If you were able to grab a spot in last weekend’s co-star intensive, you’ll know we went over a lot of “scale” numbers. Feel free to “save” this one as a quick reference guide 🗳 Scale refers to the minimum amount of pay that SAG-AFTRA will allow its members to work for on a given project. Offered on both a daily and weekly scale, SAG rates are often determined by the project type, budget constraints, and distribution plan. Scale rates …
Honeywagons: those lavish, mansion-like trailers that actors use as their private resting room & creative space. Some actually have pools attached and even an entire dining roo— Oh wait. VERY few actors would be able to use to word “lavish” to describe their trailers. The vast majority of actors are at the disposal of what production provides them. HOWEVER, trailers ARE used as negotiation deal points. So in addition to honeywagons, let’s go over the different types: HONEYWAGON: …
Residuals: the gifts that keep on giving. Residuals are those fun little paychecks (aka royalties) that are paid to actors in cases of reruns, syndication, DVD release, or online streaming release. Getting residuals in the mail can be quite the pleasant surprise. Sometimes it’s a nice payment for DVD sales of a feature. …and sometimes it’s a 47 cent check for the rerun of a show you did 10 years ago. Womp womp. Residuals …
Co-stars are the smaller speaking roles in a TV show that support one or more scenes. Sometimes co-stars can be in multiple scenes with anywhere from zero to 10+ lines. Co-stars are determined by: 1. The size of the role 2. The importance of the role to the story 3. Amount of dialogue 4. Casting budget Typical co-star roles include characters like a nurse, a cop, a receptionist, etc. Usually, the purpose of a co-star role is to help the …
Also known as a read-through, a table read is an organized reading of the screenplay or script by actors in a production. In addition to the cast, table reads are usually attended by studio/network executives, producers, heads of department, writers, directors, among others. It’s the first time everyone will be able to hear the script aloud for the first time. Because of this, table reads are extremely helpful for the writer(s) to identify problem areas in the script. Some differences …
Your materials consist of your 3 main actor tools: your headshot, your resume & your reel. So when someone asks you for your materials, that’s what they mean. We’ve talked a lot about headshots and reels already, so let’s dive more specifically into resumes today. The purpose of your resume is to tell us your experience, training & skill set. That’s it! We’re gotten to be pretty good at reading them quickly. And because of that, it’s helpful if YOU …
Also known as “walla” and, most correctly, as group ADR: Automated Dialogue Replacement. It’s also considered one of the cushiest jobs in the biz. More on that in a bit. In TV and film, only the principal actors are mic’d; the background actors are not. This is so that sound can stay clean for each scene and the principal actors can be heard. The loop group then comes in to create the ambiance for the entire …
Also known as a board or schedule, a DOOD is a chart used by a film or TV production to tally the number of paid days for each cast member. A lot of factors go into making these schedules. Predominantly: locations and contracted actor availabilities. Casting offices use DOODs for a variety of important reasons: · To determine whether a co-star is a day player or on a 3-day/weekly contract · To make sure that certain actor requests have been …
We thought this would be a good term to follow yesterday’s #MondayMythDebunker. What exactly does it mean to be a local hire? A local hire means that you are able able to work in the shooting location without the need for travel expenses. If you consider yourself to be a local hire, it means you are willing to: fly yourself to the shooting location, put yourself up at a hotel or other residence, and get yourself to/from set without …
Since commercials seem to be among the few survivors of production during Covid, we felt talking about buyouts could be helpful. A buyout is a flat fee/lump sum that is paid to talent in lieu of receiving residuals (residuals are those fun checks you get in the mail every time your commercial or TV episode airs). Most of the time, buyouts are used for low budget or non-union commercials since there is more leeway. For most union commercial jobs (and …