As actors breaking into this business, it’s essential to work on student films, to build confidence, on-the-job training, obtain footage for demo reels (which is pretty much mandatory these days), and to build a résumé. It’s a great way for newer actors to work with up-and-coming directors and film students, to network and start at the ground level with a new batch of filmmakers (who may go on to do bigger and better things when they graduate). As an acting coach, I always recommend my students get involved with as many student films as they can when they are starting out.
Over and over I hear from my talented, hard-working actors how hard it is to get their student film footage after they have finished a project—even though it was promised to them in the initial audition notice. They take time off from their survival job, work hard for no money, have a great experience on set, are promised “copy, meal, and credit,” yet sometimes they never receive the footage at all after repeated requests (even months and years later). Why does this happen and what can we do about this? This seems to be the norm these days, and actors need to speak up for themselves so they aren’t taken
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