No Spot for Me in Indies!

T

TheCamShow

Every day I search for casting notices here in Florida. I have been searching all over the internet for one thing, yet I can never find it. It's not just a problem for me, its a huge problem for all teens, usualy those aged 13-17. Everyone knows theres that loop hole gap in the industry about how if your in that age range, you need to find a great agent in LA to dig around and find a diamond in a mine( an audition for a teen). Or, you need to wait til your 18 and dont have to deal with student waivers and work permits. I understand a production studio wants older ages that have younger faces to play roles that fit that role, however, this causes a huge problem for actors of my age and it causes us to make a stop in our acting career and put it on hiatus until we hit 18. My biggest niche is that of all people in this industry, the most accomodating and understanding, the indie peeps, would branch out and seek younger ages. After all, this is an industry of risk and taking big chances. So, I'm still inquiring as to why the indie market doesn't play to younger ages. Is it the underage procees with permits and waviers similar to the studios, or is it hard to deal with teens, being slighty immature and stubborn(me! :D)?


Thanks for the help ya'll....
Always looking for that open door to stick me foot in...

CAM
 
I went to your website and I have to tell you that it is WAY broken... Borken images (images not showing up) broken links... this is very bad if you're trying to promote yourself as a professional actor. Telling people to go check out your resume and it not being there is not good... I would suggest changing your signature, fix the website, then advertising it again.

On the subject of teens acting in a film and child labor laws.. I've never really thought about it. I haven't come up with a script that requires that yet. BUT there are laws that need to be followed. Cerfew on school days, amount of hours that can be worked, etc..
Some Indie filmmakers, at least me, have a regular job and make films on the weekends. This could mean 12 to 15 hours of shooting to get that thing shot in those 2 days. Some states require certain permits for children to work. (By children I mean anyone under 18) The government does not have a restriction for children working in the entertainment field pertaining to the amount of hours worked per day. In fact, in Florida, employment or age certificates are not required. However, employers of any minor must obtain and keep on record proof of the child's age. An age certificate issued by the district school board is one method of meeting the proof of age requirement.

Maybe they might have a part for you in STWYK? they're in Florida. http://StickToWhatYouKnow.com

A problem I see is that if you are a child (determined by state law) your guardian would also have to travel with you I suppose. that's more expense for the filmmaker... Putting up 2 people, feeding 2 people, when it's actually only 1 actor.

HOWEVER, if I ever came up with a script with teens in it, I would want teens to play the parts. So I'll keep that in mind on the next script. :D
 
I went to your website and I have to tell you that it is WAY broken... Borken images (images not showing up) broken links... this is very bad if you're trying to promote yourself as a professional actor. Telling people to go check out your resume and it not being there is not good... I would suggest changing your signature, fix the website, then advertising it again.
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Yes, definately fix the site and find ways of promoting it.
 
My guess is that if you can't find any teen roles in low or no budget indies, then you aren't looking hard enough. Every day, checking out local publications with casting calls in them, I see the need for young actors to play teen roles. Not sure what area of FLA you are in, but if it's near any of the larger cities (especially those with colleges), chances are you could get some work in indie projects if you're willing to sacrifice (no pay, low exposure) for the experience.

As Coot and ben said, get that website working (your message that the host isn't doing the job may be a sign that you need to switch hosts), then get out there and look harder.

Poke
 
My guess is that if you can't find any teen roles in low or no budget indies, then you aren't looking hard enough
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I agree, I was filming in Orlando earlier this year and hired four teens to work on the shoot.

I would suggest you find the contact details of your nearest SAG rep and talk to them. Florida is a "right to work state" so SAG are very supportive of indie filmakers there, in my experience.
 
If you're anywhere near Winter Park, look up some of the Full Sail people, they might have something for you for one of their student productions.
 
TheCamShow said:
So, I'm still inquiring as to why the indie market doesn't play to younger ages. Is it the underage procees with permits and waviers similar to the studios, or is it hard to deal with teens, being slighty immature and stubborn(me! :D)?
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Shooting with teens.
Marketing to teens.

Shooting with teens comes down to a simple legal matter - as you pointed out. As an independent producer I find it too difficult and costly to jump through the hoops required to have minor’s on the set.

A minor cannot be on set alone. That means another person hanging around. On a no budget set that creates problems - not the least of which is feeding that person. On an 18 day shoot, feeding one person can cost a producer $200-$300. That doesn’t sound like much, but if I can afford another $250 I’d much rather have a PA who is going to work their ass off, than a guardian for a minor who, by law cannot leave the set to get batteries or pizza.

Marketing: I bet you know the answer to this one CamShow.

I think it’s pretty well known that teens don’t go see many low budget independent films other than horror - Napoleon Dynamite being the very rare exception.

Most of us cannot afford to make a big action film on a low budget. Sure, indie filmmakers take risks, but the risks are usually story and character. I’ll bet very few teens pay money to see Sideways or The Woodsman. At least not enough to make them a viable market.
 
directorik said:
Shooting with teens comes down to a simple legal matter - as you pointed out. As an independent producer I find it too difficult and costly to jump through the hoops required to have minor’s on the set.

A minor cannot be on set alone. That means another person hanging around. On a no budget set that creates problems - not the least of which is feeding that person.
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Is this the case for every state or just California though? Board member JReel shot his film "Dawn" with a minor in the title role here in Texas, and as far as I know he did not have to jump through any hoops to have her on set.

Poke
 
Hey everyone. Wow, i didnt know I still had that site. On my server, everything is deleted and I have no clue where that content is coming from. My host is not replying to my emails and I need to find a new host. As to the area of finding a spot for me in a film, I am about 100 miles west of Miami and look at all of the Miami and Orlando casting notices. The Univ. of Central Florida and FullSail do a lot of roles casting teens, however over the past few months, they have not had any roles open for teens. I will take every piece of advice you all gave me, contact SAG and the local colleges, and see what I can find. Ya'll make sure that you keep an eye out for me on those casting notices you check.

Good to talk to you all...
Cam
 
Do you have a subscription to the Florida Blue Sheet? It's a great resource. In my experience one of the big problems with Florida is that most major productions come there instead of originating there; so they bring everyone and everything with them. They usually have a full cast and crew and will only hire locals for small parts or replace people who are sick etc.

Don't give up hope though. If you see a casting call for a part that you think you can pull off, then go for it. The more auditioning experience you have the better. The worst they can say is no, and actors have to hear that all the time no matter how good they are. Have you thought about theater?
 
Poke said:
Is this the case for every state or just California though? Board member JReel shot his film "Dawn" with a minor in the title role here in Texas, and as far as I know he did not have to jump through any hoops to have her on set.
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I don't know the laws in any other state.

I also don't know anything about JReel's shoot. If it was a shoot with no permits and no insurance then I'm sure there wasn't a chance that anyone would contest the use of a minor. While my movies are shot ultra low budget, I do have to purchase insurance and more often than not a shooting permit. If someone made a complaint and the police were called I would risk getting shut down if there was an unaccompanied minor on the set for more than the 6 hours they can work.

If anything were to happen on the set - even a simple fall down a couple of stairs, or a c-stand toppling over - and I didn't have all the proper paperwork, my company could be in big trouble if a minor was involved.

Maybe the laws aren't a reason Cam isn’t getting much work. or why more independent filmmakers aren’t hiring young actors more often. I know that’s why I don’t make films with minors.
 
The paperwork angle has been covered here, but I also have to ask what kind of roles are children and teens going to get? As children and teens. You're not going to see a 3 hour love saga featuring two 16 year olds, an epic horror flick featuring a band of 11 year olds or a situation comedy featuring 12 year olds most likely not because kids can't handle it, but because its much more believable to involve adults or young adults in those situations. And so when it comes to kids in minor roles, every casting director or director has a neice, nephew, son, daughter or they owe a favor to someone who does. IMO that's why you don't see more prominent featuring of children and teens in features unless it is a specific coming of age story or a teen flick.

My best advice to you is keep acting. At a minimum, find a theater group to join. The BEST thing you could do would be to find someone who is making short films or videos or is interested in doing so and be persistent in writing a script in which you will star. Is there an AV club at your school? Credits are important in a resume, and a GOOD demo reel is very important later as well.

The short answer is if you really want to be in movies you need to take the steps necessary to get there. If you aren't there yet, you need to be prepared by the time you are offered a decent role in a fair sized movie. You need to get out and start putting your best work on tape or film, and credits to your name.

If you're not willing to become dedicated to putting your name out there then you best not become and actor. You won't have the luxury of sitting at home and accepting roles at your convenience for a long long while and you will need to go to audition after audition after audition.

If you don't already have it you also need to have a portfolio of a series of shots of you, specifically a great headshot. These are standards in the industry. Good luck, and be ready to work your ass off.
 
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