I want to try film acting. Should I move to Los Angeles or try it in a less competitive city?

Question

I asked a similar question elsewhere, but miscategorized it and didn't get much of a response. So here's another attempt:

I'm considering pursuing a career in acting and I'm wondering where would be the best place to test those waters? My short term goal is to audition like mad until I get a paying gig, no matter how large or small, and then use that experience to decide if it's something I want to devote my life to.

The obvious choice is to move to Los Angeles, where more movies, commercials, and TV shows are filmed than anywhere else. But then I consider the competition. It seems pretty much everyone living in LA is actor or wants to be, and most struggle to make ends meet. So, maybe a city where the film industry is less prominent would be better for someone merely giving it a try.

Any advice on this subject would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

It doesnt matter if you move to LA or not, if you do, your chances of finding a legitimate Agency will be slim, because many people are scammers, they know that anyone will be willing to audition in LA (LA being known for its acting industry). I say you should stay where you are. It doesnt matter where you live or not, you can still be a great actor/actress and live in a crummy area, or you can be an "eh" actor/actress in LA. Because not only are you a great actor/actress if you move to LA, other people are great actors/actresses, so that leaves many people from big-name film industries to choose from.
So what I am trying to say is, stay where you are, do not move.
I will give you a few tips on how to spot scammers and tips during legitimate auditions.
- If an audition requires you to pay $$$ before hand, either money mail, credit card, or up front, DO NOT go to the audition, IT IS A SCAM.
- During an audition, you should look as professional as you can, polo, dress shirt, NO JEANS, khacks (sorry if I spelled it wrong), and some nice shoes possibly.
- If this audition is an acting audition and no singing involved, you should have 2-3 pieces memorized, because the agents will want to see the "stuff" you've got, so if you do a GREAT piece, lets say the genre is comedy, then they will expect that you have a another great one with the same genre, so you should have 2-3 of the same genre pieces memorized. Also, you should have atleast 2-3 different genres, that means you will have to memorized 6-9 possibly.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR AUDITION.

Answer 2

Unless you want theatre acting, move to Los Angeles. It's were everyone and everything that has to do with acting is. There you can do indie for a while, or if you're really good and superficially gorgeous you'll get some work.
Don't expect much though. You can go years with out getting a job there. YEARS.
My advice is make sure it's what you want to do NOW. LA can really hurt people badly. If you are sure, get qualified for something else, a desk job, so you'll have busy work to do between auditions.
If you want theare work, or really obscure movies and or soap, move to New York.

Answer 3

Yes, definitely move to LA! But your chances might slim down a bit because of all the other people wanting to audition. And the houses there are kind of expensive too so you might want to think about that. Either way, i wish you good luck! =] Maybe we'll see you on TV one day.

Answer 4

If films are shot in the city where you live, start there, get some film work on your resume and later move to NY or LA.

Answer 5

move to LA