How is this done? Union/non union actors

Yes, it means they're in the union. It's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for a union actor to do a non-union project. They risk having their membership revoked.

To hire a union actor you (technically) need to be under a SAG agreement. The good news is that SAG has several agreements for low budgets. There's a category that covers films under 75k, which means you pay your SAG actors something like 100 bucks a day. The catch is that your film can only play at festivals and if it gets sold you need to upgrade the actors to something like scale.

There are several good books with answers to these sorts of questions. I particularly like "The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook," which has interviews with people all over the industry.

Good luck.

There is always the chance that the actor in question is FiCor. It's worth finding out. However, without direct contact with said actor, it will be hard to discuss. Agents are anti-nonunion gigs for the most part and SAG will dismiss you if you tell them the gig is nonunion.

Corey said:

Also another question, if I'm making a non union film and let's say I want to get an actor in my film but on the actor's website it has: "To contact him regarding casting, you may contact his representative via the Screen Actors Guild"
Now does that mean he's a union actor? and if so how do I get a union actor to play in a non union film? Can it even be done?

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I don't know what the deal is in Canada, but in Australia there is an escape clause - union actors can work on non-union films for deferred pay (ie: no-pay in any real terms) as long as it is a first-time producer. 'First time' means first time for ANY feature length film .. including unsuccessful, never got released films

There are still other conditions (the actor needs to be in the first tier of who gets paid if deferred pay ever filters through) but it at least makes it possible.

There may be an equivalent clause in the Canadian rules.

Mac

Corey said:

Also another question, if I'm making a non union film and let's say I want to get an actor in my film but on the actor's website it has: "To contact him regarding casting, you may contact his representative via the Screen Actors Guild"
Now does that mean he's a union actor? and if so how do I get a union actor to play in a non union film? Can it even be done?

Click to expand...

A friend of mine in LA is a member of SAG and he works both union and non-union jobs. I can't remember exactly how he does that and not pay a fine, but it has something to do with some condition in membership that he uses. He loses some benefits from sag and has to pay SAG some money in order to do it, but it's not a fine. Anyway, I think that the only way you can find out for sure is to contact the actor you are interested in hiring for your non-union film and ask if they want to audition for the part you have in mind for them.

Beach Bunny said:

A friend of mine in LA is a member of SAG and he works both union and non-union jobs. I can't remember exactly how he does that and not pay a fine, but it has something to do with some condition in membership that he uses. He loses some benefits from sag and has to pay SAG some money in order to do it, but it's not a fine. Anyway, I think that the only way you can find out for sure is to contact the actor you are interested in hiring for your non-union film and ask if they want to audition for the part you have in mind for them.

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That's FiCor, I believe. Financial Core. The actor has to file for it with the union, giving up his voting right with SAG but remaining a member who can do union gigs. You basically write a letter saying you can't make enough on union gigs.

Sometimes, for small projects, union actors will work non-union and just not tell their agent or their union. This happens all the time. But this is usually for short films or internet work they're not really going to get caught for.

But it does happen sometimes, all the Star Wars were non-union.

But just shoot your movie union, it's not particularly hard.

zeprosnepsid said:

Sometimes, for small projects, union actors will work non-union and just not tell their agent or their union. This happens all the time. But this is usually for short films or internet work they're not really going to get caught for.

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And VO. Really common in animation.