Unprofessional, unsettling and downright odd activities

I definitely think it would be beneficial if we could see their past projects and features, because sometimes, despite 'Googling' and the like, it's impossible to learn anything about a film company if all you are given is a name and they are relatively new etc. I like to try and find out a bit about who I am applying to work with before I submit my application...just as employers learn about us through our profiles before deciding whether they want to see us. Hope your unsavoury auditions were not too horrific!

• 17 years ago
• 1

Dear Helena

I am so glad you have raised this issue and I had much the same thoughts about "any body being able to set themselves up as an employer and posting a random fake casting call."

What we can do about this as individuals I am sure you do already ('Googling' and all that).

However as many of us on CCP are Equity members I would suggest that we go to our local Equity branch meetings raise this issue and affect change through our trade union as active union members.

As individuals we can discus the issues that concern us until hell freezes over but nothing will change. Through Equity we already have a collective body which we should use to affect change.

To find info on your nearest Equity General Branch visit http://www.equity.org.uk/start_contact.htm

Cheers
TRACEY

• 17 years ago
• 2

I totally agree. It's very unfair as it stands at the moment. When you apply for a regular job you research the company and it's credentials as much as possible and vice versa. So why the caginess with production companies. It doesn't make sense.
I'd like to see a feature here on CCP that insists empoyers have a profile or at least a link.
Lx

• 17 years ago
• 3

In a nutshell you will never really know who is legit or not. Because there are virtual office services where you can pay for an address in Mayfair for as little as £50 a month, have a free 0845 number redirected to your home phone and even have a receptionsist answer in 'your company' name for as little as £10 a month. For another £50 you can get your company name optimised in internet searches with the information that you want people to know. Impressive business cards, media packs cost as little as £250 for a couple of thousands. Domain names like .co.uk ones can be as little as £3.99 per year and for another $10 a month you can get a very professional looking website template which you can update by simply typing and clicking submit. I am a freelance casting agent and by the way i do not have a website and i work from home and my official number is still my mobile. I have a casting coming up with a client doing a pilot for a tv show and we will be hiring out a venue. That is my first client and i was recruited because the producer used to be my lecturer about 10 years ago and he supports me venturing out on my own. But whilst this is my first project, i am equally keen to see that it goes well because if it does not my career is effectively over as i would have lost a great contact as well.


There is a production, casting diary printed every year available from retailers. Make it a point to only work with the companies listed there if you are wary of new people.

New companies will spring up everyday but it does not mean that they intend to defraud every actor in sight. That is not to say that there are some who wont prey on the vulnerability and over-excitement some amatuer actors exhibit in the bid to be famous. Actors can similarly create a profile on this site and lie about their credentials and name films that do not exist and credit it to being a 'student or unpaid' project somewhere. Maybe a better approach is to find a way of facilitating beeter commnication and understanding between younger production companies and new actors who are actively hunting for jobs because no one really knows who they are enough to bug their agent to book them. These are two groups who need each other. If they don't then it is simple do now work with a company because they are new.

Because for everytime Equity goes on the attack on indie companies based on feedback from actors you can be extremely sure that most smaller production companies will also launch a list of dodgy actors.

What is the answer to the problem i do not know but bear in mind that all that glitters is not always gold. The Flying Scotsman was made after three attempts and the first time collapsed on the eve of the production despite having all the right ticks and crosses on the normal checklist. Some producers/directors working on their first projects do tend to approach it with an extreme amount of energy because their careers also depend on it and in most cases have more to lose. So unless you are meeting really dodgy people with no interest in film at all..............

• 17 years ago
• 4

Thank you everyone for responding so far...

I guess it's a deep subject, but I didn't really want to get into disrespecting anyone whether it be new actors, directors, film makers etc just want some ideas of how to make internet sites a little safer.

For example, perhaps ccp could inform employers that no auditions are to be held at private addresses...if word gets back that this is not the case then they will not be allowed to post again. It's such a small thing, but it makes a difference (as Icuk has obviously noticed by the fact they are hiring a venue - thank you!) We feel safer to go to a managed building (spaces are so cheap these days) and we know that the team we are meeting are concerned enough to want to provide us with a reasonable auditioning environment.

That's just one of the sort of things I was thinking of...

• 17 years ago
• 5

Icauk - sorry ; )

• 17 years ago
• 6

Completely agree Helena, it does make you think its a bit one sided sometimes after all we are trying to sell oursleves as much as they are, after all this is a business. It wouldn't put me off if a production was someones first it would sometimes be nice to be offered or have information on the company more readily available.
Would this not benefit the production & direction side of the business also?

• 17 years ago
• 7

Good on you Helena for bringing this thorny subject up.

Another casting site has a section where actors rate the production companies they have worked for so that if they cast again you can readily view any comments on them (good or bad), their professionalism, the overall standard of their work ethic and generally how they treat the actors. It's a useful tool to have but obviously only works when the actors take the time to complete the feedback form when they add a credit to their on-line CV. When you view the casting it alerts you to the rating so you can view it easily.

Would be good to have something similar on here although I have no idea how difficult it would be to set up.

• 17 years ago
• 8

I would not think it is a wise idea to go to someone's house for a casting. That is actually unsafe and no one should ask you to go to their house for a casting. There are quite a handful of unions for us producers that rent space cheaply or even allow you to use it for free so unless they do not know what they are doing, they really should not ask you to audition in their living room. I have worked on a reality show with C4 and the only reasons auditions took place in living rooms was because we went to the houses of the contestants and interviewed them there for a reality program. You can rate production companies publicly but as Ashley pointed out if you rate expect to be rated back ......

• 17 years ago
• 9

Sasha,

Not sure that approach will work because if producers decide to host a website where actors are rated based on conduct a significant no of people within your industry would be jobless for life:) Remember that most productions big or small do encounter problems and if you are around on the day that the problem occurs and the company is too small or strapped for cash to offer an equally comfortable alternative your rating might not reflect the fact that their intention was honorable but is more likely to focus on the downside. In most cases bad experiences make them better equipped for the next production and the last thing they would need are actors showing up with pre-conceptions because Sasha rated them on a bad day. Just a thought because certain practices could come back to hunt you as actors and not in a good way because you still need the production companies to exist and set up projects for you to stay in business. I would say urge your unions to foster better communication or links between the two groups or a way of verifying each other because the misrepresentation does occur both ways. Because you all need each other and in these days of 'wannabe overload' actors more so.

• 17 years ago
• 10

The problem is that many casting bulletines, including CCP, ( sorry guys, I am just being honest) do seem to allow any basic auditions at any old place and us actors have to sometimes trek miles to a place out in the middle of the world, raking up a £15 transport fare, and the casting companies dont even seem to care...can something be done about this?

Correct me if i am wromg, but actors seem to always have the last say on this and we ARE treated as the bottom of the food chain becaseu there are so many of us in the industry. I agree that there should be a form of screening for casting directors and new companies on CCP which empowers us more to decide who is good and not good. They should also have to list theitr credits and location, which should be simply stated on the audition brief..ie. need to travel to eg... Mottingham or Woking etc

• 17 years ago
• 11

I am not sure how the companies will be screened because there is a supposed vetting process for actors but we have had a few actors who actually lied on their cv's on this site and listed non-existent productions because they did not realise that they would be quizzed about it during the audition. I have had to turn people down at my last job because i realised that they were travelling from Glasgow to London for a one-liner role, I thought i was doing them a favour because i knew it was not worth it but they thought i was wrong, one of them insisted on coming down and his line did not even make it into the film and he was annoyed but i could not feel sorry for him when i heard because his anxiety beat logic. I do think that actors do need to draw the line for themselves and know when not to show. For us creative freelancers it is the same. We also need to weigh the projects we work on and figure out which known company to hustle to get work with or which new ones to do 'in case it blows' or which ones to walk away from. Yes actors do come last in the chain but that is because there is no unity amongst you. Whilst some are complaining, the desperate few will say 'take me, take me.' Same with creative professionals whislt some push for minimum payment, graduates offer their services for free just to get in. It is a hustle regardless.If i had the answer i will be a millionaire and not even have time to view this board, I am sure Hugh Grant is not a CCP registered actor.

• 17 years ago
• 12

When I am at the dizzy heights of a Hugh Grant success (note 'when') I will insist on a wireless enabled laptop in me winnebago and come onto the CCP forum during my breaks.

H x

That's a promise ;-)

• 17 years ago
• 13

Hi Helena, Hope your well, I totally understand what you are saying..You have raised a very good issue ..I would say trust your instincts first and foremost..google search/ check out the companies website..(not had time to check the earlier threads)..inform Equity..see if they can do something about this/ make changes. x

• 17 years ago
• 14

lcauk - I think you have misunderstood my posting! I was just pointing out that such a service did exist on another site as the issue had been raised.To be honest every rating I have viewed on there has been positive and to suggest that anyone would make a posting based on "having a bad day" would be totally unprofessional on the actor's part.I think as actors we are quite able to differentiate between "having a bad day but trying really hard" and "just couldn't give a damn" attitudes.We are not idiots nor are we vindictive! We can't survive without projects to work on and production companies can't survive without actors! We are hardly likely to bite the hand that feeds us - on either side!!
Hope that makes it clearer!

• 17 years ago
• 15

well said Sash :)

• 17 years ago
• 16

Think the reference to Hugh Grant was slightly unfair....

There is plenty of talent and dedication on this site,remember luck has a huge part to play in who works and who doesn't.

Just because an actor subscribes to CCP doesn't make them "bargain basement". We are all trying to carve careers in this tough business. Nigel Hawthorne was a job in actor for years before his big break in "Yes Minister".

Many Nigel Hawthornes of the future may start out here.

We should really stop bickering with each other. There is a distinct difference between lack of experience and lack of professionaism. That includes actors and film makers. Neither side should tolerate a poor attitude.

I think the problem is actors have had dreadful experineces and film makers have encountered bad actors. The good news is there are plenty of GOOD people out there if you look.

• 17 years ago
• 17

Also I am pretty sure the blokey who used to play Barry on Eastenders is on here....

RAAAAGHRRRGHRRGHRRRRRRRRR

• 17 years ago
• 18

hehe Yes Helen he is.

I do agree with the "nigel hawthorne" post. tis true, just because we aren't famous doesn't mean that we are any less talented, I am sure there are plenty of people on here who are damn finer actors than some of the rubbish I think we have all seen on television every night of the week.

We are all waiting for our break into which ever field we want to be part of, I for one won;t be completely happy until I see my name on a billboard on a theatre on Shaftesbury avenue! Then my dream will have come true

We just have to keep working hard and then hope for lady luck to be on our side!

If after all the talent on this or any other site was so terrible why would the production companies and directors bother to use it?

• 17 years ago
• 19

I know it's starting to get a little off-topic, but getting back on for a moment...I think that there have been some excellent points made on this, especially those regarding how easy it is to set up a seemingly 'legitimate' company to support a dubious operation.

The scariest thing is that all but one previous poster with an actor profile is female. While we're supposed to be living in an equable society it seems that, again, our profession is an easy target for the unscrupulous. Of course, male or female, we're all well aware of some of the a***holes this industry can attract. There's always someone waiting to do you, screw you or rip you off. And that's when you've GOT the job.

But, I think we're getting onto the issues of peace of mind, trust and, above all, safety. How safe are any of us? As I write this, I realise that what I am writing are just musings. I hoped an answer would appear, but it hasn't.

However, a few suggestions that may not go amiss are:

1. If googling fails, ask your agent, a specific Equity Area Organiser and/or other actors about the company. Or call them yourself to double check (maybe use a false id and a false premise)

2. Take, or say, someone is with you (ask if it's ok for them to park just outside, etc).

3. Carry a rape alarm (work it into your audition piece as an excuse for keeping it in your hand, if necessary)

As I wrote above, I don't know. I asked a few years ago for an Equity blacklist to be started, but for a number of reasons, mostly legal, I was told that this was not possible. The Equity Journal does list companies that are/ have been suspect, but only in their business practices. As usual money comes before people.

Maybe if some of us got together and looked at the feasibility of creating an anonymous blog site that we could upload to?

As I said, I don't know, but I hope this has been some food for thought.

• 17 years ago
• 20