First you have to remember that there are a lot of people that never made it as actors and decided to become an acting coach. There’s nothing wrong with that because becoming a famous actor doesn’t always have to do with your acting skill, it has to do with the way you look too.
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With that being said, it’s better to choose a school that has a staff that’s well connected in the acting industry. A well-connected school could help pull some strings for you and get you a meeting with the right people if you’re really talented.
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Another thing you can do is ask colleagues or friends for recommendations on acting schools. Once again, this is subjective because what one person likes about an acting school another person could hate. A good way to get around this problem is to contact the recommended acting school and find out if they offer a free acting class. This will give you a chance to examine the school and teaching style to determine if you like the classes and teachers.
A Good Investment
Some acting studios don’t offer free acting classes because they have a good reputation and don’t need to offer free classes. Another reason some schools don’t offer free classes is because the school would become filled with students that are just hanging out with no real interest in acting with other intentions.
There are some schools that will allow you to pay for a single class or a weekly class. If you’re serious about acting, it’s worth the investment to see which acting classes are the best for you. Keep in mind, an acting school that has to offer free classes to get new students probably isn’t a popular acting school. A popular acting school is usually booked with limited seating, so there’s no need to offer free classes to get people interested.
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If your friend recommends a school to you, you still need to verify that it’s a good school. Don’t take someone’s word that the school is good because that person could receiving a referral fee if you sign up, who knows.
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Ask your friend for very specific reason why they recommend the school. If they respond with something basic like “it’s cool and I have fun…”, that’s probably not a good reason. Maybe they’re just attending acting classes to have fun, but if you’re serious about your acting career, you might have to seek advice elsewhere.
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Classes Separated by Level
There’s different opinions about classes separated by beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels. Some people argue that beginners should be in classes with advanced actors so they can learn faster by being around better actors.
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There are advanced actors that claim they don’t want to be held back by beginners as there are multiple acting techniques. The truth is as an actor, sometimes you’ll have to act in a movie with terrible actors and other times Oscar winners. So it’s good to have the classes mixed up.
I do think it’s a good idea to mix up the classes based on ages though. For example, I wouldn’t want my five-year-old daughter in a class with a 17 year old guy. It’s good to keep the children classes separate from the adult classes.
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Are The Acting Students Working?
If you’re in acting classes for kids and everyone is a beginner, then there probably aren’t that many working students. But if you’re in an adult acting school, then the people there are more likely taking acting seriously. If you’re in a small acting class of 10 – 16 people, then the students should be going out on auditions, booking jobs, or almost booking jobs.
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There should be some activity to report at that level of acting because most of those people have probably been acting for a while. At the very least, people should be going out on auditions. Once again, it depends on your goal for attending an acting school. If you really want to become an actor, then make sure that you’re attending a school that’s helping their students move forward and land jobs. You want a school that is trying to create success stories, not just sell acting classes.
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Successful Acting Students
They are many acting studios that have pictures on the wall of all their success stories, but does that mean it’s a great acting school? It’s hard to tell. Maybe there’s just a lot of really talented people that attended the school. Just because you attend an amazing school doesn’t mean you’re going to be amazing too.
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As mentioned earlier in this article, the acting school is just a vessel and if you have the talent, you’ll shine above the rest.
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Anybody, skilled or not, can take an acting class, so the students’ success or failure isn’t 100% the responsibility of the school. Some acting students complain that they aren’t being taught by the lead director of the school (the famous well-known person who’s name is probably on the door of the school.) Keep in mind that most people aren’t ready to be taught one-on-one by the “big dog.”
You could pay for private classes to be taught be the lead director, but if you’re not ready then it’s probably a waste of money at that time. For example, you could take an acting class taught by all Oscar winning actors, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to become an actor. Becoming an actor is difficult even if you have the perfect face and your acting skills are flawless.
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If you want to become a successful actor, you can’t give up, blame your failure on schools, or think because the school is taught by Kevin Spacey it guarantees your success because that’s just not the case. The success stories on the wall at an acting school is for motivation to show you what’s possible.
Really think about it; if there was some magic school that just pumped out super successful actors and guaranteed fame, people would be selling everything they had to attend the school. To become a famous actor, it depends on your look, skill level, and a little bit a of luck. The entire point of the acting school is to help you improve on your skill. An acting school can’t change your face, and an acting school is not a lucky charm. Even a well-connected school can only do so much.
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Let’s say for example I was shooting a new movie and I was directly connected with 5 acting schools and agents. The only thing those schools and agents could do is send me their students so they can audition for the role.
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The actor could blow the audition, show up late, not show up at all, mess up all the lines, might not have the right look, might be too short, too tall, too old, too young; there’s a lot of reasons why a person might not book a job which is no reflection of the acting school. To book an acting role is a combination of having the correct look for the role, getting the audition perfect, and the chemistry between you and the person hosting the audition.
Improve your skills as an actor
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Here’s the most important thing: You can be a terrible actor and book many jobs just because you have a look that is currently in high demand. So if you already have the look, improve your skill and become an amazing actor, then doors will start to open and the lead director of the acting school will take you under their wing because you have a greater chance of making it in the industry.
If you turn out to be nothing but a pretty face and you can’t remember the lines of a script to save your life, then it doesn’t matter which acting school you attend or how many success stories the acting school has because you’re not going to make it very far.
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Contact us to learn more about our acting programs. We have acting classes for kids, teens, and adults. Call us or fill out of contact form for more information.
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LOS ANGELES ACTING SCHOOL | THE MICHELLE DANNER ACTING STUDIO
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Learn the best acting techniques for film acting & auditioning.
Schedule a one on one interview with Michelle Danner to be considered for enrollment and to learn about all the acting classes and acting courses we offer in Los Angeles. *Learn how to stand out in the audition room.
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The Michelle Danner Acting Studio’s philosophy is that artists can draw upon all different acting techniques and form an individual toolbox, their own Golden Box. We will help you to develop your own “Golden Box” of techniques and tools that you can use when approaching a role or a scene, whether it be for film, television, or theater. The Acting School’s acting techniques are based on Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov, & the Stanislavsky Technique.
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Michelle Danner is an international film director & acting coach. Her student list include James Franco, Seth MacFarlane, Salma Hayek, Henry Cavill, Zooey Deschanel, Gerard Butler, Chris Rock, Chris Martin, Penelope Cruz, Michael Pena, Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Del Castillo and many others.
This acting school offers the following acting classes
acting techniques:
– Stella Adler Technique
– Meisner Acting Technique
– The Stanislavski Method
-Uta Hagen
– Demo Reel
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– Scene Study Class– Beginning/Intermediate/ Advanced
Acting Classes for Beginners
– Voice & Speech Class
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– Script analysis
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– Accent Reduction Classes
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Acting Workshops:
– Breaking into Hollywood
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Learn Acting at one of the Best Acting Schools in Los Angeles
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Phone: 310.392.0815
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