Most movie veterans will tell you that there are practically no specific how-to guidelines for taking the first steps into acting business. There are however several good books on acting methods, audition techniques and acting for film, TV and theatre. There are hardly any definite rules which if followed will help you to become an actor. As they say that becoming an actor is not as a tough as rocket science, but it might as well be. There are many routes into acting and ask ten actors what their route was and they’ll all probably be different. Before you take your first steps into this world, you must have a basic understanding about what lies ahead.

There is one golden rule about being an actor. You must know how to sell yourself. An actor’s primary piece of marketing is their actors headshot. I cannot stress enough how important a great headshot is. Even though it can be quite expensive it’s best to go and see a specialist headshot photographer. You will save money in the long run and without a shadow of a doubt a great actors headshot does make a great first impression. And in this business first impressions do count.

As you take your first steps into the exciting world of acting you will probably have little idea about talent management or acting agents. Never mind the difference between an agent and a manager; it’s not really that important at this stage. This is the time for self-promotion and that professional headshots get your headshot out there. Always be wary of agencies that charge for registration and representation. In fact, it is often said that once you have signed up with a talent agency, you must clearly understand, and know how to self-promote. Instead of just waiting for a call, as many actors do once they’ve secured representation. This is the time to really push on with your own efforts rather that sitting back to wait. You can still go for other auditions that are going on elsewhere – simply keep your representation informed about it.

If you want to be seen by the casting directors – often very busy people with little time to spare – and should want to be seen by them as they are the most important people in choosing an actor. You will have to do an audition for the casting associates and directors, remember they are working for film directors and production companies and will only recommend actors who they are confident with, as their own reputations can suffer heavily as a result of consistently poor recommendations.

emember too, that a bad audition or a poor headshot that doesn’t really look like you can leave a bad impression too, and that can last a long time, so don’t go throwing yourself into auditions and meetings until you are sure that you are ready for them. When you perform for an audition, casting call or theatrical production, you will perform before a set of producers, filmmakers and casting directors. All of them will evaluate your performance, and if they like you enough, you’ll probably get a call back and maybe offered a role in their production. If you want to know more about the casting calls, you will have to check the casting notices that mostly appear online.