Breaking into Commercials: The Complete Guide to Marketing Yourself, Auditioning to Win, and Getting the Job

Provides tips for actors seeking commercial work, with advice on such topics as head shots, resumes, agents, auditions, and voice-overs

The wisdom of a veteran casting director and the viewpoint of a photographer-writer mix well to give newcomers to commercial acting all the how-tos, tips, and references to break in. After all, the reasoning goes, more than 60,000 commercial roles are cast each year, so why not get in on it? On the basis of their collective experience and interviews with more than 75 industry pros, Berland and Ouellette completely debunk some of the myths surrounding success: that talent is the only quality that matters; that you can pay to get on camera; and that all you need for voice-overs is a great demo tape. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Here, aspiring actors are walked through every stage of the process, from resumepreparation and getting head shots to residual and contract explanations. Summaries at the end of chapters help focus on what has been learned, and straight text is interspersed with question-and-answer interviews. A good reality check about acting for both kids and adults. Barbara Jacobs