Don't Join an Acting Coach Unless You Check This!

How to find a pearl of your acting coach

• He or she can be the key that unlocks your acting talent; the missing puzzle piece in achieving your potential and goals. Yes, an acting coach can be all these things, but finding one that’s trustworthy, well-versed in the business, and well-suited to your needs and personality is extremely important. When looking to learn better techniques, master monologues, or understand a character more deeply, hiring an acting coach is always more beneficial than looking for a school which has many students and you impressed to join because the big name behind it.
• However, this does not mean that acting schools are no good. On the contrary, many of successful actors today are from the schools. The question is whether you want personal and private attention to develop your acting craft or join a group for learning.

An Acting Coach

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• When working on scenes or monologues, actors should work with a coach, an acting teacher, or another actor. I know many actors hate monologues. Working on a script or other material alone can be maddening. Part of you are trying to act on it, but the other part of you is trying to be a self-director directing yourself. And then there is that constant judging voices in your mind that telling you well done, not good, could be better etc. Which can make you crazy. Having someone there besides yourself allows you to ‘just act.
• One of the biggest problems is that actors look at their lines or a monologue as a speech, which sounds like a narration or “telling” rather than showing.  The best stuff is a performance that has changed in rhythm and voice with a different beginning, middle and a different end. The key factor is creation of conflict that has objective— something that clearly wants to change another person’s point of view or their behavior.”
• A lot of people come out of school with no knowledge of the script or character analysis tools and how to create and prepare monologues because it’s easier without it. (One of the reason could be a large group with limited time or it could be your own inevitable playful attitude with like minded co-students then focus on leaning)
• Good coaches help get to an actor’s soul and personality using specific techniques. They try to prepare them to better work on camera and with directors. The camera is like an X-ray machine: It knows what you’re thinking. It sees the truth, and also sees the lie. It is an intimate medium.  An actor has to be in a reality in an environment which is far away from reality and totally false. This is really tricky for an actor because how can he/she forget his/ her existence and what is being observed?
• A good coach needs to design a technique suited to an individual to “feel the reality” by a student which could be, for example, a combination of yoga, self-hypnotism and auto-suggestion

Checklist for Selecting a Good Acting Coach

• A Facilitator who believes in “doing” rather than lecturing (You can find out while talking)
• An excellent orator
• A pleasant, but motivating voice 
• Patience (Talk irrelevant for longer and watch his responses)
• Knowledge of Psychology; Human behavior
• Marketing and business acumen and experience, if any
• As an Actor in Films, TV serials, Commercial Ads and Print Media
• Ready for a long time association and help

Experience in:

• Direction
• Filmmaking
• Casting 
• Theater
• Fair Knowledge of Cinematography
• Reasonable Coaching Fees

It’s forming this relationship with your medium i.e. Acting, Yourself, and your Acting Coach that will propel you to success in your acting craft.

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