Module 1 - Task 1A: Curriculum Vitae

Writing my

Professional Actor CV

For the first task in Module 1, I want to reflect on the analysis I made during the Recognition of Learning module, as I feel this will help me in revising what I already know about creating a professional performing Curriculum Vitae. In the Recognition of Learning module, I reflected on how I had used certain skills in order to help me achieve an acting job, showing me that it wasn't just one skill or lesson that enabled me to do this, but there were in fact many. In the module I wrote a section in the blog.

"I spent some time today annotating my personal Actor CV and my findings were really interesting. The main finding I had was that the skills I had acquired as a result of undertaking the particular activity all appeared to form into one. I didn't just use Text skills to undertake a role in Restoration Comedy or TV skills to help me with my Disney Commericals. I used mask, comedy, physcial comedy, Commedia and Clowning."

This is incredibly important to note, because when it comes to writing your CV, you need to make sure that all of your skills have a chance of being seen and this all depends on the layout, structure, font size, spacing etc. The presentation of your CV is so important, because it is the first thing an employer will see before you've even walked though the door or spoken to them face to face. 

Re-evaluation of the Actor CV Contents and Structure

Any actor will have a particular set of unique skills in their professional toolkit and one element in this mix which was incredibly important to me when acting as a professional was my CV. The CV highlights every skill you own and therefore is unique. Nobody has done the all the same things that you have done, no one has experienced everything that you have done and therefore, nobody is YOU. Only YOU can be YOU. We had a CV lesson during work week at Drama Studio, a week that was incredibly useful, because we could get a real taste of what the industry would entail and we could really focus on selling what was unique about us.

Structure of the CV

Header

The header is without a doubt the first thing you will see when you look at the CV. It has your name, your photo with specific appearance details, details of your agent, your contact details and your other professional contact networks. It is the first thing that an employer will see so it's important to have an outstanding and engaging headshot, a nice bold font and colour for your name so that it is remembered and is vital that every bit of contact information is clear and correct.

Mid-Section

The middle section includes all the roles and jobs that you have undertaken both professionally and whilst training. This is a great way to show off your skill set and the type of roles you have explored which all relates to an actor's versatility. It also gives an insight into all of the workshops undertaken which can be incredibly useful in reflecting and showing an actor's professional development and wish to enhance and build on their existing skills. The workshops element has been extensively helpful as much of what I have done with the children has been as a result of the workshops I have done when in training and after training as well. Workshops are great ways of seeing how ensemble work and group games can bond a group and break barriers between people.

Footer

The footer is the lasting impression, so it's important to list anything you want to leave a director or potential employer with. These can include other skills including combat knowledge, movement abilities and accents. I also decided to add that I was a National Youth Theatre member which meant that not only did I have experience working as an ensemble but I also worked on stadium arts and continued to remain a member to show that I was remaining active in the profession and would hopefully continue more experiences with such a well-known organisation. Points such as the National Youth Theatre present something that shows a particular ensemble work ethic and shows that I would have had to work with a various people at different points.

My Graduating CV

You can see that I was starting to compile roles but had no idea about the sizing of the picture and how not to swap the CV with just a big image. The formatting of the words isn't in line at times and all in all looks very basic and not very eye catching. Because, of this, I decided as I undertook professional roles to change my headshot to a colour headshot, as this is the first thing that agents and employers see and want to see what colour your hair, eyes and even skin is. It's very important to show these things instantly so that the employer gets a good feel for your appearance and what you're all about. 

My Current CV

When looking at my Level 5 Trinity College London folder I can see how I reflected on various drafts before, gradually refining my CV and finding other ways in order to make it stand out. Before I didn't have as many credits but now my current CV looks fuller and fresher and even spaced to highlight a little bit of everything. I also decided to look at the most important workshops that I had done and be selective about exactly what I wanted to put on my CV. 

My Updated CV Profile

When updating my current CV I had a look at what skills I had established and what I could add I decided to show the skills I had maintained or developed since I last auditioned. I decided to make the following changes:

Addition of Skills

To improve and develop my CV I decided to:

• Keep the teaching skills i.e. drama teaching skills as this is important work. 
• Mention the University of Middlesex to show the improvement and development from a Diploma to a degree to show a range of qualifications and that I am still very eager to learn.
• Mention the fact I now own a full driving licence after working on my driving skills for the past year and a half and add 'full driving licence' to my profile. 
• Update of your personal location and personal information is very important in order to make sure that agents and employers can contact you easily regarding jobs and auditions. 

Appearance 

To improve and develop my CV I decided to:

• Add borders and thicker lines to separate and make the information clearer and stand out in an organised way due to its sectioning. 
• To add skills in the 'other' section in order to make it look fuller and more balanced.

Removals

To improve and develop my CV I decided to:

• I decided to remove the 'roles whilst training' column, as it has been years since graduating and have since undertaken professional roles that an employer would be more likely interested in than roles I did whilst I trained. 

I feel that I have really benefited from reconstructing my Actor CV, as it has shown me to be incredibly selective about what is important to include when you are promoting yourself. The current CV had a great deal of information, but I felt that this could potentially be overcrowding the main pieces of work that I have undertaken, so decided to discard the roles whilst training and create more space that is more manageable to view. I've realized over time that it's all about being specific. I can see how vital it is to constantly be adding skills and making subtle changes in order to show exactly where I'm at and how much I have been growing as a professional performer.