Are you telling yourself every day that you should be heading to the Big Apple?

It’s probably the most commonly spread myth about New York, right next to finding true love: getting to the city and becoming an actor or an actress. It’s not even that far from reality, because several famous and much appreciated actors started their career by making an effort and adapting to the rhythm of this place.

Acting lessons and acting schools based in New York are known for their standards and their productivity. New York is not only an epicenter for developing artists, but also played a tremendous role in the history of cinematography, influencing the whole evolution of film. Countless movies have been shot on the streets of New York and it is the place where the Kaufman Astoria Studios were built during the silent film era. Although Chelsea and Manhattan were also frequently used, New York has a cinematographic glow which will probably never fade in time.

 

Leaving history aside, we are going to throw a look into two famous film schools which provide quality acting lessons.

1.   New York Film Academy

This institution forms more than 7,000 students a year both under the tutelage of its film school as well as its acting school. The former film, television and theater producer Jerry Sherlock founded the school in 1992. Famous alumni include basketball player and actor Shaquille O’Neal, Chord Overstreet from Glee or Bollywood celebrity Imran Khan. NYFA offers master, bachelor and associate degrees, but also workshops, 1 or 2-year programs or studies in various subjects from 3D animation to game design, illustration or screenwriting. It also provides quality acting lessons, based on a “learning by doing” approach, with a focus on practical experience and less on methods.

2.   Barrow Group

Unlike the New York Film Academy, the Barrow Group is a non profit theater company, acting, play-writing and directing school, which was awarded several times and founded in 1986. Students can also benefit from the arts center and the showcases provided complementary to the acting classes. There are plenty courses for you to choose from, depending on your schedule and budget.

How to Analyze Courses in Aggregators to Find the Best Acting Lessons using Actors Connection

This organization connects actors to classes, seminars, castings and showcases. It’s a shorter way to high-profile directors and producers in theater, film, print or commercials. Among people offering their input during class, take Clint Alexander for an example, Director of Casting at Fox. He gave an insight about an on-camera audition technique which is specific in television and about the business side of a casting session. If the above few lines frightened you, then you might be a beginner and you don’t need to brush up your craft, because you are barely developing it.

 

First Steps to Choosing Your Acting Lessons

New York offers not only variety, but maybe too many options for developing artists. Here is what you need to know before you give away a mortgage on your house in order to pay for school.

1.   Acting Lessons For Free

If you browse online, you are going to find plenty of free recommendations to help you with developing your skills. Especially if you’re among beginners, you don’t need to enroll in the heaviest courses, which can turn to be intimidating or scary. Finding a suitable course is easier if your first acting lessons are observed in the privacy or your solitude, when you can get to accommodate yourself to the methods, try a few exercises, practice a monologue. If you’re not looking for acting classes for yourself, but perhaps for your kids, then you can scale it down a little and start by some local lessons or a weekend introductory course using an easy method. Don’t throw yourself from the beginning in something expensive or very demanding even if you are very enthusiastic. Learn by yourself what Stanislavski and Meisner methods mean so that you won’t appear like a silly student once you enroll in an acting class. Try a cheap summer workshop after you studied on your own and then consider acting classes NYC.

2.   Identifying a Target

It might sound like it’s too soon, but it’s probably the best you can do for your future and consider it a shortcut. If you find out what type of an actor you could be in the early stage of your preparing, it might save you a lot of time wasted for nothing. Well, not really for nothing, as it is experience which can turn out to be useful for you at a later moment. Cherish your time and in a constructive way. Identifying if you would be a good stunt actor, a voice actor, a musical actor, if you’re suited for films or theater should channel you towards an appropriate course. A coach or a teacher could counsel you on this topic, or perhaps an agent. It’s great if you participate in workshops, where you can observe other actors getting on their path.

3.   Making the Choice

If you finalized the above steps, it might be high time for you to head to the East Coast and settle among aspiring artists. You need to calculate what courses you can afford, depending on your budget, a school aid you might benefit from under certain conditions and perhaps a salary you would earn by doing a part time job. Once you choose the lessons you want to pursue, make sure you complete them with a lot of online and offline support on the themes of interest connected to the industry. Acting classes NYC has to offer are great, but by themselves they are not everything an actor needs in his or her career.

New York might intimidate you, it might conduct to some expenses you cannot afford and it might bring you down. You will observe numerous actors striving to achieve the same goals as you do and the competition is extremely tight. Before you make a decision, especially if your budget is a bit tight, imagine you might have to work long hours and still make it to school in order to finish school with a bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, it is the place where essential artists have formed their skills and mastered their craft, but it took courage and availability. If you are determined and motivated, New York is the place to be and the place where it’s worth working extra hours to fulfill your dream.