TikTok, the proud detainer of the recognition of the primary website worldwide regarding users, has sparked a storm within the film and movie industry as it gained prominence. As numerous individuals with a knack for acting would turn to the platform to make their talent visible and show off their dancing skills, the app that was once intended for short-format dancing video content gradually rose to become a talent hub that keeps Hollywood filmmakers on high alert.
Tinseltown is to be accommodating new and new names, and the trend goes beyond the four corners of your TV screens, and into the celebrities’ living city. But how has TikTok cemented its position as an unparalleled talent exposer? And has Hollywood successfully grabbed burgeoning talents so far?
TikTok – a breeding ground for the actors of the future
TikTok has worked overtime to solidify its position as a cradle for tomorrow’s generation of Hollywood stars to be unearthed and cultivated. While collaborating with content creators with big followings on different social media platforms to hype a fresh product is nothing new, TikTok’s booming popularity among millennials and Zoomers has made it a must-leverage for filmmaking agencies working to enlarge the community who will later make the event known online.
It’s not enough to invite and have big names around the red carpet shooting photos to upload later. Like gifted individuals with lots of talent for acting resort to clever techniques like TikCeleb to become visible and grow a prolific audience, Hollywood agencies are employing their techniques to nurture the burgeoning talent pool further and capitalize on it.
There are endless ways that filmmakers use TikTok to unearth new talent, ranging from the most evident to the sneakiest. They find fresh skills by looking into content tagged with #filmmaking, #cinematography, #videoeditiong, and other labels, which are well-known and spread throughout the social media community of aspiring actors.
And what better way to spread the word about a new release than through a highly-regarded influencer with connections with millions of internet users? The industry’s leading cinematic hub looks to harness a substantial following and encourage others to speak about its productions through the already-established relationships between the highly-ranked TikTok users and their loyal supporters.
Aspiring filmmakers have all the support from the platform to carve their path
On the other hand, the company works with organizations to encourage and nurture burgeoning talent that’s yet to make a name in Tinseltown but has all the potential to do so. The same goes for the other part of the spectrum, namely the filmmakers of tomorrow who are working their way through TikTok. The platform created the #TikTokShortFilm competition last year aimed at supporting skilled aspiring filmmakers to upload content made with all sorts of tools that fell within one of the four style categories enlisted, thus smoothing the path for the most gifted ones to make a name for themselves.
TikTok didn’t only make forays into the landscape of unearthed talent but was also involved in large-scale events like the annual Cannes Film Festival. The gathering drew numerous actors, filmmakers, and industry executives and created a particular spot for TikTok, accommodating celebrities who shared their experiences at the festival this way. Eva Longoria, for instance, leveraged her TikTok presence to gain opinions on the attire she would showcase on the red carpet.
TikTok isn’t just for newcomers but for high-level stars, too
Emphasizing the importance and power of TikTok in the cinematic realm isn’t possible only by listing names that are prone to making it big on the red carpet due to their wittiness. A-listers in the cinema world, such as Antony Hopkins, Reese Witherspoon, Baz Luhrmann, Jane Fonda, Selena Gomez, and Will Smith, are taking advantage of TikTok in other ways. The latter, for instance, reeled in a following of 72M who actively followed him and served as a megaphone to make his voice and thoughts heard.
These high-ranked names use the platform’s prowess to stay connected with fans, promote new projects, strengthen their brands, keep themselves up to date with emerging video-making trends, or simply share non-PR videos to remain relevant and inspirational. As a new resource tool for entertainment, TikTok is changing the movie and film industry with emerging trends and challenges, which are further looked into to be capitalized on in tomorrow’s movie content.
Many have already transitioned from breakout stars to well-known actors, thanks to TikTok
Given the opportunities enabled by the reputed platform, many have made it from the four corners of the smartphone to the giant screens. You may have heard about Addison Rae, the content creator who gained her recognition through posting video content exhibiting her engagement in numerous activities, like dancing, acting, singing, and so on.
With a following of over 88M, Forbes offered her the title of the highest-earning personality on the platform, ranking among high-profile names like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian. She’s now starred in numerous popular movies, like “He’s All That”, “Thanksgiving”, “Fashionista” and others, working her way from anonymity to the peak.
The list of now-famous Hollywood stars is lengthier than one would assume, encompassing other names such as Bryce Hall, who debuted in Skill House last year, Griffin Johnson, who was said to feature in The Diamond in the Rough by Creator Plus, Noah Beck, who starred in a Nickelodeon’s Side Hustle episode, and Josh Richards, to name a few.
Hollywood isn’t the only brainiac playing the TikTok card; undiscovered talents are also taking advantage of its prominence, helping the film industry reinvent itself to cater to the new and everchanging consumers’ tastes.
However, it’s not as much about striking it in the film industry as it is about influencing others
What yesterday would look like uploading video content on Vine or YouTube to exhibit the talent and stand out from others, today has gained new meanings. Today’s content creators with outstanding acting potential aren’t looking for a secondary or figuring role in the latest UTA movie.
They instead seek to appeal to as many social media users as possible, and TikTok represents just the right platform to make their voice heard.
For many content creators and uploaders, TikTok has become a thriving place to discuss and promote new products from the smallest to the largest brands. Today’s Hollywood agencies are signing numerous prosperous influencers as they rearrange their strategies and look into the new potential of expansion and business: influencers.
TikTok is growing the next generation of actors, with Hollywood right around the corner to keep tabs open to seize the arising opportunities and tap into the burgeoning talent pool.
