1st Edition

Acting for the Screen

By Mary Lou Belli Copyright 2020
    256 Pages 34 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    256 Pages 34 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Acting for the Screen is a collection of essays written by and interviews with working actors, producers, directors, casting directors, and acting professors, exploring the business side of screen acting.

    In this book, over thirty show business professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field, how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships, and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to the internet and social media, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of acting, and money management while pursuing acting as a profession.

    Written for undergraduates and graduates studying Acting for Screen, aspiring professional actors, and working actors looking to reinvent themselves, Acting for the Screen provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in show business.

    1. Getting Started

    Moving Towards a Career: Some Basics

    A Q&A with Grant Kretchik

     

    Is This Path Right for You?

    What Is My Actor Readiness? A Self-evaluation by Peter Cocuzza

     

    Training. Determination. Organization. A NY Acting Teacher’s Perspective

    Getting Started by John Howard Swain

     

    Before College, If College: Where Do I Start?

    It Starts with a Dream… by Judith Patterson

     

    A Talent Manager’s Guide to Distinguishing Your Work

    Initiating a Sustained Connection to Your Character by Marilyn Atlas

     

    2. Sticking It Out

    Growing a Successful Business Called YOU

    Be the CEO of Actor, Inc. by Gilli Messer

     

    A Series Regular Shares Her Journey

    Welcome to the Numbers Game by Shalita Grant

     

    A Veteran Shares What Got Her and Keeps Her Still Doing It

    A Q&A with Anne DeSalvo

     

    Keeping Centered: Even When Things Aren’t Going Your Way

    Against the Odds by Robert McCracken

     

    Making the Most When Someone Gives You a Chance

    A Q&A with Daryl "Chill" Mitchell

     

    A Casting Director, Industry Coach & Show Biz Author Knows What It Takes to Stick it Out

    When to Hire a Coach by Bonnie Gillespie

     

    Everything You Need to Know About Social Media

    A Q&A with Ben Whitehair

     

    3. Finding Success

    A Director’s Perspective

    A Q&A with Andy Wolk

     

    About an Actor Who Works on Both Coasts…and Lives on Neither

    A Q&A with Josh Cooke

     

    Maintaining and Growing Your Career

    Finding Success by Jason George

     

    He Acts, He Writes, He Directs: Four Decades of Wisdom

    A Q&A with Ruben Santiago-Hudson


     

    A Better Way She Accomplishes Her Lifelong Dream

    Redefining Success by Tania Gunadi

     

    He Does it All…Including Audiobook Narration

    A Q&A with Ron Butler

     

    4. Getting Ahead

    All About Commercials

    A Conversation with Aaron Takahashi and Isabella Way

     

    Taking Charge and Creating Your Own Work

    Self-Producing by Phil Kaufmann

     

    Reality! From Her Little Harry Potter Studio Below Her Basement Stairs

    Get a Life! by Marsha Mercant

     

    Deaf Actors Need to Be Heard

    A Conversation with Suanne Spoke and Shoshannah Stern

     

    Actor. Entertainer. Crossdresser. Author. Social Media Sensation

    A Q&A with Willam Belli

     

    Sketch Comedy to Series Regular

    My Biggest Leap by Kirstin Eggers

     

    5. Starting Again

    San Fransisco: A Smaller Kinder Market

    Bay Area Bound by Catherine MacNeal

     

    Teaching Film School…Everything He Knows from Acting, Editing, and Cinematography

    Branching Out…(not standing still) by Charles Dougherty

     

    From Acting to Writing and Beyond

    A Q&A with Liz Vassey


    Acting Can Lead to Advocacy

    A Q&A with Nanci Christopher

     

    Falling in Love with Directing

    Backstory by Toni Kalem

     

    She Wants to Direct Commercials

    A Q&A with Katie Enright

     

    The View from a Chief Creative Officer’s Chair

    A Q&A with Alet Taylor

    Biography

    A two-time Emmy award-winner, Mary Lou Belli has been directing television for over 20 years, with credits including NCIS New Orleans, Bull, Station 19, Monk, Legacies, and Dynasty. She is the Co-chair of the Women’s Steering Committee at the DGA, where she also serves on the Western Director’s Council and the Leadership Council PAC. Mary Lou is an Honorary Board member of the Alliance of Women Directors, Women in Media, and a long-time member of Women in Film.