Ali Murtaza's Lounge Discussions

If an actor shouldn't be paid unless he/she is "professional", how does one build a portfolio without working for free?

The fact is pay structure in the film biz is the wild west - you don't get what you're worth or paid relative to skill or experience - you get what you can wrangle out of someone. This means a 50-year old RADA-trained actor who has done guest star spots on 20 network TV shows will work on a SAG no-budget indie for $100 a day or deferred pay, and a 23-year old key grip just graduated from the SouthEast Idaho University Film School won't get out of bed for less than $250 a day.

Welcome to real world. I have said it now many times, talent is only part of the formula. Hollywood pays for branding. That means what about the actor puts butts in the seats. If your branded you will be paid no matter what because you have real value. If I hire a no-name actor with amazing talent to perform in a black box theatre the show will likely not succeed, no one will see it, and no money will be made or paid. If I hire a name actor with less talent to do the same show it will make a lot of money and everyone gets paid well. No one can force you to take a low paying job. I had to take many low paying jobs as I worked my way up the ladder in the legal profession before retiring and going into the acting world full time, and that is the way the world turns. In every industry in America the salary is based on the value you bring to the company and the demand for your labor. In North Dakota McDonald's employees are being paid $20 an hour because of the demand caused by the oil industry. The same is happening in Texas. That is the model for success. Ability and branding meets supply and demand. If you bring in regulations you reduce demand and end up with jobs vanishing. I am not a fan of unions but most of the professional work is being done under union contracts and they pay very well. Not getting paid by an independent producer making a movie on a shoe string budget is something you can not fight to change, there is no money there. Many actors believe that all these independent filmmakers are ripping them off making huge amounts of money and not paying them. Nothing could be further from the truth. 70 feature films a year get theatrical distribution out of hundreds of thousands of independent films made every year. Of course there are producers that take advantage of actors. DON'T WORK FOR THEM and the problem goes away. Actors need to build their branding, and yes that means taking low paying jobs to get the portfolio and build a fan base but you could pay 20-40 thousand dollars a year and go to a university acting program, or wait 15-20 years to build a portfolio. Be happy there is an alternative. You want a six figure income do six figure training and acquire real value. That is not to say that a university degree will get you a job but the equivalent in professional experience will. Acting is not a get rich quick scheme. You have to do the work before they will hire you to do the work. If you have and are doing the training, networking, building branding etc. then you should be getting work. If not you might want to consider a career change.

We have huge problems with wannabee make-up artists here,minimum expensive training,no real qualifications,desperate to meet stars and charge low rates,I`m considering leaving the profession because of no control on standards or ethics.

Eve sounds like Real Estate. LOL! To OP the real challenge is the UN-stated 'grease' for your project to be considered. Who gets a lunch date with an exec... The one who 'Pop's for nice Sushi lunch? Or the one who buys an Ice-tea begrudgingly at a Coco's diner? Say you have a masterpiece done, it must now be put on the shelf front and center. This is in any Supermarket you visit.