Whether it is a student film, web series or some other type of freebie are you a performer who is sick, tired and broke because you seem to always be asked to WORK FOR FREE?

Very often others on set are getting paid their union minimum, a negotiated rate or their expenses reimbursed (when was the last time producers on a no-pay gig paid you for dry cleaning and mileage?). Sometimes producers are compensated through product placement or advertising, so why not performers?

Many of us here at Holdon Log (the parent company of PerformerTrack) hear how you performers are tired of being asked to work for free. Yes, it's nice to build credits, meet contacts and hopefully get your promised "Copy" aka footage (especially if you are utilizing the Copy Provided Form)but why shouldn't you be paid at least the minimum that every other person in an entry-level position is getting (eh, hem... minimum wage at least)?

Who Attended:
BECTU's Writers, Producers & Directors branch hosted the debate on Low Budget Collaborations and the National Minimum Wage. A load of performers who were merely asking for minimum wage were in attendance!

The Discussion/Debate:
Working for free is the only way for new entrants to get a foot in the door of the film and television industry but are you shooting yourself in the foot?

Format:
The event took the form of a parliamentary-style debate with prearranged speakers setting out their point of view in support of, or in opposition to, the motion.

The audience was invited to participate throughout the debate.

Why?:
The BECTU (The Media and Entertainment Union) website states that in the wake of the recent London Dreams' tribunal ruling, which retrospectively awarded Nicola Vetta, an unpaid intern, the National Minimum Wage for the hours she worked on a feature film, there has been much industry debate about the effect this decision will have.

Does the verdict represent the long-overdue protection desperately needed by the industry's most vulnerable workers, or the death of creativity and collaboration which often provides a stepping stone for those who are new to the industry? Should the decision be viewed as a victory or a disaster?

Read more about Nicola Vetta here: http://www.bectu.org.uk/news/548

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