Landing a job in film or theater is contingent upon your skill and experience. But even the best actors were inexperienced at one time. If you have a child who is interested in acting, but has not yet been involved in a production, you will have to rely on his training and skills to fill his resume. While your child will probably not gain a leading role from this kind of resume, he may be cast as an extra or bit player (an actor with only one or two lines), which can give him experience and build his resume for the next production.
Center your child's name in bold, readable type at the top of an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet of paper. You can also use 8-by-10 paper if you plan to attach the resume to a head shot.
Type your email address and cellphone number below the name. Do not include your home number. You may include your address, if desired, but only if this is a P.O. box. Even though your child is a beginner, you do not want to include any personal information that may allow a fan or a stalker to identify where your child lives.
List your child's age, height, weight, eye color and hair color. Be accurate. If you misrepresent your child's physical information to make him more closely match an ideal type, this will quickly become apparent to the casting director and may diminish your child's chances of landing the role.
Create a section labeled "Experience" in bold letters if your child has done any amateur acting. You can list school plays and church dramas in this section if this is all he has done. This shows the casting director that your child has already tried acting and is somewhat comfortable in front of an audience. Include modeling experience, if applicable.
Label subsections in bold font that identify your child's experience by the type of production. The five major categories are "Film," "Television," "Commercials," "Theater" and "Print."
List each acting experience by project title, type of role and the name of the production company. The project title should be left-aligned, the type of role centered and the production company right-aligned.
List the type of role as "lead," "supporting," or "featured" for film experience or "series regular," "recurring," "guest star," "co-star" or "featured" for television experience. A "lead" role means that your child was one of the main characters; "supporting" means that he was not a main character, but had a speaking role. A "featured" role means that he was an extra with no lines.
Create a section labeled "Training" or "Education." Include any acting, singing, dancing, speaking or martial arts classes your child has taken or is taking.
Designate a section labeled "Skills, Talents and Hobbies." This is the most important section for children with no professional acting experience. List any skills that could be used in any type of production. Include any foreign languages or accents that your child knows well. List any sports or musical instruments he plays. If he can cry on cue, list that. Be creative, but be accurate. Do not include anything that your child has not done or that he cannot do proficiently.
Include a head shot with your resume. This is a professional photo of your child's head and shoulders, which should be taken by a photographer who specializes in this kind of photography. Do not try to take this photo yourself, as this can quickly label you as an amateur who is not serious about the business.
Tip
Always protect your child by leaving off personal data, such as the school he attends, his physical address and his home phone number. If his only experience is with school plays, it is acceptable to be vague about the school's name and location. For example, if your child attends McKinley Elementary School in Pasadena, California, you can list his acting experience there as "McKinley Theater, Southern California."
Writer Bio
Kylene Arnold is a freelance writer who has written for a variety of print and online publications. She has acted as a copywriter and screenplay consultant for Advent Film Group and as a promotional writer for Cinnamom Bakery. She holds a Bachelor of Science in cinema and video production from Bob Jones University.
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