Acting : Ask Me Anything (AMA) 8/5 to 8/6- Ask Me Anything About the Craft, Business, & Longevity of Acting by Joshua Young

Hi Joshua Young this AMA is such a gift, your range across acting, coaching, directing, editing, writing, and ethical AI makes your perspective uniquely valuable. I love your “Tools NOT Terminators” approach and how instinct‑driven performance sits at the center of your teaching.

My question for you:

When an actor is building a character, how do you recommend they balance instinct with craft so the performance stays alive without losing precision?

And if you’re open to expanding, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how actors can integrate AI ethically and creatively into their workflow without losing the emotional truth of their performance.

Thank youuuuu :))

Can't wait to answer these questions!

Likewise and you are so good on it:))

Hi Joshua Young thank you for doing this AMA, what a treat for us in the acting lounge. Since we are the topic of using AI ethically, I have a question for you as an actor, where do you draw the line? Are there parts you won't play or companies you refuse to work with because of how they treat people, or products you won't endorse? What advice do you have for actors who struggle with needing the work and their own sense of morality?

Hello Joshua Young

I hope you’re having a creative week. Thank you very much for doing this AMA.

I use AI, especially ChatGPT, to challenge my story logic, identify plot holes, research scientific plausibility, and improve my writing.

From your experience, what's the one biggest mistake screenwriters make when prompting AI, and what's the one thing that consistently leads to better results?

Good evening.

thank you for doing this.

i am a Nollywood actor and Fitness Coach.

how do i get booked internationally and improve my craft. thank you

Emmanuel ilemobayo

emmanuelilemobayopks

Great questions everyone! I can't wait to answer them tomorrow. Keep the questions coming!

Hi, @Joshua. Hope you're having a great week! Congratulations on the incredible careers! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! What's something writers can do to make an actor's job easier?

I'm sorry, I have one more question.

I also use ChatGPT to help grow my Instagram page by generating post ideas, captions, hashtags, and soundtrack suggestions for my reels.

If you could share just one or two prompting tips that have made the biggest difference in creating engaging social media content, what would they be?

Thank you very much Joshua Young

As an actor who has invested in training, professional headshots, and building stronger scene work, what separates the actors who consistently move from independent projects into recurring television and studio film opportunities

When you discover an actor you've never worked with before, what immediately makes you think, "I want to keep an eye on this person"?

What is one mistake you see emerging actors make after they've built their Actors Access profile, résumé, and reel that slows down their career momentum?

If you were advising an actor in Texas who wants to build a long-term film and television career, where would you invest your time over the next 12 months?

What makes an actor memorable after the audition is over, even if they don't book the role?

Thank you for this AMA - I'm curious... when actors add lib and go off script, is that a sign of a poorly written script? How often do actors add lib or change dialogue on set?

Hey Joshua! (Nice to connect here again!) Thanks for this AMA opportunity. My AI-related questions are: Which AI do you use most often and, if you’ve tried them all, what for, or how? How did you determine which was best? Which subscription/service do you pay for? And what differences have you noted? Cheers!

As a writer/director developing stylized indie films with punk rock and grindhouse influences, what's the biggest mistake you see directors make when working with actors who aren't used to heightened, stylized material? How do you help actors stay emotionally grounded while fully embracing a larger-than-life world?

Hey Joshua Young - It's always good to see you in the lounges. Hope you're doing well, and thanks so much for having this AMA and spending your time with us.

Interestingly enough, I was going to ask how you sustain a career during the slower seasons, but your resumé actually answers a lot of that. You've built a career by wearing a lot of different hats.

So let me ask this instead. Looking back, what do you think were the biggest decisions you made that helped you build a career that will last? I'm more interested in building something that's still growing years from now. Is there anything you wish someone had told you early on that would've changed how you approached your career?

Hi Joshua,

I'm currently producing the pilot episode of my original audio drama series, SONIA, and I'd really appreciate your advice.

I've already written the script and started using AI tools to generate the character voices. So far, the process has been very encouraging.

My challenge now is taking those separate voice recordings and turning them into a professional audio drama. I want to combine dialogue, sound effects (such as doors opening, footsteps, glass breaking, ambience, etc.), music, and proper mixing to create a polished 5–8 minute pilot.

From your experience, what workflow, software, or production process would you recommend for someone creating a professional audio drama pilot using AI-generated voices?

Thank you very much for your time and advice.

@SandraIsabel - Hi Sandra! I think the biggest speed bump actors face is believing instinct and craft are separate, when good craft should actually make it easier to stay inside your instincts. In my classes, I teach actors to stop memorizing lines the traditional way and instead learn them through character, emotional connection, and strong visual associations, techniques informed by how memory works, so the performance is being built from the very beginning. You'd be shocked at how fast you learn your lines without memorizing. To me, instinct is listening to your emotional responses and giving yourself permission to follow what your gut wants to try, while craft gives those impulses shape, clarity, and precision.

With AI, I believe it should support the actor’s imagination, never replace it: use it to research anything in the script you do not understand, explore another possible perspective when you do not have a scene partner available, or generate a list of potential action verbs. The actor must still decide what feels truthful, and I generally recommend choosing no more than three strong action verbs per page, such as accuse, tease, or defend. Whatever makes sense for the scene of course.

Suzanne Bronson Hello and thank you! For me, the line is whether the work asks me to mislead people, promote something I believe causes real harm, or give away control of my face, voice, or performance beyond the job I agreed to. This is why you have to read the contract and go over it with your agent, manager, or an entertainment lawyer, especially now that AI clauses can give a company rights you may not realize you are signing away. If a company doesn't provide a contract, says there is no time to read it, or just wants to “get into the work,” that is a huge red flag. I would never judge an actor for needing the money, because survival is real, but I do think you should decide ahead of time what you can live with, what you cannot, and what questions you need answered before saying yes.

Meriem Bouziani Great question. I think the biggest mistake screenwriters make is assuming AI is so smart that it doesn't need much direction, then treating the first decent answer as proof that the prompt worked. The best results come when you clearly give it the task, the role or perspective you want it to take, the genre and context, what a successful answer should accomplish, any restrictions, and the format you want back. A simple structure is: Task → Role/Perspective → Context → Success Criteria → Restrictions → Output Format.

For example: “Act as an acting coach specializing in broad comedy and television performance. I play a nun learning to fly a fighter jet in a wacky half-hour pilot with a tone similar to National Lampoon. Give me three playable approaches to the scene, each with an action verb and a short explanation of how it affects the performance. Keep the choices emotionally truthful, do not treat this like a feature film where the character fully resolves, and remember that she needs enough conflict to continue as a series regular.”

Longer is not automatically better, but some of my prompts are a full page because the project genuinely needs that much context or I want the AI to act in specific ways so it needs a list of restrictions so it doesn't go in the wrong direction. The real key is testing your prompts, refining them, and saving the ones that consistently give you the right results. Treat AI like a very fast brainstorming partner that needs clear direction, not the writer and definitely not the final authority.

Emmanuel Ilemobayo the first thing I’d suggest is to stop looking only at your goal of getting booked internationally and start looking at the goals of agents, casting directors, and producers. You’re most likely talented, unique, and completely capable, but our industry is often looking for the easiest possible win, so the question becomes: what value are you bringing that they can immediately understand?

Actors increasingly need to think of themselves as valuable IP, meaning you’re not just bringing talent. You’re bringing a recognizable identity, an audience, strong work, useful skills, or something else that makes people feel confident investing in you. If you have 300,000 followers on Instagram or TikTok, that can help tremendously because you’re bringing an audience with you, but a large following isn’t the only route. If social media isn’t your thing, then networking and creating strong work become even more important. Take online acting classes with students from other countries, build real relationships with filmmakers and actors around the world, and become part of those communities before asking them for opportunities.

Too many actors put the cart before the horse and ask, “How do I get an agent so I can start?” An agent isn’t where you start, because you need to bring them something they can’t already get from a more experienced actor. Keep improving your craft through scene study and on-camera training, record yourself regularly, and make sure you’re really listening and trying to affect the other person instead of just trying to “act well.” Use action verbs and strong visual connections to learn your scenes instead of memorizing the words in isolation. I’m clearly teasing my classes here, but those really are amazing tools! I’d also recommend reading Directing Actors by Judith Weston, because her work with action verbs is one of the foundations of my own process.

Create short films that star you, submit them to international festivals, and try to attend at least one festival a year where your work has been accepted. That’s where you can actually meet international agents, managers, producers, and other filmmakers who may become part of your network. Build your skills, your body of work, your visibility, and your relationships until international agents and producers have a clear reason to notice you.

Just a quick note: I’m not an entertainment or immigration lawyer, so anything I share here is general industry guidance, not legal advice.

Maurice Vaughan Love this! The biggest thing writers can do is trust actors enough not to write every thought, feeling, or reaction into the dialogue. Secondly, read your dialogue out loud, because if it feels clunky, it probably is, unless the clunkiness is intentional; professional actors can make almost anything sound believable, but good dialogue is usually much easier to remember and perform. Compare, “I know what you’re saying and I agree, kind of agree, but where this all is, it just doesn’t work,” with, “I hear you... yeah, I agree, but all this, it just doesn’t work” because the second gets to the point faster and still gives the actor room to think and make unique choices.

When I do script consultations, a lot of the work is trimming unnecessary words without changing the character, then trusting the actor to bring the thought process underneath them. Clear, concise action lines help too, no more than four lines at a time, and they should carry the style of the movie. At the end of the day, distinctive writing, clear action, and dialogue that sounds like something a human would say make an actor’s job much easier and help the script stand out to everyone else reading it.

Meriem Bouziani one thing to know about social media, despite the thousands of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram channels claiming otherwise because they want views and subscribers, is that the exact formula for gaining followers is basically a black box. The platforms change constantly, so I wouldn’t chase the dragon or trust anyone promising they’ve cracked the algorithm forever. The one thing that consistently matters more than any hashtag trick is authenticity. I’ve seen people who aren’t flashy at all build huge audiences because they’re genuinely themselves and passionate about what they’re talking about.

My first prompting tip is to give AI examples of your actual voice before asking it to write for you. Please note that I’m still not a fan of AI doing the writing for you, but we’ll do the exercise! You could say: “Here are three captions I wrote that sound like me. Analyze my tone, humour, sentence length, and the kinds of words I use, then give me five new captions that match my voice without copying the originals.” That’ll usually work much better than simply asking, “Write me an engaging caption.”

My second tip is to make the audience and goal extremely specific. For example: “My audience is emerging screenwriters, and this Reel teaches them how to spot a plot hole. Give me ten honest opening hooks, three conversational captions, five specific and relevant hashtags, and three soundtrack ideas that fit a playful but intelligent tone. Avoid clickbait, generic hashtags such as #viral, and anything that sounds like a marketing robot.” I wouldn’t automatically avoid every popular hashtag, but relevance matters much more than size, and you should always check the hashtags and soundtrack suggestions yourself because AI may not know what’s currently trending or how a song is being used online.

Also remember that by the time something becomes a huge trend, the market may already be saturated with people copying it, which makes it harder for you to stand out. Trends aren’t always useless, but following one without bringing your own perspective can make you look like everyone else. I’m still not sure why so many producers and studios haven’t figured that out yet!

Most importantly, don’t post the first thing AI gives you. Test different prompts, save the ones that consistently produce strong results, and rewrite the final version until it sounds like something you’d actually say. AI can help package your authenticity, but it can’t create it for you.

Alec Harris these are great questions, and honestly, they’re all different versions of the same question: when does an actor stop looking like a possibility and start looking like someone the industry can trust? Let’s start with the elephant in the room: acting still has a lottery component to it. I’ve seen some of the best actors I’ve ever known never get picked, and I’ve seen actors whose skills I questioned get a ton of work. It happens, but you can put the odds much more in your favour than most actors realize.

The biggest thing is to stop waiting for success. I’d say 90% of actors are guilty of believing all they can do is train, audition, and hope somebody eventually chooses them. Take a short screenwriting course, even just a one-month course, so you understand what makes a strong script and story. Then hire a screenwriter you meet through that community, pay them whatever fair amount you can both agree on, and create a character-driven short film with you as the star. Keep the locations and production needs simple, submit it to festivals, attend at least one where it gets accepted, and use social media to show that you’re there while strategically tagging the festival and relevant producers, agents, or casting directors who are actually connected to it.

When I discover an actor and immediately think, “I want to keep an eye on this person,” it’s usually because their choices are specific without feeling forced, they’re really listening, and I can’t see them trying to prove they’re a good actor. They’re also not making everything about themselves. They want to serve the story, help the other actors, and make the entire production better. Film and television are team efforts, and someone may be talented enough to be the star, but if they treat themselves as separate from everyone else, I’m not interested in working with them.

One of the biggest mistakes actors make after building an Actors Access profile, résumé, and reel is thinking they’ve completed the work and now just need to wait. Actors Access is a storefront, not a career strategy. Keep improving your materials, but also build relationships, create your own work, attend festivals, support other filmmakers, and give the industry more than one way to discover you. The actors who move from independent projects into recurring television and studio work understand that this is show business, and it’s 10% talent and 90% business. Your 10% talent needs to be as incredible as possible, but the majority of your time will be spent on the business side.

For an actor in Texas, I’d spend the next 12 months taking a strong ongoing on-camera class, building an excellent self-tape setup, meeting local filmmakers, and making that short film. Work in the Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio communities, but also take online classes that connect you with actors and filmmakers outside Texas. Go where the work and relationships are happening instead of spending the entire year submitting from home and hoping.

What makes an actor memorable after an audition isn’t usually the biggest or strangest choice. It’s that they gave us a clear character, genuinely tried to affect the other person, listened, served the story, and made the words feel as though they were being spoken for the first time. You may not book because of appearance, chemistry, age, scheduling, or a hundred reasons that have nothing to do with talent, but a great audition can still make someone remember you and start looking for another place to use you.

Hi Joshua Young! Thank you SO much for taking the time to be with our community for this AMA. Your generosity in the depth of your responses is genuinely remarkable, I've been reading through the thread and every answer is packed with real, actionable value. I know members are going to be referencing this conversation for a long time.

Something that keeps coming up as I read through the community's questions, and your responses, is just how much this industry has shifted for actors in the last few years. Between AI, streaming disruption, the rise of self-tape auditions, changes in coaching and training, evolving representation models, and the growing pressure for actors to be "IP" (as you so beautifully framed for Emmanuel), the pathway for building an acting career today looks meaningfully different than it did even five years ago.

My question is for actors reading along today who may be feeling overwhelmed by all these changes:

If you were mentoring an actor just starting out in 2026 (as opposed to the version of the industry you first entered), what are the most important mindset shifts and daily habits you'd want them to build from the very beginning?

I ask because I think a lot of actors on our platform, especially those newer to the industry OR those returning after time away, don't just need craft advice, they need to understand HOW to think about this evolving industry so they can build sustainably from day one instead of playing catch-up down the road. Your perspective on where actors should focus their mindset AND their daily habits would help set our whole community up for long-term success.

Thanks for the answer, @Joshua! I try to keep my action line paragraphs to 1-3 lines. Sometimes it's more though. It depends on what's happening in the scene. And sometimes I use one word/a few words instead of a long action line.

Maurice Vaughan That sounds great! Aaron Sorkin said something similar in his MasterClass, basically that action description shouldn’t take longer to read than the moment should last on screen. If you want a moment to feel slow: “She grips the steering wheel. Her eyes narrow. She takes a deep breath. Her foot presses down. The tires SCREECH.” If you want the same moment to feel fast: “Hands grip the wheel. Eyes narrow. Her foot slams down. Tires SCREECH.” It’s almost the same information, but the rhythm and the words you cut tell us how quickly the moment should feel on screen.

Joshua Young , thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions so thoroughly. I genuinely appreciate the thought and detail you put into your response.

One thing that really stood out to me was your point that "Actors Access is a storefront, not a career strategy." That really resonated with me because I've been working hard to improve my materials, but I've also been realizing how important it is to keep creating opportunities, building relationships, and staying active instead of waiting for them to come to me.

I also appreciated your advice about creating a character-driven short film and attending festivals. That's something I'm going to seriously consider as I continue building my career.

Thank you again for sharing your experience and encouraging actors to think beyond just auditions. It was incredibly valuable, and I truly appreciate your generosity.

Lauren Hackney Love this question! This depends on a lot of factors, and honestly, I think ad-libbing has gone a little off the rails in the past few years, haha. Other actors, producers, and directors are complaining online about it. An actor changing dialogue isn’t automatically a sign that the script is poorly written; sometimes the director wants improvisation, the production hired an actor specifically for that skill, or the leads have already discussed that freedom with the director and producers. Stars may also have a reputation for ad-libbing that everyone knew about before filming started.

The trap comes when an actor with only a few lines sees the lead improvising, notices the director responding positively, and thinks, “Oh, I should do that too!” In the words of Admiral Ackbar, “It’s a trap!” A director may need to make the star feel that every idea is worth exploring because the entire production is depending on that actor feeling confident, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has been given the same freedom.

Unless the director specifically invites you to improvise, learn the dialogue and perform it as written. When a day player starts changing six lines while the lead has three monologues to shoot that day, people may not think, “What a creative actor”; they may think, “They didn’t even learn their lines.” If you have an idea that genuinely improves the scene rather than simply giving your character more attention, ask the director if they’re receptive, but always give them a clean take exactly as written first. Lastly, sometimes an actor simply doesn’t like how a line reads, but part of the job is finding a way to make it work. Some of the worst lines on the page can sound great once an actor finds the right motivation underneath them.

Alec Harris It's my pleasure. I’m really glad the answer was helpful. Keep me posted on how things develop for you, because I’d love to hear where it all leads!

Hi, how is it going

I'm Issa

I have an idea to make a movie but how can I make along film of it?

How to make a great film with Oscar's?

Heidi Patullo That’s a loaded question, haha. I definitely haven’t tried every AI out there, but last year I was all about Claude and loved it. This year, no matter which settings I use, it sometimes thinks so deeply that it seems to confuse itself, so I’ve moved back to ChatGPT for most of my general work, brainstorming, research, and organization. I still use Claude, especially when I want a second opinion or a different perspective on longer creative material.

I’m hesitant to use certain AI platforms when I’m not comfortable with their usage rights, privacy policies, or terms and conditions, especially out of other countries. The truth is, “best” changes constantly. I determine what’s best by giving different AIs the same task and comparing which one gives me the most useful answer with the least amount of correcting afterward.

I’m subscribed to about six different AI services because I also consult in this area, so testing them is part of my job. For most people, though, ChatGPT or Claude is more than capable, and I wouldn’t recommend paying for six subscriptions unless you have a real reason to use them.

Here’s one trick that can make your results dramatically better, no matter the AI: after the AI answers, ask it to rate its response against specific criteria, explain what’s weak or missing, and rewrite anything that isn’t at least a 9 out of 10. Don’t just ask, “Is this good?” Give it criteria such as accuracy, clarity, originality, whether it answered every part of the question, and whether it followed your restrictions. It’ll often play devil’s advocate with its own work and give you a much stronger second answer, although you still need to use your own judgment because AI can be very confident when it’s wrong.

Love this response! Thanks so much, Joshua. (I, too, tried them one against the other, ChatGPT vs Claude, but love the AI-Self-rating suggestion!) Thanks for all the answers to everyone’s questions :) And, because Chat was "my first", I somehow gravitate to it as well, thinking it resonates more…

John Hulsey John, great question! To be honest, I see the mistake as a two-way street. More often than not, I’ve found filmmakers working in stylized indie genres don’t always understand how to work with actors at different levels of experience. It’s the perfect recipe: add one director who hasn’t trained in directing actors or read anything about how actors work, add a pinch of salt, then add an actor who’s either new to the industry or experienced but doesn’t know how to translate what the director is saying into playable choices, and you get a chaotic film set.

I actually just finished coaching an indie director who has a lot of films under his belt but couldn’t understand why actors weren’t getting his vision. After listening to how he worked in auditions and on set, I told him he needed to understand acting more. His direction was often so long-winded that an actor would have to edit out about 90% of the information just to find the one playable thing they could actually use. I’m not putting it all on the director, but it’s a common story I see in horror and indie films. Sometimes directors have moderate success with non-actors and think they’re easier to work with, but eventually they find out that isn’t always true either.

Assuming you’ve got that area covered, the key is to make it simple for the actor. Not because actors are simple, although we’ve all met our share and God knows I’ve needed pretty basic information at times, haha, but because overcomplication gets in the way of performance. I remember Elle Fanning talking about playing Catherine the Great in "The Great" and wondering how she was supposed to play someone so larger than life. Then she realized she didn’t have to. The cinematography, music, wardrobe, editing, and production design were already doing that work.

Her job was to play the feeling or action in that specific moment, whether that was disgust, surrender, betrayal, seduction, intimidation, or survival. So even when the material is highly stylized, that doesn’t mean the actor’s process needs to become more complicated. The truth is, the simpler the choice, the greater the result.

Lastly, avoid what I call Director Context Overload. Gary Oldman said that in seven years of working with Christopher Nolan on the Batman films, Nolan only gave him about two acting notes. One of them was simply, “Let’s do that one more time. There’s more at stake.” And that was all Gary needed.

I think directors sometimes feel their direction has to be so detailed that the actor will do precisely what they imagined. But the genius of Nolan’s note is that it gave Gary the increased intensity Nolan wanted while still leaving room for Gary to interpret what “more at stake” meant for the character. Give actors something clear and playable, then let them bring their own instincts and talent to it.

Leonardo Ramirez Great to see you again! I’ve definitely built a career wearing multiple hats, but not out of necessity as much as passion and exploration. Even if I’d only pursued acting, though, the same advice would still apply: don’t wait. Slow periods only exist if you’re waiting for someone else to make you successful.

When the auditions aren’t coming, start developing a short film that stars you, take a writing or directing class even if you never plan to become either, and keep learning how the whole machine works. Some of the best actors understand writing and directing incredibly well because it helps them see the story beyond their own character. One of the biggest decisions I made was to keep creating, expanding my skills, and building work that didn’t depend entirely on someone else choosing me.

As for what I wish I’d listened to earlier, it’s that this is a marathon, not a race. It’s also an ocean: sometimes there are huge waves you can surf, and other times you’re sitting in completely calm water wondering whether anything will ever move again. The key is to keep creating during those calm periods instead of wasting all that energy being negative about how slow the industry is.

I’d also tell my younger self to build a reliable source of income that supports the career without swallowing it. Video editing did that for me for years, although even that wasn’t immune to industry strikes, so expanding my consulting business helped tremendously because I’d already built a clientele over time. Find a job you don’t hate and that gives you enough stability to keep going, but not one that makes you so comfortable that becoming an artist turns into something you’ll “get back to someday.”Lastly, BOOKS. Books exist! I’m positive you know this, but for anyone reading who doesn’t, some of the most incredible acting coaches, producers, writers, directors, and casting directors have written books. Read as many of them as you can! That has helped me get ahead in my career faster than many.

Emil Soliman to be quite frank, whether I’d recommend this route depends entirely on your goal. I’m sure you’ve seen people online saying, “Here’s how I created an entire audio drama in one day,” and maybe they did, although a lot of those videos are designed to get views and subscribers. So chances are it took them a lot longer than they are advertising it did. The bigger question is: did the finished project connect with an audience, attract buyers, or create the professional result they promised?

I’ve used ElevenLabs, which is probably one of the most popular AI voice platforms out there. Murf and Resemble AI are two other strong competitors you could compare it with, but even with how impressive the technology has become, I still don’t think AI-generated voices are consistently at the level of skilled voice actors. The emotional inflections often only go so far, and audiences can usually sense when they’re hearing a generated performance. I believe the technology will eventually become much more convincing, but if your goal is to sell "SONIA", grow it into a business, or use the pilot to attract producers, I’d use the AI voices as temporary placeholders and cast real actors for the finished version.

That’s not only a moral position for me. It’s also about giving your story the best possible chance. Actors bring reactions, timing, chemistry, and unexpected choices that you may never have imagined while writing it. You also need to read each platform’s terms very carefully because commercial rights, voice cloning, consent, and ownership can depend on the service and subscription you’re using.

If this is a hobby, experiment, or early proof of concept, then absolutely have fun with it. I’d build it in a proper multitrack program such as REAPER, which is affordable, or Adobe Audition if you already subscribe to Adobe. Edit and time the dialogue first, then build the ambience underneath it, add individual sound effects, and add music last. Keep dialogue, ambience, effects, and music on separate tracks or buses so you can control them independently.

Once the story and timing work without music, mix the levels, use EQ and compression carefully to keep the dialogue clear, automate any volume changes, and export a high-quality master. But if this is something you seriously want to grow, I’d use AI as a tool and a resource, not as a replacement for the people whose performances will make us care about the characters. It may make the pilot faster and easier to produce, but easier doesn’t automatically mean professional, emotionally effective, or sellable.

Ashley Renée Smith Get ready. This is a long one. haha Thank you so much for saying that! I work with both new actors and experienced actors entering the market in 2026, and the conversations have definitely changed. It used to be fairly straightforward: train, do short films, build a reel, get an agent, and work toward larger roles. All of that still matters, but now actors also have to consider social media, audience-building, self-tapes, AI, and the fact that they may be competing with influencers or the children of established stars on a scale we didn’t see before.

The biggest difference now is that actors are being asked to control far more of the machinery around their careers. You may be responsible for creating your own footage, building visibility, maintaining an audience, understanding digital contracts, protecting your image and voice from AI misuse, and sometimes generating the project instead of only auditioning for it. The answer isn’t to panic and chase every change. It’s to understand which parts of that machinery genuinely help your particular career and become competent enough that none of them becomes an obstacle.

A side note about those stories where someone says, “They saw me dancing on Instagram and decided I was a natural actor.” That may be how they were discovered, but it’s rarely the entire story. They were hired because the studio believed they could be trained and, more importantly, they already had thousands of subscribers or millions of views, which made them more valuable in the studio’s eyes than a talented unknown actor. They come with an audience. Then the production surrounded them with acting coaches who helped them every step of the way. There are well-known and very secret acting coaches working with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and they train influencers too. So don’t feel threatened by the idea that someone was plucked out of nowhere and happened to be naturally incredible. Acting coaches are everywhere! lol

The first mindset shift is to stop thinking of yourself only as a performer waiting for permission to perform. You’re also a business, a collaborator, and increasingly your own form of IP. That doesn’t mean everyone needs 300,000 followers or has to become an influencer. It means the industry should be able to understand what makes you distinct, where you fit, and what you bring beyond saying, “I’m talented and passionate.”

The second shift is realizing that adaptability doesn’t mean doing everything at once. Actors are now expected to understand self-tapes, content creation, AI, networking, branding, writing, producing, lighting, sound, and apparently how to become their own publicist and emotional support animal, haha. Even I give some of that advice, but you still need a direction. Think about where you’d like to be twenty years from now: what kinds of roles do you want to play, what genres excite you, and what kind of career would actually satisfy you? Early in your career, take as many worthwhile opportunities as you reasonably can, but having a possible destination can help you make better choices at the beginning. The destination may change, but it still gives you somewhere to start.

The third shift is understanding that talent alone doesn’t sustain a career. Your craft has to be exceptional, but you also need to understand relationships, submissions, money, contracts, visibility, and how to create opportunities when nothing is being handed to you. The business side isn’t the enemy of the art. It’s what gives you a chance to continue making the art for years instead of burning out after two.

For daily habits, I’d keep it simple: do something for your craft, something for your career, and something for another person. Work on a scene, read a script, practice voice work, or record yourself and honestly study whether you’re listening and affecting the other actor. Submit for something, update a piece of your material, research a company, or move one of your own projects forward. Then congratulate someone, support their work, participate meaningfully in a community such as Stage 32, or check in with someone without immediately asking them for a favour.

Build a reliable self-tape process before an important audition arrives. Know your framing, sound, lighting, reader options, editing, and upload process so you’re not trying to solve twelve technical problems while also learning the scene and managing your nerves. Learn how to use AI for research and brainstorming, but don’t hand it your instincts, creativity, or decision-making. Understand what can happen to your face, voice, and performance when you sign something, and don’t let manufactured urgency pressure you into giving away rights you don’t understand.

I’d also build financial stability early. Find work you don’t hate that leaves enough flexibility and energy for acting, but not something that makes you so comfortable that acting quietly becomes the hobby you keep promising to return to. You need enough stability to avoid creating from constant panic, while still building a life that keeps the artistic goal active.

And when the industry gets quiet, don’t assume that means your career has stopped. Use those periods to train, create, strengthen relationships, improve your materials, and prepare for the next opening. A lasting career isn’t built only during the exciting periods. A lot of it is built when nobody appears to be paying attention.

Lastly, BOOKS. Like I said in another response: Books exist! Some of the most incredible acting coaches, casting directors, writers, directors, and producers have spent decades learning things and then written them down for us. Read as many of those books as you can. You don’t have to agree with everything, but your entire understanding of acting and the industry shouldn’t come from thirty-second social media videos. Some of our greatest minds have already told us the secrets to incredible storytelling. Head to your local used bookstore!

Issa Abbas I’m going to tell you a harsh truth a producer once told me, but keep reading because the love comes after, lol: “Ideas are worthless.” That felt like a kick in the head when I first heard it, but he explained that finding a great idea for a movie or television series is often the easiest part. Ideas are everywhere. The real question is whether the writer, director, or producer can execute that idea. Do they understand the genre? Have they studied screenwriting? Have they made short films or proofs of concept that show they can create something at a professional level? Now, if you have an idea you love and genuinely believe could become an Oscar-worthy film, that’s still a great starting point. I don’t write ideas I’m not passionate about. I may think an idea is clever or even incredible, but if I don’t feel passionate about it, I’m probably not going to spend years bringing it to life. If someone is paying me, that may be a different story, haha, but having the experience to deliver without that personal passion took years of study, training, accepting feedback, and getting better.

Your next attainable goal is not to make a feature film or win an Oscar yet. First, learn the fundamentals of screenwriting. Take a class, I'm teaching one soon so message me, read books on the craft, and study at least three produced scripts in the same genre as your idea so you can see how professional writers build character, conflict, structure, and tone. Then write your idea in one sentence, decide who the main character is, what they desperately want, what is stopping them, and what happens if they fail. From there, outline the beginning, middle, and end, and consider writing a short film or proof of concept based on one part of the larger story. Get feedback from experienced writers or producers, rewrite it, and keep improving until the work shows that you can execute the idea. Oscars come much later. The first win is learning the craft well enough to finish something strong that makes people want to see what you create next.

Too many times, I see inexperienced people get fired up with passion over an incredible idea, and most of the time, the idea really is incredible. But they don’t yet have the education or experience to execute it, and they put the cart before the horse. It’s like waking up one morning and saying, “I’m going to race cars for a living,” then expecting to climb into a multimillion-dollar vehicle and compete in the Indianapolis 500. If that sounds unrealistic, so is jumping straight into making your idea into a film without first gaining the education and experience.

Take classes in screenwriting, read books on the subject, and write, write, write. Then have your work reviewed by professionals, not only friends and family. You want feedback from people who understand screenwriting; experienced writers and producers are my favourites. Eventually, you’ll also learn the difference between objective feedback and someone simply telling you how they would tell your story. It may sound like a mountain to climb, but it’s an incredible and fun journey, and one I absolutely love.

I am a new writer and film producer. How can I get actors like yourself to take a look at my script? I am presently about to start filming a short film to gain interest

Thank you for taking the time to host this AMA. I'm sure your answer will be invaluable to us all

Michelle

Joshua, thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful answer.

I really appreciate that you focused on the goal rather than simply saying AI is good or bad. Your explanation about using AI as a proof of concept while aiming for professional actors in the final production makes a lot of sense.

Your production workflow was especially valuable. Organizing the dialogue first, then ambience, sound effects, music, and keeping everything on separate tracks is exactly the kind of practical advice I was looking for.

My goal with SONIA is to create a pilot that communicates the story, the atmosphere, and the emotional journey well enough to attract the right producing partner. If the project moves into full production, I would absolutely want talented voice actors to bring the characters to life.

Thank you again for sharing your experience. It has given me a much clearer direction for the next stage of the project.

Thank you very much for your help. Your guidance is absolutely valuable, and I'll definitely try to apply it when prompting ChatGPT to help me with writing corrections and growing my social media presence Joshua Young

Joshua Young that wasn't an answer I was expecting! Thank you! I had no idea this can be something directors etc can complain about. There's so much to learn about acting - thank you for explaining everything in so much detail. I'm reading all the questions and answers and it's really lifting the lid on a topic I don't know much about. Thank you so much for being so generous with your knowledge and time!

Michelle Eades it’s my pleasure! First, use the community where you live. Look for local Facebook groups, Stage 32 members, theatre communities, acting schools, and filmmaker groups. Actors often enjoy table reads and giving feedback, especially when the request is clear and their time is respected. Send a short introduction, the logline and page count, explain whether you want feedback or are considering them for a role, and ask before sending the script.

If you mean attracting experienced actors to perform in the short, Step 1 is simple but not easy: write a great script. A filmmaker once asked how I attracted such strong talent to my shorts. I didn’t want to say, “My scripts are great and actors love the roles,” because that might have implied his work was subpar. It kind of was, but as the Welsh say, “That’s by the by,” haha. Actors are constantly asked to donate time to projects that aren’t ready, so honestly ask whether the script matches the value and experience they would bring.

Step 2: pay people whenever possible. If you genuinely can’t, feed them well, keep the commitment reasonable, and give them an experience they’ll be glad they joined. I’ve been invited to coffee or lunch, given someone an hour of advice, and then been expected to pay for my own meal. Nowadays, I treat that as a test. It may be an innocent oversight, but it can also reveal a filmmaker who is always asking how to get X without paying Y.

For an in-person table read, you don’t need sushi and champagne. Pizza, drinks, and candy are fine. For Zoom, offer a small digital gift card like Ubereats. They may decline, but the offer shows that you respect their time and are serious about building the relationship. Money talks because it shows you’re willing to invest in someone.

Step 3: make the production attractive. I once created a proof of concept with a well-known but broke comedian. We were both broke, but I worked extra hours to build a healthy catering budget. We attracted excellent cast and crew because my sets had a reputation for feeding everyone well, including background performers, and for being efficient, organized, and fun, which I consider the holy trinity of a film set.

We also gave everyone a contract stating that if the project moved forward, we intended to hire them in the same position. If we couldn’t, they would receive their normal daily rate plus a 15% bonus for each day they had worked on the proof of concept. Have any agreement properly reviewed, of course, but the principle is trust: don’t ask people to gamble on your dream while you keep all the potential reward.

Experienced actors are most likely to read or join your project when they see a strong script, a filmmaker who respects their value, and a production that appears organized enough to finish what it starts. Make people feel respected, give them worthwhile material, and run a great set. That’s how one short film can lead to lasting relationships and stronger actors on the next one.

Beautifully said Joshua Young. Right now, I'm reading "Story" by Robert McKee and it's awesome. But I've also been wondering about taking some directing classes. So I think I will! Thanks Joshua. See you around the lounges!

I think that's a great idea! To give you a head start, read Judith Weston's book on directing actors. I do find, however, that a lot of directing courses only focus on actors. Try to find ones that help give you a well-rounded level of experience with both cast and crew.

Hi Joshua. It seems that having an award winning screenplay is not enough for an unknown writer. One way to cut through is to somehow get a performer who is known to attach their name. Then that opens up doors and financing. For those of us who lack the genetics for promotion, how would one entice a named talent to just read something worth reading?

Michael Abel great question. And “lack the genetics for promotion” made me laugh, haha.

First, you’re right that winning an award is often not enough, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the script isn’t good. A producer may still wonder whether it took you ten years to write that one screenplay and whether you can deliver at that level consistently. Awards can open doors, but several strong samples usually build more confidence than one decorated script. I only started getting noticed for my screenplay when I had 20-30 awards under my belt.

Second, attaching a recognizable actor can still help, but it’s not the automatic financing key people imagine. Dallas Buyers Club had Matthew McConaughey attached and an incredible script, yet financing still collapsed only weeks before production. The subject matter made investors nervous, and the film was ultimately made for roughly $3.5 million. A name matters, but it doesn’t erase concerns about budget, audience, marketability, or execution.

These days, you’re rarely pitching only a script and a star. You also need a strong pitch deck, a sizzle reel, an experienced producer, a realistic budget, and a clear sense of audience and distribution. Television can require even more pieces, including a production company, broadcaster, distributor, or showrunner. I have a series we’re actively pitching with a strong script, extensive pitch materials, and recognizable people interested. Everyone loves it. It still isn’t made. The nervous trigger finger in television is very real right now.

So I’d start by building the best possible package. Create a professional pitch deck that clearly communicates the story, characters, tone, audience, comparable projects, and why the project should exist at this moment in time. If you don’t know how to make one, take a class or hire someone. Cough…like me. Stage 32 also has excellent pitch-deck classes! Then create a sizzle reel if the project would genuinely benefit from one.

Once the package is strong, I wouldn’t make the actor your first major approach. Find an experienced producer who has a real connection to the genre, subject matter, or audience for your story. A producer with relationships and packaging experience can reach an actor’s representatives far more effectively than an unknown writer sending a cold email asking someone to read 110 pages.

And be strategic about the name. Don’t spend two years fighting to get Brad Pitt when there was almost no chance he was going to read it. Look at respected actors with recognizable credits, rising performers, genre favourites, former leads who deserve another great role, or strong supporting actors whose involvement could matter to buyers. Aim high, but aim realistically.

When approaching talent, don’t lead with, “Will you read my script?” Lead with a concise, professional package: the logline, the role, why you specifically thought of them, who is already involved, the financing stage, where and when it would shoot, approximately how many days they’d be needed, and whether there is compensation. Ask permission to send the screenplay rather than attaching it unsolicited.

The goal is to make reading your script feel like a legitimate opportunity, not a favour to a stranger. A great screenplay is the foundation, but the package shows the actor and their representatives that there may actually be a great film at the end of it.

One important note: this is a general packaging strategy, not a guaranteed sequence or legal advice. Follow each actor or representative’s submission policies, and never advertise someone as attached, use their name or likeness in pitch materials, or imply that financing or distribution is secured without clear written permission and the proper agreements. Once someone expresses serious interest, involve an experienced producer and entertainment lawyer before making promises, circulating attachment language, or presenting that interest to investors or buyers.

Will do Joshua Young - found it on Amazon!

Hi Mr. Young, I am 14 years old and created new children book that's selling on Amazon, I would like your recommendation to whom can I submit my book to become a movie?

John Allati Hi! First, congratulations on publishing your book at 14. That’s an incredible achievement. The best next step is usually to find a screenwriter who genuinely loves the book and wants to adapt it into a screenplay, because producers and studios generally need more than the book itself before considering it as a film.

If your book becomes a bestseller, however, producers may find you, so you probably wouldn’t need to find the screenwriter yourself. At that point, it’s very important that your parents hire an entertainment lawyer to review any contracts. Since you’re under 18, make sure a parent or guardian is involved in every conversation, submission, and agreement. Don’t sign anything or give away adaptation rights without experienced legal guidance.

Becoming a famous bestselling author is extremely rare, so if that doesn’t happen, the screenwriter route is your best option. Start by looking through reputable writing communities, local film organizations, or Stage 32, and focus on finding someone who understands children’s stories and genuinely believes in yours. Writers who work in children’s animation, or who have already adapted children’s books into screenplays, would be excellent people to approach.

Hey Joshua Young ! So, as an actor myself, I kind of miss the days when the norm was going to meet casting directors and other crew members in person for auditions. (Although self-tapes streamline the process, there is something so wonderful about meeting people you could potentially work with to see how personal chemistry goes.) Do you ever hear casting directors express this sentiment? Or am I the only one? :)

Thank you so much Mr. Young

Joshua Young, this response is genuinely extraordinary. Thank you SO much for the depth, generosity, and time you brought to this answer. What you’ve shared here is exactly the kind of valuable wisdom our members need. Very appreciated, my friend!

Thank you so much Ashley Renée Smith ! That means a lot! :)

Thank you for your advice Mr. Young. I have a frightening amount of awards for the one screenplay and a lot of screenplays unsubmitted to festivals. I guess I should reverse that. The one strong thing I can say is the screenplay was submitted a lot during the pandemic when submissions grew 300% - many from professionals - and I still won. But it really doesn't matter much without more projects to show.

Michael Abel that absolutely matters. Winning repeatedly during a period when submissions increased so dramatically is strong evidence that the screenplay connected, especially against a larger and more experienced field. I wouldn’t downplay those awards.

Submitting some of your other strongest scripts could help show that the quality extends beyond one project, but you don’t necessarily need to reverse your entire strategy. If you focus on building exceptional pitch materials around that award-winning screenplay, that could be all you need to start opening the right doors. I say “all,” but creating a strong deck, sizzle reel or proof of concept, realistic production plan, and the right relationships is a tremendous amount of work. Worth it in the end, though, in my opinion.

Hi Joshua! Love your "Tools NOT Terminators" framework and your breakdown on keeping story at the center of editing.

As a documentary filmmaker and organizer of the DOCA Film Festival in San Jose, CA—where we're screening short films outdoors as public art installations, including an AI-Assisted Films section—I have a question for you:

When you watch an AI-assisted film, what’s the main thing that immediately elevates it for you? And what’s a clear red flag that the filmmaker relied too much on the technology rather than the story

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective



Yixin, thank you for the compliment! The main thing that elevates an AI-assisted film for me is when the technology disappears into the filmmaking. If I’m focused on the story, character, emotion, or idea rather than thinking, “That was clearly generated by AI,” then it’s doing its job.

A lot of AI-assisted films still feel very presentational because AI-generated characters are often posed toward the audience rather than behaving naturally inside the scene. That’s an immediate red flag for me. The larger warning sign is when the filmmaker seems more interested in showing us what AI can generate than in making us feel something.

“Assisted” is the key word. If AI is being used, I think it should help the filmmaker accomplish something the production genuinely couldn’t achieve another way, not replace strong direction, editing, performances, or visual storytelling. I’m especially careful with documentaries because audiences generally assume documentary equals truth, even though I’m sure you and I have both seen some that stretch reality, haha. If AI is used to alter, recreate, or generate something being presented as real, the filmmaker needs to be extremely transparent about it.

A positive example would be AI helping repair, extend, or transition between truthful material without changing its meaning or drawing attention away from the story. The biggest challenge often isn’t experienced filmmakers experimenting with AI. It’s inexperienced filmmakers using the technology before they’ve developed the judgment to know what looks convincing, what serves the story, and what should be cut. Audiences may not know exactly what went wrong, but they usually know when something feels fake, empty, or emotionally disconnected.

@Joshua Young.

So if action paragraphs should be 2-4 sentences, should I insert dialogue after it or use spacing to continue the action blocks?

Thank you Joshua Young, you are always spot on :))

Hi Joshua — thank you for this AMA. Your breakdown for Meriem on prompt structure (Task → Role → Context → Success Criteria → Restrictions → Output) is the most practical thing I've read on the subject, and "Tools NOT Terminators" is a better frame than most of what's out there.

My question is about the side of AI that gets discussed less: voice and disclosure.

I'm a writer and AD based in Karachi with a completed English-language limited series. Like a lot of writers now, I've used AI as part of the drafting process — and I've become aware that experienced readers can often sense it. Something in the rhythm, or a smoothness that doesn't quite read like a person wrote it.

Two things I'd value your perspective on:

On craft: what specifically gives AI-assisted writing away to an experienced reader — and what does a writer actually do in the rewrite to make the pages sound unmistakably like a human with a point of view? Is it dialogue rhythm, action-line economy, the willingness to be clumsy in the right places, or something else entirely?

On disclosure: when an actor, producer, or manager asks directly how much AI was involved, what's the professional way to answer? Is there a point where disclosure becomes necessary rather than optional — and in your experience, does honesty about it cost a writer, or does it depend entirely on how you frame the tool's role versus your own?

Thank you.

Quinsey Holden Great question! You can add a space to continue the action. Think of 3-4 lines of action description as one or a few camera shots, but of the same thing. You go to the next action to help imply the next camera angle. That's another purpose of them. The problem with a lot of writers is they tend to end up writing action description as camera angles. We need to imply the angles, not flat-out say what they are. Here's an example taken from a horror movie I'm shopping around called Solitude:

EXT. MOUNTAIN RANGE - DAWN

The first light of dawn creeps over the jagged mountain peaks, casting long, eerie shadows across the dense forest.

A biting wind sweeps through the trees, RUSTLING the branches like whispers echoing down the mountainside.

Note: From this, you can tell that the first bit of action description is an extreme wide establishing shot, and the second sentence is more of a medium-wide shot. It also helps the reader visualize what they are reading.

Shahzad Haider, thank you for the thoughtful question. Morally, I don’t want to give away every AI “tell” because I actively discourage writers from using it as a creative replacement. I think AI can be an excellent proofreader, research tool, brainstorming partner, or first step toward feedback before going to a human. The danger is that relying on it creatively can weaken the very instincts a writer needs to develop.

A lot of the problem isn’t only AI. It’s also the prompting and the writer’s level of experience. I’m an AI consultant and a screenwriter with more than 40 awards, so I understand both sides well enough to avoid many of the obvious problems. More importantly, I know my own voice because I developed it through years of writing without AI. When AI imitates me badly, I recognize it. I test it often just for fun. A newer writer may not yet know when the voice, structure, or emotional logic is wrong.

One giveaway is inconsistency. I often see generated sections where the vocabulary, humour, rhythm, or character voice suddenly changes. Story context may also disappear because the AI forgot to connect earlier material, or wasn’t given enough information to understand it. Great writing isn’t only good dialogue in one scene. It requires subtext, emotional arcs, physical plot, theme, relationships, structure, and knowing what should carry from one act into the next.

I regularly test ChatGPT, Claude, and other models because I need to understand how capable they’re becoming. At this point, I’m still better than all of them, no matter how good my prompt is. Could that change one day? Possibly. But it ain’t there yet.

On disclosure, the professional answer should be the truthful one, and it depends on the job, agreement, and person asking. The most commonly accepted uses I’ve encountered are proofreading, research, brainstorming, and early feedback, as long as the writer remains the writer.

If someone asks directly, answer directly: “I used AI for proofreading, research, and early feedback, but the story, characters, structure, dialogue, and final creative decisions are mine.” Only say that if it’s true. If AI wrote substantial scenes or dialogue that remained in the script, be honest about that too. The greatest professional concern usually isn’t that you used a tool. It’s whether you’re hiding how much of the writing was actually yours.

“For emerging professional writers who are actively building their careers, what are the realistic pathways to earning the credits required for Writers Guild membership? And from your experience, what are the most effective steps to take when seeking reputable literary representation—especially for writers developing both TV and feature work?”

Shaun Jackson Williams great question. If you go to the WGA’s website, it has all the information about membership and what credits qualify. That’s the best place to get the exact requirements because the rules can depend on which Guild you’re applying to and the kind of paid work you’ve done.

When it comes to representation, I find emerging writers often have the same mindset as emerging actors. They want representation before representation will see a reason to want them. Your passion for writing and the hard work you’ve already put in are meaningful, but that doesn’t automatically equate to talent. Managers and agents want the most talented writers they can find who also understand the industry and have a history of consistently delivering high quality.

For both actors and writers, there are two major reasons people want to hire you: First, you’re a great artist who can meaningfully contribute to the project. Second, they actually want to spend fourteen hours a day with you on set or in a writers’ room. Both take time, hard work, professionalism, and building your skill base.

So for an emerging writer, read every book on screenwriting and storytelling you can find. Then pay to have your writing reviewed by experienced industry professionals. Don’t pay for AI coverage services. I teach how faulty they can be, and many of them are basically using ChatGPT or another tool you could access yourself anyway. One thing to note that most people don't know is that all the AI's out there are designed to give you a polite rating or answer to your material unless you prompt them otherwise. I've seen people say ChatGPT gave my script a 9/10 and then when I put their script through my advanced prompts, it comes out a 4/10. Get actual humans to review your work, and get used to accepting feedback without taking it personally. Eventually, you also need to learn the difference between useful feedback and someone simply telling you how they would write your story, but that's another topic.

And network. Go to film festivals, meet people, join writers’ groups, participate in communities such as Stage 32, and set aside a budget each year for these things so you can do them without breaking the bank. You can also write short films and get them produced, which is one of the best ways to discover what is and isn’t working when your writing gets translated to the screen. If those films get into festivals, that can also help you meet the right people.

When you’re ready to approach managers or agents, have more than one great writing sample. If you want to work in both television and features, have strong examples of both. Research representatives who work with writers in your genres, follow their submission policies, and try to build genuine relationships and referrals instead of sending the same generic query to everyone.

Most writers and actors are shocked by how much work this takes because Hollywood and the news love selling the idea of an overnight success. That happens to less than one percent of people. But when I say it takes hard work, that’s also why I do it. I love the process, not only the result, and I’ve been rewarded for loving the process with more work.

If you’re still emerging, I’m assuming you’ve probably been doing this for less than five to seven years. Try everything I’ve suggested, keep improving, and keep getting your work out there. Representation should eventually become another step in the career you’re already building, not the thing you’re waiting for to begin it.

It's a shame my problem is insoluble. The thing is, I live in Russia. Most opportunities are closed to me. But I have some great ideas, and even a finished script for a TV series.

Hello Joshua Young, it's always exciting to see your AMAs and read through your answers! Your rating mechanic is a great example of how to use AI well, and I love the idea of pushing the rating past 10 as a way to keep improving skills beyond AI's capabilities. :D I’d love to know: with the updated AI restrictions/violations (and any related changes), has that affected how studios use AI? Also, what AI skills are looked upon (or needed) in the industry the most right now?

Mikka Hope I wouldn’t call your problem unsolvable, but I also don’t want to minimize the very real barriers you’re facing because you live in Russia. Rduced access to international opportunities can make an already difficult industry even harder.

For now, I’d focus on what you can control. Keep improving the pilot, build strong pitch materials, and develop genuine online relationships with writers and producers outside Russia through communities such as Stage 32. Your situation doesn’t prevent you from strengthening the project, meeting collaborators online, and preparing for circumstances to change. A finished script and great ideas still have value, even when the path forward is much harder than it should be.

Dwayne Williams Great question. There's a TON of misinformation floating around. Even people who seem like informed content creators are exaggerating a lot of AI claims. The restrictions haven’t stopped studios from using AI, but they have made everyone more careful about consent, copyright, ownership, security, and how someone’s face, voice, writing, or performance can be used. So AI is still moving forward, but there are more lawyers and contracts standing around it now. Some think it's almost at a point where it's not worth it to bother with AI in some situations, which is good for artists.

A lot of the AI tools being used professionally in studios, though, aren’t even separate programs. AI is consistently being embedded into software the industry already uses, such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Avid, DaVinci, and After Effects. For many people, learning AI will really mean learning how the new features fit into their existing workflow.

Prompting is helpful, but I don’t think prompting alone is the most valuable skill. The industry needs people who know what the tool should do, whether the result is actually good, when it saves time, and when it creates a legal, ethical, or creative problem. Quality control, confidentiality, disclosure, and knowing where the human contribution begins and ends are becoming increasingly important.

For example, I have clients who want me to use some AI imagery when creating their pitch deck material. I can make it way more realistic than most I've seen, but even with my advanced skills, I need to use photoshop to perfect the images. It still saves a ton of time, but knowing how to use other software to improve your results is the key.

For writers, actors, directors, editors, and producers, I’d focus on AI literacy rather than trying to become an engineer. Understand the tools in your area, test them, know their limitations, and don’t upload confidential material without knowing where it may go. The easy part is getting AI to generate something. The valuable skill is knowing whether it should be used at all and whether it actually makes the work better.

That’s really the heart of Tools NOT Terminators. Use AI to strengthen your skills and workflow, not as an excuse to stop developing the judgment the industry is actually hiring you for.

Thank you, Joshua Young. Fantastic answers! Exactly what I was looking for, and beyond helpful. I’m looking forward to learning more from you and applying all the great advice!

Joshua is the best!! We love having him as a Stage 32 educator :)

Thank you so much, Sydney! That means a lot!

:-)