Discussion: Good resumes for actors?
Mon, 23 Jan 2006, 04:17 pmbathtubsoap18 posts in thread
Discussion: Good resumes for actors?
Mon, 23 Jan 2006, 04:17 pmHi, i was going to apply for the NIDA Young Actors Studio youth ensemble this year and in order to audition they require everyone have a resume. Although they have taught us the basics at school i don't really know what needs to be included in an acting resume or what makes a good one.
What are the basic elements that need to be included, and does anyone have any tips on how to make a great acting resume?
Any advice would be of great help, and i hope too for other fledgling actors such as myself.
Livy.
What are the basic elements that need to be included, and does anyone have any tips on how to make a great acting resume?
Any advice would be of great help, and i hope too for other fledgling actors such as myself.
Livy.
Re: Play resumes after lunch
Fri, 27 Jan 2006, 06:37 pmLivy wrote:
> Thank you Craig for such a great response, this info will be
> very useful especially when i and others get more experience
> under our belts. It definitely seems to have worked very well
> for you. :)
>
> I do have a few more questions however about the basic makeup
> of the resume.
>
> 1. Does it go in order of: Stats, Skills, Training, History,
> Contact details? (or should the contact details be in with
> stats?)
I don't think there's any hard and fast rules. For me it depends on who I'm creating it for, and what I want them to notice as being most important.
My standard theatre resume announces my Name, Agent, and contact details right at the top. Sometimes I include a one-paragraph biography (like you might write in a theatre programme) just to give an overall view of who you are and what you've done. Then I list a history of recent productions, and divide it into categories (theatre, film, radio) if it's relevant.
I don't really have any official training, so I list a few of the courses I may have done (Stage Combat certificate, film classes, etc) under the heading 'Skills'. And perhaps also awards I have won.
I usually subdivide Skills into categories as well : Musical (list instruments and other skills), Circus (list abilities), Sports (scuba diving, kayaking,...you never know with a TV commercial), and Driver's licenses (motorbike, truck etc).
My Stats I usually keep very brief: age, height, hair/eye colour, build.
> 2. What information is required in the stats? Name, age,
> height, eye and hair colour, anything else? I read a few
> resumes that had other things such as dress sizes included
> but do casters really require that?
Some TV commercial screentests aren't much interested in your history, except whether you're recently onscreen for something else. And then they want to know age/height/eye colour , wardrobe details like shoe/suit/dress/hat size, and practical skills like 'can surf'.
They'll often have their own form to fill in, so I'd have that info handy.
In general though, you don't need to go overboard on the vitalstatistics. Anything unusual might be worth noting though....an ethnic accent, an obvious tattoo, a missing leg...
> 3. In a professional resume should a headshot be included?
Yep. Definitely. A standard black & white 10x8 portrait photo, with your face filling the frame.
The photo is almost MORE important than the resume. That's why I reckon you can whittle down that resume to one or two pages...a picture tells a thousand words, and it's already done most of the work for you.
> 4. Should i ever attach a copy of an award or certificate of
> graduation of a course to a resume or just list them? I can
> see that with an experienced actor this would probably be a
> sin but i don't have much to work with yet.
Look, if you need to pad out a resume, then mention everything worth mentioning. Awards, eisteddfodds, school productions, amateur shows....a drama school or theatre director is going to be more interested in the fact that you've done 20 play productions at school, than that one professional commercial you shot. And if it's short, then fine! Better than giving them ten pages of something they might really only flick through.
I don't think you need to include photocopies of certificates, though. Just listing them is sufficient.
> 5. Is the classic black and white layout the most
> professional look for a resume?
I think so. Clear and easy to read is way more important than flashy with coloured highlights.
> I know this is just for a course for young actors but i find
> i might as well find out how to make a truly professional
> acting resume sooner rather than later. Thanks for everyone's
> help so far!
All good questions, worth discussing. And my answers aren't definitive...even within my suggestions there is plenty of room to be individual and create your own style.
Being flexible, being prepared to slightly modify your resume to suit each audition is probably the best way to eventually find out what works as an overall template. You have to slightly modify it everytime you do a new job anyway, putting recent achievements to the top and deciding if you need to let old ones go.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
> Thank you Craig for such a great response, this info will be
> very useful especially when i and others get more experience
> under our belts. It definitely seems to have worked very well
> for you. :)
>
> I do have a few more questions however about the basic makeup
> of the resume.
>
> 1. Does it go in order of: Stats, Skills, Training, History,
> Contact details? (or should the contact details be in with
> stats?)
I don't think there's any hard and fast rules. For me it depends on who I'm creating it for, and what I want them to notice as being most important.
My standard theatre resume announces my Name, Agent, and contact details right at the top. Sometimes I include a one-paragraph biography (like you might write in a theatre programme) just to give an overall view of who you are and what you've done. Then I list a history of recent productions, and divide it into categories (theatre, film, radio) if it's relevant.
I don't really have any official training, so I list a few of the courses I may have done (Stage Combat certificate, film classes, etc) under the heading 'Skills'. And perhaps also awards I have won.
I usually subdivide Skills into categories as well : Musical (list instruments and other skills), Circus (list abilities), Sports (scuba diving, kayaking,...you never know with a TV commercial), and Driver's licenses (motorbike, truck etc).
My Stats I usually keep very brief: age, height, hair/eye colour, build.
> 2. What information is required in the stats? Name, age,
> height, eye and hair colour, anything else? I read a few
> resumes that had other things such as dress sizes included
> but do casters really require that?
Some TV commercial screentests aren't much interested in your history, except whether you're recently onscreen for something else. And then they want to know age/height/eye colour , wardrobe details like shoe/suit/dress/hat size, and practical skills like 'can surf'.
They'll often have their own form to fill in, so I'd have that info handy.
In general though, you don't need to go overboard on the vitalstatistics. Anything unusual might be worth noting though....an ethnic accent, an obvious tattoo, a missing leg...
> 3. In a professional resume should a headshot be included?
Yep. Definitely. A standard black & white 10x8 portrait photo, with your face filling the frame.
The photo is almost MORE important than the resume. That's why I reckon you can whittle down that resume to one or two pages...a picture tells a thousand words, and it's already done most of the work for you.
> 4. Should i ever attach a copy of an award or certificate of
> graduation of a course to a resume or just list them? I can
> see that with an experienced actor this would probably be a
> sin but i don't have much to work with yet.
Look, if you need to pad out a resume, then mention everything worth mentioning. Awards, eisteddfodds, school productions, amateur shows....a drama school or theatre director is going to be more interested in the fact that you've done 20 play productions at school, than that one professional commercial you shot. And if it's short, then fine! Better than giving them ten pages of something they might really only flick through.
I don't think you need to include photocopies of certificates, though. Just listing them is sufficient.
> 5. Is the classic black and white layout the most
> professional look for a resume?
I think so. Clear and easy to read is way more important than flashy with coloured highlights.
> I know this is just for a course for young actors but i find
> i might as well find out how to make a truly professional
> acting resume sooner rather than later. Thanks for everyone's
> help so far!
All good questions, worth discussing. And my answers aren't definitive...even within my suggestions there is plenty of room to be individual and create your own style.
Being flexible, being prepared to slightly modify your resume to suit each audition is probably the best way to eventually find out what works as an overall template. You have to slightly modify it everytime you do a new job anyway, putting recent achievements to the top and deciding if you need to let old ones go.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
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