Best Film Acting Books to Read
Acting for the Camera by Tony Barr
At our film acting school Love Acting in Baton Rouge, we always encourage our students to read and absorb the knowledge found in some of Love Acting owner and acting coach, Jency Hogan’s, favorite acting books. If you’re an actor and you’re looking for some good acting books that would enhance your studies, she has a few favorite recommendations. They are:
Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell
Acting for the Camera by Tony Barr
Audition by Michael Shurtleff
Know Small Parts by Laura Cayouette
Audition for Your Career, Not the Job by Tim Phillips
Jency says, “Whenever I start to feel like I need inspiration, I pick up an acting book and read about what there is to know about the craft I’ve dedicated my life to. I feel like they’re speaking my language, and it’s always inspiring to read what other coaches have to say. I always think it takes, like in a family they say it ‘takes a village to raise a child’, same thing when you grow as an actor— you need many teachers.”
She continues, “Maybe I have no plans to go study with the famous Margie Haber in Los Angeles. But I can read her book and absorb her philosophy, and hopefully it will affect my outlook in a positive way and encourage me to keep going. I truly believe I will be the best actor when I’m 80— when I fully understand truth. But in my process of becoming 80, I have much to learn, and I’m always exploring the knowledge that’s been written by the leaders of my industry. It’s fascinating to read all the philosophies about acting, and just when I think I’ve read it all, somebody comes out with a new book.”
Have you ever gone into a library and wondered what it would be like if suddenly all the books and all the knowledge was inside your head? It’s so much information. But to be truly smart, you need to continue to read books and always be a chronic learner in life. The art of acting is simple and complex and we love studying it, and these books on acting are a part of an actor’s journey.
Audition by Michael Shurtleff
Know Small Parts by Laura Cayouette
Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell
Audition for Your Career, Not the Job by Tim Phillips