Finding A or B actors? Hunt them down on IMBD best method? Call agencies?

Clint Nitkiewiz Hernandez

Clint Nitkiewiz Hernandez

Well-known member
I never contacted an actor who goes through an agency before. I just post casting notices and they come to me. But in this case, I have a few actors in mind, but I feel somewhat intimidated contacting an actor who is somewhat famous, just because I know it is likely that that may say no to coming out in the film.

So say I want Jessica Alba, or other B actors for my film.

Should I shoot an agent an email or call, or what are some methods you guys use to get good talent A or B actors in your films.

Also, do you think they would go for a rate of $100 a day? I wish to pay only meal copy credit, didn't Bruce Willis work for that in Sin City or something?

Do I email the talent agencies my whole script, tell them what actor of theirs I want to use, the rate, shooting dates? And just hope for the best? Within 2 weeks they'll get back.

Also, I don't want to do any SAG deals with them. I want them to work this independent non union film, and even though they'll risk getting penalized.

This is obviously a lot for a talent agent to take in right, and their immediate response should be no right? But, what may make them say yes?
 
Clint,

Have an ace in the hole. What's your value proposition why they should basically work for free and risk SAG penalties? So, follow the smart money. Make your "El Mariachi" south of the border (remember, he had 30 movies under his belt at that time). Then after you've won lots of international awards and proven you can do anything with nothing, go knocking on some doors to do "Desparado" - you'll have earned it and pickup the likes of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Steve Busemi, Cheeck Marin, Danny Trejo.

Good luck, Michael
 
Guess your right, I shouldn't try to get it all on the first film huh, but if I can, hey why not, but if impossible, hey at least I tried and found out it is impossible, going your max on each film each time is the only way to grow, well thats my method I suppose. Asking never hurts, even if its asking the big shots to help out a little shot like me, just wondering if it's doable, well, to the actors Im sure their okay with it, but getting to them, and bypassing their more "linear thinking" agents who are used to doing things a certain way in the industry is a tough one I'm trying to solve, hence this forum. But I guess your right, just do good work, and hopefully my dream stars will see my film, and contact me, not the other way around.
 
I suggest getting your crew together first, and then get the cast so that way you don't have to cancel the shoot.

by the way, it's very very very very very very very hard to get one of those A or B list actors to work for free..... ESPECIALLY when contacting them through their agent since their agent wants to make money.

Make a few shorts (if you haven't already) with no name guys willing to work for nothing. Get a few crew members who do the same and see what you can make. If it's something worthy of cannes, sundance, toronto, tribeca, etc then you might have a slightly easier time with it.
 
!!!!!!!!!!!
yahoo_ooooh.gif
yahoo_ooooh.gif
yahoo_ooooh.gif


To answer the question:

Your casting director can contact their agents....

or.... IMDBPro lists actor's agencies and then you can call them yourself.

It will do no good to go to the agent with a copy/credit/meal deal because an agent makes their living off the deals they get for the actors and 20% of 2 slices of Lil John's pizza isnt going to motivate them to pass the script on to their actor.

With all due respect, Clint, you are talking "2000+ screens" and "A list actors" "working for free".

Slow down.
 
Yeah

Yeah

Ha, thanks. Yeah thats why when I heard Bruce Willis and other good actors will work on films for free if they believe in them, well, Im sure you have to go directly to Bruce or whatnot, and yeah I assumed that the agents will toss any pizza deals right into the trash. Ha. Well, I guess this film will get attention and maybe those stars I like will watch my movie, like it, and consider working with me.

GageFX said:
!!!!!!!!!!!
yahoo_ooooh.gif
yahoo_ooooh.gif
yahoo_ooooh.gif


To answer the question:

Your casting director can contact their agents....

or.... IMDBPro lists actor's agencies and then you can call them yourself.

It will do no good to go to the agent with a copy/credit/meal deal because an agent makes their living off the deals they get for the actors and 20% of 2 slices of Lil John's pizza isnt going to motivate them to pass the script on to their actor.

With all due respect, Clint, you are talking "2000+ screens" and "A list actors" "working for free".

Slow down.
Click to expand...
 
Hey, maybe the agent want's 20% of a pizza. Ever thing of that?

But in all seriousness, if you want to get Alisters involved, you need a solid script and a good deal of money. Credit works on craigslist. But in the real world? Not at all.
 
Big actors do gigs for nothing or free for big director buddies. It's extremely rare to have a name actor do this, and even then, they aren't going to tangle with SAG and ruin their career over your movie.

You need to take a breath, amigo.

I am probably the most can do person you will ever meet, but I promise you you will not get A or B listers for free, and get a theatrical release. I promise.

Go read my blog in the user films section under Corrado.
 
Things do happen sometimes. Look at the movie 'November'. Shot on DVX100a, very little in-theater life -- and yet, they got Courteney Cox for the lead. It can happen, it's just rare. Really, really rare.
 
get a master card, visa, amex. discovery, dinners club, any card you can think of, take out loans on them, pawn other things you have, tv, dvd played, computer, dvds, take out loans else where get 20 or 30 grand, and get your actor, ONLY DO THIS if you have faith in the script, yourself, your crew and other actors. IF
 
get a master card, visa, amex. discovery, dinners club, any card you can think of, take out loans on them, pawn other things you have, tv, dvd played, computer, dvds, take out loans else where get 20 or 30 grand, and get your actor, ONLY DO THIS if you have faith in the script, yourself, your crew and other actors. IF AND ONLY IF you know it will make money back, Go for it, go deep into debt for your film. and good luck.

Jason Miller
 
Lol

Lol

Wow, and I thought I was going to have an uphill battle trying to find a B-lister or even C-lister for $20,000 for 6 days of work. At least I'm somewhat realistic ;)

If Bruce Willis is your uncle, you might be able to get him to do you a favor. Maybe. I don't know how nice he is. haha. But otherwise, I mean, really, you can't pay these people $100, that's a slap in the face.

That's like when someone says to me they want me to do something and they'll give me $50 for the day. Honestly, if they asked me to do it as a favor and told me why it's going to be so much fun, but there's no pay, I'm SO much more likely to say yes. I still probably won't do it, but at least I could be convinced. But if you offer me $50 you are insulting me. I could wipe my butt with $50 bills and not lose any sleep, so to offer me that kind of "money" is like saying, "You suck, you're only worth $50, take it while you can." haha. Ouch.
 
Jason Miller said:
get a master card, visa, amex. discovery, dinners club, any card you can think of, take out loans on them, pawn other things you have, tv, dvd played, computer, dvds, take out loans else where get 20 or 30 grand, and get your actor, ONLY DO THIS if you have faith in the script, yourself, your crew and other actors. IF
Click to expand...

Better option......find investors. Form an LLC. Convince the investors to have faith in you, your script, your crew, etc. Then use their money to make your movie. Otherwise, this may be the only movie you ever make. If you put yourself in the poorhouse, you may never get out.
 
I'm being facetious, I want $50 just like the next guy, that's like 3 Blu-ray movies if they're on sale, which on Amazon happens about every week ;)

But the point is sometimes bringing money into play isn't so cool, you have to know the person, and I'm not super rich like Bruce Willis, but I'm not struggling to pay my bills by any means either, so I can't be bought off for something I don't want to do unless it's a very high dollar amount. Like if I hate work, I want $1,000/day, nothing less. I'll do it if I like it for free, though, if I really want to do it and it will help me in some way. Totally. Like if someone had this amazing short film script and said they are trying to make it, would be happy to have me produce, but they can't afford to pay anything and they would like to borrow my equipment for a few days for the shoot. If I could find some way to make the situation worthwhile for me, I'd totally do it. But if they offered me $300, I'd be like excuse me? My camera rents for $300/day... lol.

I think celebrities are the same way. Say you did your $10 million movie this year, great, and now this amazing screenplay comes to you, but the pay is pathetic by your standards, it's like $50,000 for a month, but the director is up-and-coming, his first indie feature was a hit, and this one might be a great Oscar vehicle or be a fun turn for you, you do it anyway even though the pay is terrible by your standards. You could easily make more money doing anything else, but nothing else is as good as this script is. So that's the reason for you to do it.

The same goes with anyone. You have to appeal to what someone wants. Like if someone wants to use my camera for a day, and they don't have money, what do they have that I want? Maybe they can offer to grip for a day on one of my shoots, or they are a good shooter and they volunteer a day's service for a day's rental for the camera. That's an example of us both benefitting. The first thing you should learn in this industry is not trying to get what YOU want from other people, but how to give other people what THEY want! That will make you someone everyone wants to get to know.

Imagine if I called a corporation up, "Hey, yeah, I do corporate video work and I really need to make some money and it seems like you guys have some money, and so if you give me some money I'll do some videos." That isn't very effective. But if I talk to a decision-maker and say, "I believe if your Website had some professional videos selling your amazing product, you would have a much higher conversion rate on your Web traffic and I would really like to know how I could go about helping you accomplish this!" Now I'm offering them something, I want to help them, and my help is going to make them money. They understand, of course, that I'm going to have to be paid for my time and services and that my work comes with a fee, but the first thing I've said is how I can help them, not how they can help me, haha.
 
Last edited:
Bruce did sin city with a huge back end, and he was friends with the director, he also did four rooms for free.

Robin Williams did Good Will hunting for low end "film actors guild" because he was amazed by the script. sometimes it happenes, but you'd have an easier time getting funding, then get the actor, then use the actor to get more funding.

Jason
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Things do happen sometimes. Look at the movie 'November'. Shot on DVX100a, very little in-theater life -- and yet, they got Courteney Cox for the lead. It can happen, it's just rare. Really, really rare.
Click to expand...

they also paid her. 150K i believe. waaaaaaaay below what she's made doing other work. but also waaaaaaay not free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top