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Your Life Is Worth More

midnight-rider-doctortown-trestle Mike McCallPhoto credit: Mike McCall

By Marci Liroff

The events on the train tracks in Wayne County, Ga., Feb. 20, while filming the Gregg Allman film have been weighing heavily on me. I have a hard time calling it an “accident.” I know that no one meant to do it on purpose or had any ill intent. But I know firsthand what it’s like to be pressured into doing something that you don’t feel is safe. I know what it’s like to be in a situation that’s chaotic, and “the team” is pressuring you into doing something you’d never normally do. Second Assistant Camerawoman Sarah Elizabeth Jones lost her life for an ill-conceived “camera test”, and seemingly no one had her back.

I was involved in the casting of “Twilight Zone: The Movie” years ago, and refused to cast the children that John Landis and his producer were asking for. I was one of the very few people who said “no” to him.

I spoke to Terri Becherer, SAG-AFTRA’s national director of specialty performers, and asked her a few questions.

In response to what actors should do if they feel they’re being put in a dangerous situation on set, Becherer says, “I can’t emphasize enough that performers should never do something that they feel is dangerous unless they are qualified to do so. The performer’s consent is required prior to performing stunts or other hazardous activity. The first AD and the stunt coordinator are responsible for the safety of the set; if a performer feels they are being put in a hazardous situation, they should locate the stunt coordinator or the first AD and let them know of his or her concerns. If there is not a safety person available, then the performer can call the union. We have a hotline they can call 24 hours a day, and the number is printed on the back of every membership card.” That hotline is 800-551-9110.

As for possible repercussions from speaking up, Becherer points out that “nothing is worth risking your well-being or the health and safety of your fellow cast and crew. There are protections in place to prevent repercussions from the producer. Be as professional as possible when voicing concerns, and when in doubt, call your union.”

Should any actor feel unsafe on set, he or she should find the union-required, qualified person and speak to him or her. “Whenever stunts or stunt-related activity is planned, our contracts require that there must be an individual qualified by training and/or experience in the planning and setting up, or performance of, the stunt engaged, and present on set,” Becherer says. “If you believe that such individuals are not on the set, please contact us immediately.”

And as far as nonunion productions go, Becherer’s advice is the same: “Trust your instincts. Don’t do anything if you feel your safety is compromised.” She adds, “Also, SAG-AFTRA considers performer safety to be of utmost priority. Our contracts contain many provisions to ensure that safety. There is a lot of excellent information available on the SAG-AFTRA website. There are links to all of the safety bulletins issued by the industry, as well as many articles on safety from the SAG-AFTRA magazine.”

Please be safe. It’s not worth your life. Never again. #SarahJones

PLEASE share with your friends. I’d love to hear your stories if you’ve ever been in a situation you felt was dangerous and what you did (or didn’t) do about it!

Want to share this post? Here are some ready-made tweets!
Click to Tweet: Safety is SO important on a set. Don’t do anything u feel is dangerous! http://bit.ly/1e5GVBt via @MarciLiroff #SarahJones
Click to Tweet:  Don’t be afraid to say “NO” if you’re confronted with a dangerous stunt on set http://bit.ly/1e5GVBt via @MarciLiroff #safety

 

 

 

Why Do You Act?

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By Marci Liroff

I’m sure you all saw Will Smith on the first episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” a few weeks ago. You probably remember him dancing with Fallon and showing us the evolution of hip-hop dancing. It was hilarious. But the real gem was buried within the interview. They were talking about fame, and Fallon asked Smith if it ever got scary for him. Smith replied that it can, especially now that his kids are coming into the business. “But I tell them…keep loving people. The thing is to make sure with your art that it is a gift to people to help their lives be better and brighter. What happens a lot of times when you see people fail in this business is that they’re in it for their ego, and they start doing it for them. It’s like, no, you’re trying to help people get through a day.” I see a lot of actors wrestling with this lately. I think they’ve lost sight of why they do this in the first place. The daily excitement of getting an audition, prepping for it, and going on the call has been replaced by disappointment (“I didn’t book it!”) and unrealized expectations. I’ve noticed several acting coaches and life coaches encouraging you to “live the red carpet life” and “get A-listed.”

Is that really why you became an actor, to get on a red carpet at a premiere? Should that be your goal? Should that even be your frame of mind? I say no. I say reject that message.

I want you to ask yourself why you became an actor. Why do you act? I asked this on my Facebook page recently and instructed folks to answer from their heart, not their head. I got some truly inspiring answers that might help you reconnect to the core reason you became an actor in the first place. Here are a few: “I’m an actor because I refuse to live inside of the box.” “I act to make a story come to life and hopefully trigger some emotional connection with the audience.” “My 6 1/2-year-old son said, ‘It’s my passion…who I am.’ ” “Because I need to be an actor.” “To move people through storytelling.” “To tell stories that offer comfort in this chaos.” “It is like breathing.” “Because I can’t not act. It’s too painful.” For me, it’s always been about the work. You are artists and born storytellers. When you lose sight of that and start thinking about being famous, you’ve already shifted your alignment with your art. Get back on track and ask yourself, “Why do I act?” I’d love to hear your answers! Make sure to check out my new online course “How To Audition For Film and Television: Audition Bootcamp”. You can view it on your laptop or your mobile device and your subscription gives you lifetime viewing privileges for this course. I’ll be adding lectures throughout the year.

Glad you’re here. Marci

Career Advantages to Film Festivals

IMG_2740Sublime and Beautiful stars Laura Kirk, Anastasia Baranova and me in the middle!

By Marci Liroff

I just got back from the Slamdance Film Festival, where my film, “The Sublime and Beautiful,” made its world premiere. Aside from coming down with a wicked case of bronchitis, it was an amazing week in Park City, Utah. I got to see many new films and meet the filmmakers; as a casting director and producer, I always have my eyes peeled for great filmmakers on the rise and actors I’ve never seen before. It’s such a great marketplace to discover new talent.

I had the pleasure of seeing a little gem of a movie called “Three Night Stand,” starring Sam Huntington, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Meaghan Rath, and shot in Montreal. I’d known of Sam from his work on the film “Detroit Rock City” and, of course, playing Jimmy Olsen in “Superman Returns.” Emmanuelle you’ll remember from “Entourage.” New to me was Meaghan Rath, who is beautiful, smart, funny, and quirky—such a great combination in an actor.

Being a filmmaker with a film at a festival is one thing, but I was curious what it’s like for an actor. I had a chance to talk to Meaghan after Slamdance, me from my sickbed (!) and Meaghan on the set of her Syfy series “Being Human.” I asked her, “From the actor’s point of view, what can one do to ‘work it’ to your advantage? Did you take any extra steps, like hire a publicist?” She replied, “I think Slamdance is a whole other ball game when it comes to festivals. For the film, we did hire a publicist. We wanted to take full advantage of all the potential press. The best thing you can do for your film at that point is exposure. You want people to see the poster, see the actors, and hear the title.”

She continued, “As an actor, I’d been working with my own publicist for almost four years when I started doing my show, ‘Being Human.’ For the festival, my personal publicist is able to work with the film’s publicist to secure press opportunities where I can promote the film, as well as myself, and the other projects I have going on.”

I asked if she thought Slamdance differed from other festivals in terms of what an actor should be doing to network and interact with filmmakers. Meaghan responded, “In regard to networking, I have to be honest—I’m not a big networker. But I think the energy and general feeling of Slamdance is one of support. So I made an effort to go to the parties and meet the other filmmakers, see their movies, and participate in the festival as much as I could.” And indeed she did, because I saw her everywhere I went!

For me, the parties are not necessarily my scene. However, there are so many other ways you can take advantage of a film festival. I spent my time seeing as many of the films that were competing in our category as I could, along with going to several of the panels. Stay tuned for part two, in which I explore some of the panels at the Slamdance and Sundance film festivals, along with my thoughts on indie filmmaking!

Make sure to check out my new online course “How To Audition For Film and Television: Audition Bootcamp”. You can view it on your laptop or your mobile device and your subscription gives you lifetime viewing privileges for this course. I’ll be adding lectures throughout the year.

Please share your comments/stories on being at a film festival.

We’d love to hear your experiences

Glad you’re here – Marci

 

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