Finding Actors....

Y

youngfilmmaker

Active member
I live in the Chicagoland area. And I am only 16, but I wnat to experience with good actors except friends to make it more believeable.
Because i am low budget I am looking for actors to work for free. How can i find actors? Is there a site? Do I post wanted signs?
 
Also check out colleges, universities, and community colleges in your area with drama departments -- even high schools. And don't overlook private schools either.

It also wouldn't hurt to contact some of the on-air talent at your local TV and radio stations. Many of them may know of local actors.

And don't completely write off amateurs. Most, if not all, of the cast of the movies 'Flywheel' and 'Facing the Giants' came from the producer's church.
 
If you use the ULB (ultra Low Budget) agreement by SAG you are only required to pay the SAG Talent. The Non-union talent is not their concern so unless you have your own arrangement with them, you do not have to pay them...you could conceivably do a film with only 1 SAG actor and that is all you would have to pay...much better that their earlier EXPERIMENTAL AGREEMENT.

GOOD LUCK,
STAN HARRINGTON
www.xristosproductions.com
www.igfdb.com
 
oh, i'm well aware of the requirements and what i can get away with. i just opt to pay the non-union talent anyway. even on a feature it's not going to be more than $2500 per actor -- practically nothing, more of a gesture really.
 
Zac, I think it's awesome that you pay the non-union talent...my answer was more to illustrate that the Union has come a long way to make things affordable for those that are really struggling financially. Being an actor above all, I think that you are a God-send to all the talent out there that struggles to find a paying job. I just wanted to clear that up....very, very commendable.

Best,
Stan Harrington
www.xristosproductions.com
www.igfdb.com
 
well, i truly wish i could do more but i'm usually working with a microbudget ($50,000 or less). still, i know it makes a big difference in the mind of a struggling actor when they know it's a "paying gig". and next go round, when the budget is bigger, i'll gladly give them what they deserve. the crew too.
 
I like the idea of compensating actors for their work. It's encouragement, motivation, and just the fact that they're officially being paid to act is enough to make them feel proffessional. Which helps keep the over all production proffesional. However, with an ultra low budget I'd say that pay is out of the question. Maybe for a low budget, but with an ULTRA low budget I think you've gotta find talent that's not interested in a few 100 bucks and will work for pizza, soda, and a credit.
 
SAG offered filmmakers a unique opportunity to pay only the unuion talent and I take it as a filmmaker...my 2 films were shot for 5,00 and 8,500 respectively and this ULB agreement really worked well. I find that people will gladly work gratis if they believe in the project and/or the filmmaker. I have had the SAG performers say quite often not to worry about it but that is not possible. On the other hand I appreciate someone like Zac who finds a way to take care of everyone...I don't know how he does it but as an actor as well, I find that amazing....all in all a very interesting discussion...The beauty of ULB is that you only have to have one SAG actior to qualify...If you can balance out the amount of union talent with non union, then you can keep the salaries down...when you consider that each $100 becomes $143 when you add health, pension tax etc etc then even a couple of actors that work 10 or so days can quickly eat up your entire budget...

food for thought,

Stan Harrington
www.xristosproductions.com
www.igfdb.com
 
thanks for all the kind words stan. filmmaking is what i'm here to do. so while my friends are saving money to buy cars and houses or to start families, i'm putting all that money into making low budget features. fortunately, my girlfriend is down for the cause. she's a freelance editor and generously pays all our expenses (rent, bills, food) while I go into extreme saving mode to build up the budget for the next one. in return, she gets a feature to cut for three to sixth months. and during that time, I take over paying for all our expenses.
 
I think you are losing site that he is 16 (not bashing, I'm only 20) , tell me how many of you were shooting at 16, and how many were using union actors.

I have had the best luck with craigslist. also, I assume your in highschool, I bet you can find people there too. Remember, they want to act just as much as you want to shoot.

If you want to get older actors, understand that you'll need to prove to them that you can create something worth while to them. Also, I don't know about in high school, I know in college, SAG will sometimes "donate" actors to student projects(school affiliated), the actors still get paid from SAG, and its a way for SAG to give back to the film education.

but in short, craigslist babbbyyyyyyy!
 
There are also websites like Nowcasting and Actorsaccess that post non-paid work. Chicago is a big town with lots of resourses available. Go find second city and steppenwolf, if your script is any good and you're nice you can get it cast
 
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