You can find the perfect format for resumes in the book "An Agent
Tells All" that is listed under Favorite Links on my Web site,
www.theactorsalliance.com.
But until you get that book, these instructions should suffice.
Veleka
First, a resume needs to fit on the back of your "head shot" (an 8 x
10 photo of your face). This means you have to size your resume down
to one page. You can do that by making the typeface smaller (but
still readable) and by eliminating credits that don't add to your
luster. Just keep the essential credits that help the person making
casting decisions decide what your type is. Know that casting people
just skim these forms unless they think the actor may be right for a
part, so make the way you arrange your resume easy for them to glance
at and absorb critical information. Ask your teacher and/or agent
for input on your layout until you get it right.
Second, for easy duplication of your resume by your agent who will be
photocopying it to send to casting people, type it on bright white
paper with enough toner in your printer to make nice black lettering,
and remember that the paper must be no bigger than 8 x 10. You can
find where to buy this paper under Favorite Links on my Web site,
http://TheActorsAlliance.com/. Don't use fancy color paper or fancy
fonts (typefaces) for your resume. Save color and fancy artwork for
your press releases and publicity handouts.
Third, your credits should follow this form:
1. At the very top of your resume put your name in large, bold, easy-
to-read print. Font point 18 is probably good. Just your name.
Then skip a space and under that in a balanced way arrange your
agent's contact number(s), yours or your parents' contact number(s),
and your hair color, eye color, height, weight, and age range. Your
age range is better than your age. It's an age you can play. If you
can look several years older or younger than your actual age, put
that. E.g., Age Range: 22 to 28.
NEVER EVER put your Social Security number or address or other
personal information on a resume. That you can give to the person
hiring you when you get the job. Remember, not all casting directors
keep your picture and resume on file. Some toss them, and in these
days of identity theft, protect yourself as much as possible.
2. Next, put your experience. And instead of writing "Experience,"
list the type of experience such as
Features
Other Film (which would include student films and industrials)
Television
Theater (sometimes spelled Theatre as the English spell it)
Commercials
Radio
Special Skills
Training
Then list individual ACTING credits under each category. Your most
RECENT credits go at the top of a list.
Your work as a technician, such as being stage manager or handling
props, should be at the bottom of the Experience section under
"Technical Experience."
Last, list Special Skills and personal interests that would serve you
in the business such as singing, sky-diving, skiing, sewing, accents,
etc. If you have a driver's license, put that. If you can drive a
stick-shift or snowmobile or operate a tractor, put that. Skills
that you may take as commonplace might be considered special by a
producer.
3. Education credits, which represent your training as an actor,
should be last. You can title this section Education or Training,
and the education must be about acting, singing, or dancing (the
lively arts) with only a nod to the rest of your formal educaton.
Put the acting teacher who taught you most recently at the top. In
this instance, you would probably put my class at the top. If you
have studied with me for more than one year, put that as "Veleka
Gray, The Actors Alliance" or "Veleka Gray's On-Camera Workshop" or
"Film and Television with Veleka Gray."
Be sure to spell all words correctly and especially ALL names
correctly. Mine is Veleka GRAY, NOT Veleka GREY. If you can't
remember how someone spells their name or the name of the play or
film you were in, look it up on Google or at the Internet Movie
Database at http://us.imdb.com/.
Fourth, your agent might invert the order of how you list your
credits. I used to have Television first since it was the bulk of my
work, but she told me to put Feature Film first since that was where
I wanted to go in my career.
Question: Since I'm new, do I need to focus on my resume being long?
Answer: No.
If you are new to this, your resume isn't going to be long. If you
try to make it appear long, it will appear that that is what you did.
All of your specific experience should be in a resume, and if that
looks minimal, then move on to other related experiences. You have
engaged in other classes/activities that contribute to your ability
to act, right?
Public-speaking classes, debate clubs, Reading for Comprehension,
Speed-reading, etc., all can fit into a nice little "education"
section of a resume. Related jobs, like radio work or student films,
etc., can fit into another section, etc.
Pad your resume at will, but be sure that any padding is relevant,
and be prepared to justify it. If you put basket weaving down as a
skill, expect interviewers to ask how it has helped you become an
actor.
The biggest thing about a resume is that it needs to pass a "glance
test". Interviewers tend to pull them through, at high speed, looking
for what they want. They will glance at it, and if they can easily
find what they need, may take a longer look. If they don't see what
they are looking for at a glance, they probably have a hundred others
to wade through, just today . . .
Try to keep your layout simple and obvious. Avoid flash.
If it is short, try to achieve a balanced effect between text and
white space.
One trick I have often used, if you have time to personalize a resume
for a specific job, is to go through and Bold (as in bold-font, not
uppercase) the things they are looking for. Avoid UPPERCASE type as
it is considered to be rude and often belligerent. Keep the bold
print to a minimum - if you are responding to a written
advertisement, or character synopsis, pick out the key words, find
those words or synonyms in your resume, and bold them. Do not bold
more than about 10% of your text.
Borderline cases: extensive scene work that you have done in acting
classes, public scene showcases, showcases for industry folk such as
agents, etc. You can list these as "roles," citing the play and the
character you played, and mention the forum within which they were
performed. While they are not full credits, they certainly indicate
some of the work and training you've done, and can fill in a short
resume.
If anything you've done or won contributes to you as an actor, and
you are filling space, include it: just be prepared to explain it to
an interviewer. Other events can hint at stories, is in: "Julio and
Romero; took over the part of Julio, after the tragic demise of the
elephant." The job of a resume is to make them want to talk to you.
In its finest form, they will go to sleep at night wondering about you!
Thanks Veleka.
http://theactorsalliance.com