Coultish Management

Resume

When your photo catches the attention of the director, your resume must speak volumes for you. 

Steps to creating the perfect acting resume:

• The resume should be typed not hand written.  Use a plain simple font like Courier, Arial or Times New Roman.  If it is hard to read, it won't be.

• The resume must be on a one page format.  A resume is attached to the back of your photo so anything you put on a reverse side or on a second sheet will be ignored. 

• There is no need for dates and other fancy details.  Make it concise and to the point.  No clutter!  Your credits should be listed in what I call the three "P's":

Production - the name of the feature, commercial,  video, etc. 

Part - your role - actor, principal, lead, support, soc, background, stand-in, stunt, photo double, etc.  Do not put the description as waiter, nurse, passenger, etc. as it will be considered as background work.  If it was background then state it like it was.  

Producer - the name of the Production Company and the Director.  Don't forget to get this information while you are on set.  The releases you sign usually have the Company's name on the top.  

• The decision to put Background work on  your resume depends on what you are being considered for.  If If Background work including stand-ins, photo doubles, special skills and some stunts are just what you want to do locally then put everything down.  

• DON'T AND I REPEAT DON'T PUT YOUR ADDRESS AND NUMBERS ON THE RESUME!    Your agent's name and information will form the letterhead and will be the contact info for you.  One of the purposes of having an agent is helping to protect you against scams, etc.  If someone wants to book you or call you for an audition they will call your agent if they are credible!  If you don't have an agent and you are Self Represented then put an email address and a pager number or cell number.  Your home is private...keep it that way!

• Make sure you have spelled all the credits and especially the names of Directors, Instructors, etc. correctly.  

• Don't lie on your resume.  The film industry is vast but can also be a grapevine.  Saying you did a role that you did not do or working on a set you did not will come back at you eventually.  Someone always knows someone who worked on everything! 

• Your training in all areas is important.  If someone does not have a lot of film and television or theatre credits, the training is looked at next.  Put all workshops as well as film studies on your resume.  Good ones to take are the BC Film Orientation course, Casting Director seminars or workshops, Cold Reading Skills, Voice Training and Weapons Handling.  

• When you are listing your skills make sure you can do them very well.  Riding a bike occasionally does not make one a competitive racer nor trying out skiing once make you a downhill sensation.  Make sure you list only the languages that you can speak fluently.  

• KEEP IT UP TO DATE!   It is up to you to keep your resume current, not your agent.  As your resume grows you can take off the oldest or smallest roles.  Commercials can be condensed by adding  "Commercial List on request" under the Television heading.  Keep that list up to date too as some commercial directors will want to see it to verify there is no conflicts with the brand or theme of the commercial they are casting.  

• Last of all...don't forget to save your resume on a floppy disk or CD.  Finding out all the information again can be one huge headache!      

Remember there are thousands of actors trying to break in to the industry and everyone has the same 2 items that will open the door...Photo and Resume.  Once you get inside, the audition, go see or interview will determine your level of talent and that must shine through.  No photo or resume can speak for you then!

Here is AN EXAMPLE OF the industry standard for talent resumes. 

Set your margins to .05 both left and right, top and bottom.  This will give enough space for our letterhead to be inserted.

     LETTERHEAD

NAME