Shortcut to Hollywood: A Guide for Aspiring Actors

All aspiring actors want to one day make it to Hollywood but don't know where to start. There are countless stories of the actors you hear about that are famous today that moved to Hollywood with nothing in their pockets and lived in their car for a year and finally got their big break, but how do today's aspiring actors do that without having to live in their cars or work dead end jobs until their big break? While the sweet story of moving to Hollywood and catching a big break may be a good one it doesn't happen for everyone, unfortunately you don't hear about those who lived there and moved back a few years later with nothing to show for what they have done. How can an actor in this day and age catch a big break and be noticed in the Hollywood market from their hometown? How can you still pay your bills and still hope to one day make it as an actor without having to pack everything up and hope for the best?

The trick is Film Festivals. While every actor may not have the equipment to make a movie there are people in every town that do, the trick is to find them. Checking such sites as craigslist can help you narrow down who's aspiring to do what and when. While searching for adds on the internet and audition dates actors today can also find when the next showing at a local film festival is and how to get in. Everyone has the great ambition to move to Hollywood and to become someone one day but rarely do people make it, the back road to Hollywood is through film festivals. Not only does it help with building portfolios and resumes but also it helps with experience. The majority of movies today are no longer made in Hollywood but around the world and the actors that star in them have done a laundry list of movies that had one time showings in film festivals of their own town.

While a film festival is having showings there are also contests that each one holds that allows for film makers movies and everyone that participated in it to go even further with their chosen careers. With good acting and a good crew that film can easily be entered and sent to other larger film festivals throughout the state, nation, and even the world. These movies are considered Independent films since Hollywood did not finance them. Movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and Moon are movies that were not financed by Hollywood but through other agencies. These movies were entered into film festivals and flourished throughout all the other competitors allowing those actors to become who they are today.

The secret way to get into Hollywood as an actor and become the actor you dream to be, is to build your portfolio through local film festivals in your town and others around the state and country.