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| Topic: Students! | ||
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| Several months ago I travelled to Leeds to audition for a student short. It was a good script and I thought, after having met the director and some of the production people that I would take a chance on this albeit student production, as they unusually seemed to have their heads screwed on. Several days later the director phoned to offer me the part which I happily accepted. Due to the nature of the part I was instructed to grow as long a beard as possible in the time before shooting to aid with my look. Shooting was due to take place in mid/late December. I though that was great as there was little prospect of getting much work at that time of year and having a big beard was unlikely to detract from me getting work for the new year if I had to attend any auditions with my normal shaven appearance. However I was emailed about 10 days before shooting was due to start with the announcement that they were postponing the start date for seven weeks because they feared ‘flooding' prospects in the area. This may or may not have been true. I suspected that they had underestimated the size of the project and wanted more prep time. We all know that the average student shoot is woefully managed and anything to aid a better product can only be good for all – I thought. Over the Christmas break, more detailed emails arrived apologizing for the delays and reassuring all that this was going to be a professional shoot. I even got my personalized calls sheets and dietry requirements requests. Imagine my horror when I logged on to this site this morning to discover that the part I had been offered and accepted and received my call sheets for was being advertised again as: ‘The film has been fully cast and prepped, but due to unforeseen circumstances we are having to recast a lead character' I have received no correspondence from the production in question - I have already spoken to CCP staff and am forbidden from naming and shaming the guilty- and although I have repeatedly called them they are obviously not responding. Now, I am not so naïve as to think that recasting does not take place. Of course it does. I recall that Robert Zemeckis shot a whole MONTH of footage on Back to the Future with the first actor in the role of Marty before he got Michael J Fox in. But I would bet the first guy was at least informed! I have already been to several castings this year and at the end of last year with this blasted shaggy beard. Whether or not it has made any material difference to the outcome is obviously imponderable. To those individuals in Leeds, ***k them, ***k them is all I can say! If you become involved in this project, you have been warned. | ||
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| Reply #1 | |
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| Posted : 11/01/10 | |
| Adrian ... commiserations from all ... disgusting is the word that comes freely to mind ... email me with their name !!!. | |
| Reply #2 | |
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| Posted : 11/01/10 | |
| Contacting their course tutor would be more sensible. Usually in Leeds the students have been informed better than this! Tell the tutor of your concerns and they will sort it out so that it never happens again! | |
| Reply #3 | |
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| Posted : 11/01/10 | |
| Adrian, To be honest, Im not that surprised. Its got very little to do with industry professionalism and comes down to basic selfishness and inconsideration. I may ruffle feathers but young actors are JUST as bad in the way they dont commit to thngs, dont return phone calls, dont follow through, break contracts etc... its about bheing young and having no sense of understanding things from anothers point of view. Im sure you have already done this but i suggest you call up the UNI and lay a FORMAL complaint with the head of department, its the only thing to make these selfish children see sense. I too have been trying to negotioate something with a young graduate and they are proving themselves unrelaible. I know agents who have the same complaint about young actors etc... so Im not surprised its also with students. Dont give up hope tho.. there ARE some students out there who I have worked with on short films who are wonderful and organised. You have just been unlucky. Put it down to experience and become more hard assed when you do the next job... :) | |
| Reply #4 | |
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| Posted : 11/01/10 | |
| I'm sorry but that is disgusting! It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with a severe lack of professionalism and respect. I'm sorry you've experienced that mate, the fact that they are young/students and they are still "learning" is no excuse for their behaviour. As a young actor myself, work ethic along with common sense is surely something you develop long before your graduating year at university isn't it? Anyway, sorry to hear about this experience, but just think that everything happens for a reason. All the best! | |
| Reply #5 | |
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| Posted : 11/01/10 | |
| james, I believe you when you say you arent like that, but i do have to say that many older actors find the younger actor and student filmmakers at times to be very difficult in small things such as returning calls, being reliable, punctual and doing this as a business. For those of you student filmmakers reading this right now, if you cant even return a phone call to an actor about auditions, then you are being highly immature. I did a film recently for a UNI and one of the guys was such a total pleasure to work with from the UNI that we have become good friends, as he was so organised. Most of the others are NOT that way. Agents say the same thing, and ironically, drama schools teach a vocation but dont teach how to apporach this industry as a business. Agents will simply drop an actor who is under prepared for an audition, always late etc- there are loads of actors out there to represent... small things like updating your CV regularly on Spotlight are things I know for a fact agents bitch and moan about. Arts Ed is good in that they kick students out of school who are late three times... from what i know, few people are ever late... There have been COUNTLESS bitching posts on here about student films and while I accept the points, the fact is also you are choosing to deal with frustartion when doing them mostly. You ahve to almost cross your Ts and dot your Is even more and model professional behaviour to them because that is the only way to show them. The educational establishments in general aint doing it, so we have to just be as gracious as possible. If complaining to the head is the way to make them understand the importance of professional behaviour, you are actually acting in their best interests by preventing problems later on that could get them sacked from a production company... | |
| Reply #6 | |
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| Posted : 13/01/10 | |
| Having gone back to do an MA in Television Production & Direction at the NFTS (National Film & Television School) I can only echo some sentiments about the majority of student productions not holding up to professional scrutiny! There are a lot of crap media courses out there for wannabes.. The NFTS though is not one of them! I urge everyone to work only for Uni's / Film schools where the Equity student Minimum Agreement daily rate is being paid. It's equivalent to just above the NMW! Equity set this agreement up and the NFTS and Reputable film schools / Uni's pay it. They are funded as a Professional Body for this!! In general the students at these institutes are also more Professional and Dilligent because money and budgets are involved!! Sketches from my grad film are on http://www.youtube.com/user/GUYPRESS All cast members were paid properly and DVD's of final show given to all. | |
| Reply #7 | |
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| Posted : 13/01/10 | |
| Adrian I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you. Not surprised unfortunately, having dealt with students before, but it's still unacceptable! It's disgusting, completely unprofessional & extremely unkind. Where is common decency!?? I would definintely contact their tutor & the head of the department, as I once did. Not exactly the same situation but was being fobbed off when it came to getting final copy & they refused to pay even though I had them sign a contract to cover my back. Not only was the tutor disgusted & apologetic, especially since the students signed a contract which could have got them into A LOT of trouble. The students in question got repremanded (marks deducted), they also had to pay me more out of their own pocket in the end. I eventually got all my money, including travel expenses & the rushes as originally promised when I applied. Unless you stand up for yourself & notify their tutor, the college/school will be none the wiser to the way their students treat actors. So take a stand & get on that phone, make a formal complaint! You are totally within your rights not only to complain, but also to suggest that they should at least cover the costs of your travel after their disgusting behaviour. Keep us posted if you do decide to complain. And chin (and beard!) up! Something else will come along that WILL be worth it. ;) | |
| Reply #8 | |
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| Posted : 13/01/10 | |
| I thought that I should let you all know that in spite of several more attempts to get the director in question to speak to me, he has not. I did however recieve an email with a rather limp apology. I have spoken to his course tutor and detailed the incident. He was as discusted as we all are and has promised to ensure that he 'will be spoken to' I guess that is that. Now, anyone need a 6'4" actor, playing age 35-40 with a seven week growth of beard? :) | |
| Reply #9 | |
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| Posted : 13/01/10 | |
| I can't believe that (well i do), it's not as if your not on the end of a phone or end of an email, communication is SO easy now, there's no excuse. I'm sure your beard looks great, shame xmas is over??? | |
| Reply #10 | |
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| Posted : 13/01/10 | |
| its good saying that you recommend everyone only to work for students who pay the minimum wage Guy, i completely agree. but where do they advertise their castings? i don't think i have ever seen a paid student film, ever. Most of them don't even pay the expenses that they promised! Sorry about your experience Adrian, i only hope that you didn't miss out on any other work because of your dedication to this, it sounds like you didn't. horrid stuff, eh | |
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