Showcase Colleges Matter??

<p>Fish, I guess we are way-way-way off topic to the original poster’s inquiry about the value of college showcases. Still, this topic is valid in that it is a historic president. To people who may not know or understand, AFTRA and SAG are about to merge. Possibly. Maybe even probably. This is huge. Still, for those young actors who have no professional credits as yet, it might be premature to consider joining AFTRA now so that you can be grandfathered into the new SAG-AFTRA. It would eliminate your ability to work non-union. I would strongly suggest you research the matter in depth.</p>

<p>With that said, my AFTRA voice over actor son has voted yes.</p>

<p>Yeah. We are way off from the initial inquiry but this is kind of important for upperclass students and their parents who might be reading. May as well lead those horses to water and let them decide if they want to drink …</p>

<p>Just to be clear, what I said is meant for those with screen acting ambitions and I’d think it would be more important for those coming to LA than New York although it could be quite a boost going there, too. Ignore all this if you’re mainly planning for theatre with just a “maybe” towards on-camera work. If you don’t, however, do be prepared with a good answer as to why you didn’t if you get agent meetings. </p>

<p>Also remember that there are places you can go to shoot scenes for a starter reel that actually do pretty decent work and it is considered developing your marketing materials and not working off-card. Nobody’s gonna bust your chops for shooting your own stuff as long as you file the proper paperwork, either. Another thing to remember is that it’s often very difficult to actually get the student filmmakers to give you copies of the film so you can get clips. They promise, but don’t always come through and it can take months to get it if you get it at all even if you get them to put it in writing. Are you really willing to spend the money to take them to small claims court if they don’t? </p>

<p>I will post [one</a> more pro-join opinion from Bonnie Gillespie.](<a href=“http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/2012_02_13.html]one”>http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/2012_02_13.html) She’s really kind of a low level casting director, but is also the author of one of the better books on entry level business considerations for screen actors entitled Self Management for Actors.</p>

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<p>Ok, ignorant question: What qualifications do you need (besides a checkbook!) to sign up for AFTRA?</p>

<p>^ The only qualification you need to join AFTRA is $1600 or that much available space on your credit card. But that’s 'til the end of the month if the merger goes through. After that, it will be $3000 plus the other barriers to joining SAG which the new union will at first adopt. </p>

<p>And you’re right. I wouldn’t mess with it if I were planning to stay in a smaller market like Philly, Atlanta, etc. and am not really even sure whether it would be a good idea in the Chicago market.</p>

<p>Hmm… So you need to join AFTRA before SAG? What’s the difference between them :P</p>

<p>If your a high school student and not really expecting professional work for a while does it still make sense to join now?</p>

<p>“The only qualification you need to join AFTRA is $1600 or that much available space on your credit card.”</p>

<p>And that is known by all. Yes, you can buy your way into a union but it doesn’t mean your skill level is union and it eliminates the opportunity to build your skill, experience, and reel to get you to the union competitive level.</p>

<p>Bonnies article that you quote says just that - if you expect to join the unions in the next year or two. There’s no way to know that if you’re just starting out and you may be doing yourself a large disservice coming out of college and not being able to act in non-union work. If you’ve been out of college and working for a while and think you’ll break into the unions in the next year then yes, join now, not if you’re graduating this year or next and have little idea as to what will happen with you career wise.</p>

<p>I am a fan of both Bonnie and SAM but they focus much more on LA than NY which is different. Also, all acting unions have an agreement which right now my old brain can’t remember what it’s called (5 something?) so if your in AFTRA, SAG, or Equity or two others, you cannot do non-union work in tv, film, theatre, anything. Yes, non-union work in tv and film is generally hardly worth it but it’s a starting point. Non-union theatre can be very worthwhile and professional. There are just too many factors to make the blanket statement you’ve made.</p>

<p>It is good food for thought however given the impending potential merger.</p>

<p>This is a timely discussion. My daughter has been SAG-Eligible (or I think it is called Must-Join) for years but has avoided the union because joining would prevent her from doing work (at least I think it would) in non-paying productions and stuff like the local Fringe Festival. Since she is still a student and about to head to college, where she will not have time for professional work, this seemed like a good idea… but do you advise otherwise? Sounds like we need to give this some thought. </p>

<p>Another reason for not joining was the cost. Are you saying AFTRA is $1600/year and includes the cost of joining SAG, which is $3000? Is this just the initiation fee, or are those yearly dues? I realize that being nonunion (even though she gets SAG mail and statements regularly) has been a barrier to her in some auditions, but we have always gone by the conventional wisdom (that we were told) of not joining until it was absolutely required. Thanks for all your advice, everyone.</p>

<p>Amtc, yes, what you write is what has prevented her from considering joining. She is still interested in doing nonunion work and would have lost various experiential opportunities that are good for the resume if she had joined. Hmmm-- what to do?</p>

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You have to assume that graduates of BFA programs are going to have the skills. Especially the ones with the well attended showcases. Maybe less so with primarily academic BAs. As I said earlier, however, most do still need to supplement their training with audition technique classes or coaching and there are a lot of ways to get a starter reel going without needing to resort to non-union student films and the broiler plate non-union horror features that nobody takes seriously. Just about everything else worthwhile operates under SAG ULB or the New Media Agreement.</p>

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No. Hopefully, we can get SAG’s archaic entry rules changed by the time you graduate from college. If the merger passes, the new union will allow for changes via petition and there will be some floating around to make it easier for those who’ve taken the time to get college and conservatory training to get in and go to work on real jobs straight out. They apparently discussed this in the merger meetings, but put it on backburner for the time being.</p>

<p>Glass,
Your D will retain her eligibiliy, so there’s no need to join yet. She’s in an enviable position in that she will be able to join at any time after graduation although - yes - it will be a $3000 initiation fee for the new union if the merger passes and it could go up. The $1400 savings probably won’t be enough to be cost effective compared to what she could do as a student over the next four years. And there’s also (hopefully) what I said in the above response …</p>

<p>fishbowl - you know what they say when you assume?</p>

<p>^ Yes, I know exactly what that means. But I also know people who did go straight to work on AFTRA jobs straight out. Three people out of my class who were non-union at graduation booked guest stars on “The Good Wife” and/or “Blue Bloods” which are New York based AFTRA shows the first year out. Only one got a Taft Hartley for a SAG project. It would be a pretty sorry BFA that didn’t provide the acting skills necessary to be able to handle one of those …</p>

<p>Fish-
Would you recommend a kid who will be a freshman at NYU/Tisch next year join? Or is it too early? (Ugh, I thought I was done with this stuff for awhile!)
And thanks in advance for all your advice.</p>

<p>^ Naw. Too early. Same as what I told actor12 …</p>

<p>Fish and others, thank you for your advice. THis was an informative discussion.</p>