Financial Core is a very heated issue. Having come from a right-to-work state, I remember working on sets that would have been union in California or New York. And while I chose the path of “staying SAG-Eligible as long as possible” so that I could work on everything in that minor market, it seems that more actors these days are choosing to go Fi-Core, something that Miami casting director Lori Wyman covers in her POV.
The Importance of SAG Status
The topic I have chosen to write about is: “How important is SAG membership to my willingness to consider an actor for a role?” “How important is it to be a member of SAG?” is what I hear as well. If I would have been asked this question several years ago, I would have had a completely different response than I do today.
Years ago I thought it was imperative that an actor joins SAG as soon as they can. SAG is “the” professional union for actors. If someone was going to become an actor, then he absolutely had to be a member of SAG. Well, all of that has changed now.
I live and work in a right-to-work state. I reside in Florida. A right-to-work state allows for an actor to work in a union film and not be required or forced to join that union. They have the RIGHT TO WORK on that project. There are many states which are right-to-work states. California and New York are NOT. Since California and New York states seem to have the bulk of the work in our film industry, then it is important that an actor is a member of the union in order to work in those states. If you work in many of the other states, however, then it is not necessary at all that an actor belongs to the union.
At this writing, Louisiana seems to be the hub of a tremendous amount of film work. Actors come from all over the country to work there. It is not, however, necessary that an actor be a member of SAG to get booked on one of the film projects. You can’t even find a SAG-franchised agent in most of Louisiana. Since there are virtually no SAG-franchised agents in Louisiana, how could one expect the actors to be members of the union?
Let me speak for myself. My main criteria for hiring an actor now is that he be a good actor and that he is right for the part. Period. End. I do not take into consideration the fact that he is or is not a member of any union. It makes my job a bit easier if he is a member of SAG. If he is a member of SAG, then I don’t have to do a Taft-Hartley report when I book him. A Taft-Hartley report is a form which must be filled out after a nonunion member books a SAG union job. It is basically a waiver to allow the non-SAG person to work on the SAG project.
When I am casting an ongoing television series I may need to cast 10-20 actors per episode. If I am casting an entire season, then I have to find 22 episodes worth of actors to cast. Since I am in a smaller market in South Florida, I may not have 22 episodes worth of SAG actors to audition. One of the ways I find new talent is that I go watch local theatre. There are many excellent actors who make their living doing theatre and nonunion commercials in my market. If I demanded that these actors join SAG, then a large part of their livelihood would be cut out, namely the nonunion commercials.
I have recently cast two television pilots. Both of these have been for major networks. One of the pilots has already been picked up and is doing very well. I actually cast a major role in each one of these pilots with a nonunion actor. I don’t intentionally look for a nonunion person, but if the right actor is submitted to me and they are not a member of SAG, then I will audition them just the same as I would any SAG actor. In one of the pilots, I actually cast two recurring roles with a non-SAG actor and an actor who had gone Financial Core. What is Financial Core or “Fi-Core” as it is known in the business?
Basically, it is a ruling granted by the Supreme Court and the National Labor Relations Board to allow a SAG actor to un-join the union, but still be eligible to work SAG jobs. That actor becomes a “dues paying non-member.” As far as the union is concerned, you can work both sides of the fence, SAG and nonunion jobs, and you are completely legal in doing so. More and more actors seem to be doing this so that they are able to work in the ever-increasing lucrative nonunion market as well. In Florida, we do a huge amount of nonunion commercials which pay very well, so many of the very good actors choose to remain nonunion so they don’t have to give up that portion of their income.
My job as a casting director is to present the very best actors for each role to my client. If the very best actor for a particular role is not a member of SAG, I am not going to omit them. The director does not care the union status of an actor; he just wants to get the best person for his project. If the best person is a non-SAG actor, then that is who the director will pick. Since I know that, I will always audition the best person for the part, SAG or non-SAG.
At this point, I strongly recommend that those of you who are nonunion (or SAG-Eligible) review my thoughts on Premature Moves, no matter where you live and work. Also, visit this comprehensive article on Financial Core created by the child actor advocacy group BizParentz.org. Generally, any piece on Fi-Core and actors’ rights raises more questions than answers, so be sure to read everything you can before making a complex and difficult decision that could impact your career for a lifetime.
That said, it is always a pleasure to know that casting directors in nearly every market are more concerned with finding the right actor for the role than finding the actor with the right union status, right representation, or right any ONE thing. Casting is much more complex than a list we can check off, no matter where it’s done.
About Lori Wyman
Lori S. Wyman, CSA, one of the most prominent casting directors in the southeast, has been in casting since 1979. Upon graduating from the University of Miami, she started working for ACT I Talent Agency, then the biggest talent agency in Florida. Quickly building a reputation as one of the most outstanding talent agents in the business, she was asked by the company that was handling Miami Vice casting if she would be one of their staff casting directors. She worked on principal casting for Miami Vice during its second and third seasons. At the end of the third season, she was approached by the producer of Miami Vice and asked to head up their entire casting division. She did that for the duration of the series. When Miami Vice wrapped, she was immediately asked to head up the casting offices of the Burt Reynolds series BL Stryker and to cast the Florida episodes of Stephen J. Cannell’s 21 Jump Street and Wiseguy. After these three series, Lori decided to make the lucrative move to commercials and feature film casting. In 1989, Lori was invited to become a member of the Casting Society of America. She opened her offices in North Miami Beach in the spring of 1990. With her own studio space, offices, and equipment, she was able to provide a wider variety of services.
Lori has served on the Miami-Dade County Film, Print, and Broadcast Advisory Board, helping to make decisions regarding the film industry in Miami-Dade County. Lori is also a member and past vice-president of WOMPI, Women of the Motion Picture Industry, to whom she contributes her casting services for many of their not-for-profit films that the organization produces for the good of the community. She was awarded the Casting Director of the Year award in 2005 by the Film Recording and Entertainment Committee (FREC).
Lori has added motivational speaking to her list of already impressive credentials. Traveling all over the country, Lori draws industry beginners and professionals to hear her expertise on the subject of auditioning for film and television projects. Besides her own seminars, she speaks at high schools, colleges, universities, and film oriented organizations. She has been interviewed for various trade publications, local newspapers, and radio and television shows. Lori has also been a panel judge and guest speaker at many national competitions and talent searches. Lori is currently writing a book in an effort to educate prospective actors on the ins and outs of the film industry. If you are interested in receiving a special report from The Organic Actor: An Holistic Guide to Auditioning for Film and Television, send an email to: info@loriwymancasting.com.
This contribution originally ran at Bonnie Gillespie’s online column on April 1, 2007.