Shifting of Fiscal Responsibility
// June 9th, 2010 // 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.
11 Responses to “Shifting of Fiscal Responsibility”
Leave a Reply
- Laurie Records said: @jamiefishba...
- jamiefishback said: @Alicia,...
- Alicia said: This post backs up my idea that casting workshops ...
- jamiefishback said: @Laurie Reco...
- Laurie Records said: Nice work, Jamie. It's a big topic to tackle! A ...
- jamiefishback said: @Kevin Ashwo...
- Shifting of Fiscal Responsibility
- Wiener Cash
- The new law to help "protect" actors
- 2010 Goals
- New Headshots
Nice post. On the calling casting
directors directly and setting up generals, Has it worked? What approach did you use? I am always open to trying to new things and have new tools in my bag of tricks. Would love to know your efforts.
[Reply]
jamiefishback Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 11:57 am
@Susyn Elise Duris,
For me I have done generals through twitter, but that was from building a relationship on there, with that CD. I will be “cold calling” CDs in the coming weeks after I do more research on who I should be contacting. Best thing I can recommend is know what CDs you should target and go after them anyway you can.
[Reply]
Yes, I agree target the CDs. But,
start small. Target specific shows, and at first, have less than 10, then use multiple touch points to reach CD. It will probably take a good 12 touch points for the CD to remember you, and be consistent with the follow up. Genuineness, frequency and consistency are the keys to follow up. I have built many relationships on Twitter too – social media is a great tool for relationship development.
[Reply]
jamiefishback Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
@Susyn Elise Duris,
Absolutely, that is the best way to garner fans and make CDs lives easier.
[Reply]
Some good ideas here!
But you say, “The percentage of getting cast directly from a CD workshop is VERY low, around 3% or less.”
3%? That means if you go to a workshop with 33 actors, 1 of them will get a role in the near future on that CD’s show? I doubt it’s that high. I’d say full-time workshop places bring in 100s of actors per week and most weeks don’t lead to a booking, so well under 1%.
[Reply]
jamiefishback Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
@Kevin Ashworth,
I totally agree. Booking is well under 1%. I need to update to say “getting called in for audition” is around 3%. Thanks for the thoughts.
[Reply]
Nice work, Jamie. It’s a big topic to tackle! A word of caution… calling casting directors is usually a no-no. But if you decide to do it anyway… put on your thick skin and be ready… the response could be less than friendly. But… do what you need to do and goooood luck!
[Reply]
jamiefishback Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
@Laurie Records,
Thank you for your response!
Why would you say it’s a big no-no to contact casting directors directly about setting up generals? Even the associates?
I would assume that every develops think skin when in this industry because of the stuff we have to deal with on a regular basis.
[Reply]
Laurie Records Reply:
June 11th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
@jamiefishback, CALLING a casting director has been taboo for a long time… the reason: the phone already rings off the hook and if actors started calling too, it would be insane. It has changed a bit (the amt of calls) as there is more and more that can be done online… IF you decide to call, I suggest you don’t ask for the CD… talk to the person who answers. Just know you will be forging new territory and it may be met with some attitude.
[Reply]
This post backs up my idea that casting workshops don’t generally lead to getting called in–kind of a waste of money. But I still haven’t come up with a way to get seen by c.d.’s other than hit-or-miss luck. Postcards don’t seem to be the way either. Let me know if you do a follow up post for this with any other ideas.
[Reply]
jamiefishback Reply:
June 11th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
@Alicia,
Postcards work as reminders, and/or if something they can watch is coming out on TV, in theaters. There is definitely some luck involved, but I believe that a lot of it relies on determination and finding places that the CDs can see our faces.
[Reply]