Ah, the wonderful world of deferred, non paying etc. for your work, gotta love this catch 22 you get put in as soon as you enter the world of being an artist. Not all deferred, non paying gigs are equal however and you must navigate these treacherous waters to fulfill what you need/want for your soul as well as business purposes. The media world has changed and some for the good, you now as an artist can go and shoot your own scene, make a clip and put together a reel if need be without the waiting on other people - which is brilliant...make use of this please, just make sure the lighting and sound quality are up to par, sooooooooo important. You don't need professionals but someone who understands these technicalities is invaluable, someone in your acting class does this...ASK, treat them to a home cooked meal and gas money etc, but get them on your set!
See, when you first start out in this wacky business you have no credits and no one wants to hire someone with no credits/experience. So here you are and there the business lies of "FREE" or "I'll pay you Tuesday for your work today" kinda deal and the problem is someone out there is willing to do it, all the time so this is perpetuated over and over and over again - it's where you draw the line that matters. Decide now on how you want your work to work for you, nothing wrong with doing student films, the problem lies in the aftermath. Usually there is no pay, then on top of that, it's difficult to get your work after. Should you not do these...NO - but you should proceed with caution. Out of the many student films I had to do in the beginning of my career, I may have received copies of 2 - 3 at most so choose carefully. Go for the graduate, thesis program...they have to get it done in order to graduate, so you'll most likely receive a copy and that is the best bet as far as student projects go. Now, if it's a classmate's project, by all means do it...not only are you supporting another artist in your class but you may need the same in return, so go be an extra, carry a light but learn on your classmate's work on what you may need, get those connections and use them for your benefit. Helping someone with an exciting project in your class will only help your cause so don't be nonchalant about these. They definitely don't want to hear you whine about the tape so it'll be sent to you as soon as the editing is done and posted because they too know how that feels. Now on to the new hybrid of deferred...what's great about this is that with new media, you can become SAG through having a speaking role in one of these babies so if you're one not to do much extra work to try and go through the process of batting your lashes/beating your chest for a voucher, this route should be awesome for you. You don't get paid unless the show/movie etc gets picked up but hopefully they'll give you gas money and lots of food for your time but the problem is the quality of these projects, most of them you can shoot for yourself so make sure when you decide to do these that there is a reason. It's a role you've always wanted to play, something different for you to do, shot on a nice camera etc. so see who's attached, what they've done - go look at other works of those involved. It may very well surprise you who is doing what to get new work out there.
I don't usually do non paying because I've been through the ringer and I've built my tape but every now and then a role catches my eye. So I do my research and if it is festival bound or has good names attached then I submit because if I'm going to waste my gas, time, art and maybe even wardrobe to better the film then I must get something out of it. Plus, most of these do/will pay something now so even if it's $50 but a magnificent role, not only are you getting your SAG medical days in, you're getting a new credit on your resume, you're making new connections and you'll most likely get the copy for your reel. I ended up getting paid with 3 Trina Turk dresses on a set before, worth the shoot because not only was it fun but I got bonus clothes to use as well...it was nice to know that even though they couldn't pay me at that moment, that they compensated me in some form to say thank you for your time and work!
This industry has reworked itself as movie stars are now coming in and doing television, so the use to be guest stars/recurrings are now doing bigger co-stars/co-star work, so where does that leave you to build your resume and get your credits because you're competing against someone who's been on shows before, worked months, seasons etc. Don't feel daunted by all of this, just know what you must do and be smart on how you do it so that you can compete with the new nuances of this business, make your work...work!
Decided to do this past audition because not only did the people involve have a nice resume themselves, but their past projects made festivals, they write a lot and are working in this industry so why not get involved with other creative beings because if we're going to share our art, why not with the very people who understand and appreciate it - other artists (there are always exceptions to the rule)!So don't devalue your work, you as an artist deserve compensation for your art so figure out what that compensation is for you and then get it done. Eventually, you'll move on, be able to get bigger and different things but make sure what you're doing now will help you get there.
Don't forget to eat and eat well, your body, mind and work is depending on it!
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