Actor Reel
- Thread starter filmman21
- Start date
How much are you paying the actors and how much would it really cost you to edit some stuff for them?
If it's too much time/trouble, how much would you need to charge them to make it worth your wile?
If it were me, and it were too much trouble to edit it together, I would just give them a full copy of the movie and let them do it. Unless they are just in one scene, or it's a short film.
If it's too much time/trouble, how much would you need to charge them to make it worth your wile?
If it were me, and it were too much trouble to edit it together, I would just give them a full copy of the movie and let them do it. Unless they are just in one scene, or it's a short film.
I'm not 100% but I think standard practice is to give them a copy of the film and then let them compile their own reels with other footage from films they've been in.
Obviously if they've worked for free and are asking as a favour for you to cut them a reel then it would be a nice thing to do but I think it's up to you to decide rather than it being an obligation.
Obviously if they've worked for free and are asking as a favour for you to cut them a reel then it would be a nice thing to do but I think it's up to you to decide rather than it being an obligation.
They donated their time and talent as actors to you in part to
get experience. It seems you could donate your time and talent
as an editor to them in part to get experience. Just my opinion.
Good point rik, so I should spend my time, when I should be editing the feature, editing their reels, for free? One of me, 30+ of them.
Its like if we were friends and I asked you to help me move into my new apartment and then the next day you asked me if I could help you cut down a tree and I said "Sure, if you pay me". I think charging them to do a reel at this point is tacky and is a surefire way to make people thing you're arrogant and "entitled". You definitely owe them a copy of the film so they can cut their own reels. And to say that the experience is their payment is a joke, because they helped make your idea into a reality for free...no money.
Do I think you should go through and cut people's scenes for them? I don't think that is necessary...but definitely not that difficult. PS: You would edit the film first...not the reels. That wouldn't make any sense. Once the film is edited...give them a copy..if then you are feeling overly generous...you can do separate cuts...with just their scenes but again I don't think that is necessary. If you don't want to do that...(i probably wouldn't) just let them know that if you did it for one person you would feel obligated to do it for everyone and it would be a ton of work...but you would be glad to give them a copy of the film. They'll understand.
Yes.
30 people showed they support you. They worked for free, they
took some of their own free time (maybe even taking a day or
two off work) to help you make your movie happen. One of the
reasons was for the experience. Another reason was for their
reel. You couldn't afford to pay them for their time and talent
and they understood that.
It seems to me that taking some of your own limited free time
(and maybe some from editing the feature) to "pay" them would
be the right thing to do. There are many sacrifices that we
filmmakers must endure. In my opinion taking the time to get some
footage to the actors is one of these.
One of the things I've done in the past is a nice compromise between the two stances... Once I'm done editing the feature, I've pulled together just the scenes that particular actor was in for them... took almost no time and wasn't necessarily a Reel I'd edited for them, just a DVD with their footage... already edited into the scene - I'd already done the work, this was just gathering the parts and slapping them on a DVD - even just as higher quality AVI/MOV files would enable them to take them to editors to turn into a proper reel.
Yes, it's wrong. Give them the DVD of the production, and let them do it themselves.
Now, if you want to cut them a full reel (with other media) then charge them. But just for scenes from your production...lol...no way.
double
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Excellent points, knightly and M1chae1.
I do not do a fully edited "reel" for my actors - with titles and music. I gather
scenes they ask for and give them high quality files so they can use them in
their full reel. And I do that right away for actors who have worked for me for
free. Then I also do what you do, knightly - give them high quality files of a
few cut scenes without the music track.
filmman, if you were thinking I meant that you should cut 30 plus full "acting
reels" complete with music, efx and titles then that was my error. But I do
believe it's the right thing to do to make footage available to actors working for
free right away.
I do not do a fully edited "reel" for my actors - with titles and music. I gather
scenes they ask for and give them high quality files so they can use them in
their full reel. And I do that right away for actors who have worked for me for
free. Then I also do what you do, knightly - give them high quality files of a
few cut scenes without the music track.
filmman, if you were thinking I meant that you should cut 30 plus full "acting
reels" complete with music, efx and titles then that was my error. But I do
believe it's the right thing to do to make footage available to actors working for
free right away.