Extras found in movies and TV commercials are at the center of a crackdown initiated by the Los Angeles city attorneys office and California labor commissioner, who claim the fees charged by casting companies to find the extras jobs are a violation of state law.
Casting agencies typically charge an upfront fee before placing actors on a set, a move that has caused much grumbling and complaints in the past.
Now city officials are stepping in to stop the fees, going so far as to send a cease-and-desist letter to Central Casting in Burbank, the largest agency for extras.
Thirteen other LA-based agencies were sent similar warnings.
As the companies expressed shock and frustration over the warnings, actors this week said they are relieved the imposed fees are coming to an end.
When youre the weakest, least visible group of people without any clout, its easy to take advantage of you, Russell McConnell, a veteran extra who chairs the background actors committee at the Screen Actors Guild, told the LA Times. A lot of background actors live on the financial edge, and it doesnt take much to push them over, so any additional costs and fees they have to incur is critical.
One of the reasons behind the crackdown is the small paychecks the extras receive, and many believe agencies are unfairly squeezing more fees out of an already cash-strapped individual.
The LA Times reports that most extras earn the minimum wage: $64 for an eight-hour day. Union extra jobs pay a minimum of $139 ($142 as of July 1) but have become more scarce in the last decade as producers have resisted attempts by SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to expand the coverage. For example, as of July 1, the first 21 extras jobs on a TV show in the Western region must be covered under a union contract, down from 75 jobs more than two decades ago.
The city attorneys office is focusing its efforts on casting companies only, leaving out listing companies and Internet services that also draw many complaints.
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