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THE STARS CREED
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THE STAR'S CREED
by Bob Fraser
THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #8
"I'm an assistant storyteller. It's like being a waiter or a
gas-station attendant, but I'm waiting on six million people
a week - if I'm lucky." ~ Harrison Ford
This is one of my favorite quotes because it contains three
of the most important elements you must understand in order
to become a successful actor.
First, Mr. Ford tells you what the job is. Storyteller. Then
he tells you how he thinks about his audience. He wisely
considers them customers. Finally, he reveals the secret to
becoming a big star - have a lot of customers.
In other words, if you want to be a successful actor, you
must build your customer base. You must attract an audience.
This is just a fact of life in our business. Entertaining
the audience is what you will get paid for. Whether you ply
your trade anonymously behind a microphone, appear in
Broadway musicals, act in commercials, sing for your supper,
do your thing in sitcoms or soaps, make independent films,
or interpret Shakespeare in the park - your primary focus
(as a business person) should be the audience - the paying
customers.
Understanding the "butts in seats" part of your acting
career is crucial to your eventual success.
ATTRACTING THE CUSTOMER
Too many actors lose sight of this fact when they get caught
up in the "inside" stuff. "Who's my agent? How do I get the
casting director to notice me? What do you think of my
headshots? Maybe I should get my nose fixed. How can I get
into the union? Should I go to New York or Hollywood?"
Believe me, our customers don't care about any of that. Not
one customer in a thousand can name Harrison Ford's agent.
It's unlikely that you know who it is and you're in the
business. I doubt that any casting director has ever asked to
see Harrison Ford's headshot or resume in the last twenty
years. And try this experiment; ask 100 civilians what union
Harrison Ford is in. Be prepared for some blank looks.
Every successful actor I've ever met (or know about through
reading biographies) has accomplished that success by one
method. They've attracted an audience. Their focus is on the
audience - the customers. They've worked hard at building
their customer base. The other stuff is grunt work. Sure,
it's an important part of taking care of business - but none
of those things will make you more successful.
It's like a plumber spending a lot of time picking out his
wardrobe. "Look, I don't care about your outfit. Just fix
my toilet."
Is it easy to build a customer base? Even a plumber knows the
answer to that. If it were easy, everyone would be successful.
Is the method a deep dark secret? Not really. All you must do
is concentrate your efforts on your audience skills.
Believe me, if your only goal is to entertain an audience,
your success in the business is assured - when you treat
them like customers and run your business as if your future
depended on it, because (not to put to fine a point on it)
it does.
Agents, casting directors, managers, other actors, & network
vice-presidents of talent are not your customers. They are
co-contractors. They are only helpful to you if you already
know how to "fix the toilet."
IT IS NOT REALLY LUCK
Many will argue that success in the entertainment business
is a matter of 'luck.' It is. But look closely, Harrison
Ford's definition of 'luck' is doing your job for the
audience and hoping they like it well enough to pay the
admission.
If your definition is that anyone can get to the top by
getting lucky - like it's some sort of lottery - well, if
you believe that, I know about some beach front property in
Bagdad, you can buy cheap.
Some will even say that what counts is who you know. Again,
that's almost true. The reality is this: What really counts
is who knows you. The more people who know you and want to
see you perform - the larger your success will be.
Then there are those actors who believe that there's a short
cut. Get the right agent or manager. Find the "magic" monolog.
Make friends with casting directors. Go to the right parties.
Network until you find someone who will help you 'make it.'
DO YOUR RESEARCH
I urge you to read the biographies of successful actors. You
will not find a single instance of these sorts of tactics
leading to the promised land of stardom.
If you still believe that actors are being discovered at
the drugstore or the gas station - well, that Bagdad beach
is beckoning ... and I can get you a rock-bottom price.
It all boils down to this: any business person who does not
consider the customer the most important element in the
enterprise, is doomed to failure.
Becoming a successful performer is a matter of performing in
front of an audience as much as you possibly can - serving
your customers until you are doing what Harrison Ford is
doing - "waiting on 6 million customers a week."
It's all about the audience. Customers make careers - not
door keepers.
"Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for
subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors.
Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com
© 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"
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