Terminology Tuesday: Submission Notes

Submission notes are a feature that AA/BD offers that allows both actors and reps to include a note to casting when submitting yourself to a project. ⁠ ⁠ Seems like a great opportunity to make your submission stand out or communicate with casting, right?⁠ ⁠ Maybe… 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵.⁠ ⁠ Sometimes an office may specifically ask you to notate a special skill or level of experience (i.e. military experience or dance). In that case, please do use the submission notes to …

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Terminology Tuesday: Cast-Contingent

Have you heard today’s #terminologytuesday before?⁠ ⁠ If you’re in casting, you’ve probably heard this term more times than you’d like.⁠ ⁠ Cast-contingent means that the green light by a studio or production company for a project is dependent on which actor(s) are attached. ⁠ ⁠ A cast-continent order can be made for a feature film (both studio and indie) or a pilot.⁠ ⁠ If a pilot is cast contingent, we’ll work our butts off to fulfill those 1-2 lead …

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Terminology Tuesday: Station 12

Double-tap if the first time you heard “Station 12,” you thought it was just another Neill Blomkamp post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. ⁠ ⁠ …only us?⁠ ⁠ 𝘒𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. ⁠ ⁠ Station 12 refers to the report that a casting office must fill out and obtain from SAG before an actor begins their work on set. ⁠ ⁠ When we “station 12” actors, it means we are checking to make sure you are a paid member of good standing with the union. ⁠ …

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Terminology Tuesday: Beat

Keep reading if you’re looking for some fresh beats…⁠ ⁠ #castingjokes⁠ ⁠ A beat is a moment in the script that propels the character’s story forward. ⁠ ⁠ Each scene may be comprised of several different beats. Some beats are subtle, while others are obvious.⁠ ⁠ There are hundreds of beats within the pages of a feature-length film. Every time the action of a character changes, a new acting beat begins. ⁠ ⁠ Your job: to never miss a beat. …

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Terminology Tuesday: Breakdown Services

To piggyback on yesterday’s Monday #mythdebunker, let’s dive a little deeper into all things Breakdown Services. ⁠ ⁠ Breakdown Services and Actor’s Access are part of the same company. ⁠ ⁠ Breakdown Services is what casting directors use to distribute film/TV breakdowns and how we receive actor submissions from agents and managers. Actor’s Access is what YOU (the actor) use to house your materials and/or self submit to projects. ⁠ ⁠ When we release breakdowns, we have the option to …

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Terminology Tuesday: ULB (Ultra Low Budget)

For the next few #terminologytuesdays we thought we’d do a SAG theatrical film agreement series. ⁠ ⁠ SAG-AFTRA low budget agreements were created with input from filmmakers and actors to make it even easier to hire professional performers in lower budgeted films. ⁠ ⁠ There are 4 main theatrical film contracts under SAG. They are:⁠ ⁠ 1️⃣ SAG Basic Theatrical Agreement⁠ 2️⃣ SAG Low Budget Agreement ⁠ 3️⃣ SAG Modified Low Budget Agreement (MLB)⁠ 4️⃣ SAG Ultra Low Budget Agreement …

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Terminology Tuesday: Dummy Sides

You may not realize it, but you could be auditioning with “dummy” sides. ⁠ ⁠ Dummy sides are sides that are 𝙣𝙤𝙩 part of the film script or episode. ⁠ ⁠ They could be sides from another previously aired film/TV show—they could be sides written by one of the writers specifically for the audition—they could even be sides from the show/film you are auditioning for, but extensively edited that you’d never know. ⁠ ⁠ 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠 𝕨𝕖 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕕𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕤?⁠ …

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Terminology Tuesday: Background

A background actor is someone who performs in a nonspeaking role, usually in the background. Background actors (BG) help make movies, TV shows, and other productions look and feel more authentic. ⁠ ⁠ Doing BG can give you a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes on a variety of productions. In some cases, you’ll be able to observe the actor/director dynamic and how an actor deals with blocking/marks during a scene. ⁠ ⁠ Many actors make the decision to …

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Terminology Tuesday: Taft Hartley

What exactly does “Taft Hartley” mean and how do you jump on the coveted bandwagon? Grab some popcorn, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳…⁠ ⁠ Once you book your first union job, the producer or CD will need to draft up Taft-Hartley report. You might have heard this referred to as “being Taft-Hartleyed.”⁠ ⁠ There are few ways to become SAG-eligible without being “Taft-Hartleyed.” One way is to do background work and receive (3) union vouchers. ⁠ ⁠ The other …

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Terminology Tuesday: Nudity Rider

A nudity rider, or “nudity clause”, is a contract between an actor and production that defines what will happen on set while filming nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scenes. It might also be called a nudity waiver, simulated sex act rider, simulated sex waiver, intimate scene rider, or proposed written consent.⁠ ⁠ Any actor filming a nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scene, or appearing nude or simulating a sex act on set (even if …

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