Ontario's minimum wage applies for Non-Union and AABP with an 8-hour minimum pay, not including the unpaid lunch hour. Non-union actors are in a peculiar bind; without SAG membership, they may be denied benefits, protections like ways to file grievances and healthcare, and steady wages, but precisely because non-union jobs are paid at a lower rate, they are more plentiful for non-union actors. 
A few of us vegetarians banded together and asked the production assistant if there was a meatless option.
How Background Actors Become SAG Eligible. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. When extras provided their own hairpieces, they received an additional $18 per day. Union rates apply for ACTRA Members, Full & Apprentice.
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It would still be another five hours before I could go home for real sustenance. These differences in priorities lead to the two groups hemorrhaging..
The Teamsters represented other workers in the industry. 
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Extras were not really a part of that conversation..
Los Angeles-based actor Claire Glassford joined SAG as soon as she was able, especially after experiencing callous conditions in the form of absurd hierarchies as a non-SAG extra on Boardwalk Empire. NV>.#aP R(pu-Nc>tPa`h```` G@ T9 H 0X^q#dFe_171e.k/N|# F @?\K -5f`e0 1
On an unseasonably cold and rainy day in the summer of 2012, I arrived to work promptly at 5:30 a.m. in downtown Brooklyn.
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Several Airmen worked as extras during filming of 'Transformers.' If you are late to set and we are notified you will be charged a $15.00 Late Fee. Later in the same day, an extra fainted after standing under the lights too long. H\j0EY6,0$E885OH[GH2n[\8O7.xHR0^(u^pll?#l_LW jov Background extras who were employed as stand-ins, who substitute for actors during camera tests, received $209 a day, and those who had special abilities, such as dancing, playing golf or driving motorcycles, earned $188 a day.
You have one month, from your work date, to pay your commission or a late fee will apply. However, if they required background actors to bring in their own props, they pay additional daily bumps. Later, we were offered McDonalds hamburgers. hb```,@( Performers who cancel less than 8 hours before their work day will be charged a $50 Cancellation Fee. qO6x^>gLjX4D1ihJv\G2s3'vN]FE[W-Uf)Ki8*C+
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While both can theoretically join SAG, it is much more difficult for background actors to become members. 3 0 obj
(Occasionally, if a non-union employee works a union job, they can get Taft-Hartlyd in later, although production companies often tend to avoid this from the outset if they can.) Movies or TV shows can include scenes in bars, offices or street corners, and there are all kinds of places that normally require people in the background to make the scene believable. Glassford was lucky enough to get a Taft-Hartley waiver, which is a fast track to joining the union. And setting a high standard for general working conditions, like being able to file grievances, could improve the on-set experience for everyoneif you give those in power less space to be abusive in any manner, everyone wins. HWMo6!4 vC *1 J "6DTpDQ2(C"QDqpIdy~kg} LX Xg` l pBF|l *? Y"1 P\8=W%O4M0J"Y2Vs,[|e92se'9`2&ctI@o|N6 (.sSdl-c(2-y H_/XZ.$&\SM07#1Yr fYym";8980m-m(]v^DW~
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rbl1 Us non-SAG, non-union actors could only watch our co-workers eat. As historian David Prindle has noted, even the naming of SAG as an artistic guild rather than a labor union was a class-based distinction that distanced them from working-class unions. @~ (* {d+}G}WL$cGD2QZ4 E@@ A(q`1D `'u46ptc48.`R0)
If you worked on June 1 your commission must be paid to the agency before July 1). `+j 1?Tywl8B2.l _zM,;z8'@W_cMs@OP5e&XG',Du-b:a519 iEmuyzH;d^q|VLoay:mh*\p&g.2wup6"VtN
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If they brought their own formal attire, a fur, a national dress costume, or uniform, they earned $18 a day for maintenance, or $36 per day for police uniforms. Inside the buns: a piece of cheese, a squirt of ketchup, and a pickle. In Hollywood, registered and suspected communists were blacklisted from studios to dissuade organizing efforts. /N 3
SAG membership but for Glassford, it was a better deal. As of July 1, 2020, general background actors made $178 per day, with weekly rates of five times the daily rate. There were even really strict restrictions about union actors eating before you.. The dehumanization of extras can sometimes result in unsafe working conditions. At lunchtime, after almost eight hours of work, fresh fruit, pasta salads, a vegetable platter, and sandwiches were laid out in a small tent.
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Heston called Asner communist swine and insinuated that extra work could be done by animals.
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We work with Performers of all ages and experience levels, both ACTRA and non-union. If you are booked on a project and need to cancel, S.C.T. The Teamsters represented other workers in the industry, including about 3,000 studio drivers, and many other types of unions, like the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and the United Furniture Workers. /Filter /FlateDecode
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>//_:{m Running down a street, sitting in a cafe, dancing in a nightclub, guarding the President, driving a humvee in Afghanistan, shooting aliens with lasers or lounging by a pool are just a few things you may have the chance to do! Extras as pirates and Kaw warriors on the set of 'Neverland.' 0
10% commission for regular background performances; 12% commission for commercials, music videos, upgrades, vouchers, etc; 12% commission for regular background performances; 15% commission for commercials, music videos, upgrades, vouchers, etc; 13% commission for regular background performances; 8% commission for regular background performances; 10% commission for commercials, music videos, upgrades, vouchers, etc; Your cheque will arrive at our office directly from production within 14 business days. When wearing body-make up or oil on more than 50 percent of the body, such as when appearing as a monster, union extras received an additional $19 per day. At a later job, Barrack showed up to a shoot and a production van crashed into his car while he was looking for parking, and the driver, confusing him for an extra, told him extras cannot not park on the street, instead of expressing concern about his safety.
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Throughout all of these negotiations, background work was constantly degraded. All commissions are calculated on gross earnings, not off the net, and are subject to 13% HST as per the CRA. The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, merged in 2012 to form SAG-AFTRA. Our registration fee is $90 ($79.65 +tax) and our current yearly renewal fee to remain an ACTIVE member is $60 ($53.10 +tax). endobj
The Elite Drive to Unionize Hollywood Actors, Extras, playing the role of gladiators, storm a fence during the filming of 'Spartacus.' For his first feature, New York-based SAG actor John Barrack noticed that non-union actors were forced to stay outside sub-zero temperatures at 2 a.m. Because I was part of the principal cast, I could go inside a nearby shop and go warm up, he recalled.
This distinction between SAG and non-SAG has helped maintain infighting and fractures in solidarity while those making the greatest profits, studio and production heads, go relatively unperturbed. If you are paid extra for travel time, mileage, cars, dogs, tuxedos, gowns, bicycles, etc., this additional payment will be subject to commission. Those acting as choreographed swimmers or skaters earned $412 per day. If you fail to show up for your work day you will be charged a $60.00 No-Show Fee. hUN0?v$T*`,,fHiZq%UKQ93$W QLiV\ddph=/F0rSrT0eQDe^S]4,;p.iQC*YMg5JF4aL+= i%x&0gA?*;,OqRGNitqw|BJ,.y>t8kwi24kJze=4;N~{"E3nVaV-,pz{QR_ ] Performers who cancel less than 12 hours before their work day will be charged a $40 Cancellation Fee. >>
I asked [my agency] about SAG but they cautioned me against it because about 90 percent of the [commercial] work is non-union. COPYRIGHT FC TALENT AGENCY 2022.
Photo: United States Air Force/Getty Images. This prevented them from joining the union, in turn keeping their wages low.
He told us that there was, and brought a smaller McDonalds box. Stand-in actor salary can be found in the SAG-AFTRA: Background Artists Contracts Digest. Performers who cancel less than 24 hours before their work day will be charged a $30 Cancellation Fee. Photo: J. R. Eyerman/Life Magazine via Getty Images, Though attempts to organize actors in Hollywood began in the early 1900s, SAG officially formed in 1933, but since its inception, the place of background actors has been marginal and precarious. But those efforts crumbled too, and when SEG could not reach an agreement about working conditions with the Association for Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in 1990, all extra work in California was made non-union by default. In 2012, SAG merged with AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), though many refer to the union as SAG, and being SAG-AFTRA or SAG remains advantageous for background actors. Legally, only union extras received these additions, though in most cases, nonunion extras also received similar allowances, though sometimes at lower rates. (This means that if you only work two hours, you are still always paid for eight hours. endstream
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Photo: Patrick Redmond/NBCUniversal via Getty Images. 2 0 obj
Current rate of pay for background Performers are as follows: 1 King Street West,48th FloorToronto, OntarioM5H 1A1, We help Performers achieve success and transformation through high professional standards, by embracing challenges and daring greatly.Join the #FCTribe today. I was one of about 100 background actorscolloquially referred to as extrasprepared to work on a commercial that day. A^^pPWsnJ7Mg0HqF3RgEg/x:{8{:{8{:{8{:{8{:{8{:{8{6mYo/)1?y1}_8&` +M
We were hungry, cold, and ready for a nourishing break. The president of SAG, Ed Asner, then openly supported left-wing movements in El Salvador, and a lot of the anti-merging rhetoric was shrouded in red baiting. Background Performers are required to pay a commission for the work they do. But were in this moment questioning all of these kinds of things about power in the industry so maybe its time to think about all actors as well.. The notion of paying ones dues by putting up with degrading behavior in acting mirrors other exploitative practices in the industry, like executives who mistreat writers assistants, script coordinators, and other aspiring employees, who work overtime for little while dodging staplers thrown at their heads or no pay waiting for a big break. If you are sent home due to misbehaviour of any kind you will be charged $40.00. endstream
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Pets granted $23; a set of golf clubs with a bag, $12; luggage, $5.50 per piece; tennis racquet, $5.50 with no additions for a tennis outfit; camera, $5.50; and skis and poles, $12.
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The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 made organizing more difficult for all American workers by outlawing secondary strikes and boycotts, making solidarity across unions increasingly difficult. Production companies normally pay extras the daily rate, even if they work for less than eight hours. (e.g. There is SAG work out there but there is just so much less of it.. In large part because people began organizing through social spheres, says Fortmueller. That non-union background actors dont have the negotiating powers to set working conditions, like those in SAG or IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employeesa union comprised of technicians, artisans, and craftspeople in the entertainment industry), is an outcome of a long labor fight in Hollywood, in part shaped by their very own co-workers on set. Production companies in some sectors sometimes prefer to over-hire non-union actors and extras to cut costs. There is a persisting myth that doing work as an extra may lead to a foot in the door, in part perpetuated by famous actors, like James Dean and Rene Zellweger, who once did background acting. The natural place for their organizing efforts were the Hollywood actors clubs, some of the only spaces where actors met free of the supervision of producers. When the SAG-SEG merger failed in the 1980s, SEG began conversations with the Teamstersa 1.6 million member union. [/ICCBased 3 0 R]
{{{;}#tp8_\. In 1946, extras, who did not see their interests represented in SAG, formed their own union, Screen Extras Guild (SEG), with hopes of addressing two main issues: underemployment and poor compensation while working alongside SAG. 1 0 obj
The FC Talent General Division is for the Performer looking for general background work in the Film & Television industry. (s\a+H%/7C5X|(79*
Anything over eight hours will still pay Ontarios minimum wage.). When the Depression hit, you had studio heads asking top talent to take a pay cut, Kate Fortmueller, a Professor of Entertainment & Media Studies at the University of Georgia explained. Today, background actors work in precarious conditions, without guaranteed hours or healthcare benefits, but there was once hope for a union. %PDF-1.6
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Joining SAG, even when actors want to, can be what has been described as a vicious cycle. To get chances to audition with many casting directors, actors need notable credits and an agent, but they cannot usually get those credits unless they are in a union. She has been getting steady work but has been cautioned by many to not join SAG despite being eligible. What Are the Typical Starting & Average Salaries for an Actor? endstream
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Those who got wet, including under rain, or were exposed to smoke, made $14 extra per day. xwTS7PkhRH
H. must be informed of the cancellation at least 24 hours in advance of your call time. Until this point I think people have often just thought, Oh, thats just the way it is, says Glassford. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. Stand-in actor salary depends on their union status, what they do and what props they bring. Important to this history is the particular way hierarchies were formed between on-screen actors and their background counterparts. 2037 0 obj
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Your commission will then be deducted and your pay will be e-transferred to you. In addition, they may also receive additions to pay, known as bumps, which are given to union actors for bringing in special wardrobe, such as a firefighters uniform, or performing unusual actions, such as swimming.
non union background rates 2021
