I'm an actor based in Atlanta, GA, USA, and this past week has been... illuminating to say the least. What started out as a tweet from one local actor blew up across the whole southeastern market, and was picked up by Deadline.com (article linked below). The topic was about how veteran actors in the Southeast have little to no ability to negotiate for commensurate pay.
Even 10 years ago, this would be a tough argument, because the vast majority of actors living in the Southeast still didn't have a lot of credits (and thus only deserved to make SAG-AFTRA scale). Fast forward to today, though, and it's a different story. I, along with MANY other actors here, have amassed substantial credits in TV and film. Combine that with the fact that TONS of actors have moved to Atlanta from LA, NYC, Chicago, etc, over the last several years, and we are no longer a "local" market inasmuch as that title implies "lesser" talent.
The problem? A role released as "Guest Star" to LA agencies will get re-released as "Co-star" in the Southeast. Additionally, certain casting offices (like the one mentioned in the article) often times shut down negotiations before the breakdowns are even released.
It's a very complex issue, and the Deadline article touches on some of the nuances. Here in Atlanta, we're hoping that this starts a long-term conversation that will result in some measurable change...
https://deadline.com/2022/04/movie-tv-casting-controversy-feldstein-pari...
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Firstly, I'm surprised that the Casting Director has anything to do with actor's salary. I just assumed that it was Agent's jobs to negotiate with Producers directly after the actor got the gig. It would be good to know if this is industry-wide.
Secondly, it's the same old argument, isn't it? Art v Commerce. While many on the Producing side don't see anything wrong with paying their 'employees' as little as possible in order to make the entire project as profit-worthy as possible, actor's aren't interested in doing 'one line/one scene' roles for $1100 per day for long. Where's the Career development, the "art" ? If Producers want to see gradually, incremental growth in talent and skill from the actors in their filming areas, they should be ready to pay for it.
Finally: Don't get upset during online arguments. What you mean doesn't always translate directly to what people read. Actors know this!
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Steve James, the way it is supposed to work is that when Casting makes an offer, negotiations can open up between the Agent and Casting. Agents don't deal directly with the Producers. Casting has to get any bumps in rate or billing or trailer approved by producers, but it always gets handled by casting. That's how it's always worked in the Southeast US, and from what I understand in larger markets, too. This is for full-budget TV/Film. For lower budget indie productions, there can be exceptions, of course, to how the information flows...
Wow thank you for sharing Matthew Cornwell - I am about to be interviewed on inequality in Hollywood so might share this important update!
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Dr Samita Nandy please point them to the Deadline article that I linked. Thanks!