As an Actress in Hollywood these days, I am mostly booking film work out of state and the majority of the gigs being offered locally are commercials or influencer type videos, & verticals, (mind you I've been with the same agencies for over a decade and definitely think it's time to switch it up seeing as all my favorite agents at those who were really getting me out there, have now left the business) however, every once in a blue moon I'll get a UCLA or AFI student film audition request that has a great lead character or a really fun script to work with that I can see myself using a clip of for an updated acting reel
The problem is, it's always DEFERRED PAY, so knowing they are film students, (usually fresh out of high school and this is their college years meaning they haven't had time to work full time and make or save any money yet) I tend to be more understanding and flexible, because in the back of my mind their equipment and education is top notch so even if the project is just for an assignment, the worst that could happen is they bomb it, the best thing that could happen is it's so good they are encouraged to enter it in to top festivals by their professors, (my first two films to play in the Cannes short film corner were both grad student films from Griffith University in Brisbane Australia for example)
So because my time is valuable, yet I know any of these could have the potential to be beneficial to my career more so than a paid project that doesn't see the light of day somewhere, (which has happened to me many times before too, and I'm trying to not have ptsd from it) this is what I've started to do:
1) I won't memorize the lines, I read it with the script off screen/camera but still act it out completely, this is mostly because they tend to send over 5 pages and for no pay that's even more time commitment to something you don't even know you'll get, but for sure know you're most likely not getting paid for even if you do. I then put in the notes of the self tape, "happy to memorize the lines if I get a callback or book obviously! :)"
2) Ask the questions, "is this a first year project, third, graduation film etc" because that can also be pretty disappointing if you are going into it thinking you'll get more practice or footage as an actor but then get to set and they are shooting on the oldest camera known to man, with no professional lighting, (you probably won't want to even use the footage for a reel in the end, so weigh up the pros and cons)
3) Once confirmed on the project (not before because then they may go in another direction) I then ask how they will be covering the expenses, "Do I just save the receipts for parking/ubers/gas/food?" knowing these are bare minimum human necessities and travel costs. Also, the amount of times I've had to pay for a lyft because there was no crew/cast parking or I get there and the daily cost for parking is 5x more than what a lyft would have cost to and from, after already spending a half tank of gas there and back, you tend to learn as you go, on how to plan ahead to avoid unnecessary additional fees, because if you're not getting fed either, then you're looking at spending money for up to 3 meals a day and that can easily add up to $100 daily including the transport stuff, (so now you should be getting a producer credit on the film as well since it's basically pay to play at that stage) lol
My question for you: what are your ways of setting boundaries with projects as an actor, while still trying to meet them half way, and how did you come to those decisions?
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Brittany Christine I appreciate your post. I feel like i'm learning more about the industry upon reading it which prepares me for what is ahead. I'm currently preparing for a role as the female lead in a play. It's part of my acting training and will lead to a showcase with agents present. Obviously i'm not getting paid, i'm paying for the training. So it's not the same scenario as what you described but I guess the boundaries question is the same. Learning lines, and rehearsing with my scene partner takes up a lot of time but at the same time I could potentially get an agent out of it. In this particular case it's about putting a boundary around the stuff I have to do to pay the rent and then following my heart and energy as to how much time to spend on the acting prep
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Alexandra Stevens having boundaries is so important in all aspects of life and career, and yes I am the same way with the things I have to do for paying rent as well because often times many non creative jobs will ask you to work more than what's paid for, but if there is no incentive or room to negotiate to get to where both parties are comfortable, there is no real reason for one to do any extra work
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Brittany Christine, This is such a thoughtful and real breakdown of what it means to balance passion, professionalism, and practicality, especially when working with student filmmakers. You’ve clearly learned to advocate for yourself while still remaining open to meaningful collaboration, and that’s such a valuable mindset to share.
I love how you’ve created your own system for weighing the potential benefits of a project beyond the paycheck. Your approach, asking the right questions, setting expectations, and protecting your time, is such a healthy example of boundary-setting that doesn’t burn bridges.
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First Brittany Christine, I'm surprised you memorize lines for auditions paid job or not. I always have the sides, in my hand anyway. But to answer your question, about boundaries, I don't audition for unpaid jobs anymore. In regards to AFI and USC, they should cover any parking expenses and food. The film schools have a budget for that. It is a valuable experience but I need to weigh what I am missing. If you can do a video audition that's great, I won't drive to an audition for an unpaid job.
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It's great that you usually memorize your lines for auditions, Brittany Christine! I worked in Talent Management for many years, and our company was pretty strict about our clients always being off book for auditions and self-tapes, with the one exception being a less than 24-Hour turnaround. But even then, we always encouraged our clients to be as off book as possible in those scenarios. It helps ground the performance in the character choices and usually impresses the casting team, which can help push you just over the line.
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That's interesting Ashley Renee Smith I've been told the opposite. While they do want you to know the lines, being completely off book for an audition is not expected or even necessary. It is ok to hold the sides, especially if you have a reader. Casting Directors don't want you to get distracted by trying to remember the lines and not delivering your best. The last thing you want to do is ask to start over because you forgot a line. Theater is never off book as you don't even get the sides until you show up, but you most certainly should have read the play.
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Brittany Christine Thank you for sharing you outlook Brittany. Personally, I learned that 99.9999% of the time "Deferred" really means unpaid. My setting boundaries with projects as an actor - I strictly no exceptions - am offer only for any production that is student, deferred or unpaid. I only consider final year grad students. Still, I refuse to audition.
How did you I come to those decisions? I trained full time in LA and came home with MFA in early 2015 - self tapes were not a thing at that time and most of my castings were via eco-cast on Breakdown Services (AA). Since then, I have self taped approx and well over 1500 times. So these days, I only self tape on proper paying productions and only with an invitation. I have found that since taking my stand on offers only, my booking rate has gone through the roof. My rejection rate of requested auditions is 90% more than what I take on.
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If they send me more than 4 pages, I elect to "go in a different direction"! Lol! Being on the Director/Producer side of things as well, I am of the opinion that, on the self submission side of things, if you can't see that I look the part and can act in three pages, that's a red flag for me. On the Agent side of things, none of my Agents have ever sent me anything more than three pages. I guess I'm following their lead on that one.
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Morrison James you have inspired me, I am no longer going to do deferred auditions. I haven't in years, but I will occasionally when moving to a new city or needing new reel footage since the other alternative in LA is paying to shoot professional scenes at a studio if you don't have the clips you want to showcase your abilities from actual parts. I have never done that either, but know of a lot of friends that had great success from those as well. In the past when I had the time, I ended up making my own passion projects to showcase different characters to get footage rather than do someone else's deferred project or pay for a scene because then I was also getting writing, directing, casting, & producing experience too instead of just the clip :)
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Brandon Keeton the character sides all up were 6! I could see the potential in the script and knew I could play the character well, but yes you're right, thats too big of an ask right out of the gate. Not a good sign that the writer/director values the talent's time/energy/skill level already. That's good to know about your agent too, this had come through one of mine in LA and I have since told them I am going in a different agency direction & to please remove me from their website.