tries to surround themselves with the best possible people for the job because the better other people do their job, the better you look in doing your job. Having a small role in a blockbuster hit is infinitely preferable to having a starring role in a bomb that becomes the butt of jokes for years to come.
Naturally, working with other people can never be completely harmonious. Sometimes people have minor disagreements that can be settled with a little bit of talk and compromise, and sometimes major stars clash egos with major directors or producers, creating a war-like atmosphere for everyone involved on the set. Sometimes perfectly good projects are abandoned because the people involved can’t get along, despite everyone having excellent qualifications for doing their jobs.
When any project is being developed, finding the right people to work on it is only one problem. Getting everyone to work together toward a common goal can create a completely different set of problems. As an actor, do your best to make sure that you’re not part (or the source) of any problems, and you increase your chances of working with the same people again in the future. Given a choice between working with an actor who nobody can stand or someone more likeable and easy to work with (hopefully you), guess which actor most people will hire for the job? See Chapter 11 to discover how to adapt to different personalities.
Cleaning Up in Post-Production
Post-production occurs after the initial filming of a movie, TV show, or commercial is completed but before the final film or tape is shown to the general public.
In rare cases, the director may reshoot unsatisfactory scenes (an expensive process, especially if the scene was shot in a distant location like Russia or aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier) or shoot entirely new scenes to help the continuity of the film.
After all the cuts and edits have been made, the final product is often reviewed and approved by many different people before it’s released to the public. Who does the viewing and approving depends on the kind of project. For example, before a TV commercial can appear on the air, the client must approve it. If the client doesn’t like the TV commercial, it may never be aired. To test an audience’s reaction to a film, studios usually offer special screenings to test audiences. Depending on the reaction of the test audiences, certain scenes may be dropped or new ones added.
Distributing the Product
After the director finishes editing a film, TV show, or commercial, and the finished product is approved, the final step is distribution.
Acting is a job. The biggest difference between working in an ordinary job and working as an actor is that as an actor in film, television, and commercials, you may get paid many times for doing a job once. The first time, you get paid for doing your job; after that, you may get paid each time your part of the show is broadcast again. Each time that a commercial runs on the air, a TV show is rerun, or a film is broadcast on pay-per-view, television networks, or in overseas markets, you get a residual (or royalty). Some commercials and TV shows have buyouts where you may receive no residuals at all. If you’re in a union, fees are set, and residuals may be required unless there is a buyout.
Residuals are money paid to you for the privilege of broadcasting your performance over and over again. Your agent or the union rules usually stipulates the exact percentage of your residuals, although for smaller roles, you may receive no residuals at all.
As an actor, you strive for speaking roles to have the ability to either get in the union or receive residuals for every time it’s shown as per union rules.
Films can go through as many as six stages of distribution, which we outline in the following list. Some films are designed specifically for distribution in the pay-per-view, television (often called a made-for-TV movie), video and digital video disc (DVD) markets, or Internet streaming only.
Stage 1 — Initial release or first-run: The film appears in major movie theaters across the country. Studios often release a film near a major holiday weekend, such as the Memorial Day weekend, to take advantage of the holiday crowds to maximize profits.
Stage 2 — Secondary release or second-run: The film appears in smaller theaters.
Stage 3 — Overseas release: During a film’s first- or second-run, the studio may also release the film to overseas markets.
Stage 4 — Cable networks: When the film is no longer showing in theatres, it may be sold to a cable network.
Stage 5 — Rental: The film becomes available to rent on DVD.
Stage 6 — Television broadcast: The film may be sold and broadcast over one of the major television networks and streaming.
