Category: The Essentials
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The Spotlight Prize Finalists’ Best Acting Advice
The winners and finalists from the Spotlight Prize 2024 each share the best piece of acting advice they were ever given. While we progress as actors, we’re surrounded by those who offer us advice. Whether it comes from actors with more experience, actors with different experience, famous actors we admire, or those who come from…
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What Performers Should Know About Copyright
Find out how copyright applies to the television and film productions you have been a part of in the UK and how to seek permission before including excerpts in your acting showreel. Copyright is a complex legal subject that can be hard to navigate when starting out as an actor. It’s not always clear when…
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Casting Directors’ Self-Tape Top Tips
The casting directors of ‘Paddington 2’, ‘Sex Education’ and ‘Father Brown’ share their top tips for preparing for, filming and sending off your self-tapes. Between them, casting directors Hannah Simons, Lauren Evans and Emma Sylvester have cast a variety of commercials, films and television shows, including: Paddington 2, Sex Education, Father Brown, Sister Boniface Mysteries,…
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5 Top Tips From 5 Top Actors
The stars of ‘Bad Education’, ‘A Discovery of Witches’, ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’ and more share their top acting tips that performers of every level should know. If you could only give only one piece of advice to your fellow actors, what would it be? Would you caution them about being prepared for auditions, or share…
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6 Simple Tips to Make Your Self-Tape Sizzle
What you can do to avoid the most common self-tape mistakes. Every performer will need to film a self-tape at some point in their career, whether it’s for a role submission or to enter our ‘Into the Spotlight’ monologue competitions. Casting professionals receive hundreds of self-tapes for each role, so unfortunately they’re unlikely to engage…
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What You Need to Know About Acting on a Cruise Ship
Everything you need to be aware of before you set sail as a cruise ship performer, including contract details, how you’ll be taxed and life on board. Cruise performer jobs are a great way to see the world, meet new people and do what you love – all while getting paid. However, it’s a unique…
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2 Minutes with George MacKay
How ‘1917’ and ‘I Came By’ actor George MacKay started acting, and his top tips for fellow performers. George MacKay secured his first role at the age of 10 in P.J. Hogan’s feature film Peter Pan, playing ‘Curly’ the Lost Boy after he was spotted by an acting scout at his school. Since then, he’s…
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How to Start Your Acting Career in Ireland
A guide for aspiring performers about how to get into the acting industry in Ireland, the acting courses available and where to look for acting jobs. Ireland is renowned for its music and literature and is home to many gifted storytellers – it’s no surprise a long line of talented actors hail from here. Liam…
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5 Ways to Learn Your Lines
Five methods actors use to learn lines and tips for learning lines quickly from our Spotlight Prize 2023 winners and finalists. It’s always essential for actors to know their lines – whether it’s for an upcoming role or preparation for an audition. The sooner you have your lines memorised, the sooner you can focus on…
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What Aspirations Drive an Actor?
A look at the acting goals and aspirations of our Spotlight Prize 2023 winners and finalists. The aspirations of actors can be as varied as their talents. Some performers dream of stardom and their name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, others want to be the representation they didn’t see on screens as children, or…