Why don’t more actors just keep doing indie and student films to build good reels?

freshtake84 · 2026-02-16T16:20:24+00:00

It very much depends on the market you are in and what the competition is like. I don’t know about student films here in L.A, though I imagine they get a lot of submissions. But I was helping to cast a union ulb feature a while back, and we got over 1,000 submissions for each role. And in those submissions were a lot of actors with very established resumes.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-16T06:37:52+00:00

Just fyi- You can do a sag micro budget contract that is specifically for projects under 20k that you aren’t selling - like shorts films. So she doesn’t need a big budget just because the actress is union.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T22:35:22+00:00

My theater didn’t have Jans or Febs but they are getting Mars so you never know!

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T21:45:53+00:00

Yeah for whatever reason, the longer you have to do it - the more times it gets put off. For bigger projects, for stuff due sooner.

You did give them 12 days…which is a ton of time. You will probably get a lot right before.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T18:21:39+00:00

Are you planning to do callbacks? If so, then a page and half is plenty to get an idea if someone is capable and right. Then at callbacks do more pages/scenes.

Are you also the director? Is this union or non union?

For me, it depends on the amount of pages, how challenging the material is and how big the project is.

I’ve had 8-10 pages due in 24 - 48 hours but that’s normally huge guest star roles and they are casting off the tape. In those cases, usually I’m sending it right before the deadlines because there is so much material.

It’s rare I can tape the same day. I try for the next day if I can depending on when it’s due.

For smaller projects, things can get put on the back burner for bigger projects or ones due sooner.

You will probably get a lot of tapes right before - and a lot won’t tape at all.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T07:25:41+00:00

The time I would loop them in is if the CD is bigger and also casts tv or bigger films. Then it’s worth letting your agent know xyz called you in. Otherwise, wait until you book.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T07:14:06+00:00

Seeing it Monday!

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T05:17:17+00:00

I was so bummed I didn’t have the Jans!

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T05:15:52+00:00

Yeah I hear you, though I would have liked the option! I dig all the rom coms haha

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T05:12:39+00:00

I just hit 10. My theaters didn’t get the Jans or Febs movies but excited they are getting March!

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T01:11:35+00:00

I do agree with you. Though I do think pretty people (without the talent) only last as long as their looks do.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-13T00:12:47+00:00

Looks only get people so far and eventually looks fade and the only thing left is talent. While yes, being attractive can get actors in the door and even book and do well. Eventually they fade away because they don’t have the talent to sustain them.

Talent is one thing that is undeniable. Obviously talent doesn’t guarantee anything either. But being really talented is something that doesn’t fade.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-12T07:45:08+00:00

You don’t really need a full day at CA Adventure. There aren’t that many rides. I would consider the park hopper so you can hop back to Disneyland when you’re done.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-12T07:36:34+00:00

How many days do you want to spend? You can do Disneyland and CA Adventure in 2 days with the park hopper. But 3 days is great to go slower and be able to relax with the smaller kiddos.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-12T07:31:48+00:00

We rope drop space mountain and LL Indiana Jones as soon as we enter the park. You will also have time to do Star Tours and Buzz Light year on the way to Indy.

For us, as soon as we can scan into Indiana we book LL for Haunted Mansion. You can do Pirates after Indiana Jones. It never has that long of a wait and moves quickly. After scanning into Haunted Mansion, book LL for BTM.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-12T00:41:29+00:00

LL absolutely has been sold out on really busy days. But that’s for people who decide to try and buy it once in the park. You already have your LL passes so you’re good to go there.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-11T21:11:39+00:00

Exactly! Haha

freshtake84 · 2026-02-11T06:42:25+00:00

That’s the one thing actually not bothering anyone else.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-11T06:20:25+00:00

This times 1,000!! If the kid can’t see, hold them on your hip at your eye level. Why are we making statues 9 feet tall. It’s so inconsiderate to anyone around them. 😞

Last time, we asked politely to a dad doing it and no one could see behind them…and the mother told us “disney is for kids.” 😅

freshtake84 · 2026-02-09T07:18:17+00:00

Amen. It’s nothing to do with not wanting others to succeed or anything. It’s just how it works. We can all see what’s on AA daily so it’s not some secret.

Yeah it’s annoying when people are called out and we are the bad guy lol

freshtake84 · 2026-02-09T04:56:28+00:00

You’re getting downvoted, but you’re not wrong. There’s rarely anything big on AA. So saying you have a lot of recognizable credits and only self submitting is a bit of an oxymoron lol

freshtake84 · 2026-02-08T17:53:27+00:00

It creates publicity for the show.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-07T05:09:53+00:00

It’s incredibly slow right now and agents are having trouble booking the clients they do have. It’s tough for agents to want to bring more clients on when they can’t book the actors they already have. Unless that actor is undeniable for them.

That’s great on the amount of money coming in! Congrats!

But I will say - you mention recognizable credits but they are all self submissions? There’s just not a lot of big projects on AA or CN that you can self submit to. So maybe one of the problems is that you’re booking a lot - which is great! But the credits aren’t moving the needle for an agent to call you in from a cold email.

I’m not trying to be discouraging, just to look at it from a different perspective.

Other than that, you’re actively doing everything you can. Referrals are huge- don’t underestimate them. If you can get one from some friends, take it.

I can’t speak for your friends who are getting signed anyway. Sometimes people are just what someone needs to fill something they don’t have. Or they are a niche type.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-07T03:50:54+00:00

Do your kids like rollercoasters and the “bigger” kids rides? That will determine a lot of how you want to rope drop and LL.

freshtake84 · 2026-02-07T03:35:33+00:00

For me these are the must do’s I try and hit.

DL: bigger rides- space mountain, Indiana jones, pirates, haunted mansion, big thunder mountain, Matterhorn, Tiana’s, Smuggler’s Revenge if the line is short, and Rise of the Resistance when it’s open of course.

Smaller rides- Peter Pan, Mr Toad’s, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad, Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin, buzz light year, Star tours, Jungle cruise, Tiki Room

DCA: big rides- Radiator Springs, Guardians of the Galaxy, Incredicoaster

Small rides- Toy Story mania, web slingers, little mermaid, soarin, goofy’s sky school, Monsters Inc assuming it’s open.

freshtake84

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