Casting Director Renee Godbout tells you why unpaid gigs can help you rake in the dough in the future
By Renee Godbout
Unless you’re helping out family or doing charity, not getting paid for work seems really silly. You need money to live on. Why waste your time if you’re not getting paid? Well, it might sound strange to “work for free,” but for many actors, it’s exactly what they need.
By choosing to become an actor, money is not your number one concern. If it is, you should consider another line of work. I’ve never been very sympathetic to actors who call me all the time saying they need me to cast them so they can take care of their children. If your financial situation is difficult, then acting shouldn’t be your priority: finding a full-time well paying job should be.
But for those who are able to make it work, then working for free might be a viable option. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I got a job assisting a Producer/Director with three low budget films. The first week I worked for her I got paid $150. Two weeks after that we were able to settle on a $300 a week salary for the rest of the production.
The pay was small but I got my first Casting Director credits and learned about every facet of production. The experience looked great on my resume and I made a few contacts, one of which helped to find me my next higher paying job.
Working in this industry really is all about who you know, and you can meet a lot of people working on a set. The actors had worked for free, but walked away from the experience with their own copy of the film and a few worked for me again at my next job. The movies eventually made it to Showtime and Blockbuster Video, which is great exposure for anyone just starting out.
I recently saw the film Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron and was touched by the beautiful love story. But what I think impressed me the most was the fact that it was made for only $500,000. And that budget included a nine day shoot and some special effects for fire-fighting scenes. It’s hard to imagine them shooting a film in nine days and it not only getting distribution, but also being released in theaters across the country.
None of the actors, even Kirk Cameron, were paid to participate in the film and almost all the crew were church volunteers. But plenty of people have gone out to see Fireproof and with the emotional message of the film, many of those actors have some great footage to add to their reel. It’s a film that casting directors would be familiar with when looking at someone’s resume. So even though the actors weren’t paid for this film, it doesn’t mean they won’t get a call from someone else and get paid for that one. If you work hard enough and get yourself out there, then maybe you might get lucky and end up in a film like Fireproof.
Anytime you can learn and practice your craft in front of a camera, take advantage of it! That includes NYU or other student films, low-budget films, and theater. Real acting experience is priceless.
Renee Godbout - Freelance Casting Director. Renee Godbout recently worked on the first season of The CW's popular teen show Gossip Girl at Grant Wilfey Casting. Some past projects include 2 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the pilot for Dirty Sexy Money, and the upcoming Jonathan Demme-directed Dancing with Shiva.
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