Hollywood Domination Chapter 38: Airborne Lucky Jenny

After the Christmas-New Year's holiday, Jenny and Cesare signed an employment contract, and she also applied to join the Screen Actors Guild. The conditions for joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are actually quite simple, if If you are a leading actor, you can apply to join the Actors Union if you work for one day in a project that signed an agreement with SAG and your salary meets the minimum SAG standard. If you are an extra, you can also apply if you have worked in a SAG agreement project for more than three days Join a union.

But if you think about it carefully, the SAG threshold actually still exists. Take Jenny’s colleague Jessica as an example. After Jessica came to Hollywood, she first acted in some unpaid student movies-these movies There is no pay, and of course it is not a SAG agreement project, and there is no chance of showing it. Those young so-called directors may not even be able to play DV, so Jessica quickly lost interest and began to want to be a TV drama, or A small character with a line or two. However, because of the existence of SAG, each SAG agreement project must first hire a certain number of extras from SAG. This number varies from industry to industry, ranging from 20 to 80. That is to say, unless it is a big scene with hundreds of people, Otherwise, non-SAG actors will have very little chance to play soy sauce, let alone work in this project for more than three days.

So, if you want to be a supporting actor who has to sign a contract and have lines? I'm sorry, but most movies and TV shows are cast directly from actors recommended by SAG. For example, Dave, one of his jobs is to sum up the small supporting roles that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" needs during this period, and then contact SAG or Another big union is the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA). They will screen out suitable actors to interview you, and rarely select people from other channels, so unless you or your manager has a way to directly deal with the audition director or higher-ups, hand in your resume, and pass Otherwise, you will rarely even get an audition opportunity.

For example, Jessica has been working as a Hollywood star for more than a year, that is to say, she was lucky enough to be an extra two or three times, but she didn't save enough working time for three days, so she was still not qualified to join SAG. When Jenny left, her manager was e-mailing her resume, looking for opportunities to shoot advertisements and magazine prints. If she could choose to shoot a SAG agreement advertisement, she would be eligible to join the union. From now on, at least they will be organized people. However, generally speaking, SAG agreement advertisements also directly contact the union for casting, and Jessica’s manager probably has no way (or unwillingness) to contact the person in charge of casting directly to sell her resume, so if she is lucky If it is not good, this road may not work.

In Los Angeles, especially in Hollywood, handsome men and beautiful women are not uncommon, but only a small number of them can finally join the trade union and successfully enter the industry. Many of them probably lost their careers after hitting the wall for a year or two. There are also some people who have sunk in this way, and the "lucky ones" who have successfully joined the labor union can finally stand out, while those who rely on acting to support themselves are rare, and the remaining 99% are probably Hollywood drifters, constantly playing soy sauce As a human flesh background, even the threshold of SAG insurance cannot be reached. (See note) But even so, in the eyes of those outsiders who can't even join the SAG, they are at least organized people, which is already very enviable. A career development route like Jenny's is already a miracle for them.

Because Chen Zhen has memories of her previous life, she made up her mind from the very beginning. She would rather not join SAG than start as an extra. There are very few people who turn over and become a supporting role, let alone a protagonist. Even if she is confident that she is a phoenix and a rarity, it will take at least five years from the stage to the lead role, and she simply cannot afford to waste this time. So at that time, she wanted to join the stage play circle, and she was born in a stage play with a higher style. Of course, she was lucky. This road that is destined to be difficult has not started yet, and Dave sent it After entering Qingyun Ladder, her first job 'Juanita' is actually enough to qualify to join SAG. Juanita was the main cast member for that episode, CSI was a deal with SAG, and the $5,000 payment certainly met SAG standards.

However, Jenny did not join at that time...

Because... joining the Screen Actors Union requires a membership fee of 3,000 yuan...she has no money...

Until now, when the check for the performance of "Chicago" came to her, and she had 10,000 to 20,000 dollars in the bank, Jenny put this matter on the agenda. For her benefits, she will stand up for her in case of trouble, and will help her to ask for wages in arrears, etc. But for Jenny, the relationship between her and Cesare is already very close, and the union's function of "introducing performance opportunities" has basically lost its effect. Basically, most of the performance opportunities introduced by this kind of introduction are relatively low-level. For example, the leading role of "Chicago" must not be selected through such casting. Even for a role like Kitty, the director may already have someone in his heart. elected. Considering Jenny's current level of starring in "Chicago", most of the acting opportunities from the Screen Actors Union cannot satisfy her. Even if she receives an inquiry call, Cesare will directly reject it, and will not be unscreened. Just go to her side.

After paying more than 3,000 yuan in dues, Jenny began to look forward to her next income. For "Chicago", the theater troupe pays their salary once a week, that is to say, if there are no accidents, Within the 26 weeks stipulated in the contract, she can get a salary of 104,000 yuan, and after deducting taxes and commissions, she can still leave more than 60,000 yuan in her hands. ——When she was a waitress, she didn’t declare taxes on her tips, and her base salary was considered a low-income group, so she almost didn’t have to pay taxes. Now her annual salary is at least 104,000, and she has to pay taxes. The United States is a country with a high tax rate. Her level , At least 20% of the annual income is subject to tax, and then 15% of the commission is deducted, leaving only about half in hand.

Of course, this is only a rough figure, because she still needs to pay an accountant to file tax returns, and judging from the publicity idea revealed by James, Cesare may also help her arrange a PR company, which also needs to be paid monthly Money, just don't know how to pay.

——In short, although Jenny's income has increased a bit compared to before,... she is actually quite poor, because the places to spend money have increased a lot.

Fortunately, Cesare has a close relationship with her, so she can still enjoy some benefits from the company's resources. If you continue to live here, you can also pay the bill with the internal price, and the expenditure will not be too high, etc.

Because of these trivial matters, Jenny was quite busy throughout the holiday, and did not meet Lilian a few times. As for Cesare, he flew back to Los Angeles after signing the contract. He was far more busy than Chao Lilian, even Jenny, who is currently a very important client, has not met him many times.

Because of the Christmas-New Year's holiday, December-January is also the busy season of Broadway. The rehearsal hall is completely full, and the troupe is always busy. Jenny has not rehearsed with the "Chicago" troupe. James gave She arranged a full rehearsal schedule. In addition to rehearsing basic skills, she also began to follow every song and dance show of Jenny strictly according to the musical repertoire. He himself would often come to watch Jenny rehearse, with a strict and professional attitude, pursuing perfection to the point of being almost picky—as if he had never had **** with her before, it was completely business-like, and he didn't even tell a joke.

Speaking of which, it seems that the big names in showbiz that Jenny has met so far all seem to have a tendency to be perfectionist, Cesare, Rob, and Agata are all like this, so she is also used to being with these who will never be satisfied She gets along with people, even at work, she is a bit addicted to being abused. She is really not afraid of others demanding too much of her, because she is already very demanding of herself. Although she doesn't want to admit it, Chen Zhen seems to have a tendency of perfectionism .

Especially this time, it is tantamount to betting on her reputation. If everyone agrees that her performance is not as good as Renee, then she will become a loser who cannot be hyped. So she is not afraid of not being harsh, but she is afraid that if you don't ask for it, she will have no goal to complete it.

Besides the rehearsal every day, three hours of vocal practice in the performing arts space is enough. If you are not too tired, you can continue to practice dancing in the space. Entering a state of ecstasy, every day is nothing but practice. The amount of exercise is so great that Jenny even allows herself to eat steak as a staple food. In terms of the calories she consumes every day, she really can't bear it without eating more meat.

In this hellish practice, James nodded more and more, and finally, at the end of January, Jenny was taken to the rehearsal hall and introduced to the troupe members, "This is your new Roxy."

There was a buzz of interest in the large rehearsal hall, and many people standing in the back stretched their necks to look at her. Jenny felt like a transfer student, and everyone was curious and repelled by her. Members may also be jealous or loathe.

However, the troupe has a stronger human relationship than the crew. After all, some old members have been working in the troupe for several years, and no matter how much they hate you, they can't come up and tear you up. When Jenny joined the group and started to rehearse the basic skills, several people nearby turned around and introduced themselves to her, "I am Roxy from Group B, just call me Amanda."

"I am Amos from Group A, your husband."

After we got to know each other briefly, we warmed up according to the number of beats in the director's hand, and then the day's rehearsal began.

Although she is a rookie, after all, Jenny has practiced under the Golden Finger for so long, and she has a certain foundation in her previous life, so she is completely comfortable with daily rehearsals, and she can easily complete a day's work. Gradually get acquainted with each other. However, the friendship chain here still follows the convention - the smaller the conflict of interest, the more friendly the initial relationship. Therefore, whether it is a group dancer or a starring role, the first people to get acquainted with her are actors and black actresses. Jenny's reputation in the "blonde white actress" camp is inherently cold, and she should easily fall to the hostile side. Moreover, because she was airborne, even the members of the troupe who got close to her had limited intimacy with her.

During lunch, Dietrich came over to say hello, "We're working together again—so happy!"

Based on the judgment of the camp, she should belong to the initial friendly side, but Dietrich's performance on the day of the audition made Jenny a little suspicious, and her attitude was not too enthusiastic. "Yes, Dietrich, I really didn't expect us to work together again."

"By the way, I haven't apologized to you yet." Sitting across from her, Dietrich winked at her affectionately, "I was a little rude to you during the audition that day, it was James' order. He hopes that I can put some pressure on you - but judging from your reaction, I don't seem to be doing very well."

Jenny said sincerely, "No, you really did a good job. To be honest, I was almost intimidated by you at first."

Dietrich laughed out loud, "Wow, then your acting skills are really good, definitely at the Oscar level."

She and Jenny chatted while having dinner, and the two quickly got to know each other again. Dietrich even told her, "I'm on vacation this Monday, and I'm going to have a party at my house. You must come. I'm off on that day All members of the troupe will come, this is a good opportunity to integrate into the big family.”

Jenni hesitated for a while, and Dietrich persuaded her again, "You know, this is not the time to put on airs, Jennifer, it would be good for you to make more friends in the troupe."

She also makes sense. Jenny doesn't want to turn herself into a Bitch that everyone recognizes. If you want to break the ice, it's best to act at the beginning and when the relationship between people has not yet settled down. She nodded and said to Dede Li was also grateful, "Thank you, dear, I will definitely come."

Dietrich confirmed the time and place with her, and patted Jenny on the shoulder as an old friend, "I am looking forward to your coming."

She grinned at Jenny, showing her white teeth.

The author has something to say: Note: The premise of SAG insurance is that the annual working hours reach a certain number of days or the remuneration reaches a certain level.

The membership fee of 3,000 is mentioned in Wikipedia. It seems that it may be 1,500 in 2001. This paragraph is all according to Wikipedia...

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