While I am a writer, producer and director, I was & am an actor 1st. If you’re a “filmmaker”, stop reading this. It’s not meant for you. If you’re an actor, let’s wax lyrical about getting paid for your work. As an actor, you may have studied your craft and have amassed a sea of dept. You may have done theater; sacrificing your valuable time for months at a time to be a part of something that only a theater actor can fully appreciate. You may have acted in short films, feature films, teasers, trailers, pilots and webisodes. As an actor you may have put years in to working on your craft. Why do you keep acting for free? Please allow me to clarify a point. Short films, feature films, teasers, trailers, pilots and webisodes should pay you. At the very least, they should offer deferments, so that if & when the filmmakers make money, the actors will make money. The only projects that should not have to pay their actors are student films and film challenges. You probably keep acting for free because “filmmakers” aren’t paying. “Crafty, credit, drinks.” “You will be well fed.” “Professional set.” “Fun people to work with.” “Networking opportunities.” “Considered for future work.” None of that pays the bills! It’s preposterous for “filmmakers” to pretend that those are incentives to audition for them. It is disrespectful! They’re supposed to offer that on their shoots! Yes, I understand & appreciate the argument that actors have to first build up a resume. However, at what point should you get paid? For me, and on my projects, if an actor with no resume has the "look" and the ability to pull off the role, they should be paid! Often times, it’s not necessarily their resume that earns an actor their role. It’s their look and their abilities, but that's another post. Whether or not they are a good person with a great energy also factors in on the casting, but that’s another post. Fellow actors, let’s look at the power we posses. What if you stopped acting for free? What if all of your actor friends stopped acting for free? What if every actor stopped working for free? “Filmmakers” would have to start paying you. How would “filmmakers” get money to pay you? They’d have to secure funding for their projects. How would “filmmakers” secure funding? They’d have to approach investors or stage crowd-sourcing campaigns. They would have to write and/or find great screenplays that would attract investors and/or crowd-sourcing campaign donors. But really, that’s none of your concern. That’s the “filmmakers” job. Some might ask, "isn’t that what a producer does?" Well, isn’t that what a “filmmaker” is? Somewhere along the line, compensating a cast fell out of the job description of a “filmmaker”, and that is disgusting. It is unacceptable. It's disrespectful. “Filmmakers” figure all costs in to their budgets. They should add the cost of paying you. You are bringing your skill set and your abilities to do the job you’ve been hired to do, just like everybody else on a production set. This article isn’t meant for filmmakers. It is meant for actors. It is meant to get us thinking and talking about the powers that we posses. We can have a domino effect in getting paid. We deserve to be rightfully compensated. We are to be treated with respect. I hope you all are well! If this post resonates with you, please share it on social media. Respectfully, Marcelo Dietrich https://twitter.com/MarceloDietrich
Register / Log In
1 person likes this
Well sir, I am determining, based on your tone, that you are coming from a place of defensiveness, and therefore are not open to discussion, but to argument. An "actor wannabe" will not need a reel, n...
Expand commentWell sir, I am determining, based on your tone, that you are coming from a place of defensiveness, and therefore are not open to discussion, but to argument. An "actor wannabe" will not need a reel, nor would you need to produce a monologue for a "wannabe", or provide to them any services. In fact, if you are producing reels and offering services to "wannabe's" you are wasting your own time, the industry's time, and that of the naive "wannabe" talent you are servicing. I don't believe the intent of this post was to include "wannabe's". Also, any professional or hobbyist actor can easily "produce" their own monologue with any recording device; an edit would go against them at the point of submission, as the filmmaker/casting director isn't looking for the work of an editor, but for raw and malleable talent. Editing a reel can be done at any margin of pricing, depending on location and task. I have a friend who is a professional in the community who will edit a film reel for around $80-$500, depending on how many scenes there are, and whether or not you are a current student paying for any workshop or instruction. She did mine beautifully. If it is your intention to offer services to actors, you should do so in a professional way, separate from your film-making endeavors. It IS the filmmakers obligation to take on the financial dues, not the talent; which is why networking and promotion are such an important part of pre-production. Trading credit/food/services for film work is the preface of this post. What you are describing reminds me of when I first entered Acting. Your services are lucrative; so pay the talent who sacrifice their time, efforts, and emotions for the sake of your film; then let them decide which services they would like to buy with the money you paid them for their effort. You come off as someone who believes their contribution to film is more important than the contribution of the characters who bring the story to life. An ego in this industry, will leave you with your previously mentioned "wannabe actors", because those of us who are professional and dedicated to our trade, will not excuse arrogance as professionalism or elitism.
Amira, I’m certainly not defensive and I try to never be offensive but I can not judge how others interpret the comments I make. After nearly four decades of work experience, my greatest joy comes fro...
Expand commentAmira, I’m certainly not defensive and I try to never be offensive but I can not judge how others interpret the comments I make. After nearly four decades of work experience, my greatest joy comes from helping & encouraging novices jump start their career – you seem to have missed my whole point. Have a nice day; over & out.
Well a novice and a wannabe are two different things; I wish you could stay at a point and I would follow more consistently and relevantly. I believe I have hit every point necessary of being made, in...
Expand commentWell a novice and a wannabe are two different things; I wish you could stay at a point and I would follow more consistently and relevantly. I believe I have hit every point necessary of being made, including the initial point of the post; "This Post Isn’t Meant for Filmmakers. It's Meant for Actors." I believe Marcelo prefaced his post as such to indicate it's intent. Obviously a filmmaker will be defensive of this point, they are the ones not paying. This post was intended to unite Actors with knowledge and a cause; one that I believe in fervently! And, of course you could judge how others' interpret your comments; but it would be better to judge your own comments. In fact it would be a good tool to learn how to pose future posts so that they are more likely to be accepted and your valuable opinion goes farther and is more lucrative to the community you are part of.
I've been in over 50 theatrical productions, and was paid for only three of them. While I'd love to get my SAG and AEA cards, two things hold me back: first, I need the day job to pay the mortgage; se...
Expand commentI've been in over 50 theatrical productions, and was paid for only three of them. While I'd love to get my SAG and AEA cards, two things hold me back: first, I need the day job to pay the mortgage; second, in my professional gigs, I moved tables and was an understudy, while as an amateur, I have played leading roles in great classic and contemporary shows. I got a late start in acting, so I don't have my 20's, 30's and 40's ahead of me to establish a reputation and network. I consider myself a competent and successful actor - I just don't get paid for it.
So true!