Is it worth it? That’s a question you’ll want to ask yourself and your agent. If you have an offer for weekly scale but you have to be a local hire in another state, the cost of airfare, accommodations & rental car/Uber will have you barely come out even (taxes & agency fees are other contributing factors). At the end of the day, it’s important to prioritize what it is that you consider valuable to your career.
Will this job be your first credit? Will it give you career-changing footage for your reel? If so, it might be worth it.
It’s important to know the facts & rules when it comes to being a local hire.
Just saying you can be a local hire and having some friends/family in that region may not be enough to fully qualify as a “local hire.” Productions are going out of state due to the many tax incentives offered there and lower cost of shooting. However, in order to qualify for these incentives, they must hire a certain percentage of local cast & crew. Many times, for cast, the percentage that can be out-of-state is reserved for the larger, leading roles.
This means that some states will require either a state ID, or a document proving you are resident within a certain number of miles from the shooting location. (these requirements differ by state)
#actor #localhire
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another thing to consider when paying your own way (esp if you decide to lie about being local hire): If production gives you a Start Work date of next Wednesday, and you buy your airline ticket accordingly, what happens when the schedule changes and they need you tomorrow? Since you’re “local” you can’t use the excuse of flights and cost. Likewise you could fly in only to be told your shoot got pushed by 3 days (or 3 weeks).
These VERY COMMON occasions can suddenly make the financial burden insurmountable. And you become faced with losing hundreds of dollars or burning a bridge and backing out.