What Does An Acting Resume Look Like

Acting Resume For Beginners

Now that we’ve told about which section experienced actors should include in their actor resume, it’s time to tell you which section should beginners in this field include in their theatre resumes.

This section is of the internship. Yes. People who don’t have professional experience should include the internships which they did in their actor resumes in place of the professional experience section.

The internship section is the utmost important section in the acting resumes of the beginners. The two things to do in this section is to make a bucket of each section and write the points using the cause-effect format.

Bucket

Cause-Effect Point 1Cause-Effect Point 2

Now, let us see with the help of an acting resume example how bucketing and cause-effect points add value to your theatre resume.

Internship section with no bucketing and cause-effect points.

• Assisted the Production Manager in production tasks
• Rendered assistance to the Production House

Internship section with bucketing and cause-effect points.

Production & Documentation

• Assisted the Production Manager in production tasks like camera setting, make-up, dialogue delivery and lighting
• Rendered assistance to the Production House to prepare the documentation for artists and vendors

As it is the first step in the actor resume making of the beginners, it is also Step 2 in the theatre resume making process of the experienced professionals. Internship section is what you’ll make second in the master resume stage.

Choosing The Best Resume Format For Actors

Actors with any credits at all should consider the standard resume format that includes a “credits” section. List your previous roles in reverse chronological order if you prefer, but never include the dates you worked on them. This is the industry standard for actors even if it’s not typical advice for other types of resume samples.

Customization is key when creating an actor resume sample because it allows you to prove your interest in the role and show how much related experience you have. If you’ve worked in multiple types of performances , you’ll want to group your roles by these categories. When you have enough experience in one particular category, you may even want to create a separate resume just for that.

How To Properly List Your Education In An Acting Resume

Use a clear format to list down your education. We recommend the following:

• Degree type and the major Eg: BA in film studies, Masters in filmmaking
• Mention the graduation and commencement years
• The university or institution and its location Eg: Columbia University, NY
• Achievements, honors, or awards

Best supporting actor, annual film festival 2014

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Is A Photo Required In The Actor Resume

Yes of course!

The actors headshot is where the casting director spends their first couple of seconds. If they do not like you, they will not even flip the side to read your resume.

A clear headshot should be attached. This is not like in typical resumes with a photograph.

Read the job description properly and see whether they have mentioned any specifications about the photograph like the size and background.

Do not take chances. Hire a professional photographer with experience working with actors in the industry. If youre unsure, do not hesitate to ask an industry expert. Most professional photographers in the industry know the correct format and poses for an actors resume.

It is very important to follow the standard guidelines. Otherwise, your resume will capture the casting directors attention, but in a negative way.

Attach your resume and the headshot for your acting gig. One way to do this is by printing your resume straight on the back of your printed photo. Another way is to use staples. Make sure they do not separate.

If you are being asked to send as a PDF or an MS Word file, place your resume on the first page and your headshot on the second page, or vice versa.

Resume Layout And Design

As an actor, you know presentation is important in fact it’s your whole job! It comes as no surprise, then, that the layout and design of your resume format say a lot about the type of actor you are. While many actors make the mistake of thinking flashier is better, a few well-placed design elements can help a casting director take note of your resume without coming across as eccentric or unprofessional.

If you’re looking for help getting spicing up your resume layout, check out our collection of creative resume templateswhich give you a jumping off point by allowing you to customize the style to your needs.

• Create an attractive header that highlights your name and contact information so the casting manager can schedule a callback
• Include your professional headshot and reel when sending your resume
• Keep a balance of white space to text to avoid overloading the reader with information.

• Include roles that are more than 10 years old or that you performed as a child, except in special circumstances.
• Create a resume longer than one page.
• Go overboard with color or flashy design elements.

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Use These Guidelines Of Course But Find A Way To Tell Them Where Youve Been And What You Can Do

What does an acting resume look like. What a résumé and headshot should look like when. Actors do use and submit resumes to agents casting directors and clients when applying for acting jobs. Teach them how to cast you.

Dont go over two pages. When you are first starting out as an actor you still need a resume even though you have very little experience to list. Like any hiring executive they want to see the relevant information right away and if they like what they see theyll call you to find out more.

Having said that it is not customary for models who are represented by modeling agencies to use an acting resume even if they are applying for an acting job when their primary status is model. Well have no fear here are some tips from the sag aftra the official union for actors like tom cruise will smith and brad pitt on how to format your acting resume. Try to keep your resume to one page if at all possible.

A final word of advice. Does anyone have a good format for one and an example. Beautiful what does an acting resume look like pleasant to help my blog on this moment im going to teach you in relation to what does an acting resume look likeand today here is the primary impression.

If you are a model or actor who is actively looking for work you may need an acting and modeling resume format to help you put your most effective efforts forward in securing a job. Dont fear the white space. I am trying to see an example of an acting resume.

Acting Resume Template

• Get link

Faqs About Acting Resume

Now lets take a look at some FAQs about acting resume templates. Before composing your template, you must learn all that you can about it. This makes it easier for you to come up with a finalized resume that you would feel proud to submit to different talent agencies. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions:

• Whats the best kind of actor resume template to use?As aforementioned, this type of resume requires a different format compared to normal resumes. Therefore, you must use a template thats meant specifically for acting resumes. This guides you in determining the information to include in the document.
• What should you place in the header of your acting resume?Apart from your headshot, one of the first things hiring agents look at is the heading of your resume. Therefore, the heading must contain your contact information, your personal information, and the contact information of your manager or agent.Here, you can make a couple of adjustments to the fonts. You can use a larger, eye-catching font for your name. But for the rest of the information on your header, you may use standard fonts.

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Things To Keep In Mind

First, remember that your acting resume can only be of a single A4 page. It should also fit nicely with your 8×10 headshot so that you can staple them both together.

As an actor, you never leave your home without a batch of acting resumes in your backpack or purse. You never know who you might run into. Once you get the opportunity to hand them over, you will also need your headshot, which is why you keep those two stapled together.

Once youre a more experienced actor, drop those credits with less value to keep everything packed on just one page.

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid putting your date of birth and/or age on your acting CV.

There is absolutely no need for anybody to know how old you actually are before they cast you. In casting peoples eyes, you are as old as you look. More on the reason behind this in a separate article.

As long as youre legal 18, if casting directors ever ask you about your age, your first response should be: how old do I look? Whatever they say is how old you are. They have no business knowing your actual age if youre an adult.

How To Make An Actor Resume

Whether you are an experienced thespian or just entering your acting career, submitting a professional-looking resume when you audition can increase your chances of landing the part. Creating an acting resume may seem challenging, however, when you include your unique skills along with your experience and training, you can show hiring managers and casting directors the special traits that make you the best fit for the role.

In this article, we discuss what an acting resume is, how to write an actor’s resume and explore how to format an acting resume with an example template to guide you when you write your own.

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How To Write An Actor Resume

Here’s the typical format you’ve probably seen on many a resume sample:

• The resume header
• The resume skills section
• The education section

While your actor resume will need to contain many of the same sections, you’ll likely want to call the “employment history” section something like “credits.” That’s because your credits are essential to showing a casting director why you’re the right fit for them. These common section titles also help the casting director find specific information they are looking for.

An actor resume should clearly demonstrate a candidates ability to portray different characters in performances. Your resume should call attention to your understanding of different acting methodologies and techniques, as well as your experience taking on different roles. Your resume should also highlight your ability to work well and collaborate with others, as this is a large part of acting. Creating an impressive skill section is an important part of creating a winning actor resume. Including impressive skills like strong communication skills, speaking in dialects, and any specific acting techniques you utilize such as Meisner technique. As an actor you want to stand out and show an employer why your special skills will benefit a potential acting role. You should also highlight your ability to memorize lines and be punctual and reliable.

What Does An Actor Do

Actors work to portray different characters with the use of movement, language, and emotion. Actors may work for one single performance company, or more typically, take on roles with many different employers. Actors study assigned characters, and do their best to accurately portray them in a performance. They attend rehearsals, memorize lines, and collaborate with other acting professionals to make performances possible. Actors utilize acting techniques and a variety of special skills. An ideal candidate has professional training in one or more acting methods, and brings forth professional experience working as an actor.

Actors often work with otherfilm roles. Check out our costume designer resume example, cinematographer resume exampleand visual artist resume examplefor more inspiration.

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Education In The Acting Resume

Does your education matter as an actor?

Yes, it does. If you are well educated, casting directors may find it easier to work with you.

However, there are no particular education qualifications specifically mentioned in the job descriptions. That is the beauty of being an actor. You can be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, or any professional in your acting gigs without having an education in those fields.

Your education section especially works for getting your next audition if you are applying with little or no acting credits.

If you have little or no formal training as an actor, still you can list down your education experience in any field on your actors resumes.

What Should Never Be On An Acting Resume

Your acting resume is only a single page in length, so its critical to have only whats needed on it. Extraneous information can not only take the place of details that will actually help you get a job but also could be more damaging beyond even not scoring that next gig4. Thats why we advise you to never include your home address and social security number or background work .

Should you put background work on your resume?

No, background work shouldnt go on a professional acting resume. Its better to list great training and theater than a long list of Extra work. Doing background work can give a new Actor great behind-the-scenes experience on how things work on a set, so do it to gain a bit of knowledge, but not as a long-term game plan.

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The Layout Of The Acting Resume

A layout defines what you are going to write on the resume. The following layout is well optimized for an acting resume.

• Header with your name and contact details
• Resume objective/ summary

One page resumes have many advantages.

Casting directors are super busy people. They do spend only around 5 seconds on most resumes before throwing them into the bin. If you want your resume to be read for more than 10 seconds and to remain on the table, you should write it to the point. One page is the ideal size.

What Do You Include On An Acting Resume

You should always, always, always include your experience/credits, your training, your contact information and your special skills in that order.

When it comes to your credits, list them in order of importance and it is important to categorize them based on type of credit. For instance, if you have worked on Broadway, Off- Broadway, and on TV/Film each of those categories would be separate with the appropriate credits underneath.

An example of proper credit formatting:

Experience

Mamma Mia! Sophie Director, Location

TV/FILM Law and Order Guest star, Detective Jane NBC

Education BFA Acting, School for the Arts

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Showcase Your Work History

Create separate categories for TV and film, theater and commercial or voice-over experiences. If you have a lot of acting credits, skip the projects where you worked as an extra.

Maintain a uniform format of credits by adding the character name, project title, production house and run-time or dates. Within each credit or experience, you can add bullet points to detail the tasks you carried out for the role.

For reference, look at these good and poor work history examples:

Poor example:

Actor

• Performed in over 86 shows within a year alongside acclaimed actors in the stage production.
• Memorized the drama script to showcase serious and humorous actions through facial expressions and body movements.
• Completed the plays press tour, including TV, radio and video interviews to promote the play across the nation.

If you compare the examples, youll notice that the latter describes the actors experience instead of making vague statements like the first one.

These tips can aid you in crafting a powerful work history section on your resume:

Include A Headshot In Your Resume

As an actor or actress, you know you only get one shot at first impressions. So, it’s important to make it count.Unless you’re strictly working as a voice-over actor, your physical appearance does play a massive role in your ability to get casted. With that said, including a headshot in your resume is crucial because it shows casting directors what you look like and if you meet any physical requirements for the character you are auditioning for.When formatting your resume, a template that allows you to include a headshot may be beneficial — and of course, when submitting your resume, include some more photos to help casting directors see if your physical characteristics meet those of the character they are wanting to create or create.Typically, the headshots you include with your resume are glossy 8×10 borderless close-ups, but nowadays, this can vary with the specific production market you are trying to work with.Regardless of what kind of headshot the casting director is asking for, it’s crucial for it to be of high quality. A low resolution photo will not help you get the part.

Tip: See our resume example at the top of this article to see how you can incorporate a headshot into your actual resume.

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