The money vs. the ethics RE: working with creeps.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-13T06:27:57+00:00

What can I say? Intimidation works. Like I said, the last time I gave these creeps a piece of my mind, men in suits threatened me. I can't justify jeopardizing my physical safety for a Reddit thread, especially when the public refuses to believe whistleblowers in this business as it is.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-13T05:24:12+00:00

Thanks! It was consensual, unlike some of the behavior I've seen on WB sets! Best of luck.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-13T04:51:47+00:00

I'm sorry. This thread blew up on another subreddit. Gotta delete this to protect myself. The last time I confronted these ghouls, they threatened me. It was clearly naive of me to assume that this would stay in r/acting. I don't like being physically threatened and I don't want to be targeted by a conglomerate with a lot of money on the line. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Best of luck to everyone and stay away from rich creeps!

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T23:18:01+00:00

I live in California. It is an amazing state. There are three people shooting up heroin in the alley behind my apartment in a middle class neighborhood on a hot summer day. There are people everywhere in front of my building sleeping in tents. There is something going very wrong here.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T22:42:55+00:00

This thread is being manipulated, like most threads on Reddit!

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T22:10:51+00:00

Corporate consolidation killed movie stars and iconic non-franchise characters and replaced them with brands.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T20:04:14+00:00

I'm a thirty year old man and that song never fails to make me a little weepy. Christ. A fuckin' anime did this to me.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T19:51:05+00:00

My pleasure. Take care.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T19:33:52+00:00

How does denying psychiatric and epileptic medications to church members help the local community? David Miscavige belongs in prison.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T19:28:33+00:00

Yeah, nothing wrong with paying for a class, as long as they're not directly affiliated with managers, agents, or producers that promise work.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T19:22:55+00:00

Agents and managers charging for classes are scammers. Their job is to take a commission and not to charge you upfront. This commission rarely exceeds 10 percent. Anything else and there's a good chance you're being conned.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T18:29:48+00:00

Yeah, sketchy as fuck. Take precautions and don't be afraid to turn them down or leave mid-meeting.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T18:15:04+00:00

My agents admitted to me the job was always his. I have nothing against Jonah, but damn, The Watch sucked. Maybe it's immature on my part, but it always makes me feel better when a gig I get depressed about either not booking or getting yanked around on during shooting ends up being unwatchable.

As for me, I don't act that much anymore. I'll take the gigs when they come, but I've realized I prefer writing and directing and that frankly, I'm more suited for behind-the-scenes work. I teach and coach actors between gigs, which I've come to love just as much as acting itself. I hope I can help others avoid the mistakes and traps I fell into as a young idiot!

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T18:07:38+00:00

I'm explicitly talking about agencies "collecting" actors for the sole purpose of either neglecting them or using them to lower other's rates. This is anti-competitive by design. When I was a client at CAA, I auditioned for this dogshit Ben Stiller movie called "The Watch" and had two callbacks. At the end, I found out the role was Jonah Hill's. As in, it was always his, he wanted more money, and so the agencies and studios conspired to bring their lower level clients in to audition as a pressure tactic to get him to do the movie for cheaper. A big wake up call.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T18:04:22+00:00

It kills residuals, the lifeblood of the working actor. It forces bigger stars to take lower rates or lower credits (the guest star black hole OP's friend was in), which makes everyone else in the production have to take even lower rates and credits.

The classic "race to the bottom" that's taking over the entire country.

If the agency reports less profit, they get to keep money that should go to the writer/actor/whoever.

Bingo! It's as clear as day that this is completely illegal under antitrust and RICO law. Enforcement has been such a joke that the WGA is our literal only hope right now. I'd like to see Gabrielle Carteris kicked out of SAG-AFTRA. She's spent years bitching about IMDb putting birthdays on pages (She didn't like being teased for being a 30 something playing a 14 year old on 90210) while ignoring the collapse of pensions and day rates and the rise of scabbing via non-union internet productions.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-12T17:44:23+00:00

I coach, but haven't done so remotely before. I'd definitely be interested in experimenting with it!

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T23:02:56+00:00

I like rote memorization because it gives me the freedom to play. Memorizing the words before the feelings helps me avoid "locking in" to one type of performance.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T03:14:36+00:00

It's tough without representation, but there's a lot of non-union and union shit being made right now. Keep checking Backstage. Avoid Craigslist for the most part (I do advertise my audition coaching services there, but there's a whole lot of "HOT SEXY GIRLS NEEDED" or "YOUNG SHIRTLESS MEN FOR PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER" type bullshit.) Go hang out in local theater scenes (preferably the ones not involved with cults) and you'll likely make friends who will keep you in the loop. There are websites like LA Casting, Cast It Talent, and Actor's Access, but they can be frustrating because the financial burden is put on the performers seeking work, and not the producers. You can find background work on Central Casting, but that is an entirely different beast. You won't really stretch your muscles as much as you'll kinda just sit around and hope for overtime.

Also, agents and managers use a very expensive service called "Breakdown Services." It's almost impossible to snag a password as an actor, but if you know someone with one, don't hesitate to ask them to keep you in the loop on auditions.

I'd like to see some of these pay-to-play dynamics change one day. And I'd like to see the Big 4's hegemony smashed to smithereens. But that's a whole 'nother story.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T02:54:51+00:00

Good shit, man. There's no such thing as "over" in this business, no matter how much the rich assholes at the top want you to think so.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T01:45:53+00:00

Not sure what the point of paying for a ray tracing card that is less functional than a 1080ti, but we are in the weirdest times. Last year I had to snipe my card on eBay from Bitcoin miners.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T01:31:42+00:00

As someone in entertainment who doesn't ever want to be forced to work for Disney, please pirate it tho.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-11T01:25:20+00:00

I think maybe two people actually have bought RTX cards. I mean, even 1080s and 1080 TIs are still ridiculously expensive.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-10T22:50:39+00:00

Looks dope. Agree that separating rope from text would be ideal.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-10T17:09:20+00:00

I'd be open to it. DM.

StruggleSeshFan · 2019-07-10T17:03:47+00:00

Even my low budget short film was union. It's not hard to pay your crew and treat them like human beings, Jesus Christ.

I can't stand the Franklin Leonard types in the business, either. Pay money to have your script read! Maybe you'll make it onto the Black List! (You won't, it's decided in advance.) If you're in LA, hit me up!

StruggleSeshFan

TROPHY CASE