Personalized Acting Classes & Management For Actor's Classes via Zoom.
Technique, Cold Reading, Scene Study/ Script Work, Improvisation and Audition Classes, Branding, Marketing, Finding Representation, Headshot/Resume Critique and Career Planning
Online Classes Available Worldwide (English or German language)
CONVENIENT ONLINE CLASSES
AVAILABLE NOW!!
Hello,
My name is Barbara Wilder, and I'm passionate about assisting aspiring actors and entertainers in reaching their full potential.
I graduated from Stage School for Professional Artists and have worked as an actress, director, writer, and producer in Europe and Los Angeles, California for many years.
I teach acting online to a small number of students, providing true mentorship and guidance to help them develop their skills. My classes are tailored to each individual's needs and I am not only help them grow as actors but also teach how they can sell themselves despite a big competition.
The entertainment industry can be a difficult business to comprehend.
I see a lot of actors going around in circles, spending way too much money on headshots, reels, workshops, and coaching but still not getting representation and thus not getting the big jobs.
That's why I started teaching classes to show you all the shortcuts.
In my online classes, I want to give you the opportunity to learn everything I've learned over the years in numerous classes, workshops, and while working in many different departments of the entertainment industry for decades.
I provide comprehensive acting classes that teach students not only the fundamentals of acting, but also how to manage themselves as actors, find jobs, find agents and managers, and make themselves known to casting directors.
My classes are designed to help students gain confidence, master the fundamentals of the craft, and acquire the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Let's get started right away! Let's make the most of your abilities.
Are you ready to take your
acting career to the next level?
Send me a message!
If you aren't ready yet, keep scrolling to my acting tips. You might find some helpful information.
Just shoot me a quick message with your interest and I'll get right back you!
FULL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM:
- Monthly program incl. 4/60min variety of all available Online Classes
(Scene Study/Marketing/Branding/Cold Reading/How to find Representation/Find your Genre/Headshot Critique)
- Incl. Supervision/Audition Coaching......... $420.- SALE $349.-
Individual Online Classes:
-Scene Study
-Marketing/Social Media/Branding
for Actors
-Audition Preparation/Cold Reading
30 min.............$̶5̶5̶.- SALE $39.-
60 min.............$̶1̶0̶5̶.- SALE $69.-
Additional 10% off when purchasing a 10 classes bundle.
Online Crash Courses:
How To Find Representation Crash Course:
75 min..............$̶2̶3̶5̶ SALE $95
My Genre/TVShows/Movies To Target Crash Course:
75 min................$̶2̶3̶5̶ SALE $95
Headshot Critique/Advice 15min................$̶3̶5̶ SALE $19
Acting tips
When I was in drama school they made us memorize a monologue each day. This was very stressful at first but became an easy task after the first month or two. Try to learn a page a day on your off days. Just for the sake of it. Just to train your memory.
2.) Dive deep into the script and go over your lines again and again. Really study them. Sit down and analyze every single sentence. Search for the subtext. Study the movements you are making saying each line. Try different approaches. What do you feel saying each sentence? Why does your character continue with the next sentence? How does your body react saying each sentence? Was that your belly just now? 🧐 :-D
In that process, you connect emotions and body memory to the lines.
3.) Record the lines on your phone. Listen to them when you are driving. Please turn them off if they distract you too much. Everyone is different and I want you to be save on the streets. Maybe listen to them when you’re caught up in traffic and you’re barely moving. This is a good time to hear your lines over and over again. Secondly, it will make you appreciate standing in traffic. So, this tip is golden. 🤪 lol
Of course, you could listen to them doing other tasks like cleaning your apartment or working out. In any way, listen to them while doing something else!
4.) The best way to get your lines is to say them in your head laying in your bed before you fall asleep. And do that again the moment you wake up. This trippy stage of your brain at the moment before you fall asleep and the moment after you wake up is called the hypnagogic stage and is perfect for absorbing your thoughts. My mum thought me that back in the days when I had to remember Latin vocabulary. Ugh.. 😑 I had a hard time but this trick always helped.
5.) Get Rest!! I know you think, “I can sleep when I am dead” but know that your brain and body need a 7-8 hour sleep to fully recover and restore.
Yes, I said it, 7-8 hours! Don’t take anything less!
No, you’re not some superhuman running fine on a 4 hours sleep like some genius you heard of on the web. If you give your brain less sleep it just doesn’t work as efficient and focused as it would if you would have allowed it to fully rest!
Don’t drink or smoke either before going to sleep because alcohol, weed or even over the counter sleeping aids or certain prescription drugs will disrupt your sleeping circle and you won’t fully get the recovery from your sleep as you should! Remember, you need a healthy brain to be as sharp as you can!
(If you have sleeping/insomnia/anxiety problems, the previous tip, “Say the lines in your head in your bed” helps a lot as well with it. It lets you forget about all the other problems/stress, which are going on in your life bc you focus on your lines and hopefully, that lets you drift away into a healthy sleep.)
5.) Exercise and eat clean foods to get that oxygen and nutrients flowing!! Remembering learning lines is a workout and you need to boost your energy!!
6.) Take a break from learning your lines. I know you’re nervous and you want to get them perfect. You’re may frustrated bc you can’t remember them as fast as you want to but when exercising your lines becomes obsessive, take a breather.
Take an hour or two and go for a walk in nature, meditate or do some Yoga and tell yourself to not even think about the lines for this little time. Sometimes your brain needs you to press the reset button to work more efficiently afterwards.
7.) This is the most important part of learning lines!
Find a partner to run them with you and play the part fully out. Rehearse! I have seen it happen so often. Actors had the lines perfectly but adding stress and emotions to it, they were suddenly gone. Don’t wing it. Rehearse with a partner.
8.) Forget about the lines completely before your performance.
Tell yourself: "You know, you got them. You’re awesome! You can improvise in case you forget anything! You know what the character has to say! You are prepared! You know what you’re doing! Focus on connecting with the character. Your character knows the lines! No doubt about it!"
You got it!
Hope these tips help a little!
Industry Standard Headshots?!
Please do not join Facebook groups such as "Headshot Critiques For Actors" and ask other actors what they think of your headshot. Actors often don't know what they're talking about, but are simply repeating what others have told them.
One of my most favorite phrases is "Industry Standard".
The secret is that there is no real "Industry Standard". Different production areas and genres have different standards. A headshot taken in Los Angeles will look very different from one taken in New York or even Europe. A commercial headshot is not the same as a comedy or drama headshot. Even different TV shows, an actor is targeting (and they should!!) necessitate different headshot photography styles, if you want to stand out!
Even if you deviate from specific "standards," that doesn't mean the headshot isn't appropriate for the project and character. The most important aspect is that it conveys the type of character that a Casting Director is looking for. Breaking the rules can sometimes be advantageous for certain casting calls.
When it comes to headshots, there aren't really industry standards, but rather guidelines that are often wise to follow but sometimes aren't. It all depends.
Doing what everyone else is doing may not always get you into the door.
Remember: Many unknown actors were given big opportunities and were able to start their very successful career because they WISELY broke these rules.
Why You Shouldn't Be A Versatile Actor
But Work On Your Specific Type
Another common misconception among actors is that they must be the most versatile actors and have headshots of a wide range of characters.
So they go ahead and do a business headshot, a villan headshot, a good girl/guy headshot, white collar headshot, blah blah headshot and so on and it's often just a waste of money and shows a lack of specific targeting.
Finding and sticking to your own branding would be far more beneficial (and would get you jobs faster). Discover what makes you unique and which characters you can naturally portray the best. Find the character types that everyone will immediately associate you with when you walk into the room and work on perfecting these characters.
Aaron Paul is a good example of this because he didn't just get the part of Jesse because he is a great actor, but because a character like Jesse comes incredibly easily to him because his looks and way of speaking naturally sound exactly like this type of character. He would have squandered his time auditioning for the roles of a lawyer or a stay-at-home dad.
My point is, just because you can kinda play a character well, doesn't mean you should go for these parts .
Casting Director's remember faces.
So, if your first impression is an "okay" performance, they may not inviting you back for another part which you could've absolutely have rocked.
Sure, with experience there comes freedom and you maybe able to play many different characters as your career grows but in the beginning just get that foot into the door first!
Work on your BEST type first and craft this character into perfection!
Imagine you walk into the auditioning room looking, acting, speaking as this exactly character you worked on for months.
Who gets the part?
You who 100% developed this one character or the other actors who 60-70% developed five different characters?
You're correct! You!
What's your ArcheType?
Don't consider professions when deciding which character to play.
Professions such as lawyer, doctor, mother, nurse, and so on don't tell you much about anything. A profession is only a small part of a character, and it often has little to do with the character's complex personality.
In a story, a lawyer can be the powerful CEO challenging our lead character for his own benefit (GUARDIAN) or the dishonest, envious competitor (VILLAN). A mother could be the rebellious lead character, such as Erin in "Erin Brockovich" (HERO) or true No. 1, Mama Lorelai in "Gilmore Girls" (BEST FRIEND/ALLY).
Two characters can have the same occupation but have completely different characteristics and appearances.
That is why it is critical to identify your archetype!
To determine your type, first learn about the most common Archetypes in screenplays and consider which characteristics apply to you the most!
Hero - The Lead. Comes from some conflict but succeeds in some form. The hero is the audience’s personal tour guide on the adventure that is the story. It’s critical that the audience can relate to them because they experience the story through their eyes.
Love Interest - The Lead's Lover
Best Friend/Ally - The hero will have some great challenges ahead; too great for one person to face them alone.
Mentor - The hero has to learn how to survive in the new world incredibly fast, so the mentor appears to give them a fighting chance.
Guardian - The guardian, or threshold guardian, tests the hero before they face great challenges.
Villan - Plays against the hero
Divine intervention/Heralds - Often it isn’t a character at all, but a letter or invitation.
The Shapeshifter - The shapeshifter blurs the line between ally and enemy. Often they begin as an ally, then betray the hero at a critical moment.
The Trickster - The trickster adds fun and humour to the story. When times are gloomy or emotionally tense, the trickster gives the audience a welcome break
The Everyman - The everyman character archetype often acts as the stand-in for the audience
How To Learn Your Lines
The Easy Way!
Ever seen actors who are amazing at their audition but suddenly flop on set because they are (drum roll) STUMBLING OVER THE LINES!!! (dramatic pause)!
Aaaahhh!!! 😂 Unfortunately, I’ve seen it many times as part of a production team or when casting my own projects.
It’s such a shame because I know they are so talented and they could blow us away with their wonderful performances if we just wouldn’t see them thinking about their lines! 😫
The connection to the character gets interrupted when we see the slightest insecurity. You can be an amazing actor but if you think about what to say next or even are just nervous about forgetting your lines your acting will be hugely compromised. The lines should be so well remembered that they become second nature.
Here are some great tips on how to memorize your lines perfectly, so you can be the shining actor you are.
1.) Your ability to memorize is a muscle. As more, you train it, as more it works.
Are you ready to take your
acting career to the next level?
Send me a message!
If you aren't ready yet, keep scrolling to my acting tips. You might find some helpful information.
I am grateful for YOU,
the one who swims against the current. The one, who isn't just focused on the ego and greed but stands for something bigger than that. I am forever thankful to know you, creatives with a vision born from generosity!
I can see you, with your lights on at 3 am, working on changing the world into something more magical. I know who you are. YOU, who drives on the passion of your message, YOU, who is out for people's hearts and doesn't shy away from opening them up, YOU, who works through years of rejection for the ability to provide others with different perspectives and to expand their perceptions.
I am grateful for you storytellers.
I am impressed by your strength. I know many people told you off. Many told you that your vision as an artist isn't good enough, isn't needed, isn't what brings in the money but you stand strong. You figured out the mind games, called out the fake players because you know there are people out there like you, who need you, need your story. People who ask everything from you, everything you build for yourself over the years of hardships.
And you are willing to give it all up, over and over again, for a simple token. Thank you for your will to benefit the greater good even if your hearts are broken. I am grateful for you artists because you are the rare colourful dots which make our grey world bearable!
Thank you, writers, for still writing the important stories even if the wolves in sheep clothing told you they won't be popular. Thank you for your talent to recognise and write about all the hidden structures of our society and all the little nuances of our spirits.
Thank you, actors, for giving it your all to make these characters come to life and touch our souls. Thank you for gaining the ability to channel the emotions of a character through you, for lending us your eyes and bodies so we can see and feel through them.
Thank you, directors, for being on our side. Without you, we would be lost in the woods like Hänsel and Gretel. Thank you for leading us, for being a guardian and for your vision which is the fuel we're all running on.
Thank you, casting directors, for the hours spent on computers in dark rooms, while you know the swimming pool only from the voices coming through your office window. Thank you for sitting in the Room with us, hoping that we succeed, for taking creative risks because you see the potential of an actor to touch the audience.
Thank you, agents and managers, for building us up, representing us, believing in us and sometimes knowing our potential better than we do. Thank you for your bravery in the fight, for your strength and persistence in the most stressful negotiations, which without you would let us crumble like a stale old cookie.
Thank you, filmmakers, for choosing this crazy, unpredictable, highly competitive industry. Thank you for your passion, your dream and your contributions to us and to society!
Book Recommendations
Being a great actor is one thing, being a great businesswoman/man is another.
I can truly recommend you all of these books teaching you about branding, marketing, targeting your goals and how to navigate through the jungle of the entertainment industry while maintaining your sanity! Go read! You won't regret it!
