In my early teen years I became obsessed. No, not with sports, girls (or boys in my case) or the latest gossip in school; rather, I became obsessed with the entertainment industry. I spent my waking hours outside of school reading books, watching training videos and talking with my friends about the art of acting and its fascination.
I wanted to be a film actor, and I wouldn’t stop till I was there. Throughout my countless hours of researching, I would continually come across information regarding the film actors union, the Screen Actors Guild or SAG.
As an film actor, you must become aware of SAG and its benefits, drawbacks and policies as you will likely be crossed with the opportunity to join within your career.
What is SAG?
Basically, the Screen Actors Guild is a labor union specifically for motion picture actors. Typically, SAG is involved with most feature films, TV commercials and prime-time TV programs. The primary goal of SAG is to negotiate overall hiring terms, compensation and how they are treated while on set.
Benefits of SAG
When you are a SAG actor, you are guaranteed a certain minimum payment based on your role in the film as well as regulated treatment such as transportation, meals, overtime, etc. These minimums are non-negotiable. Of course, as you become more popular or more in demand amongst producers and directors you (more specifically, your agent/manager) can negotiate higher payment and other regulated treatments; however, this is not a very common practice.
One of the major benefits of being a SAG actor is its protection. The Guild actively enforces its contracts between actors and production companies, and any actor who feels he has been mistreated or the production company didn’t live up to contract terms may contact the Guild and they will work on your behalf to correct the problems.
Joining SAG
In order to join SAG, you must qualify by working on a union project and earning ample “points.” If you are a non-union actor working on a union project and you have speaking lines, you will likely qualify to join SAG; however, when you join you are required to pay union dues (over one-thousand dollars) and abide by the union rules (such as not working in non-union projects).
Overall, I firmly believe that any professional film actor should join SAG when eligible. This union ensures your career as an actor is one that is meaningful while also ensuring your compensation and work environment is safe and proper.
