Scene to SceneBook

Free

Acting resources, straight up.

Everything I'd tell a new client in their first hour. Unions, child work permits, Coogan, casting sites, reps, books. No paywall, no affiliate links.

Free worksheet

The Scene Breakdown Worksheet

Two pages. The exact questions I work through with every actor before a scene — logline, stakes, beats, tactics, risk. Drop your email and I'll send it over.

One email with the worksheet. No spam, no list trades. Unsubscribe any time.

Unions

Most film and TV jobs in the U.S. are union. You don't need to join on day one, but you need to know how it works.

  • SAG-AFTRA ↗

    The screen actors' union. You become eligible by booking a SAG-AFTRA covered job or by being Taft-Hartley'd. Initiation fees are real — budget for them.

  • SAG-AFTRA — How to Join ↗

    The official step-by-step on eligibility, fees, and what to bring.

  • Actors' Equity (theater) ↗

    The stage union. Separate from SAG-AFTRA — different rules, different contracts.

Kids on set: permits, Coogan, school

If you're a parent, this section matters more than the headshot. The rules vary by state and there's no shortcut.

Casting platforms (where breakdowns live)

These are the sites your reps — and sometimes you directly — use to submit on roles. Profiles need to be current, accurate, and matching.

  • Actors Access ↗

    Breakdown Services' public-facing actor site. Self-submit on a lot of TV, film, commercials, and student work. Your profile here should match your reps' submissions.

  • Casting Networks ↗

    The big commercial casting platform on the West Coast. If you do commercials, you need a clean profile here.

  • Casting Frontier ↗

    Another commercial casting hub — sign-ins, sides, and slates run through here on a lot of LA commercial sessions.

  • Backstage ↗

    Strong for theater, indie film, and early-career credits. Good listings, plus a decent industry magazine.

  • Project Casting ↗

    Open calls and background work. Lower stakes — useful for set experience, not for building a serious resume.

Your industry footprint

Reps, casting directors, and producers will Google you. Own what they find.

  • IMDb ↗

    The credit database. Get your real credits attached to a clean professional name. Don't pad it — casting can tell.

  • IMDbPro ↗

    Paid version. Gives you contacts for reps and casting offices, plus the meter (don't obsess over the meter).

  • Cast It Talent ↗

    Used by a number of studio casting offices. Sometimes the only way to be considered on certain features.

Reps: agents and managers

An agent submits you, negotiates, and takes 10%. A manager develops your career and takes around 10–15%. You can have both. Beware anyone who charges upfront.

Headshots that actually book

A headshot is a casting tool, not a glamour shot. It should look like you on your best ordinary day — same hair, same energy, same age range.

Before the shoot

  • Hire a working actor's photographer — look at their gallery and ask which casting directors recommend them.
  • Bring 4–6 tops in solid, muted colors. No logos, no busy patterns, no pure white or pure black.
  • Get a real haircut 5–7 days out, not the day before. Trim, don't transform.
  • Sleep. Hydrate. Skip salt and alcohol the night before — puffiness reads on camera.
  • Know your types: theatrical (drama/film), commercial (warm, approachable), and any niche you really play (lawyer, mom, athlete).

On the day

  • Light, natural makeup. Skin should look like skin. Men: a quick powder kills shine.
  • Eyes carry the shot — relaxed jaw, breath out, think a specific thought right before the click.
  • Frame: top of head to just below the collarbone. Eyes on the upper third. Sharp focus on the closer eye.
  • Get coverage: at least two looks (theatrical + commercial), multiple expressions per look.
  • Ask for unretouched proofs. Retouching should remove temporary stuff (a blemish), never permanent stuff (a freckle, a line).

For minors

  • Re-shoot every 6–12 months. Kids change fast and casting will not forgive an old shot.
  • No makeup beyond clean skin and lip balm. They should look their actual age.
  • Natural light or soft daylight setup. Avoid heavy studio glamour looks.
  • Guardian stays in the room, out of the child's eyeline. Don't direct from behind the photographer.

Self-tape: camera, lighting, sound, frame

Casting watches hundreds of tapes a week. A clean tape doesn't book you, but a sloppy one gets you skipped before your read starts.

Camera & frame

  • Shoot horizontal (landscape), 1080p minimum. Phone camera is fine if it's modern.
  • Lock focus and exposure on your face before you roll. Don't let it hunt mid-take.
  • Frame a medium close-up: top of head with a sliver of headroom, bottom of frame mid-chest.
  • Eyeline just off the lens — reader sits next to the camera at lens height, never below.
  • Plain, uncluttered background. Blue-gray or warm neutral. Stand 3–4 feet off the wall to kill shadows.

Lighting

  • Key light: a soft source slightly above and 30–45° off your nose. Big softbox, ring light, or a window.
  • Fill the shadow side with a white board or a second softer light at half the key's brightness.
  • Match color temperature on every light (all daylight ~5600K or all tungsten ~3200K). Don't mix.
  • No overhead room lights on — they create raccoon eyes.
  • If you wear glasses, angle the key high enough to keep reflections out of the lenses.

Sound

  • Built-in phone mic is the floor, not the goal. A $30 lav mic into your phone is a real upgrade.
  • Record in a soft room: closet, bedroom with curtains, blanket on the wall behind the camera.
  • Silence the fridge, AC, ceiling fan, and phone notifications. Put the dog in another room before you roll.
  • Reader speaks clearly but at about 60% of your volume. You are the audio focus.

Slate, takes, file

  • Slate as instructed — usually name, height, agency, location. Neutral, friendly. No "character" voice.
  • Two takes maximum unless they ask for more. Pick the take that's alive, not the cleanest one.
  • Label the file exactly how the breakdown says. Wrong filenames get tapes deleted unopened.
  • Upload to whatever platform they specify. Don't send a Dropbox link if they said Eco Cast.

Set etiquette

Set is a workplace with a chain of command. Knowing the language and the lanes is half of being hireable.

For actors

  • Be early. Early is on time, on time is late.
  • Know the chain: 1st AD runs the floor, director runs the performance, script supervisor tracks continuity. Take notes from the director.
  • Stay in your eyeline and your mark. Don't wander into the DP's shot to chat.
  • "Quiet" means quiet. "Rolling" means rolling. "Cut" doesn't mean go home — wait for the AD's call.
  • Don't touch props, lights, or another actor's chair. Don't snack in costume.
  • Phone off, not silent. Cameras pick up vibration.
  • Thank the crew. Names matter. Especially hair, makeup, and craft.

For minors

  • Listen to the studio teacher — they protect your school hours and your rest.
  • Ask before you touch anything that isn't a prop assigned to you.
  • If something feels wrong — a scene, a touch, a joke — tell your guardian or the teacher immediately.
  • Stay in your trailer or holding area between setups unless you're called.
  • Be kind to background actors and PAs. They remember.

For guardians on set

  • You are a guest. The 1st AD's word is final on movement and timing.
  • Stay within sight of your child during work scenes — that's your job and your right under most state laws.
  • Do not give performance notes. Ever. Even at lunch. Direction comes from the director.
  • Don't post BTS photos, scripts, or call sheets. Most productions consider that a fireable offense.
  • Bring everything your child needs so you never have to leave them to go get it.

Safety protocols for guardians of minor actors

Most sets are professional. The few that aren't can damage a child quickly. These are the non-negotiables — print them, know them, use them.

Before you say yes to the job

  • Get the call sheet, the sides, and the full script. Read the script yourself — not just the child's scenes.
  • Confirm a studio teacher / set tutor is booked for any day with more than a few hours of work or any school day.
  • Confirm the work permit is current and the production knows your state's hour limits.
  • Ask: is there an intimacy coordinator if anything in the script could involve physical contact, kissing, partial nudity, or simulated peril? If the answer is no and the scene calls for it, do not show up.
  • Get the production's child safety policy in writing. Real productions have one.

On set, every day

  • You — or another approved guardian — stay within sight and earshot of your child while they are working. This is your legal right; do not let anyone talk you out of the room.
  • No closed-set scene involving a minor should be closed to the guardian. Period.
  • Your child should never be alone with an adult cast or crew member in a trailer, car, or hotel room.
  • Watch the hours. Know your state's daily and weekly maximums for your child's age, including school time and rest breaks. Speak up the moment they're being violated — to the studio teacher first, then the 1st AD.
  • Stunts, animals, water, weapons: confirm a qualified coordinator is present and a safety meeting was held. Your child does not perform until it is.
  • If a scene changes on the day in a way that wasn't in the script you approved, you can stop and re-read before your child shoots it.
  • Trust your gut. Pulling your kid off a set is allowed. Burning a bridge with a bad production is not a career-ender.

Money and identity

  • Coogan account opened and funded before the first paycheck. 15% is locked away for them — don't try to access it.
  • Keep copies of every contract, deal memo, and call sheet. Cloud + printed.
  • Never give a production your child's full SSN by email or text. Use a secure portal or hand-deliver.
  • You are not their manager unless you are licensed in your state. Don't sign on that line.

Guardian go-bag: what to bring

Hours on set are mostly waiting. You'll be sharper, calmer, and a better advocate for your kid if you're not bored, hungry, or stuck on your phone.

Paperwork (always)

  • Original work permit (printed) and a photo on your phone.
  • Photo ID for you and the child.
  • Copy of the deal memo / contract.
  • Coogan account info.
  • A small notebook + pen for hours, breaks, and anything that feels off.

For the child

  • Water bottle, refillable.
  • Snacks you know they'll actually eat — protein + fruit, not just sugar from craft.
  • School books / tablet for tutoring hours.
  • A change of clothes (their own, comfortable) for after wrap.
  • Layers: sets are cold. A hoodie they don't mind getting dusty.
  • Quiet entertainment between setups: a book, a deck of cards, a sketchpad. Easier on their eyes than a screen.
  • Headphones.
  • Any medication, clearly labeled, with dosing instructions.

For you

  • A real book or a Kindle. You'll burn through phone battery fast.
  • A portable charger (10,000mAh+) and the right cable.
  • Headphones — noise-cancelling if you have them.
  • Reusable water bottle and your own snacks. Don't live off craft service.
  • A light jacket and a folding scarf or wrap (sets are freezing or boiling, no in-between).
  • Notebook + pen for hours tracking and notes for the studio teacher.
  • Sunscreen, lip balm, hand sanitizer, a small first-aid kit.
  • Cash — for tipping crafty or a sudden coffee run.
  • Something quiet and analog: knitting, a crossword, a journal. Sitting still for 12 hours on a phone will wreck you.

Printable

One-page checklists

Print these, tape them where you'll actually look. Each one is a single page, designed for a real human under pressure.

Self-Tape Checklist

Camera, lighting, sound, slate, and the final gut check. Tape it behind your camera.

Download PDF ↓

Guardian Safety Checklist

Before you say yes, every day on set, what to pack. For parents of minor actors.

Download PDF ↓

Want personal notes on your tape?

Upload your self-tape and I'll send back written notes. $20 a tape. Members get one free every month.

Send a tape →See membership

Heads up: external links go to third-party sites I don't run. Rules and fees change — verify with the source before you act on it. This isn't legal or financial advice.