Acting Schools, the common denominator for cinema actors, the best place to start
In modern western cultural, with the overwhelming prevalence of the cinema, along with the fame, glamor, excitement, and euphoria that seems to go with it, more young people then ever are looking to enter this field by the quickest means possible. Some say, go to Hollywood and get discovered like so many others who were merely working as waiter or waitresses when a big producer said, I want that one to the be the star of my next movie. While this does occasionally happen, more often that lucky candidate in this scenario will have to go through crash courses at acting schools specializing in turning someone with no acting experience into a star overnight. If the angel that selected you is willing to pay, these acting schools might just suffice to get you up on that silver screen in time.
Countless young have left their homes, friends, prospects for work and school chasing after the dream indicated above. That's just was it is, a dream. Maybe you might be that one in a million who stumbles into fame, but more than likely, you'll be one of those who, after years of wiping tables and serving drinks to blustering, cigar smoking directors, or so they say, decide on night school courses, perhaps, if you still have the dream, at acting schools given by the university extension. We don't want to be pessimistic, but realistic. Remember, you're trying to win the super lotto when you try to get into cinema acting in this way. How often do you win the lotto?
A more reasonable approach to breaking into movies as an actor or actress is to start small. Start at the elementary or high school level. Most elementary schools in America seek out the talents of its students, and a truly caring instructor, one looking out for the best possible courses of development for their pupils, will tell you that you have acting ability if they see it. Often, these teachers set up even short skits as part of their teaching method, which gives then the chance to access and note those students with acting ability. If your teacher or your child's teacher tells you that you might want to look into schools for acting, take them seriously. If the elementary school is not counted among acting schools, if the interest and talent is there, look into the private acting schools in your area and start there.
Junior and senior high schools typically offer classes in acting, but oriented to stage versus movie acting. There is a difference. Most teachers in these high school courses are themselves frustrated actors who went through the entire formal process of getting a college degree in acting, only to find themselves scrapping to get a role as a real teacher in a provincial high school. My experience, and those of others, indicate that, while such training may be helpful, they are no predictors of the possible success or failure of an aspiring actress or actor in cinema. Many stars of today were told by their high school drama instructor they had no talent, only to go to one of the accomplished acting schools and emerge a star on the screen.
In the end, even with all the courses under your belt, with roles in some stupendous school play, you may find yourself with millions of others who followed their dream, only to find it ended behind the courter of the fast food diner on the block. Still, isn't the joy of life not so much in arriving at a destination then in getting there? Give it a shot if you've got the courage. After all, what have you go to lose, but a nine to five job atop some skyscraper where nobody sees you and you remain unknown and unheard. Instead, act!
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