Actors: Jobs, Career, Salary And Education

Acting is a career that allows people to portray and express all types of different characters and ideas in film, television, theater, and many other performing arts. Another possible option for aspiring or experienced actors is to work at some live events, theme parks, audiobooks and teaching about their craft. A lot of the actors of today struggle to find long-term work that supports them in the long run and are forced to find secondary jobs. Some actors take to being ‘extras,’ which are people in the background of a scene or film that don’t typically have lines that majorly contribute to the storyline. Acting is a very taskfull job, as you consistently have to practice and have to be able to memorize all of their lines or- if it calls for it- improvise scenes off the top of their heads. Some of the time when an actor begins to work for a company they have to learn difficult new skills. Various jobs call for various things like: Singing, dancing, and playing different kinds of instruments.

Around the year 2012 there were an approximate 79,800 actors holding jobs. The timing for these periods of employment rand from one day to several months. Depending on what the actor is participating in at the time they may have to perform under bad weather conditions while wearing uncomfortable clothes or costumes. The work schedule for an accomplished actor varies at best, being long and inconsistent. Common times for actors to work are during the evening, weekends, and holidays. Very few actors engage in full-time work. Actors involved in theater may have more of a consistent schedule and may travel a lot as well. Television and film actors might travel to work on location on some occasions. Many actors refine their abilities by going through formal education. (College, University, Classes, etc) Even though some people break into acting without having to go through formal forms of education, most actors actually require professional training in drama and theater. Acting is a very difficult skill to master if they don’t have the adequate training or mindset.

The expected pay for an aspiring or accomplished actor varies at best since finding long-term work is difficult, but statistics say that it could possibly range from the low average of eight dollars and ninety cents an hour, all the way to above ninety dollars an hour depending on the particular role the person has landed. The lowest ten percent of actors made nine dollars and thirty-nine cents hourly in 2016, while the highest paid ten percent of actors made up to or over one-hundred dollars an hour.

Starting wages for movie actors would be hugely variable as a single actor being hired could be paid up to one-thousand and ten dollars as a daily minimum while a group of eight or more actors could be paid as low as eight hundred and thirty-three dollars as a daily minimum. Actors who are hired for a week could make over three thousand dollars. Depending on the production, both extras and main actors could be paid the same weekly amount.

Depending on the role an actor lands in a TV production their compensation could vary as harshly as they do in the movie production. The difference in salaries is when an actor is given a ‘major role’ in a show or episode of a show. Guest stars in TV shows could make up to or more than five-thousand dollars a week for a half an hour show. Guest stars in a lengthy TV show may make up to or more than eight-thousand dollars a week.

The salary for an actor in a theater is considered to be a low minimum for actors, as their wages are discussed in contract and vary by the area they are performing in. For example, the average wage per week (minimum) for a performer on Broadway could be anywhere from two-hundred and fifty dollars to six-hundred and fifty dollars on average. There are several different options for people trying to get into the acting business if they hit a slump and can not find the work they need. For example: Actors and actresses that can not find work may sign on to contracts with organizations to sponsor their products through modeling or through acting out certain situations for commercial purposes. This way not only are they receiving money for their work it’s basically a self sponsorship as well since the company’s customers would see their face consistently when they went to purchase said company’s products. Another job an aspiring actor/actress could pursue is voicing audiobooks. Yet again, not only would they be getting paid for reading the audio books but they would be receiving the recognition that comes with people listening to it and seeing the actor’s name or face.

Actors/actresses could also become personal tutors for people who are passionate about acting (or other subjects if they are more skilled at teaching that than acting) for extra pay on the side of their auditioning and roles. Tutoring is good for actors as it’s not a permanent job, nor is it very restricting for their schedules if they have to run out in a seconds notice for a role. Dates could be rescheduled to accommodate them. Novice to experienced actors could go for role playing jobs, like being test fields for law schools, corporations, and law offices. Role playing jobs aren’t the only law-affiliated secondary job an actor could take on as they could also get into something called an ‘Ejury,’ which lawyers use for feedback and commentary on their work through an online source. There are many colleges all over the world that have some options for aspiring actors/actresses but there are few that specialize in it. Here are eight highly-competitive colleges all around the world that specialize in acting/performing arts: The Juilliard School is a college located in New York, New York. The most this school requires from its students is a high school diploma, fluency in the English language, requires a good academic record, and a required essay just to ensure the student has the competence to be admitted into their school. The student to faculty ratio is four to one.

The Julliard has many personal requirements as well, including: A serious commitment to an acting career in the professional theater, a potential for personal, trainable, growth (which is regarded as more important than the applicant’s technical accomplishments) during their lives, general energy, openness of mind, enthusiasm, the ability to take a risk, a body, voice, imaginative and emotional powers that promise significant personal development, a certain generosity, a sense of humor, language, rhythm,a capacity for sustained concentration and a readiness for taskfull yet rewarding work. The University Southern California is a private university in Los Angeles, California. Requirements for this college are: A diploma from high school, (or recognise equivalent) admittance to a bachelor's degree requires that the student submit an official college transcript, the student must be fluent in the English language, the student is required to have up to three letters of recommendation for certain majors. (and/or including their portfolio, resume, additional writing samples needed for a class. ) The student to faculty ratio is eight to one and average freshman GPA at USC is a three-point-seven-three. Student activities on campus include a wide variety of choices like leadership programs, student organizations, (clubs) a volunteer center, etc. Depaul University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Admittance requires the student submit an official high school transcript, at least four years of English in high school, at least three years of high school mathematics, three years of high school sciences, two years of social sciences, and two complete years of foreign language study.

The SAT/ACT test is optional yet highly recommended as it will help a student obtain admittance into Depaul University. Letters of recommendation depend on the graduate program you choose to take. The student faculty ratio at Depaul in sixteen to one. The average freshman GPA is three-point-five-six, making this school strongly competitive and selective. New York University (NYU) is a private university in New York, New York. Admittance requires the bare minimum GPA yet expects at least a three-point-six if not higher. It requires a high school transcript, a good SAT or ACT score, at least two letters of recommendation if not more, the required application essay, some extracurricular activities, and an interview if requested. Student to faculty ratio is nine to one and average freshman GPA is three-point-six. Their graduation rate is ninety-three percent, and they have a surplus of over three-hundred clubs for students on campus to attend and participate in. The University of Miami is a private university in Miami-Dade county, Florida. Their GPA requires the student to have a three-point-five GPA out of four-point-zero. They require the student to submit their official high school transcripts, to have good ACT or SAT scores, a recommended (at least) two letters of recommendation, and their supplemental application. Student to faculty ratio is twelve to one and student on campus have access to clubs and organizations that can help them in the future. Pace University is a private university in New York, New York. Their average freshman GPA is around a three-point-two-six. This school is slightly selective. The SAT and ACT are optional for application yet are still highly recommended just in case the student can not get in on GPA alone. Their student essay is required along with at least two letters of recommendation from a teacher and counselor at their school. Student to faculty ratio at Pace is 14: 1, and they offer student leadership programs, athletic programs, student organizations, and other events and social gatherings. Syracuse University is a private university in syracuse, New York. Their required GPA is around a three-point-six out of four-point-zero. The SAT or ACT is required for students to gain entry and it is a MUST for them to be of higher scoring.

This school requires one or more student essay(s), along with two or more letters of recommendation from a teacher and a counselor. This school requires your high school transcript as well as a secondary counselor evaluation. Student to faculty ratio is fifteen students to one faculty member. Syracuse has clubs and holds events for their students to participate in while living on and off campus. The last college out of the eight most highly recommended colleges for aspiring actors is Boston University. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts. This school is very selective of its students with an average GPA of three-point-six-six. This university has a high graduation rate of 84. 7 percent. Student to faculty ratio at Boston University is ten to one. The student SAT or ACT is required and MUST have high scoring. A student essay is required as well as 3 or more student recommendation letters from teachers and counselors. Students on campus can join in other’s events and clubs as well as create one of their own for the enjoyment of other students of Boston University.