When I lived outside of Chicago, I was continually going on auditions that ranged from commercials, industrials to major motion pictures. While I was a regular at several casting offices, it seemed I hit a lull in my audition-to-callback ratio. One day I was tired of attending an audition, but not receiving a callback so I called my agent to see if she’s heard of any reason why I wasn’t booking any jobs.
During this conversation, I learned one important aspect about the filmmaking industry. If you’re an actor, you can be talented, but if your resume doesn’t have film credits it adds an additional barrier to the almighty callback opportunity.
After telling me this, my agent directed my attention to the local university’s filmmaking department. She stated that many of the filmmaking students are casting for their thesis films, and I should audition for several of these films to help boost my resume. So I did, and ended up booking three films in one day.
The thesis film is an excellent opportunity for actors to stretch their acting legs while simultaneously expanding their resume and real world experience.
What is a Thesis Film?
When I bring up this topic there is always someone who asks, “What is a thesis film?” A thesis film differs from a student film, as a thesis film is the accumulation of knowledge and experience from film students and it is used as their “final project” before graduation. Student films are similar, but they are often small projects film students must complete throughout their studies.
Importance
A thesis film is the closest a film actor can get to working on a major motion picture without actually booking a feature film gig. Thesis film sets are outfitted with every filmmaking department as a major motion picture, and typically the production value is quite high. Along with being able to practice the technical skills of film acting, thesis films also allow actors the ability to interact with various crew members, as well as obtaining a wonderful film that you can turn into your demo reel for agents and casting directors.
