SAY WHAT?!
Our Readers React To "Performer Safety Awareness"
By Holdon Log, LLC

Since our two-part article on Performer Safety Awareness was included in ActorNation and re-posted all over the Web, we’ve been receiving loads of e-mails from performers and other Industry professionals who have expressed their comments and offered additional situations where safety has been embraced, compromised, or all together ignored. We thought these events should be brought to your attention as they could be thought provoking as in “What would you do if this happened to you, before an audition, when leaving a rehearsal/performance, or when asked to do stunt work?”

In many cases, we’ve provided collective thoughts from several working performers who are a part of the Holdon Log Team. Just so you know, all names, production companies, and projects titles with regards to any negative light have been omitted, (we decided to keep in a positive response of someone who embraced performer safety). We also only edited information if there were explicatives or personal attacks of one's mental capacity. We know many of you are young performers and we respect that.

Before An Audition

An avid reader of ActorNation wrote:
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“In your safety article you mentioned hotel room, but left out apartments or houses.

While auditions held here may very well be that of a beginning filmmaker with no ill intentions, it's a red flag that the project is going to be BAD! If a filmmaker can't make the process professional from casting to the wrap party, it's gonna be an overall struggle and waste of time.

Remind actors to ask what the location is and even suggest a line they would be comfortable using when they must deny the audition for that reason (since you usually agree to the audition before knowing where the audition will be held).”

-Avid ActorNation Reader-
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Hello Avid PerformerNation Reader, Thanks for your email. We appreciate your follow-through! Actually, a little further down in the article we wrote: __________________________________________________ It is always better to be safe than sorry! The more often we as performers stick together and insist on appropriate audition locations (not a motel room, an apartment or a private home) and on realistic audition times (like 9am-7pm), with material in advance (a treatment, sides or a script), the more respect as a group we should garner without putting ourselves in potentially risky situations. __________________________________________________ And then earlier within the article we also wrote: __________________________________________________ But first, call the Holiday Motel and see if ‘Room 1642’ is a function room or a guest room. If it’s a guest room, then call ‘Tom’ back and tell him that an audition in a guest room is not where you’ll ever be auditioning! __________________________________________________ For future safety tip articles, feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions for lines they/you would be comfortable using when turning down an audition b/c of the location. We’d love to include it! Many thanks for being a faithful reader of ActorNation. We hope you will share the info we have provided with your performer friends! Kindly, Trish Powell, Operations Manager Holdon Log, LLC The Standard In Performer Organizational Tools www.HoldonLog.com "Log It, Track It, Book It!" ActorNation Blogspot

Since our reader missed it, we wanted to revisit this scenario.

When getting the location for the audition you could say:

• "Is there a suite number?"
  
• "Is this a business or a private residence?"

If their reply is:

“It’s apartment number four-zero-five." - or - "This is a residence”

You could then respond:


“Oh, I’m sorry, but I’ve had (or my friends) and I have had bad experiences auditioning in people’s homes, apartments, residences, etc. If you decide to host your audition at a business or commercial property then feel free to contact me because I am interested in your project, but I will not audition in a private setting.”

If you still wanted to audition at their home, apartment, or residence then bring a friend who can walk you into the location and let you do your thing or at least have them wait in the car.

When Leaving Rehearsals & Performances

We received this encouraging email:
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"Wow! Thank you for writing those articles. As a director, I find that some of my actors don't even think about safety. We do have a buddy system for after shows, because they can't park in the lot that is for patrons.

I am amazed that actors put their Social Security Number on their headshots, especially with all the hub-bob of identity theft that is going on.

Every tip that you gave was so right on! Thank you!"

Sue Beckman
Producing Artistic Director
UPAC Theatre Group
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Holdon Log’s response to Sue:

A big THANK YOU! For getting it, encouraging it and having a buddy system. We hope you all will utilize a buddy system at networking events, screenings, after Union meetings, etc.

When Asked To Do Stunt Work:

An actor wrote to us about personal safety while asked to do certain “stunt/stunt-like things on a set”. She said that she had to run, fall, use some break-away products and that since she didn’t really think it was stunt work, what should she do in the future to prevent any bumps and bruises.

So, on her behalf we contacted a representative from Hollywood's premiere organization of second unit directors, stunt coordinators and stuntmen in the Industry today.

Here's the e-mail:

Hello Stunt Organization Representative, I just worked on a SAG feature, although it was under the Indie contract. I was just wondering where perhaps I could purchase something to always have on hand. Like props, I like to have things to offer. If you happen to have any suggestions for like a thin pad or gel packet to go under my knees it would be much appreciated. Kindly, An Actor Who Is A Bit Banged Up from Doing Some Falls

The Rep Wrote:
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For future reference, your Stunt Coordinator on the feature, series, or commercial should provide you with whatever you need to get the job done right without getting bumped or bruised. On a SAG job, that’s not your responsibility to look out for your own safety- it’s the Coordinator’s job to either pad you up or get you a double if you don’t feel comfortable doing the stunt. Hope that helps!! :)

Stunt Professional
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Our thoughts:

It’s apparent that An Actor Who Is A Bit Banged Up from Doing Some Falls didn’t really think that she was doing stunt work, or maybe she didn’t want to ask too many questions.

Our suggestion:

Was there a Stunt coordinator on set? Seems like this answer is “NO”. Since the actor mentioned that it was a Union production, perhaps she should have called them ahead of time to ask what to do, how to prepare or what to expect. We know that SAG for example has seminars on Indie contracts. Perhaps as a performer who is participating in these types of productions, it might be beneficial to make it a point to attend one and ask specific questions about a scenario such as this.

If it was a job without a Stunt Coordinator around, then perhaps it would be wise to ask about the stunt in advance, consider taking a stunt class, or simply pass on the stunt. Remember that scene in "Bowfinger" with Eddie Murphy’s more than gullible character being asked to run across a busy Los Angeles freeway while it wasn’t shut down for shooting??? Seriously, no job is worth the risk - so be careful, be prepared and be aware!

In Closing…

A sincere thank you to everyone who read, forwarded and responded to our article. We are glad to know that what we are writing is important to you, the performer. If future concerns arise, your experience seem out of the ordinary, please write us! If you find a problem with something, there’s no doubt that other performers are feeling it and other will face it down-the-road. So let us know, so we can let you and your fellow performer know.

In this together,

~Holdon Log

Did we miss something? Feel free to email us at safety@HoldonLog.com and let us know some other safety ideas for a future Performer Safety Awareness follow-up article.