Feature film acting is the most difficult because of four things:
1- Feature films are long.
2- They are generally shot single camera.
3- They are shot ‘4-wall’, which means all four walls of a set can or will appear.
4- The environment in which the audience sees the final product is very controlled and unforgiving.

Allow me to elaborate.  The average film shoot for a major motion picture takes 60 days.  Each day a film crew captures enough material to equate to about 60 to 90 seconds of screen time.  You read that right; out of a 12-hour (usually longer) day they cover a minute’s worth of material.

The level of precise physical and emotional continuity required by the actor is extraordinary and it has to remain consistent.  You will do scenes over and over and over again in rehearsal, blocking rehearsal, camera rehearsal, during photography and all the associated resets and ‘coverage’ that that entails.  Not to mention the fact that most scenes are shot out of sequence and many locations will require multiple emotional and physical states that will need to blend seamlessly with footage that could be shot a month later.

It takes an actor of exceptional dedication, skill and most importantly experience under those specific filming environments to pull that job off well.  That experience takes years to accumulate, which is why nearly all of the young ‘stars’ of today have been acting since they were kids.

By comparison, television simplifies the matter greatly for actors, although it adds it’s own complications.  Things that make television less demanding are:
1- The shows are generally shorter.
2- They are generally shot multi-camera.
3- They are generally ‘3-wall’ sets.
4- The story lines generally run to completion week to week.
5- The environment in which the audience views the final product is much more forgiving.

I say ‘generally’ for most of these examples, because truth be told, television is much more sophisticated than it was even 10 years ago. There are many more shows that are shot ‘single-camera style’, usually two-cameras on Steadi-cams (a mobile camera platform attached to an operator that allows stable photography while in motion) and many are doing ‘4-wall’ style production.  As far as physical and emotional continuity are concerned, television is far more forgiving and there is almost never a need to maintain that continuity over great lengths of time and through many disparate and incongruous shooting conditions.  That is primarily the reason that most feature film actors can work easily in television, while many television actors struggle to go the other way.  Don’t get me wrong, television folk are working hard, but it’s a different kind of work.

First of all let me get things straight: auditioning and managing your career IS a job. You have many responsibilities both on a daily level as a longer-term level, so if you don’t feel like you are working hard even without having a steady role, then you are doing something very wrong.

Calling your agent (or finding one if you don’t already have it), same with your manager or publicist, going on auditions, interviews, memorizing sides, studying in class and on your own, reading up on your career, updating your resume, going to callbacks, working out….are all some of the things you have to do EVERY DAY in this business, just to stay afloat! Not to mention the long hours on set if you do manage to get paid!

All that can be just (or even more) tiring that a 9 to 5 job sitting at a desk. So when you decide to take a break amidst all this and people give you the wary eye about being lazy or “what are you taking a break from?” just give them the shoulder. Breaking with your daily routine has not only psychological benefits but it has been proven to be good for you physically too. When we go on vacation whether it be a weekend away or an entire week, you feel relaxed and refreshed and get more benefits from sleep and rest, so you can come back to work with an extra boost.

If you are planning on taking a break let me just give you some VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE:

1. Don’t get a sunburn! Remember you have to go to auditions when you come back or resume shooting.
2. Always make your trip “alterable” or keep an emergency fund to buy an earlier return ticket if they call you for a job. You’d be surprised at how all it takes sometimes for people to want you is for you to leave. Murphy!