Why Actors Need to be on Instagram

By Faith Hibbs-Clark, CMFA Founder

Have you ever given thought to how quickly your brain can process images? It's around 60,000 times faster than text! That makes visuals an essential component for your actor marketing materials. Plus, it doesn't even take up the full power of our brains – just half is enough for us to understand what we're seeing.

No wonder Instagram has become such a popular platform with its simple (yet powerful!) way of telling stories through pictures - understanding their psychological effects could revolutionize how actors market themselves!

Actor marketing materials can be revolutionized by understanding the psychological effects of visuals. With over 1 billion active users every month, Instagram is a powerful social media platform and a must for every successful actor.

For actors, having an account on Instagram can be a great way to show off their skills and build their personal brand. Here’s why you should start an Instagram account if you haven’t already.

1. Showcase Your Talent

Instagram is a visual medium and the perfect place to pose and perform. An Instagram account allows you to show off your talent as an actor. You can post videos or photos of yourself performing, whether an old audition tape or a performance from a play or film. You can also post clips of you rehearsing or behind-the-scenes footage from productions you’ve been part of. This not only shows people what kind of actor you are but also helps to demonstrate your range and versatility as a performer. Just be careful to ensure you have permission to share your photos and not violate copyright or non-disclosure agreements.

2. Build Connections

Having an active Instagram account will make it easier for casting directors and industry insiders to find out about you and your work. By building relationships with producers, directors, casting directors, and other actors on social media, you can increase your chances of getting noticed by those in the entertainment industry looking for new talent. Plus, it’s always nice to stay connected with fellow performers who may be able to give you free advice or provide support during difficult times in your career.

Connecting on social media with potential clients can give you a non-intrusive "point of contact" with essential decision-makers and will psychologically lead to brand recognition and trust in you. Instagram gives you a way to be seen. Remember the expression, "out of sight, out of mind?" Instagram gives you an entire platform to be "in sight" and stay in their minds.

3. Engage With Fans

Having an active presence on social media can also help build your fan base among ordinary people too! If you are going to be famous one day, now is the time to start your own fan club and give it time to build. Posting engaging content such as funny videos or behind-the-scenes photos keeps followers interested in what you have to say and helps them feel like they know more about who you are as a person—not just as an actor! Engaging regularly with fans is also important; responding to comments and messages shows them that they matter and makes them feel valued by someone they admire!

Instagram is quickly becoming one of the best tools available for actors looking to further their careers. By connecting with potential fans, establishing themselves as an expert in the industry, and networking with other professionals, actors can use this powerful platform to gain exposure and build relationships that could lead to exciting new opportunities! If you're not already taking advantage of what Instagram has to offer, now is the time! Start posting today!

ENTER TO WIN! ENTER TO WIN! ENTER TO WIN! ENTER TO WIN! ENTER TO WIN!

And, while you are at it, follow me at @communicationmethodforactors this month for a chance to win a free private coaching session ($150 value). Be sure to send me a direct message on Instagram to say hello. I look forward to connecting with you. 1 winner every month is randomly picked from new followers. You can enter with multiple accounts to increase your odds, but you can only win once. No cash value.

Faith is a body language expert who specialized in deception detection before becoming a casting director and working in the film industry for over 25 years. She is the founder of the Communication Method for Actors, LLC & the creator of the Acting Science Method ™. www.cmfatraining.com 

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6 Ways to Kiss in a Self-Tape Audition

By Faith Hibbs-Clark, Founder of CMFA

“A kiss is just a kiss..." Right? This is a famous line from As Time Goes By, a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. But in an audition, a kiss can be a disaster waiting to happen, and especially problematic when you are self-taping and alone.

Since the onset of the pandemic, most film and television auditions have become self-tape auditions. But even before the pandemic, most auditions were "off-camera reader" style which meant that you were alone on camera. Whether at home or at the casting office, there was no easy way to handle it.

So what can an actor do if a scene calls for a kiss? Before you start practicing the "air kiss" and risk making a complete fool of yourself, let's consider a good alternative:

Skip it altogether. Sometimes a kiss in a scene doesn't do anything to move the story along, so the easiest solution for an actor is to avoid that action altogether. 

You can communicate the intimacy of the scene without the physicality. There are many ways to convey affection in a scene without the need for an actual kiss. The writer might simply be wanting to show the connection that the characters have at that point in the story. 

Consider the following 6 possibilities:

1. Proxemics - In body language, we talk about proxemics which is the study of the human use of space. Less physical distance between people can indicate intimacy in the relationship. As an actor, you can try leaning in slightly to show intimacy.

2. Breathing - Our breathing becomes slower and heavier right before a kiss. We also tend to breathe through our noses in anticipation of locking lips. This type of breathing can help communicate the imminent kiss without the actor actually having to pucker up.

3. Tone of voice - We have all heard of the person with a voice like a "velvet glove." The sound of it can make us melt. Try using a softer, more intimate tone in your voice to show the scene's intimacy. Your voice will become slower, softer, and raspier.

4. Eyes - Humans seek mutual eye contact. We love to gaze into another's soul through their eyes. It is an instinct we are born with, so when someone temporarily denies gaze, it makes the on-looker want to get our attention again. If you intentionally don't look and then slowly look at the other person in the scene, the action can feel like a kiss.

5. Color of clothing - Wear red. Red is a primal color. It is the first color a baby sees when it is born. It is no surprise that it conjures up other primal feelings of sexuality as well. Before hi-def cameras, actors were told not to wear red in an audition, but that is no longer true, so turn the heat up and bust out your best reds.

6. Lighting. - One of the many benefits of self-tape auditions is that you are in complete control. If you want to communicate intimacy in an audition, try dimming the lights a little to create a softer glow. You can even experiment with some warmer tones in your lighting.

Remember that you are communicating a story. Not everything has to be shown to communicate the feeling of the story. Explore these possibilities to help you use the power of "acting science" to book more film and television roles.

Faith is a body language expert who specialized in deception detection before becoming a casting director and working in the film industry for over 25 years. She is the founder of the Communication Method for Actors, LLC & the creator of the Acting Science Method ™. www.cmfatraining.com 

I would like to show you how to improve your audition booking ratio. I have others to do it and I can teach you too.

What are others saying?

What is your learning style?

Best for actors who need fast results but who have limited time

Film Auditioning Weekend Intensive

Book Now

Best for those who want more time and resources with more personalized attention

Film Auditioning 6-week Immersion

Book Now

Best for those who need one-on-one personalized attention and feedback at a time that suits you

Online Private Acting - 1 hour

Book Now

🧠 3 Brain Hacks for Setting Actor Goals

By Faith Hibbs-Clark, CMFA Founder

If you’re like many actors, you have big dreams for your future. But how do you get there? Goal setting is scientifically proven to help actors achieve their goals when a science-based method is used. Though many of us are great at setting goals, most of us know that sometimes they don't work out despite our best efforts. When this happens, it can be a bit upsetting to our self-esteem and deter us from wanting to set any new goals. Likely, those goals didn't work out because you didn't know the science of goal setting.

Here are three important brain hacks to help you achieve your goals without failure.

Just do it! Goal setting for actors and motivation go hand in hand. The goal is your journey, and the motivation is your fuel to get there. You may have gallons and gallons of fuel but no journey to go on. You may have many goals but no motivation to get there. What can stop you from going on that journey? There are many more things holding you back than you realize. I have taught this a lot in my classes when I discuss the brain and how it affects your auditions, but I will say it again, your brain is designed to do two things very well: survive & evolve.

A big part of your survival is not to try anything new. From your brain's perspective, familiarity equals safety. The problem is that your brain also needs to evolve. Therefore, you are often at odds with yourself. Perhaps you overthink things? Overthinking is just your brain's way of stalling. The best way for you to move past survival and into evolution is just to do it. Don't allow yourself any time to think about it. Set an alarm and train yourself to work on your goals as soon as that alarm sounds. The moment you start to think about it, you will start convincing yourself not to do it.

Make it emotional! Your acting goals should be emotionally based. If they aren’t emotionally based, the subcortical circuit involving the amygdala will not prioritize the information in your brain. This is important because stimuli that are emotional are given prioritized access to certain areas of your brain needed for optimal performance. Namely, the amygdala in your frontal lobe regions can subconsciously break down your goals in order to solve obstacles, even when you are not consciously thinking about them. The strong emotional importance that you have assigned to your acting goals makes the obstacles less significant in relation to the perceived benefit of obtaining your goals.

Make it visual! The brain associates visual stimulation with emotion because these two things are processed in the same portion of the brain. Prime your brain with external cues, such as images that trigger a subconscious memory in your mind that motivates you toward a goal without you even realizing what prompted you. It turns out those cheesy vision boards, cutting out images from magazines to reflect what you want in life, might have been onto something. If you want to be a bit more academic about it, try color-coding or creating charts or graphics that reflect your materialized goal. Want to take it a step further? You could try some meditation and try to visualize your future in your mind’s eye, and then ask yourself to walk into that picture.

Congratulations – you now have 3 brain hacks to help you with your goal-setting! The next thing you need to do is take full action and join me for the "Science of Goal Setting Special Topics Workshop & Program!. Sign up now!

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