Want to Learn Acting? Why Not From This Acting Coach

This Indian Acting Coach is a true �Teaching Artist�

Profile: Kiran Pande

Bollywood Acting Coach: Kiran Pande

Kiran Pande is a �teaching artist,� and he brings that combination of practical technique and creative inspiration to his work as a unique acting coach suited especially to Indian aspiring actors sat Best Actor Academy. Kiran was introduced to different acting techniques practiced around work in NYC ,US by a leading teacher at a prestigious institute. At US and later in India, he developed his own style and a coaching system, best suited to the requirements of Bollywood, TV serials and a psyche of Indians.  With experience, he concluded that for beginners, the best is to learn acting on �one on one� basis and then he believes, a continued learning with a group in a school setting may definitely help an aspiring actor.

As an actor in "Billy Goes Out"

Kiran grew up in a middle small town of Jabalpur and started acting in college and community plays. His excellence as an actor and success was based on his amazing power of imagination and observation. He learnt to create stories and characters out of what he saw.
Even now, at the age of 65, in between teaching assignments, he makes time for acting, still in demand and continues to play different characters in films. As a coach, this helps him to impart time relevant training to the actors, rather than those teachers who are now no more an active actor and are out of touch with the current realities of Indian cine industry.

Achievements

Coaching Awards and Certificates

Personalized coaching and student films

Being a good writer and with a sincere zeal to help struggling actors, he runs a free acting blog http://bestactoracademy.blogspot.com which till date has 206+ posts with great tips.

Key Features of Acting Coaching

• Designing coaching syllabus based on aspirants audition and on his/ her strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities
• Personalized individual coaching
• Creating acting techniques on aspirant's profile and emotional reactions to stimuli
• Acting for the camera
• Goal setting
• How to market and promote career
• Monologue and filming it
• Casting directors, Registration on free audition websites 
• + Many more
• Chance in a film for aspirants

Contact for acting coaching details:

http://topactingcoach.weebly.com

Want to Learn Acting? Why Not From This Acting Coach

Is an Acting Coach Bogus? And a school? Review

Aspiring actor under private coaching

Why You May Need a Private Acting Coach

Here are some of the reasons why actors can choose to hire/ join a private acting coach. The private coaching sessions may be justified  in the following situations and needs of an actor:

1. When you are likely to feel confident in learning privately and not in a group, working men and women and  want to learn according to your convenient fixed days, Or in the comfort of your home eg child actors, aspiring elderly male and female actors, young girls shy of crowds.

2. Or you have apprehensions of being in a group and have a doubt that if others learn faster and better, it may frustrate and demotivate you

3. You need more time individually

4. To get ready before joining to an acting school
5. Want to work specifically on audition techniques to improve your selection chances

6. Trying know and to fix specific mistakes or bad habits you may have as an actor

7. You have some personality deficit like lack of confidence, nervousness, inferiority complex, shyness, inability to imagine and create characters, lack of aggressiveness etc

8. Learning a particular acting skill like playing different emotions, attitudes, voice improvements

9. Want to Learn how to set goals

10. How to market and promote your career- your individual plan and how to monitor
11. How to be an excellent public relation actor

12. Some actors also go to private coaching when they need a long term development and an extra motivation and mentoring to continue on this road

13. Or when you like to get back and reignite the flame of their belief in their ability to act. Experienced acting coaches are good at that.

When Private Coaching doesn't help

This is also true that new aspiring actors must learn in groups, where they get to work off their partners and observe others� work. Also, the fact is true acting is about listening and reacting. You don�t get this opportunity in a private session.

Recommendations

1. Hire/ join an acting coach, initially. This could be economical also compared to a renowned acting institute in India
2. Then, join a good school to continue learning in a group

Once you understand how acting works and you have something specific on your mind, you can give private  coaching a shot.

Is an Acting Coach Bogus? And a school? Review

4 Best Tips to Play Strong Emotions Quickly for Success

Bringing strong emotions quickly

Secret of How to Play Strong Emotions Quickly for Winning Auditions | On a Set 

Sometimes you need to cry, be angry, be threatening, or play a powerful villain and that too, quickly as in auditions or on a set due to time constraint.
If you are not an experienced actor or are uncomfortable showing strong emotions in real life, you may feel uneasy acting with the kind of power or intensity called for in emotional scenes.

The basic approach

Perhaps you are afraid to get out of control, but the willingness to lose control will actually allow you to be more in control of the scene. When you lose control, you find freedom. You start to get lost in the character and their reality. Once you get out of your own thoughts (and your own mental blocks) and get into the body and the thoughts of the character, you begin to operate from inside which is connected to the emotions of the character.
I suggest these tips for beginners, based on the successes of very experienced actors. I use it in classes (kids, too) These tips work fast.

The Master Key

The most important for an actor to play strong emotions is a highly developed power of imagination to see and feel as a character a strong emotional situation. Develop it by practice. Take help from your acting coach.

Before the audition or a shot

Sometimes when you find difficult to bring strong emotions quickly (especially if you are a beginner) and are short of time, using your body as a whole, individual body parts like face, hands and gestures to bring emotions triggering from outside to inside may be the answer to a tricky situation. This is my experience and personal opinion though may not be in line of �Method Acting�.

Just physicalize! 

Pump yourself up to get your blood surging... big time. You are trying to get yourself into the exact physical state that you are in when you actually feel the emotion in your own life.

1. Anger

Do pushups or agitate you. I, personally, stomp around, pound my fists and yell and curse to pump my emotions up to get angry. Gets your adrenaline pulsing through your body any way you can. No one cares that you are doing this. They know you need to push your buttons for an emotional scene and are thrilled you can do it quickly so they can get the shot.

2. Crying with tears

Slump or hold onto your body in a defeated or protective way. Perhaps even collapse a bit. I suggest audible breathing as if you can�t catch your breath. Make the ugly sounds you make when you cry. Let your voice be ugly and broken. Let your face become ugly. Be willing to be unattractive.
(Make sure you watch the accompanying video to see how insane I actually get!)

3. Passion 

(A state or outburst of strong emotion)
Generating a strong emotion could be applicable to many situations, when you speak passionately about something. These are great in improvisations, for building characters quickly, and for strong emotions.
For example intense love, desire, longing, frenzy, hero worship, craze, obsession etc. 

Intense Love or sex

To express a strong emotion of love, visualize someone you love deeply and replace your scene co actor with this person you love so deeply and practice your dialogs. Try to make your voice husky and breathless.

For anger

Pick up what your character in the script hates most and do a few minutes� worth of a wild, passionate, angry outburst about it. Pick what is really irritating your character in the scene or the straw that broke the camel�s back that set you off. What drives you crazy? Get madder and madder as you go. Get insane!

For tears

Choose what you fear, what broke your heart, or whatever situation in the actual scene is making you sad and just rant. Get more and more upset as you go until you are sobbing. This will help you to find the buttons to push when you need to call upon those tears again.

4. Scream

This works especially well if you are playing an extremely angry or powerful villain. Just scream bloody murder. Often, if I am taping someone for an audition, I will have them scream and go right into the scene and I just edit out the scream.
For tears, this will get you so out of control that it is easy to break into tears very quickly. Just keep screaming until you are totally broken.

Now go go go forth and freak out! 

Based on

4 Best Tips to Play Strong Emotions Quickly for Success

Why "Continuity" is No 1 Acting for Camera Learning Skill

Mira Nair directs an actor in a scene pointing a mismatch

Unlike in Theater Learning �Continuity� is Must in Acting for Camera 

When shooting on set, do you ever wonder what the editor needs to keep you in the film? Or if you are unintentionally causing problems for the director or for an editor? You�re not alone.

Who is an editor?

Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking in which an editor selects shots and puts them in an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent sequence. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art" because when it is well-practiced by an editor, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not even aware of the editor's work. Thus an editor�s work becomes a key factor in a film�s success.

What�s the difference between a SHOT and a TAKE?

SHOT
The section of unedited film from the time the camera starts to the time it stops.

TAKE 
In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot. �Takes� of each shot are generally numbered starting with "take one" and the number of each successive take is increased (with the director calling for "take two" or "take eighteen") until the filming of the shot is completed
From an editor�s viewpoint, one of the most important technical skills for an actor to master is continuity.

Irrelevant in theater, but critical to on-camera acting, continuity means performing the same physical actions identically in every take. This may happen when multiple takes are taken (filmed) of the same shot. For example: It�s which point in the dialogue you turn around to face someone, which hand you use to pass your scene partner a folder, when you lean back in your chair or touch your face.
Continuity is when you move, how you move, when you stop moving, and matching that action in every take.

If you reached for your water before saying, �Bahut pyas lagi hai� (�I�m thirsty�) in �take one�, then you have to match this movement and action in every other take for a shot. You must always do it in the same order because an editor is editing the scene together using multiple angles and takes, and the action in all of them needs to match. You can�t change the sequence of events in �take three� by reaching for the water after saying, �Bahut pyas lagi hai� That�s not going to cut together with your other "takes" or your scene partner�s "takes". The other actors are reacting to your actions, so if you move at the wrong time, their eyes will be looking in the wrong place. It�s extremely important to be consistent and doing the same and same, whether the camera is on you or on someone else. Then an editor always has the option to keep your good work in the scene.

Sometimes it�s human not to notice mismatching movements and actors are no different, so editors work hard to avoid them. The directors or editors don�t want the audience to become distracted by an actor�s wrong movement or looks. For the illusion of a film�s fictional world, you need to maintain continuity.

Here�s an example of bad continuity

Two characters are talking at a diner. The Drinker has a coffee cup in his left hand. In his coverage, he says his line and then drinks the coffee. But what if he doesn�t maintain continuity when the camera moves behind him to get coverage of the Listener?

Correct continuity:

 The correct continuity by an actor while filming. See the arrow on the right holding cup in his left hand in both the pictures (Picture courtesy http://www.backstage.com)

Incorrect continuity:

The incorrect continuity by an actor. On the left, holding  the cup in his left hand Now, see the arrow on the right where the man is holding the cup in his right hand (Picture courtesy http://www.backstage.com)

See how his coffee cup jumped his own hands? So did the audience.
The woman performed exceptionally well in this shot, but for a bungling of a mismatch by her co-star Therefore hoping that she would perform well again, the director had to go for another �take� to correct the mismatch in �continuity�. Unfortunately, the female actor in the next �take� didn�t do that well.

An editor speaks:

"I want to cut every scene for the best performances, but when there are continuity problems, I�ll have to use inferior takes just to hide the physical mismatch. So your worst performance might wind up on screen because that was the only "take" where continuity matched. Or I might have to cut away from you entirely until the mismatching action is over. That�s how you end up on the cutting room floor".

Now, is it clear to you how important is �continuity� for an actor?

Criticism

Some actors complain that continuity is a too rigid thing; that it prevents them from being in a character�s moment and thus produces an unreal performance. �I can�t be in the character if I�m worrying about whether my glass is up or down!�

My answer

It is simply that you have to learn this skill and make it part of your acting craft. If you give the most incredible performance, but your continuity is a disaster, an editor probably can�t use it. So the performance will be useless after all. Keeping your continuity consistent lets the audience focus on the important things.
The greatest actors have the ability to portray rich emotional moments on demand, but even in the midst of those moments, there�s a still a part of their brain that can focus on technical things like continuity without diminishing their emotional performance. The examples of such Bollywood actors are many. I find that truly incredible.

How to learn continuity?

1. Be aware of what you are doing in each �take�
2. Keep a small diary with you and as you sit down (If possible), note down every movement, gestures, looks etc. If there is an immediate next take with no time to sit, run in your mind what you did earlier.
3. However, remain in the character. Don�t chat with co-stars in between a take or a shot or till it�s a � pack up� or �wrap up� call
4. Practice continuously �switch on and off�� between a �character� and �yourself� becoming aware of the technical requirements of an acting for camera. 
5. Remember, it's a balance between your mind and imagination

I�m confident you can learn this too.
Based on

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Why "Continuity" is No 1 Acting for Camera Learning Skill

4 Red Flag Warning in Selecting Acting Schools

Choosing to engage in a relationship with an acting class/coach is like dating a girl or a boy. You�re entering into a potential long-term (few months to years) relationship that must be mutually beneficial, healthy, and free of mental and emotional trauma.
The No. 1 factor when considering joining is the results of a school / coach's work: launched careers (even in short films), helping in booking roles etc.
The following are basic assessments I encourage all actors to employ when selecting an acting class.

Red Flag #1

Too many students

In addition to the teacher not know about you like your strengths, weaknesses and even not remembering your name, you will be lost in a group of students, forced to work with a scene partner, either for better or too poor compared to you, and may only be able to practice scenes or emotions  once every 2 or 3 weeks... if you�re lucky! I describe my classes as �private coaching in a class setting.� Because our classes are small either one on one or in a small group of or 2 or 3 students.
I would recommend an acting school with a class of not more than 7 to 10 students

Red Flag #2

Teachers who hate some actors in a class

Unfortunately, I see many actors who arrive at my private coaching program very damaged. They have been completely flattened by a sarcastic teacher/class who due to some whimsical reasons hates them. They may not be abusive, but behave negatively with a particular student.

How to spot such demotivating teachers? 

• These teachers who bully or are sarcastic to the students; allow ask some of their favorite students to directly comment on the performance of others actors they don�t like (may be due his/ her face, language or accent, body language etc.) or require more time to learn an emotion/ attitude. I remember one of my coaching students telling me that her teacher uses to ridicule her because she was poor in English. She got terribly upset as the teacher deliberately will encourage other students in a session to comment on her performance or talk to her in English, embarrassing her as she could not reply in a fluent English back.
• A good practice to be followed by a teacher in a class should be that all comments from students should be directed to the teacher only, as actors should never criticize their fellow actors, both in a class or even on a film set.

Red Flag # 3.

Whether you have learned or not, there is no time for training individually.

Suppose an actor can�t display a particular emotion or attitude like crying or laughing instantly or failing to develop �improvisation� in a scene, they don�t wait for you. Why? The reason is simple-how can they hold a class of 20 for maybe an hour or more only because of you? They don�t.
This is a no-win situation for you as an actor. The biggest problem with these types of teachers is that though many of them are good there are limitations of time and may be their own reasons as a paid employee of a school with a fixed syllabus which defeats the basic objective of an acting class.
The �acting� is a delicate art and a fine craft. It cannot be taught as a subject of chemistry or history to 40 to 50 students with few practical in a lab.
However, few lucky ones who get attention and favor may be because of �like� grab more benefit in a class though large. Thus, all craft development gets cast aside and the entire class�s focus diverts and revolves around fun and networking with co-actors.
This is a major red flag.

Red Flag #4: 

No results in sight.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints and fixed schedules of the subsequent classes, post training help is limited.
After training is over, most of the students do not know what to do, where to, whom to meet and how they can get roles in films, TV seials, commercial ads and print. Even in a class, sufficient time may not be devoted to how to be successful in auditions. This may not be deliberate or due to neglect, but again, may be due to time factor as a major time may be devoted for like �acting techniques�, �improvisation� and � scene enacting�
However, from an aspiring actor�s point of view who has paid a fee of few Lakhs of rupees, it may be a frustrating experience of not getting a job and to get lost in this ruthless cine industry after passing out a successful training.

How to find the red signals?

Before you decide to join an acting school or an acting coach, visit personally and find out: 

• Who are the teachers?
• Are they actors, directors, or from other cine stream?  What is their background-pictures released, work done etc. (Some of the existing actors may be teachers who join acting classes as teachers due to financial reasons, but are they good teachers?)
• Check their references on the internet
• What is the duration of each class eg 60 minutes or more or less?
• How many students are in each batch?
• Names and details (contact no, address, email) of the ex-students who got a break in films, TV serials or in commercial ads? You must make an extra-ordinary effort to contact them and seek their opinion.
• Also, try to contact other ex-students randomly on the phone even if they didn�t book any roles to seek their opinion of their school
• Remember, listen but do not believe what they say. Some of their talks may be their marketing gimmick.
• Does a school accept a fee in installments? If yes, then be cautious. Sometimes, their main objective may be financial benefits rather than an excellence in quality of training and would welcome students by paying full fees or a part of a total fee.
• Finally, most important-don�t fall to big industry names behind a school. The big names behind running a school seldom get sufficient time to devote to teaching to students and usually have employee teachers to do the job and big name, job get confined to �inauguration�, once a while 'pep-up' talks and prize/ certificate distribution ceremonies.

Just check the above red flags and points before you decide. Also, if already joined, never walk into a class with your tail tucked between your legs. Don�t be afraid to ask for results. It�s your right and responsibility. Raise your hand and inquire what sort of roles his/her students have acquired of late, or in the last year. Any reputable teacher or a school should be able to handle this question with aplomb and with hard numbers.
Acting class is also about creating offering predictable results for their students. Defensive or vague answers should give you a glimpse into this person�s or school�s soul. No reputable teacher/ coach or a school should feel good about taking hard-earned money from aspiring actors unless he/she knew they were getting the best guns they need to fight forward in their careers.

Special author's note:

However, please note that there are exceptions to what I have mentioned above. Some of the schools in Mumbai at least, are really good and their efforts in developing students into a good actor are commendable, indeed! There are teachers in these schools who truly love teaching and can�t help but inspire their students with their own energy and passion. This is a true spirit. Teachers and coaches should be pushing their students forward with respect and helping them succeed along their career path. Encouraged by

Read this post on schools 

4 Red Flag Warning in Selecting Acting Schools

9 ways to become a charismatic actor and grab roles

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan. Who is more charismatic?

What do you mean by an actor being "Charismatic"?

Actors with a ?special ?power that makes them ?able to ?influence other ?people, ?attract ?their ?attention, ?admiration and thus become a successful actor

Here are 9 ways you can become a more charismatic actor and get success in film and TV industry. 

1. Casting directors, directors, producers and artist-coordinators tend to consider actors they like. So behave in a way that makes you likable. Be polite and patient. Avoid being crude, rude, gruff, or impatient.

2. People are attracted to people who keep their word. That means when you make a promise to do exactly what you promised. Do it by the deadline, you promised - or sooner.

3. The cine industry trust actors who have their best interests at heart. You exhibit utmost devotion not only to do your best to portray a character, but is willing to do anything to make the project successful. You really are a sincere team worker rather than thinking only about self. So, get truly involved in a project, its problems, and people in the project with your mind and soul. If asked, give them advice that benefits them more than it benefits you.

4. People want to deal with actors who are professional. So first, you need to actually become an expert in your field through practice, research, continuous training, education, and study.

5. You as an actor is in show business. The industry people are attracted to actors who are physically attractive or at least not physically repulsive. So eat right. Exercise. Stay fit. Be well-groomed. Dress well. And pay attention to your personal hygiene.

6. People feel better with actors who are pleasant and "real." They would love to talk to those actors who smile. The best way to show that you're good and real is to be cordial, friendly, and genuinely interested in others. Instead of talking about yourself, ask about them. Ask about their business, the film project, their job, their industry, even their family and hobbies. People respond to people who listen and pay attention to what they are saying. Remember the old clich�: You have two ears and one mouth because you should listen twice as much as you talk.

7. The industry people feel comfortable with those who are like them. The trick here is to identify one thing you have in common with the other person. It could be hobby, movies and celebrities, share market, or anything else. Then, use that to cement a bond between you.

8. People are attracted to actors who are humble. The examples in cine industry are Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra to name a few of them. So don't boast about you, your qualities, money you make. They also prefer to deal with people who are flexible and accommodating, not rigid and difficult

9. People are impressed by people who seem busy. That's why you should never beg for a role to a director or a producer in film or television. Don�t ever say this, even if you need a job badly. Think about doctors. How would you feel if you walked into a doctor's office and you were the only patient? Wouldn't you wonder how good he was? As much as you hate it when you have to sit there and wait, don't you feel more assured when a doctor's waiting room is packed

Which of these �people-pleasing� skills do you have already? Analyze, develop and practice. In case of any difficulty, ask your acting coach.
Based on an article written by Nikhat Shaikh, Client Coordinator at Lakme Lever

9 ways to become a charismatic actor and grab roles

6 Reasons Why After Good Schooling You Fail to Be an Actor

What they don't teach you in an acting school

What Acting Schools Don�t Teach You

Like many of you, I attended a top acting school in the USA and in India with a diploma, a fancy piece of paper that says �You are a great actor!� I was a big fish in a small pond (school), played lots of big roles, and took lots of acting, voice, and movement classes. I studied Meisner, Stella Adler (2 of my favorites), Stanislavsky and some other techniques. I even learnt how to wear neutral mask!

One of the many useful things that acting school teaches is that training is essential, and should always be part of your career.

Fancy diploma in hand, I moved to Mumbai one month from USA with cheap headshots in my bag, a mediocre temporary job, and wondered �Where are all these high paying acting jobs I�m supposed to be getting? What do you mean I have to get few artist coordinators"? I quickly realized there is this whole �business� side of acting, nobody had told me about. I needed to change my approach, get humble, and come up with a game plan.

Later I came to know most of the acting schools in India and around the world usually forget to mention and train actors on these vital success factors:

Here is the list of those 6 things 

1. Don�t think you are special 

You may have gotten a standing ovation for playing a great role in a school class,� but you aren�t the star anymore. You will be in the audition room with people who don�t have any training, who have never taken an acting class, and yet have big coordinators. Some of them already have many of television serials and film credits. And guess what? They are up for the same parts you are in an audition. Accept it. Everyone is in the same boat now, top schools and fancy acting degree, diplomas or certificates or not.

2. For sure acting is business, too. 

It�s one thing to be a good actor; it�s another thing to be a �smart� actor. Acting school is all about the �art.� In the real world, it�s about the �business.� Nobody is going to come knocking on your door begging you to act for them. You have to do the work to get noticed. You have to combine artistry with business intelligence if you want to make money doing this and support yourself. That means killer headshots, a good 2-3 minute demo reel, great audition techniques, monologues (that aren�t too common and one for all), networking (without being annoying), branding, doing �meet and greets� with coordinators and casting directors, creating a website, making your own content, and being the CEO of your own acting business.

3. You won�t be Salman Khan or Deepika Padkone right away  

Yes, you were the lead in  your performances  in school. Everyone told you how great you are. Now you have to go back to the bottom. The reality is that most actors, once they register with few coordinators, just wait for some top producers like Karan Johar or Sanjay Leela Bhansali to knock their door. The fact is you will have to start, maybe with without a dialog, one liner role and slowly build up your r�sum� and show reel before casting directors are even considering you for auditions for major films or serial regular roles on television. This might take a few years, hence patience and taking care of financial irregularities is the key to survival. Bollywood star status comes later

4. Know your �type� 

In acting school you play all types- an executive, a lover, a villain, a taxi driver, younger or older than your age and many other types. Now you are in Mumbai- �Maya Nagri� Bollywood , one of the biggest cine and television markets in the world. You now have a five-year age range (not 40), and a character �type� that defines you. There are thousands of other actors who have the same type. Accept it and be the best actor in your type.

5. You must learn to �master the Audition Room� 

When it comes to television and film, you can be an amazing actor, but terrible at auditioning, or a terrible actor, but wonderful, confident, and charming in auditions. You have to be �good in the room� as they say. You have to learn the fine art of auditioning (eye-lines, slating, memorizing your lines in 15 minutes, etc.), as that is the gateway to you getting your dream role, and getting casting directors to �trust� you. Take audition workshops, see yourself on camera, or learn from your acting coach. You have to understand tone, the rhythm of television, what works on camera, how to take down your performance for a medium shot, how to embrace your personality, make strong choices, and be authentic.

6. Requisite focus on Acting for the camera

 If you don�t learn the art of acting for the camera, you will simply make a lot of technical mistakes, look either flat, fake or will just exaggerate gestures and voice
This is the most important, and took me months to figure out. Most casting directors for television and film will tell you to �keep it natural, �or �don�t act, just say the lines.� �But I went to a top acting school!� you argue with yourself. It doesn�t matter. You are no longer playing in an acting class. You are playing to an HD camera three to five feet away, which magnifies everything you do, and even the smallest gestures can seem too big. Be economical with your gestures, subtle with your emotions, and use your eyes. Just think and feel, instead of showing.
Acting school training can create confidence in you as an actor.  It can be amazing, and can give you the tools and technique to have a long, successful career. But being a professional actor requires an additional set of skills, which involves knowing the market and how you fit into it, so you can put your acting certificate, diploma or degree to good decoration use. Acting schools are an important part of the equation, but remember, it�s just �the part" of the success equation.

6 Reasons Why After Good Schooling You Fail to Be an Actor

8 Sure Success Factors for Film and TV Serial Actors

4 new successful actors who believe in success factors
Aditya Roy Kapoor, Nargis Fakhiri, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Kapur

Actor's successful tips from top actors

1. Find Joy and Fun

Once you have a script and your character details (character scenes and lines), enjoy creating the character's life with your imagination. Think yourself to be a 6 year old kid playing, pretending' x ' person, and when are happiest.

2. Learn, learn and learn

Till you die. In today's cut throat competition in Bollywood, TV serials and in commercial ads, you must develop your acting instrument IE body and mind continuously for ever. Better to have a long term acting coach, take classes through good schools, attend theater shows, join acting workshops periodically, attend yoga, gym and join martial arts classes and so on...

3. Don't worry about what a casting director thinks

Auditioning is like dating a girl or a boy. You spend so much time wondering what they�re thinking. They�re not thinking about anything! They�re not thinking about you, for sure. You cannot try to get the job (role). Just go in there, have some fun, and do your version of that part. Think in your mind-"this is what I�m selling. If you want to buy it, that�s cool. Want some adjustments from me? That�s fine, I�ll give you more options of portraying the character, but this is basically what I want to do". That should be your attitude, sort of a �to hell with it� attitude. Not ' to hell with YOU, but 'to hell with IT'
So, just do your best in an audition, go out to a restaurant and celebrate your performance.

4. Risk failure to learn and make new discoveries 

As actors, you become an expert at starting over again and again. Be it be an audition or a shot of your scene on camera. You might have been tense, forgotten your lines, sounding and playing 'flat' or it could be anything. Don't worry. Life doesn't end with few failures, but every time you fail, it gives you an opportunity for an introspective and an opportunity to improve by reworking on your skills.
It's like �Fail and then fail better!� 
Treat auditions like rehearsals

5. Setting and believing in your life goal

Do you really want to be an actor? Is this your life goal or just a hobby or just some other reason
If you have truthfully decided to be an actor to be the sole purpose of your existence, then believe it and follow it with a steely determination and till your last breath. Remember, if you are determined, all other things will fall into shape sooner or later. Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.

6. Have faith in your director and express gratitude

You must work closely with a director�s vision and be thankful. Whenever you are appreciated for your performance say �When I create a character, I�m doing it with the director. I view it as the director�s creation more than as mine,�...  �And I give credit to the directors as well: If I give a good performance, I give at least 70 percent of the credit to the director.�
That�s just the way to work in a 'team' medium

7. Follow the other things you love

Like dancing, singing, sports, observing people, reading books, working for social causes, volunteering work etc to freshen and rejuvenate yourself.

8. Avoid desperation

Don't be a one of 'helpless mentality actors'. The thing to get rid of is that you are the beggar at the gate, that you are the powerless and helpless eager youngster wanting a break, a role even as a toilet sweeper in a film or a serial. At some point, you have to empower yourself and say �You know what, I�m good at this and can portray any character, whether a simple or the most complex one'.

8 Sure Success Factors for Film and TV Serial Actors

15 Reasons Why Some Actors Get So Lucky in Life?

Amitabh Bachchan. The Luck favors the brave and creates a legend

Think of the people you admire. Perhaps, these are great actors, men and women of great success, passion, and inspiration. Each of them have excelled in their own fields. This is why you have always believed in luck and that you feel there is a big factor of 'LUCK' and really the reason why some actors and other people get so successful in life.

So, what should you do? Wait at home for the 'LUCK' to shine on you? Or just wait to be discovered by someone to offer you a lead role?

The answer to these questions is  a big 'NO'

When thinking of some highly successful Bollywood stars and other inspiring people, rather than attributing their success to 'LUCK', let's examine their life a bit more closely and see if we can help ourselves to be really 'LUCKY'

1. They enjoy being in the present moment

Anxiety is anti-luck. People who get so lucky in life are those who enjoy the �now�, the 'present'. As what the life says �the current 'fantastic!' is happening now!� Because they are not scared of an uncertain future, they always make the most of what is before them� and good things happen.

2. They have a wild  imagination

Before coming into reality, success starts with a wild imagination. Those who let their imagination roam free get lucky. It is because while imagining things, they allow their energy flow through the best channels and reach the depths of their capabilities. Perhaps, imagination knows where the pot of GOLD is!

3. They take more chances 

Luck comes knocking on the door when you leave doors ajar. This is why those who take, chances are luckier than those who don�t. They go out and knock every possible opportunity. When they take chances, the odds for success becomes favorable. A simple principal of statics! It�s either they achieve something they really aim for or they learn something new.

4. They are a great goal setter

They are masters of goal setting, planning and 'work to the plan'

5. They smile and laugh a lot

Smiling and laughing do not only keep the wrinkles and frown lines away, but they also keep the great attraction of positive outcomes closer. Lucky people smile and laugh a lot, they scare sorrows and frustrations away because they vibrate positivity.

6. They listen attentively

They talk well, so people listen more and they listen attentively so people love to talk to them
More than talking exceedingly well, there is an awesome gift in listening. When you listen to others, it gives them that sense of value, of sincerity. Those people who seem to get so lucky have opened their hearts by opening their ears. They build relationships because of their sincerity

7. They connect well

People who always try to be friendly and connected to others have more chances at opportunities suitable for them. Especially nowadays, networking is a great key to land on chances that may help you find your true calling. Building relationships do open your world of chances, and when there is an abundance of chances, there is luck.

8. They follow their intuition

They do go with their heart.
It is believed that we do have our so-called animal instinct and that we should follow it. Fear makes us hesitate, but inside us, there I that little voice that knows what to do. Those who follow their intuition felt are eventually getting lucky. When they do, amazing things unfold before them for the truth,

9. They are positive-thinkers

Nothing can truly bring down a positive attitude. Luck gets closer to those who are taking a step forward toward it. Optimists attract their own dreams and hopes. When things go wrong, they are courageous enough to walk on and to always look at the brighter side. They get lucky because they feel lucky.

10. They are not afraid to ask questions

Sometimes, a great success starts with a single question. Keeping their curiosity and inquisitiveness, people who get lucky are not in fear to ask this or that. When a question is budding inside them, they just ask. Then, whatever the question is, it takes them to places.

11. They have faith no matter what

People who are faithful to what they aim for, never give up. As they keep on living and dreaming, good chances, good encounters, and good connections are with them along the way.

12. They forgive

Successful actors and other people do not hold grudges. Such a very negative feeling stops you from going farther or deeper. It stunts your growth for with it, you�ll just live life sadly.

13. They inspire others

Inspiring people move others to do better. As you inspire others, you are also unconsciously creating brighter paths for yourself. One inspiration leads to another and you�ll never know what finds your luck.

14. They are kind

Kindness has made the biggest, the most revolutionary path to luck and success. When you stay kind, people will also hold you dear, look up to you, listen and follow. And according to studies, it makes people happier and healthier.

15. They are grateful at all times

Being thankful to the GOD and people for things big and small that are happening in their life makes people luckier. By this they also attract good vibrations and success. This is because hearts that say thank you at all times see the beauty even during the darkest hours.

15 Reasons Why Some Actors Get So Lucky in Life?

How These 4 Tips 'n' Tricks Can Ensure a Star Performance

Tips on great camera performance

1. Showing v. Telling

A critical acting tip is to remember that you are showing a story, not telling it. The advice may sound simple at first, but it's harder than you might think to thrill your film audience. Simply reciting your lines and obeying director's instructions won't be enough. The acting involves the whole of your character or personality, in other words, your Essence per se. Each movement, each breath, and each spoken line contribute to your performance. When you are on screen, know that your actions must be deliberate. Everything you do must work to show the audience the story.
By showing the story, you should act like a magnet for the audience, attracting and involving them in the story and its rhythm and changes.

2. On Listening

�Just listen,� is perhaps the best acting tip you can receive. As an actor a good deal of your work will be scripted, but just reciting lines is not acting. You must actively respond to the material you are given and to your fellow actors. Listening, constantly and vigilantly, is the best way to do this. Listening to your fellow actors helps you to respond naturally and flexibly. Listening to yourself provides an important check for your own performance, allowing you to gauge how well you are working with the material.

3. Be Aware of Your 'Habitual Behavior' and Gestures

Many of us have certain habitual or fixed behavior normally we are not conscious of-like a particular 'standing style' like weight on one leg, nodding our heads while talking, saying 'um'... Or 'array' main ne kaha tha ne..,in our normal conversation, moving our hands, or lips etc.
Be aware of these behaviors and gestures because this could not match with a character's behavior and therefore are irritating and deadly for a good performance. Ask your friends or the best to your acting coach to identify such odd behavior and correct them with practice

4. Performance Tension and Jitters on a shoot

You go for a shoot. Either immediately or after a considerable waiting time in artists or make up room, you are called to perform in your scene. You arrive and stand at designated place and find yourself in a total chaos. People are running around, shouts, adjustments of lights, camera angles and focus, makeup artist patting and giving your face final touches and your co-actors muttering and remembering their lines.
The result- tension builds up in your body and the mind gets totally blank!
The moment director says �action', your throat is dry, you forget your lines, you sweat and eventually mess up your performance
Why? Because you observe that you are being observed. Yes, all are staring at you, including the director.
When an actor becomes aware that he/she is being observed by 'them', tension finds its way into the actor's life. The key factor here is 'aware'. The actor must first become aware of being observed before the observers can cause the actor to suffer with tension and 'camera fright'.
So the "trick" is NOT allowing oneself to become aware of people around and staring at you!

Try the following:

• Rather than looking at the people around you, immediately select an object on the set-may be something near the camera, a prop, may be a director's collar or anything and continue looking at it till you hear the shout 'action' from the director. And then just go into your character and shoot your line without bothering about your performance.
• Create a fourth wall: You are not looking at the right, left or behind, but at the front, so that's a fourth dimension which you are looking at. Block that view by creating a familiar wall. It could be a wall of your bedroom, study or kitchen or sitting room and substitute your front vision by this wall called as fourth wall. Got it?
• Take a deep breath and go on giving auto-suggestion to your mind like, 'I'm good', 'I'm so and so 'character', 'I remember my lines', 'I'm going to give great performance'
• Remember, you are a unique actor and there is nobody like you. Just don't bother and shoot. There could always be another 'take'. The director wants just one good 'take'

How These 4 Tips 'n' Tricks Can Ensure a Star Performance

5 Cheapest Ways to Enter Bollywood Viewing Top Hindi Films

Who says you can't be a Bollywood actor by watching and learning from All Time Best Bollywood Films?

You Can for Sure!

How to Learn From Great Hindi Movies and Enter Bollywood

It�s not that without watching Hollywood Classics and their great Actors, you can�t learn and enter our Bollywood. The cine world of Bollywood has also produced some great movies from which actors can learn the fine craft of acting.

5 Cheapest Ways

Watch and take the following steps:

• Analyze:

1. What is the objective of the film? What the film wants to show to the audience and how the film achieves it?
2. Who are the characters in the film and what is individual�s objective and how he/she archives it?
3. Identify a character which suits best to your physical and mental profile.
4. Try to bring that character into you rather than mimicking him/her. Leave that part of a character which is not congruent (matching) to you.
5. Practice and practice in front of a full size mirror or with friends. Do not make a mistake of copying an actor from a film, for example, do not mimic Veeru or Thakur from �Sholey�. You remain what you are and try to be Veeru or Thakur.

I categorize most of the Bollywood movies broadly as �Masala� movies and the �Others�. I�m sure you know what �Masala� ones are and you hardly learn any acting craft through them.

Examples

• Boy meets Girl, at some point they fall in love. The society or families are against them, but at the end they either overcome all obstacles to be together forever or they fail and die together.
• A common man rises against a fierce evil force - be it the corrupt government, a deadly gangster, or plotting friends or family - he fights them and emerges victorious to live happily forever.

All these "Masala" movies almost invariably contain - drama, suspense, action, comedy, romance, tragedy, satire, social message - all combined into a fun filled 3 hours. 

Films For Our Learning  Purpose 

Get Them NOW!

Get a copy of these films and watch these films carefully. And if you want to observe the quality of acting and learn, put off the sound and then watch actors performing. This will help you to observe �acting� as a critic rather than just a viewer who gets emotionally involved in the happening with the film.
These �Good� films fall under different genre and here are my picks for actors to learn:

However, there is more to Bollywood than just "Masala" movies. Bollywood has also given all time masterpieces in both mainstream cinema and independent movies. If you really want to get a taste of Bollywood, you should pick at least one movie from each genre.
This would be my list:

Genre and Films

Drama:
  1. Pyaasa
  2. Mother India
  3. Mera Naam Joker

Epic / History:
  1. Mughal-e-Azam
  2. Gandhi (film)
  3. Earth (1998 film)

Romance:
 1.  Silsila (film)
 2. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
  3. Barfi

Thriller / Suspense;
  1. Woh Kaun Thi??
  2. Hundred Days
  3. Johnny Gaddaar

Biopics:
  1. Bandit Queen
  2. Paan Singh Tomar (film)
  3. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Comedy:
  1. Gol Maal
  2. Hera Pheri (2000 film)
  3. Bheja Fry (film)

Action:
 There aren't great action movies in Bollywood in real sense. However, these are some recent movies I appreciate which have decent action in them.

• Agent Vinod (2012 film)
• Gangs of Wasseypur � Part 1 & Gangs of Wasseypur � Part 2
• Madras Caf�

All time Bollywood Classics �A Must� for actors

1. Mughal-E-Azam 
2. Mother India
3. Sholay
4. Anand
5. Andaaz Apna Apna
6. Border
7. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
8. Nayak 
9. Lagaan
10. Swades 

Some other learning films from relatively recent times

3 idiots (2009)
Black (2005)
Ghajini (2008)

5 Cheapest Ways to Enter Bollywood Viewing Top Hindi Films