Lets discuss a bit more on which arena of acting you would prefer. As we mentioned in an earlier article, the options include the obvious venues like feature films, television shows, and stage productions.

There are several venues you may not have considered, and should. Its a great idea to try them all. If you choose to try them all then you will learn things from each arena and will become a very good actor. Let us now look at the acting venues that are a little less familiar.

Television Commercials

Around eighty percent of the money earned for acting is from TV commercials (who would have guessed?). Nationwide commercials give you a lot of money, often including residual checks each time the commercial is used on TV. Region wide commercials pay just as well, and occasionally give you residuals. Another payment method is referred to as a buyout which is where you get paid once, and only once.

What I adore about television commercials: they're fun, the pay is good for the time you spend, there are lots of them even in smaller cities, and they don't take very long. The downsides of doing commercials is that they do not stay around forever and once they are finished, you get to look for another job remember this position? It is still true.

Industrial Film

Industrial films include training films, PR films, corporate films and government films, films that tell you how to do things sold commercially, films by non-profit/religious organizations, etc.. This is a very large venue with lots of opportunity and variety. The pay varies according to the film you are participating in. Industrial film is not just found in the big cities.

Student films

It's worth mentioning that film school students have to make films in order to graduate, and they need actors for these films. The pay is usually little to nothing, but you'll always get good experience, and its a great way to build your resume. If you find a college/university with a program that puts students through making films, you will find an opportunity to act. Make sure they know that you are able to act for them and eventually you will get an auditioning call.

Voiceover

While voiceover work is not on-camera acting, it is acting nonetheless. Many actors make a lot of cash doing voiceover jobs for television, radio, animated and industrial film. Learning how is as easy as reading books aloud. To increase your marketability, you can study dialects, languages and character voices. There is voiceover work in most cities. You can get paid well in these types of gigs. My last voiceover gig was $270 for an hour in the studio.

Ok, we've taken a quick look at the lesser-known acting venues (we cover these a lot more thoroughly in my ebook). Again, I recommend very strongly that you turn each of these venues into an experience of your own so you can become a well-rounded actor. Make sure you read the next article and well see you in the movies.