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Start Acting in Singapore

So you want to start acting in Singapore but don’t know where to begin. I will outline a few things to consider in this article and how AADB can help get you on the way.

Acting in Singapore – is it viable?

This is always a difficult question to answer – many new actors ask if this is a viable career path. To be honest there are many actors in Singapore who make a fairly comfortable living and there are also many others who teach or do other side jobs to supplement their income. Because there is no set rate for the acting industry actors can get anywhere from $30 per day to $1500 per day. It also depends entirely on the type of job. A commercial can often pay a lot more than a tv serial.

How to get started in acting

The best way is to go to a full time course in acting. There are a couple of well known courses in Singapore – NAFA and Lasalle. These are FULL TIME so you do have to commit 3 years to the training but it’s well worth it if you really want to have longevity in your career. A doctor without training wouldn’t last a minute in a hospital – an actor without training may get away with natural talent for awhile but most will eventually fall out of the system. 3 years of full time training will really prepare you for anything the industry might ask of you and will give you the knowledge and skills to really stretch your talent.

A full time acting course is the best way to become the best actor you can be. If, however, you don’t have the time for that you may want to try a part time acting course. Centre Stage school of the arts offers courses for kids and adults – this may be a good place to start if you want to test the waters.

My advice is to do as many classes as you can – part time or full time. There is no replacement for training and practice. When you get a job you don’t want to be ill prepared – cause they won’t teach you on the job they just won’t hire you again.

What you need to be an actor

You need a few things to be a professional actor: photos, a showreel if possible and a place where people can find you. You can of course get an agent or manager – they will help find auditions for you, negotiate your contracts and collect money. They take a fee for this – sometimes up to 30%. Most actors in Singapore work FREELANCE – in other words they don’t have an agent or manager and do all the negotiating and find auditions themselves. The benefit of this is they get to keep all the money they earn. There are pluses and minuses to both ways of working.

Headshots

Whether you have an agent or work freelance you will need professional photos or headshots. A headshot is similar to a passport photo – it’s a clean photo of your face with minimal make up. It can either be black and white or colour these days. You should get this professionally done as it’s your calling card. This is what will be the deciding factor between you getting a job or not – it’s equivalent to a CV in job interviews. Directors and producers will send your headshot to each other to decide whether you’re the right look for a particular job. You don’t want them sending an amateur photo of you taken in some restaurant  – you need a good, professionally taken headshot from someone who understands what the industry needs. While you’re getting your headshot done – you should also get side profiles, half body shots and a full body shot as well. The industry needs to know what you look like from all angles. Yes, it seems like objectification but that’s the industry you’re signing up for! ; )

Online Presence

Everyone needs an online presence now – you have email and facebook so people can find you. AADB is a place where the industry can find you. No point just having your own website where the industry can only find you if they know your exact website url. You need to be where everyone is looking and working. All you need is a membership to AADB and a profile on AADB with your photos, a showreel if you have one and a basic CV of all the work you’ve done. Don’t worry – there is a NEWCOMER section for anyone just starting out. Once you’re on AADB you can be seen and found by hundreds of producers, directors and casting agents  who use it daily. You can also submit yourself to any of the hundreds of auditions that are posted there every month. It’s easy to use and it’s convenient for the industry.

Start Auditioning

So, all you really need are a few photos and a membership to AADB and you can start auditioning! If you don’t know where to get photos just sign up to our ACTORS ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION & PHOTO PACKAGE which includes a studio shoot with a professional photographer and a 1 year membership to AADB. Alternatively, if you want to try AADB for 1 month free of charge just SIGN UP HERE under ACTORS / Voice Talent ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION. Thereafter it’s just $150 per year if you wish to stay on the site.

 

 

AADB Singapore Twitter Feed

Follow AADB on Twitter

Click to follow AADB on twitter

AADB just started a twitter feed. Only members of AADB have full access to audition pages and can submit their profiles. But everyone can follow AADB on twitter. You will soon realize the large numbers of Singapore acting auditions or casting jobs within AADB. At present we’re tweeting all acting auditions in Singapore and we’ll be adding production bulletin notices, crew job notices and more in future.

Some acting audition tweets will have multiple auditions posted in one tweet – so do click READ MORE to see ALL the auditions. You will of course have to sign in to read the full audition details.

So just click on the image above to follow AADB on twitter. And, if you’re NOT already a member of AADB – JOIN NOW– whether you’re an actor / actress, producer, director, casting agent or crew member – be part of the tv and film production community of AADB.

Casting Calls in Singapore – how to get Auditions

Casting Calls – what are they?

If you’re new to acting you may not know what a “Casting Call” is. You may have heard of an “Audition”? Well, it’s the same thing. A Casting Call or Audition is basically like an interview for a job. The casting agent or director wants to see who will best fit the job. So, they will invite a lot of actors or actresses to come and “audition” for the part. Of course, most who come will not be “right” for the part simply because of their look, physicality or accent; or, sometimes, the director just has something very particular in mind for the role.

Almost all films, tv and theatre shows start with a casting call or audition. Whether it’s a big Hollywood production or local tv show there has to be a process where all the actors are selected for all the parts.

What happens at Casting Calls?

Usually, you’re greeted by someone who will ask you to fill out a form with your contact details, short bio and measurements (if you’re a member of AADB – you can print out your online CV – just go to your profile and click PRINTER FRIENDLY – then print that page). Then you will be given a script of the part you’re going to audition for. You’ll then be given some time to learn the script. You should learn this script as well as you can – there’s nothing worse than trying to act with a piece of paper in your hand. Always, always try to memorize the entire script. It’s even better if you ask the casting agent or director to email you the script to learn days before your actual audition.

The actual audition will usually happen in a quiet room with a camera, some lighting and the casting director. He or she will read the other part/s of the script from behind the camera. You’ll be asked to relax and then give your performance when the camera rolls. It’s not easy – but it’s a skill that can be learnt and improved on over time.

Tips for Casting Calls

  1. Always dress for the part. If you’re auditioning for a role as a lawyer or business man/woman – make sure you dress as a business man or woman. This helps everyone – it will help you “get into” the role and it will certainly help the casting director and anyone else who will see the casting tape imagine you in the role.
  2. Put on some makeup. Particularly for actresses. You want to look the best on camera and make sure it’s appropriate for the role.
  3. Bring your CV. If you have a printable CV with a headshot – bring it. Again it helps whoever is on the other side of that audition get a good sense of what you’ve done in the past.
  4. Ask about the role. If they haven’t already told you about the role – ask a few questions to get an idea how the casting agent thinks the role should be played. After your first take you should ask if they’d like to see it played differently.
  5. Ask for another take. If you feel you didn’t give your best – ask for another take. In other words – ask to do the scene again. Casting agents are usually happy to get a better take.
  6. Do something different. Sometimes doing a take that is just DIFFERENT will surprise a casting director and will help you stand out from the crowd. Don’t be crazy and throw things or take off your clothes – but try playing the scene in a radically different way. It might just work!
  7. Don’t waste time. Don’t ever waste a casting director’s time with excuses or problems of your own – they are usually on a very tight schedule.
  8. Remember: they want you to get the job. Don’t forget that the whole point they are auditioning is to find someone to fill that role. They WANT you to get the job. As soon as they’ve found the right actor they can stop casting! So relax – casting agents are on your side.

Where to find Casting Calls in Singapore

The best place to find casting calls is on AADB. The casting calls are all formatted – giving you all the relevant information, they allow actors to submit themselves and we keep an eye on the whole process to make sure it upholds professional standards.

Just go to our Casting Call or Audition page and click on the DETAILS link on any of the audiitons. As a member of AADB you will be able to Submit your profile online directly to the casting agent. This saves a lot of emailing back and forth of CV’s, bios, photographs etc. The casting director will get a link directly to your profile. It couldn’t be easier.

If you have any questions or comments – do leave them below. In the meantime – good luck with your auditions – and break a leg!

Open Casting / Acting Audition for Actors and Models

If you are an actor, model or extra looking for castings / auditions in Singapore you may well have heard of AADB. Actors Asia Database started out in 2006  as an online database for actors – so they could be found by casting directors, acting agencies, producers and directors. Since then AADB has grown to become the leading casting and audition website in Asia. With over 2300 members AADB experiences over 600 000 hits a day! That converts to about 3000 pages viewed by it’s members everyday.

Daily source of Auditions

It just makes sense to be on a centralized database where everyone industry can find you. For actors, models and newcomers AADB is a source of daily auditions – casting calls are posted every day with over 30 every month since it’s beginning. Casting directors, acting agents, directors are not only posting auditions, they are constantly searching the site for their next lead and supporting actors. Even newcomers to acting can testify that they’ve had numerous opportunities because of the exposure AADB has given them.

Types of Casting Calls

The types of casting calls vary from films to tv to theatre and commercials. A casting director will often contact actors directly instead of posting an audition notice – so actors have found it essential to have a great profile on AADB with professional photos a comprehensive CV filled out and video if possible. All of this is possible and simple to create on AADB.

Actors, Models, Extras, Newcomers

Actors on AADB have come from all backgrounds. Some were models, extras, dancers and some have had no experience whatsoever. Through AADB many have been introduced to acting classes, workshops, acting / talent agencies or talent management companies and of course to many many open castings. Many actors have been able to build significant portfolios from jobs directly related to AADB.

Not a Talent Agency – we take no commission

But AADB is not a talent agency. We do not represent talents. We are the portal through which talents / actors / models find work and acting auditions but we do not negotiate on behalf of them or take any commission.  Many actors on AADB are in fact with a talent agency or management but find that the exposure on the website is essential. Even well-known actors need to be contacted – sometimes by new production companies (or foreign companies) who may not know their contact details.

There are two essentials for all professional actors or for actors wishing to break into the industry:

  • Professional Photos – with one headshot
  • A profile online at AADB

Click to read more About AADB and HOW TO JOIN and the various Subscription Packages.