Actor Responsibilities

What are actor responsibilities? You might answer that an actor is responsible to perform in films, television programs, theater, and for advertisements too. It is true; yet it is just the tip of an iceberg. The actor responsibilities go beyond just acting in front of camera and make us believe the character he plays.

Almost everybody opines that acting is a profession that pays money and recognition and also makes you a celebrity overnight; yet a very few people are able to realize what it takes to be an actor. Acting comes with immense talent and an ability to get into the shoes of the character an actor is assigned to portray. What we see onscreen is a result of consistent efforts and hard work in the form of dialogue recital, rehearsals, improvisations, and the shots captured and released for the viewers.

Actor responsibilities are not just to deliver monologue or soliloquy, but also to dance and perform action and other movements which require a lot of flexibility and endurance.

An actor's responsibilities cannot be summed up in a few words, for this profession is something that covers a wide spectrum of activities that are integral part of this profession. Still we would like to describe the following responsibilities associated with the acting profession:

• Recital and Research: An actor has to memorize the dialogues according to script and also the expressions and dialect. He must closely watch similar performances and also research into the background and characteristics of any real life character to portray it well. This involves brainstorming with the director, scriptwriter, and any other crew member or producers.

• Rehearsal and Improvisation: Rehearsal is a very important stage for any production. Here the actor has to practice the act and improvise through his understanding of a particular scene and dialogues. Rehearsal becomes important when it comes to dance and action sequences because here the actor has to remember complex body movements and movements of costars as well.

• Assist and Motivate Costars: It is not just that the actor has to perform his part during rehearsal and shooting, but he also has to assist his costars with dialogues and movements if they cannot perform a particular scene or deliver a dialogue as the director and script demands. Newcomers may feel uncomfortable while working with an experienced actor and crew, and it becomes the responsibility of the actor to make his costar comfortable so that he/she can perform better.

• Follow schedule and Timeline: Acting is not a job that begins with sunrise and ends with sunset. An actor has to work for irregular hours, on weekends and holidays as per the shooting schedule. He also works for outdoor shoots in extreme climates and remote locations to fulfill the schedule requirements.

• Participate in Promotion: An actor must also participate in the promotion of a film. He must attend press conferences and give interviews to news channels and radio stations to promote his upcoming film.

• Lend Voice: An actor also lends his voice for animated films, audio books, video games and other medium that may require narration.

An actor may also have to liaise with the agents and appear for auditions for upcoming projects. While not working, actors also try to work for social causes and associate with nonprofit organization for various activities that are aimed at social welfare.

Skills of an Actor

An actor must be multifaceted and apart from acting, he must know dancing and singing and must be able to read and memorize dialogues. It is also important to learn how to portray different characters as you may have to work on more than one project on a given day. The most important skill is to perform in front of audiences and crew members for which you need to shed your inhibitions.

Becoming an Actor

There are many schools and universities that offer Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) and Master in Fine Arts (MFA) with acting as specialization. You can also participate in college plays or community theatre to gain experience.

Career Scope for Actors

Acting will last as long as human race is there as no other form of entertainment tantalizes our visual senses like the visual entertainment. The pay scale for actors varies drastically depending on the demand of a particular actor and his experience and versatility. You may not earn much during the initial period and you may have to struggle a lot before you can create a niche for yourself.

Actor responsibilities are to entertain the audiences by portraying fictional and real life characters and by being able to closely connect with the audiences through realistic performance.