subject: ACTING IS A BUSINESS - HOW TO STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION [print this page] ACTING IS A BUSINESS - HOW TO STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION
Acting Is A Business!!!
Who are YOUR competitors? As you audition more and more you will see many of the same people auditioning for the same roles as you. These are your competitors. These are the people that will take your job away from you that will do anything possible to be the casting directors or producers first choice. These people are the reason why this business is cut-throat. I like to use Jim Carrey because he truly knew how to differentiate himself how to position himself and he most definitely knew his competition. He knew that being funny just wasn't enough. There are plenty of funny people out there, but to be different funny that's hard that takes a lot of work to find your niche it and takes a lot of self-discipline and self-knowledge something an actor must possess.
You must analyze your competitors. You will always have competitors or at least a competitor a rival someone who you will do battle with for the same roles. It happens in sports, it happens in business and it most definitely happens in show business. Even superstars compete for the same roles all the time. Paul Newman and James Dean competed for the same role in 1954. They competed for the role of Cal in John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Another quick example is Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Sherlock Homes...) was auditioning the role of Claire for a movie called Wedding Crashers starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Christopher Walken. Rachael McAdams knew that the competition was fierce knew her competitors were tough and that she could lose the opportunity of being cast if she did not go the extra mile. So she got a wedding dress showed up at the audition as a bride and got the part. She most definitely studied her competitors, knew that no one will do that and that she will stand out.
You must know your competitors inside and out. You must assume that there are or will be competitors and that they will be tough, they are always one step ahead of you, they are perfecting their technique, they go to seminars to gain knowledge and find secrets that most will never know or never find out. You should treasure your competitors - they keep you tough. When you are developing your marketing strategy you should be clear who your target competitors are.
