The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU)
BECTU is a union that supports people who work independently, freelance and those who are contractually obligated in entertainment, broadcasting, film, theatre, leisure and interactive media industries. This union ensures that there is equality and opportunity for everyone in the workplace.
Their aims are to keep members satisfied and looked after, as well as protecting jobs and increasing membership. BECTU look to win new recognition agreements and improve pay and conditions of services, pensions included.
Their range of services include: negotiating pay conditions and contracts with employers, giving personal and individual advice and representation and dealing with benefits.
BECTU have put a scheme in place which ensures that freelance workers can get a pension through BECTU, as they are not entitled to one due to having no fixed salary. BECTU made this scheme to put in place for them.
BECTU also take part in campaigns such as BBC Pay and Pensions and Say No to Exploitation in TV to help support those in the performing arts industry.
Equity
Equity are a campaigning and organising union that lobby on issues that affect their members by going to Parliament and other centres of influence. (Issues include funding, agency regulation, entertainment licensing and venue closures).
Equity supports members by negotiating their terms and conditions, including fee structures. Equity have been responsible for bringing about fair payments and fees for artists, health and safety regulations, members' pension and insurance schemes.
Their range of services include: negotiating, campaigning and lobbying issues as well as supporting and protecting their members and giving advice and taking action when needed.
Equity encompasses the whole range of professional entertainment (actors, singers, dancers, circus artists, stunt performers etc.)
Spotlight is the UK's leading casting database answer is said to have "unrivalled knowledge and contacts at the heart of the industry".
Spotlight allows performers to market themselves and promotes performers to casting opportunities in film, TV, radio etc. and the casting details are fully searchable.
Over 60,000 performers appear in Spotlight and range from actors and child actors, to presenters and dancers and much more.
Spotlight is the No.1 casting resource used by production companies, ad agencies etc. Clients include large organisations, such as BBC and small production companies.
They publish a handbook named "Contacts" which lists over 5,000 companies, services and individuals which can be used by those just starting out in the industry and those who are already working to make contacts with possible future employers.
The Stage is the world's largest running publication for the performing arts industry. It contains news, reviews of new shows and a listing of shows within the industry.
It also advertises casting opportunities and auditions, as well as job opportunities within the industry (including casting, backstage and technical, sales and marketing, and wardrobe and makeup).
Musicians' Union members expands to over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the industry.
MU negotiates on behalf of musicians and offers a range of services tailored for self-employed members by providing assistance for professional and student musicians.
The MU tackle issues raised by musicians working in the live arena, recording studio, or when writing and composing. Issues include: copyright protection, recovery of unpaid fees and crucial work in health and safety.
The MU is one of the leading music industry bodies in Europe and it's democratic structure offers opportunity for musicians to influence MU policy.
MU will assist members throughout their professional careers and beyond. They offer practical advice and downloadable resources for those working in all industry sectors (teaching, legal advice, insurance, health and safety).
Additional service industries also include caterers and costume hire companies.
Angels (The Costumiers)
Angels are a costuming company and are known for their quality and accuracy when creating. The tailors and dressmakers successfully reproduce
the original cut of garments so that all costumes created are guaranteed to be
of the utmost authenticity. The costumiers can help with the selection, sizing,
preparation and packaging of the most specific costume requirements. Angels guarantees
that the same level of service and attention to detail is applied to everything
they do.
The hiring of costumes from Angels is easy and efficient as
the Angel costumiers’ source, prepare and accessorise costumes, which in turn
saves designers valuable time and money and Angels promise a friendly and
professional service. Angels promise costumes of the highest quality as they
ensure both authentic construction and modern comfort are included when
creating a costume. Angels holds a fantastic stock of wigs and hairpieces which
span all periods, available for hire. The accessories and jewellery departments
stock a large range of original, Period and Contemporary pieces which provide authentic
detailing for any costume regardless of period or dress.
The National Theatre
Chorley Bunce
The National Theatre
The National Theatre is a national centre of theatrical arts
located in London where it can be central to the creativity in the country and
is unmatched due to its vast range of repertoire and audience reach. The
National is known for sharing its energy, creativity and resources with
audiences and theatre-makers around the globe, and so similarly to Angels the National has business in
costume and prop hire. Each year the National stages around 20 productions from
the whole world of drama and so is able to offer thousands of unique and
beautifully crafted costumes, furniture, props, armour and swords from past
productions.
The majority of the collection is made in the National’s
renowned workshops ensuring each piece is of the highest quality. The
collection is available to anyone wishing to hire, from TV, film and theatre
productions, to photographers wishing to re-create an authentic image. Organisations
who have used costumes and props from the National include the Royal
Shakespeare Company and Punch Drunk, the Philharmonic Orchestra and Westminster
School.
Chorley Bunce is a catering service which caters for film
and TV on location and dry hire (where everything is brought in) and they
promise to meet the most demanding of productions. The staff of Chorley Bunce
takes pride in themselves on offering personal service with the utmost
professionalism and go the extra mile both in terms of food and service. Their
skilled chefs use the best of local produce to create exciting menus for cast
and crews, whether they are on location for a day or for six months. They are flexible
in allowing the production team who have hired them to liaise with the chefs
regarding any dietary requirements the crew may have, showing the professionalism
they run their catering service with.
Chorley and Bunce don’t just have to take into consideration
the food they make but they also have to look at the logistics of cooking and
serving meals for the cast and crew in varying terrain and difficult locations.
They pay attention to every detail and implement good communications before and
during filming to ensure they can deliver their services so they fit seamlessly
with the production schedule. They will think through every aspect of the daily
call sheet to ensure all meals, beverages, breaks and snacks are in the right
place at the right time and still retain the ability to change something at a
moment’s notice.
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How services within
the performing arts industry interrelate and what they offer:
There are many different aspects within the performing arts
industry, from actors, to backstage and technical, to those in administration and
those who service the arts (caterers and costumiers). All of these sectors
interrelate when productions are being put together and it is important that
all sectors work together or things will not come together properly. For
example on a film site there may be the actors and the technical team with
their equipment but it isn’t possible to complete a film shoot if a catering
service is not available to the staff on the shoot. All of these elements come
together to help get a job done.
An example of this interrelation that is needed surrounds
the acting sector. To put a show on or to complete a film shoot actors are
needed. Spotlight can be used by production companies (BBC/ITV) and ad agencies
(White Noise) to cast and employ actors. Spotlight is the UK’s leading casting
database and allows actors to market themselves to possible employers. The
website allows actors, as well as dancers and other performers to put their CV
on the website as well photos, voice-clips and showreels. All information from
the CV is searchable and so a casting director can then run searches looking
for specific qualities (e.g. blonde woman, 20-25 yr old, Welsh accent). Spotlight also offers the use of their studios, where
actors can record high quality audition footage if they have been asked to tape
and audition. This is helpful to actors who may find difficulty in taping
audition footage and so Spotlight is a useful and helpful resource for actors
to be able to use. https://www.spotlight.com/artists.html
Spotlight is one way for actors to look for jobs, another is
The Stage which is a popular publication in the performing arts industry which
advertises casting opportunities and auditions for actors and other performers,
as well as other job opportunities in the industry and publishing reviews of
new shows. As Spotlight is used like a casting database there could be a
possibility of having to wait to hear from potential employers about possible casting opportunities,
whereas The Stage advertises what auditions are occurring and gives actors the
chance to reply first come, first serve. The Stage allows actors to apply for
the latest casting in films, TV, theatre and music around the UK and beyond and
allows actors to filter through the auditions to find the auditions that match
the individual looking to apply (e.g. age, gender, location). The Stage has a vast variety of auditions avaiable in all peroformance aspects and so gives actors a chance to do something that might not have been avaiable to them in their local area. http://castings.thestage.co.uk/castings-auditions
Spotlight and The Stage are used to help actors look for
jobs through castings and auditions. Another aspect that actors should consider
is joining a campaigning union, such as Equity which will support their members
in various ways, for example ensuring that artists are getting fair payments
and fees and they will give advice and take action if and when needed. In the
casting and auditions section on The Stage website they give the details of the
roles being auditioned and they say what kind of payment is being offered, (e.g.
Voluntary, Paid and Expenses Only) these varying kinds of payment being offered
is the kind of topic that unions like Equity campaign
about. Equity’s “Low Pay & No Pay” campaign explores the decision for
actors, especially those at the start of their career, to take any work
regardless of the level of pay as there is an undeniable pressure to get
something onto their CV. Actors see low paying and no paying work as the ideal
opportunity to develop a showreel or establish themselves within the industry. However
Equity has created a leaflet that will help actors and other performers in
ensuring that they are not “cheated”. As a performer they need to look at the
types of contracts of service to ensure that they are not being mistreated.
Employees and Workers are entitled to rights under the National Minimum Wage
Act under the Working Time Regulations (including the maximum working week and
holiday pay). This varies from volunteers, referred to as “non-workers” who are
exempt from the National Minimum Wage. It is important for an actor in this
case to ensure they are in fact non-workers as in some cases those thought to
be volunteers were in fact workers and so were not paid for their work. http://www.equity.org.uk/home/
Equity has done much in shaping the landscape of the
industry in regards to working terms and conditions: rates of pay, health and
safety, hours and breaks, dance and drama training, tax and national insurance.
Equity has linked with many other organisations to ensure that the professional
standards of the entertainment industry is maintained and develops positively
and they look after the well-being of those who work in it, Drama UK is one
such organisation. Drama UK provides support and offers accredited training. It also acts as an advocate for the sector, encouraging the industry and
training providers to work together and providing a one stop website offering
information on drama training for students of all ages. http://www.dramauk.co.uk/drama_uk_accredited_schools
Drama UK could be used as the starting point for actors who
are looking to undertake accredited training in performing arts, such as a BA
(Hons) in Acting at schools such as LIPA or RADA. Once the students have
undertaken their training they can then use resources such as The Stage and
Spotlight to look for casting opportunities and auditions that interest them.
An actor can then join a union like Equity and their membership will bring them
benefits including representation and advice. Once a member they will receive
an Equity card which is a universally recognised symbol of their status as a
professional and makes a statement about their commitment to their vocation and
place in the industry. Being part of a union will look after the individual, as
an actor you are very much working for yourself in a sense as most jobs are not
long-term or permanent and so this constant uncertainty means that you need to
be able to take of yourself. However Equity
promise to be there for their members, they will offer free legal advice
and support if needed, they’ll distribute royalties for the use of members’
work in TV and film re-runs and will offer tax and welfare support.
Being an actor is not just as simple as going to auditions and then performing in a job, it is
a well-known fact that networking is essential in the performing arts industry
and so having resources such as Spotlight, The Stage and Equity will be an
advantage to an actor. These resources will help them gain jobs as well as
ensure that they are not left to struggle, Equity are very efficient in looking after their members financially. There are
many organisations in the performing arts sector that will look after the welfare
of an actor. It would not be possible for an actor to work in the industry without tools like The Stage and Spotlight and they wouldn't be able to declare themselves as professionally working actors without a membership in an accredited union.
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