parties. The author's hands-on experience as an acting coach, actress, dialogue coach and producer comes to life on the pages of this essential book.

Aspiring film and television actors will discover exercises for relaxing the face to achieve maximum expressiveness; maintaining proper eye focus in front of the camera and conveying the "beats" of a scene, even in the shortest takes. They'll also learn tested techniques for adapting to the styles of different directors; modulating voice and breath for maximum effect; preparing for the first day on the set; enduring multiple takes and on-the-set waiting; and much, much more. For any performer who intends to make a living in front of the camera, Acting for Film is the most authoritative resource!

(Applause Books). A master actor who's appeared in an enormous number of films, starring with everyone from Nicholson to Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine is uniquely qualified to provide his view of making movies. This revised and expanded edition features great photos, with chapters on: Preparation, In Front of the Camera Before You Shoot, The Take, Characters, Directors, On Being a Star, and much more. "Remarkable material ... A treasure ... I'm not going to be looking at performances quite the same way ... FASCINATING!" Gene Siskel

Making it through the tough waiting periods that string together, can leave us feeling anything but fabulous. But oh queen, you are! Four-time Emmy Award winning journalist and TV host Kerstin Lindquist helps us break out of our most painful waiting rooms by delivering raw truth (When did making women friends become so hard?), attainable faith (For two excruciating, sweat-inducing minutes, I publicly prayed a prayer so disjointed I can’t even recreate the sounds, it was that bad), and real-life humor (My text read: “Just realized I’m naked in my kitchen making myself a martini”). Through the pages, Kerstin shares her own stories with the honesty of your best friend. She explains what has worked for real, overwhelmed, under-supported women just like you, who are living through unbearable waits: unemployment, illness, infertility, death, even seasons of joylessness that seem to never end. You will learn how to manage all the little waits that come daily, the ones that make you feel like you’re missing out on your life. Where’s My Crown offers tangible advice and actionable steps for coping through each season, including: • How to improve your prayer life. • How to break free from lack of sleep. • What foods can help you get and stay fit for this period of struggle. • The two categories of exercise that are essential for thriving. • How to find the elusive “tribe” we’re supposed to have but can’t seem to locate. • How to pick the right therapist. • How serving others can get you out of this waiting period faster. Where’s My Crown considers that those waiting rooms of life that we so dread are full of gifts we’re just too frustrated to find. Maybe you aren’t getting out because there is something inside you’re meant to discover—a person, a place, a situation that will change your life, or theirs, for the better. You just need to take a break from trying so hard to find the door.

William Esper, one of the leading acting teachers of our time, explains and extends Sanford Meisner's legendary technique, offering a clear, concrete, step-by-step approach to becoming a truly creative actor.Esper worked closely with Meisner for seventeen years and has spent decades developing his famous program for actor's training. The result is a rigorous system of exercises that builds a solid foundation of acting skills from the ground up, and that is flexible enough to be applied to any challenge an actor faces, from soap operas to Shakespeare. Co-writer Damon DiMarco, a former student of Esper's, spent over a year observing his mentor teaching first-year acting students. In this book he recreates that experience for us, allowing us to see how the progression of exercises works in practice. The Actor's Art and Craft vividly demonstrates that good training does not constrain actors' instincts—it frees them to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.

Each year, hundreds of aspiring and experienced actors head to LA hoping to make it big in Hollywood. While many of them have their acting chops in shape, few realize what it actually takes to survive in Tinseltown. Even if they happen to make it onto a set, many are clueless about what’s expected of them and how they should behave. Acting in LA: How to Become a Working Actor in Hollywood is exactly what these actors need: a handbook to arriving, surviving, and thriving on- and off-set in LA. Written by veteran Hollywood actor, acting coach, and acting teacher Kristina Sexton, this comprehensive guide takes no prisoners. With just enough snark to keep readers entertained—and on their toes—Acting in LA delivers solid advice on such topics as: Headshots, resumes, and reels How to find your “image” and market it The SAG/AFTRA debate Networking Agents and managers The importance of creating your own opportunities Maintaining a life outside of acting Setiquette On-set terminology And much more A comprehensive guide that can be utilized by actors either inside or outside Hollywood, Acting in LA relies on Kristina’s real-life experience as a working actress and exposes the pleasures, pitfalls, and practicalities of pursuing a career in acting.

The Actor's Business Plan is a self-directed practical guide for actors graduating from formal training programs, as well as for those already in the business whose careers need to move ahead more successfully. Using the familiar language of acting training, the book offers a method for the achievement of dreams through a five-year life and career plan giving positive steps to develop a happy life as an actor and as a person. It assists performers to flourish using the same kind of business/career planning that is a necessary part of life for entrepreneurs and business people. This introduction to the acting industry provides essential knowledge not only for how the business actually works, but also describes what casting directors, agents, and managers do, demystifies the role of unions, discusses how much things cost, and offers advice on branding and marketing strategies. It differs from other such handbooks in that it addresses the everyday issues of life, money, and jobs that so frequently destroy an actor's career before it is even begun. While addressing NYC and LA, the guide also gives a regional breakdown for those actors who may wish to begin careers or to settle in other cities. It is loaded with personal stories, and interviews with actors, casting directors, and agents from throughout the US. The Actor's Business Plan is the answer to the common complaint by students that they were not taught how to negotiate the show business world while at school. It is the perfect antidote for this problem and can easily fit into a ten or a thirteen-week class syllabus. Offering support as a personal career coach, empowering the actor to take concrete steps towards their life and career dreams, The Actor's Business Plan: A Career Guide for the Acting Life is a must-have book for actors who are determined to be a part of the professional world .

"ACTING: Make It Your Business, written by a veteran casting director, puts the power to land jobs and thrive in any medium - stage, film, TV, or the Internet - directly into the hands of the actor. This blunt, wise, and often hilarious guide overflows with cutting-edge audition, marketing, and networking strategies, combining traditional techniques with those best suited for the digital age. Well-known actors and powerful agents make cameos throughout, offering newcomers and working professionals alike a clear-eyed, uncensored perspective on survival and advancement within the entertainment industry."--BOOK JACKET.