Shifting of Fiscal Responsibility
// June 9th, 2010 // 11 Comments » // Acting, News
Last night I was on the set with some amazing actors (Ben Whitehair, Ben Blair, Alicia Ying, and plenty more), and we got into several discussions about casting director (CD) workshops, good or bad, solutions, and just in general thoughts about why everyone is in an uproar about it. Most of us were up for close to 24 hours, so I apologize in advance (and will fix errors), to any one that I misquote or take the wrong view that they had. NOTE: When I talk about doing things differently, I am specifically talking about targeted CDs. If you’re unsure what this means, I recommend reading Bonnie Gillespie’s book “Self Management for Actors.” Here is a breakdown of the conversations.
Why CD Workshops are good:
- It is ONE way that an actor can get in front of a CD.
- The workshops that provide feedback are worth going back to because you are getting educated about your look / acting / headshots / etc.
- Workshops help Cds find talent that they might not normally see.
Why CD Workshops are bad:
- Fiscal responsibility is being shifted from Studios (used to pay for the actors themselves), to CDs (who studios pay now & when actors were no longer studio property), to now actors (because CDs can do workshops to supplement income).
- Some workshops have the reputation of taking money and running (hence the bonding of workshop houses).
- Most actors who attend workshops (90%+) are under trained in the ways of LA, casting, and acting (This is base on the number of calls to auditions actors get from workshops).
- The under trained actors that ARE attending these workshops are giving actors as a community a bad name, making all of us look unprofessional, unprepared, and in general not ready for the opportunities that casting directors might have available to them.
- The percentage of getting cast directly getting called in for an audition from a CD workshop is VERY low, around 3% or less.
What myself, and others, are doing to challenge the norm that CD workshops are the only thing out there:
- Calling casting directors directly and setting up generals
- Sending out postcards to casting directors
- Going to Q&As that casting directors are at
- Joining The Actors Network for more information on LA, casting, acting, meeting some of the same CDs who do workshops, and more.
- Suggest that SAG, AFTRA, EQUITY, or even the city of LA provide a free business based class for actors that talks about LA, casting, acting, and more
- Suggest that a line item in the new law be that workshop houses have to up front tell specific items to their students, including, but not limited to: not being an audition, what the purpose of a workshop is, and other ways of reaching out to the current casting director.
- Design new workshops that incorporate a live set where any above-the-line crew can come and observe actors in their environment, on set.
What you can do to change the norm:
- Calling casting directors directly and setting up generals
- Sending out postcards to casting directors
- Going to Q&As that casting directors are at
- Joining The Actors Network for more information on LA, casting, acting, meeting some of the same CDs who do workshops, and more.
My final thoughts are pretty simple. This is a discussion that we need to be having with each other, with other CDs, and quite frankly with the government as a whole. From online content production to acting resources and needs, I believe that we, as an entertainment industry, are currently in a fundamental shift that will change the ways that we do business as a whole.
And, as always, please comment below and discuss for yourselves what all of these changes mean for you, and your career.
