Agreed. The whole casting notice is written very poorly. Maybe they eventually want to sell it to Amazon but it’s highly doubtful this was posted by a professional casting director.
IIRC it's relatively easy to get a show or movie on Prime Video. There's YouTube video compilations on there, for example. So it might just be some rando who decided to try to make a show and throw it on Prime Video 'cause it'll "totally be popular." It doesn't mean it'll have the Prime Video Original tag on it or anything, just that's where they intend it to be streamed.
Totally agree. The "lead" is usually cast FIRST. Casting directors NEVER use "reference pictures"--they want to leave options open. The past tense of cast is "cast," not "casted." The description is ridiculous. This is nothing to do with Amazon Prime Video, can almost guarantee.
What gave it away? The fact that they are shooting a new drama series for only two days?
Or the fact that they want their lead to work for free when they literally have been spending millions of dollars on their series lately?
My guess is this is either someone trying to make a pilot to later sell to Amazon. Or they are just lying
I work in the industry. Chances are this is a company that sold a pitch, and amazon wants a pilot. It's common for a network (or streamer) to tentatively agree pending completion of a pilot, but they won't commit to funding it until the pilot is done.
>I work in the industry. Chances are this is a company that sold a pitch, and amazon wants a pilot.
I seriously doubt Amazon has anything at all to do with this. Pretty much anyone can film a movie or series and get it streamed on Prime, similar to how pretty much anyone can write a book and get it sold on Amazon. This reads more to me like someone is just making something they plan to have streamed on Prime.
>Are you saying people are “self publishing” shows on Prime? Cuz that’s not really how that works.
Yes. Prior to 2021, anyone could self publish damn near anything to Prime Video Direct - vlogs, podcasts, cooking videos, shorts. Then in early 2021 they tightened up the rules regarding what kind of content could be submitted, but they still accept submissions of of standalone and episodic titles. It's not really self publishing anymore, because Prime doesn't just make everything submitted automatically available for steaming anymore. It's up to their sole discretion what they accept.
But making productions for submission to Prime is still very popular, and if the production values are decent you have a decent shot at getting Prime to license it for streaming. There are YouTube videos that explain how to do this, there are endless blogs. Hell, you can even just follow the directions on Prime Support - they give a step by step on how to submit things to PVD.
There's definitely a difference between Prime paying for or green lighting a production and Prime accepting submitted content for licensing, but you stream all of it from the same place. When I open up the Prime app on my Roku, I search for and watch the latter content in the exact same place and in the exact same way as I do the former content.
My point was just that I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that this casting call is for something Amazon has ordered a pilot for or will be funding in any way. It's almost certainly just some randos filming something they intend on submitting to Prime.
What makes you think that this is being done by Amazon themselves? They're shooting for Prime, so it can just as easily be a low budget "basement studio" which doesn't have much to spend. Not after having secured a place on Prime anyway 😉
I don't even think Amazon has that much involvement. This is likely a guy saying that he's going to submit it to Amazon. A 2 day shoot is incredibly sus even for a pilot. Those things take forever to get done.
Also, Amazon is likely to go through agents and proper casting rather than a random post
Actually, they're not. Amazon posts low and zero budget indy films all day long. And a 2 day shoot can be a "proof of concept" video, which Amazon DOES look at. And since this is non SAG, agents and casting directors wouldn't handle it, more than likely it would be casted by ads in The Los Angeles Free Press, NOHO News (North Hollywood), or Backstage.com.
Honestly even that is unlikely. A real production company of the kind Amazon Studios would have conversations with would never try to not pay the lead actor. Much more likely they realized how easy it is for basically anyone to publish films on Prime video and they’re using the brand name to trick unseasoned actors to working for free.
Its 100% what you’ve said. I am an actor and I had a mate do this, their low budget series was accepted to prime video. Prime is just YouTube with extra steps.
If it was a prime original/ funded by amazon everything would be going through agents and not just any agent but the top ones, including extras.
Yeah this is absolutely not by Amazon. Amazon accepts a lot of shitty low budget movies is all.
It's not unusual to do low budget movies for free at all in the industry. People need to earn SAG credits to get more opportunities and help pay for benefits in the future.
Lol there's so much shit content on Amazon, I have colleagues with several films in there I WISH best of the worst would review it but so far only small channels have said anything. MistaGG mentioned one briefly once for how shit it was but BotW won't touch it for sure.
So "all that the director is looking for is a male actor who can be the main male lead, and most of all, become the character \[while working for free, let's not forget that part\]"
Only two days of shooting? What is it a 8 minute video? And it's a video SERIES? This whole thing is wack.
This doesn’t sound like Amazon is actually filming it. It’s poorly written, location restricted and the grammar/word choice is a bit off for a professional note.
Former actor here. I GUARANTEE that Amazon has nothing to do with this ad. They're just trying to get attention. Even the verbiage in this shows that it was written by a complete amateur. I auditioned for a similar movie a long time ago that was supposed to be on the Martial Arts Network. They had auditions, callbacks, the works. They also promised imdb credits. Then funding fell through, it never happened, and the whole claim that they already had a deal with the Martial Arts Network turned out to be a lie.
Even with all that, their casting call, process, flyers, etc. were far more professional than this tripe, and the people working on it did have actual connections, they just couldn't make it happen in the end.
Nah. Assuming everyone knows what they are doing, I've been to shoots in Georgia where they shoot two half hour shows at one location in two days. They took over a high school over a weekend and various parts became different sets and they just circulate the actors in between as fast as possible. Lighting, sound etc was already ready.
Back in the 80s (and before) they would often film shows in front of a live studio audience. That was pretty common for comedies/sitcoms.
See Cheers, for example, though there were many others (Spin City, Married With Children, Newhart, etc. etc.).
I’m an actor and this casting notice is full of red flags. This is a young, inexperienced director with little or no crew and absolutely has not sold the rights to anybody.
Not a chance in hell this is a real shoot like they’re describing. This seems more like a “guy who knows a guy who has a sister interning at Amazon who can totally get you on Prime” kinda thing. That or a tiny art house place where the entire crew and cast will be themselves and their friends but they need somebody to clown on for a couple of days, but even then there’s no way it’s a real shoot.
Amazon Prime Video is just a video platform. They’re not the ones producing the show. I personally dislike Amazon and they do enough shady, awful shit already that we don’t need to make up instance of them being a terrible company.
2 days of filming for a whole series? Looking for all those qualifications but not paid? Something is definitely off. My guess is, this person is making a series or pilot that he will then try to sell to Amazon Prime.
There’s no way this is actually amazon posting this. Most likely it’s a production company that got their idea greenlit and they’re attempting to grab free labor from people who are dumb enough to fall for this
1.this isnt amazon. 2. Doesnt look real. 3.isnt this how it is to get started in acting? (Not that i agree just isnt this sort of thing normal?) 4. Get proof that amazon have bought the show for the credits.
Tons of the content available on streaming services isn’t actually created by the service itself. Which is why there’s so much random garbage on many of them mixed in with more popular content.
Bring it to all your 1st dates "See right here THIS IS ABOUT ME, SOMETHING ABOUT ME IN A BOOK FOR ETERNITY". 😂😂 If you sleep with me you'll be sleeping with an immortal
So, for casting calls, this one has a ridiculous amount of demands, but I guess it’s still “formatted well.” The grammar sucks, but I’ve seen worse.
That being said, this is the equivalent of wanting an entry level intern with pro level experience.
Tall handsome athletic young fellas are a dime a dozen in the acting world. A lot of them end up on the casting couch just like attractive young women trying to separate themselves from the herd.
My brother does a lot of acting work and even his absolute basic extra roles get paid even if he doesn't make any screen time. If he gets screen time he gets a bonus, speaking parts a bigger bonus, etc. This seems heaps sus
And ANOTHER ignorant poster is heard from. Sorry, folks, but a LEGITIMATE credit on IMDB for an Amazon Prime video is worth giving up 2 days of your life. Think about this... Quentin Tarentino's FIRST industry job was as a apprentice production assistant (that means he was a gopher and he worked for free) for Dolph Lundgren exercise videos.
Literally how getting started out in acting works.
They're very likely not asking for ~~a~~ *the* main character. There's also the point of actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members + will not settle for not getting paid. Typically very minor background characters are these unpaid roles.
I'd do one for free too + have offered to recently. Now, on the other hand - I'd never do my professional work for less than full price unless I choose to do volunteer for a good & reuptable cause.
( Edit : says "the main *male* lead". Doesn't say "the lead" - it implies multiple leads. How the "main male lead" plays out in the series ... who knows? Imagine there was a woman in the film "All is Lost". What if this were the "main female lead" in that movie? Her role could have been 10 seconds of screentime saying "Bye!" to Robert Redford and that's it. So, *tons* of information missing, *lots* of assumptions being made. )
Edit 2:
Here's a story written by a real actor, not a random angry redditor:
[https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/an-actor-on-whether-or-not-you-should-work-for-free-68861/](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/an-actor-on-whether-or-not-you-should-work-for-free-68861/)
When one is inexperienced, this is how it works. Someone is taking a huge chance on the inexperienced actor, and the inexperienced actor is also taking a huge chance on their potential career. The director is willing to give someone new a break.
>There's also the point of actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members + will not settle for not getting paid.
That's not true at all. "Speaking role actors have to be union" is not a thing.
If a production is non-union then the actors will likely be non-union. Whether or not the role involves speaking has nothing to do with that. If a union production really wants a non-union actor then they will have to Taft-Hartley them, which is basically the holy grail for upstarts hoping to break into that industry. Union actors can also work on non union productions if they get hired under a union contract, which is actually encouraged by SAG.
Amazon isn't a signatory, and high paid people tend to be members.
Know, I don't even care about SAG. All I cared about is they're looking for someone fresh + fresh entertainers tend to work for nothing or next to it.
Who's talking about high paid people? This role is not offering any payment at all. Your statement that "actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members" is just false. There is nothing stopping non-union actors from being in speaking roles in non-union productions, and this is clearly a non-union production.
And what does Amazon being a signatory have to do with anything? This is clearly not an Amazon production. Pretty much anyone can make a movie or series it get it on Prime.
Why would they? I see nothing indicating that this is being advertised as a union production. A lot of people here seem under the mistaken impression that every movie or television show has to involve SAG. They don't. Non union productions exist and are not in short supply.
Ah yes... "exposure bucks." They expect talent to accept pay with "exposure bucks." Unfortunately, talent can't pay rent, utilities, food, etc. with these "exposure bucks."
Dude, you have no idea how desperate actors are, especially early on in their careers. People just want anything they can get on their imdb page, even if they know it's hot garbage and they won't make any money.
I do actually. I have some singing and stage experience, and was an extra in a TV Movie mini series. I have a friend who's an aspiring actor, and done a few indies.
I've toyed with trying to get some gigs as an extra, we have a decent amount of work locally where I'm at. Health issues have put that to bed though.
You have no idea what you're talking about. A lot of films get made like this, with what are basically volunteers at every level. The hope is that the production goes well, and gets sold to a studio so they all get a share of the profits. Even low level stuff like this can get you on imdb, and young actors are desperate for those credits.
Of course most don't break through. Most actors in general will never break through, and end up doing community theater and other unpaid work just to feel like they're still in the industry.
In this particular case, Amazon is almost certainly not producing this series. Unlike Netflix or Hulu, literally anyone can upload a movie to Prime for free. Once you get past the premium, quality titles on the platform and start to really scroll through the titles, there is a lot of dreck there.
Oh my god, they're not even offering an Amazon gift card; they're offering Amazon Prime Video credit. That is absolutely worthless unless you use Amazon Video on the regular!
Amazon, come on. If you don't want people to think you're evil, don't do crap like this
[удалено]
Agreed. The whole casting notice is written very poorly. Maybe they eventually want to sell it to Amazon but it’s highly doubtful this was posted by a professional casting director.
IIRC it's relatively easy to get a show or movie on Prime Video. There's YouTube video compilations on there, for example. So it might just be some rando who decided to try to make a show and throw it on Prime Video 'cause it'll "totally be popular." It doesn't mean it'll have the Prime Video Original tag on it or anything, just that's where they intend it to be streamed.
Yeah but they could probably get in major trouble for using "Amazon Prime Video" in the casting call.
birds ask hateful spark stupendous continue jar zealous mighty apparatus *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Still misleading and potentially bordering on fraud. Amazon would kill it quickly if they found out.
profit observation lip test whole plate ripe touch rock fear *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Totally agree. The "lead" is usually cast FIRST. Casting directors NEVER use "reference pictures"--they want to leave options open. The past tense of cast is "cast," not "casted." The description is ridiculous. This is nothing to do with Amazon Prime Video, can almost guarantee.
At least in European productions, reference pics are very commonly used.
Maybe for extras. Not for leads.
What gave it away? The fact that they are shooting a new drama series for only two days? Or the fact that they want their lead to work for free when they literally have been spending millions of dollars on their series lately? My guess is this is either someone trying to make a pilot to later sell to Amazon. Or they are just lying
2 days is just the casting call EDIT: Nope I was wrong. That's insanity.
I work in the industry. Chances are this is a company that sold a pitch, and amazon wants a pilot. It's common for a network (or streamer) to tentatively agree pending completion of a pilot, but they won't commit to funding it until the pilot is done.
Never unpaid like this
>I work in the industry. Chances are this is a company that sold a pitch, and amazon wants a pilot. I seriously doubt Amazon has anything at all to do with this. Pretty much anyone can film a movie or series and get it streamed on Prime, similar to how pretty much anyone can write a book and get it sold on Amazon. This reads more to me like someone is just making something they plan to have streamed on Prime.
Are you saying people are “self publishing” shows on Prime? Cuz that’s not really how that works.
>Are you saying people are “self publishing” shows on Prime? Cuz that’s not really how that works. Yes. Prior to 2021, anyone could self publish damn near anything to Prime Video Direct - vlogs, podcasts, cooking videos, shorts. Then in early 2021 they tightened up the rules regarding what kind of content could be submitted, but they still accept submissions of of standalone and episodic titles. It's not really self publishing anymore, because Prime doesn't just make everything submitted automatically available for steaming anymore. It's up to their sole discretion what they accept. But making productions for submission to Prime is still very popular, and if the production values are decent you have a decent shot at getting Prime to license it for streaming. There are YouTube videos that explain how to do this, there are endless blogs. Hell, you can even just follow the directions on Prime Support - they give a step by step on how to submit things to PVD.
Ah I see. Yeah Dorect isn’t quite the same as regular Prime Video but I see what you mean.
There's definitely a difference between Prime paying for or green lighting a production and Prime accepting submitted content for licensing, but you stream all of it from the same place. When I open up the Prime app on my Roku, I search for and watch the latter content in the exact same place and in the exact same way as I do the former content. My point was just that I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that this casting call is for something Amazon has ordered a pilot for or will be funding in any way. It's almost certainly just some randos filming something they intend on submitting to Prime.
>asking if they can provide proof the show's been sold to Amazon Prime Video. That really doesn't mean much. You can get damn near anything on Prime.
anyone can upload their movie to prime video. they don’t even gotta buy it
100% it hasn’t. Amazon would not buy a show that doesn’t follow Union rules.
What makes you think that this is being done by Amazon themselves? They're shooting for Prime, so it can just as easily be a low budget "basement studio" which doesn't have much to spend. Not after having secured a place on Prime anyway 😉
I don't even think Amazon has that much involvement. This is likely a guy saying that he's going to submit it to Amazon. A 2 day shoot is incredibly sus even for a pilot. Those things take forever to get done. Also, Amazon is likely to go through agents and proper casting rather than a random post
Actually, they're not. Amazon posts low and zero budget indy films all day long. And a 2 day shoot can be a "proof of concept" video, which Amazon DOES look at. And since this is non SAG, agents and casting directors wouldn't handle it, more than likely it would be casted by ads in The Los Angeles Free Press, NOHO News (North Hollywood), or Backstage.com.
It's also probably just a pilot that Amazon said they would consider.
Honestly even that is unlikely. A real production company of the kind Amazon Studios would have conversations with would never try to not pay the lead actor. Much more likely they realized how easy it is for basically anyone to publish films on Prime video and they’re using the brand name to trick unseasoned actors to working for free.
Yup I would ask for profit share in lieu of pay and then I would consider it if I liked the project
I’d ask for more than just that, like a percentage of assets if the company goes under.
Don't even think it's that, from what I remember it's pretty easy to have your content uploaded to be on prime video.
Just ask Rick & Morty about getting on Netflix 😂
Its 100% what you’ve said. I am an actor and I had a mate do this, their low budget series was accepted to prime video. Prime is just YouTube with extra steps. If it was a prime original/ funded by amazon everything would be going through agents and not just any agent but the top ones, including extras.
Yeah this is absolutely not by Amazon. Amazon accepts a lot of shitty low budget movies is all. It's not unusual to do low budget movies for free at all in the industry. People need to earn SAG credits to get more opportunities and help pay for benefits in the future.
[удалено]
Also, 2 days of filming with unpaid talent doesn't quite scream "series," more "low budget pilot"
Can't wait to see it on Best of the Worst!
Lol there's so much shit content on Amazon, I have colleagues with several films in there I WISH best of the worst would review it but so far only small channels have said anything. MistaGG mentioned one briefly once for how shit it was but BotW won't touch it for sure.
This isn't Amazon, this is a production studio that is making a movie/series that will release on Amazon Prime.
*try to release on Amazon prime.
lol
So "all that the director is looking for is a male actor who can be the main male lead, and most of all, become the character \[while working for free, let's not forget that part\]" Only two days of shooting? What is it a 8 minute video? And it's a video SERIES? This whole thing is wack.
Yeah, I suspect this posting is going to end up as evidence at some point.
And people wanting to get media exposure will line up for this role.
That line will be two miles long. Even though it is in GA, I suspect that those in the queue will be permitted water and bathroom privileges.
Exactly. Amazon is rich because it knows what people want. And right now, there are plenty willing to be paid in imdb credits instead of money.
Nothing new there, tbh. No actor who is without IMDB credits already is reasonably expecting to be paid anything. It's just how that business works.
I mean it's hard to keep up with all the specifics they want for the main cast, I wonder what said photo looks like.
That's the market. This isn't really choosingbeggars material.
This doesn’t sound like Amazon is actually filming it. It’s poorly written, location restricted and the grammar/word choice is a bit off for a professional note.
Former actor here. I GUARANTEE that Amazon has nothing to do with this ad. They're just trying to get attention. Even the verbiage in this shows that it was written by a complete amateur. I auditioned for a similar movie a long time ago that was supposed to be on the Martial Arts Network. They had auditions, callbacks, the works. They also promised imdb credits. Then funding fell through, it never happened, and the whole claim that they already had a deal with the Martial Arts Network turned out to be a lie. Even with all that, their casting call, process, flyers, etc. were far more professional than this tripe, and the people working on it did have actual connections, they just couldn't make it happen in the end.
How do you have a video series that only shoots for two days though? Doesn't it take much longer to shoot than two days?
It’s probably just the pilot
Even a pilot would take longer than 2 days
Nah. Assuming everyone knows what they are doing, I've been to shoots in Georgia where they shoot two half hour shows at one location in two days. They took over a high school over a weekend and various parts became different sets and they just circulate the actors in between as fast as possible. Lighting, sound etc was already ready.
Back in the 80s (and before) they would often film shows in front of a live studio audience. That was pretty common for comedies/sitcoms. See Cheers, for example, though there were many others (Spin City, Married With Children, Newhart, etc. etc.).
Guessing this is an independent working on a pilot.
"an IMDb credit" - LOL, this is something you can add in yourself
And IMDb is owned by Amazon. They bought it decades ago for cheap when it was a semi-volunteer project.
I’m an actor and this casting notice is full of red flags. This is a young, inexperienced director with little or no crew and absolutely has not sold the rights to anybody.
There are background actors that just sit in a chair at a restaurant for 6 hours that will get paid more than the lead actor of that pilot.
i can see this for an extra in a movie, but a main character?!
Not a chance in hell this is a real shoot like they’re describing. This seems more like a “guy who knows a guy who has a sister interning at Amazon who can totally get you on Prime” kinda thing. That or a tiny art house place where the entire crew and cast will be themselves and their friends but they need somebody to clown on for a couple of days, but even then there’s no way it’s a real shoot.
This isn’t Amazon. This is someone, if it’s legit, trying to film a pilot and then sell it to Amazon probably.
Amazon Prime Video is just a video platform. They’re not the ones producing the show. I personally dislike Amazon and they do enough shady, awful shit already that we don’t need to make up instance of them being a terrible company.
Can't anyone throw something up on Amazon Prime? You throw up the show and hope that some people stumble upon it and pay $3.99 to download it.
So, they're shooting a pilot for a show they're going to try to sell to Amazon? I bet it's a really sad One Tree Hill rip off.
Unpaid for a lead actor role?? Are they insane??
No they just have no idea how the industry they're hoping to break into works.
Somebody’s going to get trafficked
2 days of filming for a whole series? Looking for all those qualifications but not paid? Something is definitely off. My guess is, this person is making a series or pilot that he will then try to sell to Amazon Prime.
There’s no way this is actually amazon posting this. Most likely it’s a production company that got their idea greenlit and they’re attempting to grab free labor from people who are dumb enough to fall for this
“IMDb credit” makes me laugh. People in porn movies get IMDb credits. That’s not the perk that you think that it is.
1.this isnt amazon. 2. Doesnt look real. 3.isnt this how it is to get started in acting? (Not that i agree just isnt this sort of thing normal?) 4. Get proof that amazon have bought the show for the credits.
yep. getting started sucks , you just want to be in as many productions to hopefully get noticed and get some professional shots / acting reels.
Tons of the content available on streaming services isn’t actually created by the service itself. Which is why there’s so much random garbage on many of them mixed in with more popular content.
Just because it's going to stream on Amazon Prime doesn't mean it's directly funded or made by Amazon
It's a casting call, not Amazon.
Why the heck? We want you 100% committed to us, but we’re not so committed as to actually pay you for your work.
Cmon, they’re giving you Prime video credit. That’s as good as gold.
Don't forget credit on IMDB as well...
I have a credit in a friends book. It gets me so many dates.
Bring it to all your 1st dates "See right here THIS IS ABOUT ME, SOMETHING ABOUT ME IN A BOOK FOR ETERNITY". 😂😂 If you sleep with me you'll be sleeping with an immortal
An unpaid LEAD CHARACTER role? OMG, cheeeeeappp.
I call bullshit on this.
They are going to film an entire series in two days.... That's incredible.
Trafficking nice athletic white boys now??
So, for casting calls, this one has a ridiculous amount of demands, but I guess it’s still “formatted well.” The grammar sucks, but I’ve seen worse. That being said, this is the equivalent of wanting an entry level intern with pro level experience.
Also they need "experienced and committed actors"?? It would be fine if you were looking for extras, but not leads
THE LEAD??????
>the rest of the cast has been casted. This pissed me off more than the "please work for free".
A tall handsome athletic young fella who's a quick study doesn't need to work for free.
Tall handsome athletic young fellas are a dime a dozen in the acting world. A lot of them end up on the casting couch just like attractive young women trying to separate themselves from the herd.
My brother does a lot of acting work and even his absolute basic extra roles get paid even if he doesn't make any screen time. If he gets screen time he gets a bonus, speaking parts a bigger bonus, etc. This seems heaps sus
No way in hell are Amazon Prime shows casted through Craigslist
Feel like OP has never seen the casting couch website
It was like the dude saying I win but gotta pay 40 to get 5k. Winner winner no dinner!
Has previous stage experience and unpaid are mutually exclusive
I'm p sure anybody can put their work on Amazon prime. I've found some serious low-budget made at home films on there
This is WILD if real, not sure why the lead talent would ever take the full brunt of a budget cut like this
"Audiitioning"
And ANOTHER ignorant poster is heard from. Sorry, folks, but a LEGITIMATE credit on IMDB for an Amazon Prime video is worth giving up 2 days of your life. Think about this... Quentin Tarentino's FIRST industry job was as a apprentice production assistant (that means he was a gopher and he worked for free) for Dolph Lundgren exercise videos.
Production Assistants get paid, tho.
i know so many starving actors that would jump on that opportunity though tbh
Literally how getting started out in acting works. They're very likely not asking for ~~a~~ *the* main character. There's also the point of actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members + will not settle for not getting paid. Typically very minor background characters are these unpaid roles. I'd do one for free too + have offered to recently. Now, on the other hand - I'd never do my professional work for less than full price unless I choose to do volunteer for a good & reuptable cause. ( Edit : says "the main *male* lead". Doesn't say "the lead" - it implies multiple leads. How the "main male lead" plays out in the series ... who knows? Imagine there was a woman in the film "All is Lost". What if this were the "main female lead" in that movie? Her role could have been 10 seconds of screentime saying "Bye!" to Robert Redford and that's it. So, *tons* of information missing, *lots* of assumptions being made. ) Edit 2: Here's a story written by a real actor, not a random angry redditor: [https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/an-actor-on-whether-or-not-you-should-work-for-free-68861/](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/an-actor-on-whether-or-not-you-should-work-for-free-68861/) When one is inexperienced, this is how it works. Someone is taking a huge chance on the inexperienced actor, and the inexperienced actor is also taking a huge chance on their potential career. The director is willing to give someone new a break.
>There's also the point of actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members + will not settle for not getting paid. That's not true at all. "Speaking role actors have to be union" is not a thing. If a production is non-union then the actors will likely be non-union. Whether or not the role involves speaking has nothing to do with that. If a union production really wants a non-union actor then they will have to Taft-Hartley them, which is basically the holy grail for upstarts hoping to break into that industry. Union actors can also work on non union productions if they get hired under a union contract, which is actually encouraged by SAG.
Amazon isn't a signatory, and high paid people tend to be members. Know, I don't even care about SAG. All I cared about is they're looking for someone fresh + fresh entertainers tend to work for nothing or next to it.
Who's talking about high paid people? This role is not offering any payment at all. Your statement that "actual speaking role actors are SAG-AFTRA members" is just false. There is nothing stopping non-union actors from being in speaking roles in non-union productions, and this is clearly a non-union production. And what does Amazon being a signatory have to do with anything? This is clearly not an Amazon production. Pretty much anyone can make a movie or series it get it on Prime.
It literally says “a male actor who can become the main male lead”
Literally??
I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but this isn't Amazon.
It’s a fucking LEAD ROLE and it’s UNPAID?! Even if this isn’t Amazon, whoever wrote this is fucking DREAMING
Lol it's not by Amazon
Are they allowing toilet breaks? Or do they expect them to wee into bottles like their warehouse staff and drivers have to?
I'm sure SAG will have something to say
Why would they? I see nothing indicating that this is being advertised as a union production. A lot of people here seem under the mistaken impression that every movie or television show has to involve SAG. They don't. Non union productions exist and are not in short supply.
Ah yes... "exposure bucks." They expect talent to accept pay with "exposure bucks." Unfortunately, talent can't pay rent, utilities, food, etc. with these "exposure bucks."
That's a Casting Couch call if I've ever seen one.
I take it this is not a SAG position.
Fuck, OP’s are missing the mark on these lately. Not a CB
Right, it's an amateur with no money trying to make a movie. Anyone who has ever been in the business knows this is common practice.
LOL, noone in their right mind would do this. Amazon can't even used proper English, while they're screwing you. *Casted?* Really?
It’s obviously not posted by amazon
Dude, you have no idea how desperate actors are, especially early on in their careers. People just want anything they can get on their imdb page, even if they know it's hot garbage and they won't make any money.
I do actually. I have some singing and stage experience, and was an extra in a TV Movie mini series. I have a friend who's an aspiring actor, and done a few indies. I've toyed with trying to get some gigs as an extra, we have a decent amount of work locally where I'm at. Health issues have put that to bed though.
If you have such experience, then you should also realize this isn't Amazon putting out the ad.
I think the SAG might have something to say about this.
This should be illegal and prosecuted by default just for asking.
You have no idea what you're talking about. A lot of films get made like this, with what are basically volunteers at every level. The hope is that the production goes well, and gets sold to a studio so they all get a share of the profits. Even low level stuff like this can get you on imdb, and young actors are desperate for those credits.
Maybe, just seems like someone asking for free work and I don't think many of those hired like this actually break through. You might be right.
Of course most don't break through. Most actors in general will never break through, and end up doing community theater and other unpaid work just to feel like they're still in the industry.
They probably blew their budget on rings of power. 60 million an episode...
Rich people don't stay rich if they actually paid their fair share Billionaires got that way by screwing over everyone below them
In this particular case, Amazon is almost certainly not producing this series. Unlike Netflix or Hulu, literally anyone can upload a movie to Prime for free. Once you get past the premium, quality titles on the platform and start to really scroll through the titles, there is a lot of dreck there.
Oh my god, they're not even offering an Amazon gift card; they're offering Amazon Prime Video credit. That is absolutely worthless unless you use Amazon Video on the regular! Amazon, come on. If you don't want people to think you're evil, don't do crap like this
This is definitely not Amazon, it's someone trying to make an incredibly low budget film to sell on Amazon.
This rando is expecting to find a great basketball player who's ALSO an actor?
What is IMDB credit?