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Filmmaker Basics
- Pre-registration is required (no walk-ins)
- Filmmakers may register their company first and pay later. However, filmmaker registration usually closes three days before the event. For instance, filmmaker registration will close on Wednesday, 6pm before a Stonehenge on Saturday. Check the schedule of your Stonehenge for details.
- The fee is per company/organization (up to three people)
- The registration fee is tiered. The sooner you pay, the cheaper it is. The prices & deadlines will be posted for each Stonehenge. Generally is it $25 for early payment, $50 for regular payment, and $75 at the door.
- There is an additional charge of $10 per person for each person over 3 attending, payable upon check-in.
- Discounts are often offered for members of certain professional organizations. (There are no discounts paying the day of the event).
- Refunds cheerfully given before the filmmaker registration deadline.
Sorry, no refunds thereafter.
- Filmmaker check-in opens at 9:00am. Please plan to check-in before 9:40am as we begin checking in actors at 9:45am. If any filmmakers arrive late, we will check them in at the earliest window of opportunity.
Filmmaker FAQ
What am I attending again?
Stonehenge! Some of you may have attended a mass audition for theatre such as the Leagues. Stonehenge is a massive audition designed to bring as many actors as possible in front of as many independent filmmakers and production companies as possible. It's about you being able to tap into the wealth of acting talent in the area and putting them into your productions.
Every production company we've surveyed reports that they've used or plan to use actors they saw at Stonehenge. Since Stonehenge began in 2005, that's translated into at least 82 productions and more than 325 roles cast.
Should I attend?
The short answer is yes (we're obviously biased), as long as you understand two major points:
- Stonehenge is a mass audition. If auditions are ways to get to know actors, mass auditions are an introduction. There are all sorts of ways to make your callback audition a great "getting to know you" conversation—and we here at Team J are happy to help out or simply give suggestions—but Stonehenge is simply an introduction. We believe it's an invaluable introduction to get the ball rolling on your casting, but you should plan a callback session.
- We have found that Stonehenge helps filmmakers best when they're looking to cast a project within the next six months to a year. Because they always have new projects coming up, casting directors, agencies, and certain production companies can benefit by attending each Stonehenge.
Beyond these two points, the choice to attend depends on your needs. What type of organization or company are you?
Film Competition
Are fielding a 48 Hour Film Project or National Film Challenge team and you need to round out your acting ensemble? What if you don't have any actors? There is no better way to see this many actors (over 100) right when you need them. Dedicated actors make your film shine.
Student Filmmakers
If your script is a wonderful recipe, dedicated actors are an essential ingredient. Sure your friends and colleagues are probably willing to be in any movie you're planning, but wouldn't you love to have some trained actors tackle your opus and take it to the next level?
Independent Filmmakers
If your pre-production and casting are happening within the next six months, Stonehenge is an excellent way to see some great actors who can fill those key roles you've been fretting about. With the registration fee so low (provided you register early), a couple companies have attended every Stonehenge thus far, just to see new talent, adding headshots to the company files for future productions.
Casting Directors, Agencies, and assorted Production Companies
Every Stonehenge we have had a good mix of actors in terms of age ranges, ethnicity, and union versus non-union. While we can't promise "that specific type" you're looking for, you will have a chance to see over 100 actors. Stonehenge is an excellent tool to expand your roster of potential actors.
Theater Company
Are you a theater company? The answer here is a definite maybe. The Baltimore and Washington markets (where we currently hold henges) have numerous actors who rotate between screen and stage, so you may find good actors. Please remember though, we try to make Stonehenge focused on film and video work—both with our use of the camera and screen and our emphasis on appropriate monologue selection.
Stonehenge Works and Keeps on Working to Improve
We've gotten very enthusiastic responses from filmmakers about the amount of talented actors they saw at each Stonehenge. We've also listened to the constructive feedback each time in an effort to make the process as smooth as possible.
What else do I need to know about payment?
You can register first and pay later, but the earlier you pay, the cheaper it will be. That's because we want you to register early. There are no discounts paying the day of the event.
We use a simple PayPal system which has served us well so far. If you have any payment to be made the day of the event (i.e., you've chosen to pay the day of the event, you have extra people, etc.) you will need to pay first before going in. Payment at the event is in cash. We will let you know what needs to be paid in our second confirmation email sent Friday night (you can always email us beforehand if you want to check). Remember that filmmaker check-in is from 9:00am until 9:40am.
How many people may we bring? Can we substitute people?
There's no limit to the amount of people who may attend from your organization, but we suggest choosing a proud few rather than a large throng (70 filmmakers may not seem like much, until you're sitting amongst them).
We feel it's a very good idea to bring two people from your company to Stonehenge, but we charge $10 for each person over three. We also limit the amount of headshots you can request as a courtesy to actors (nice headshots get pricey). If you bring a throng of people, they'll have to share.
Substitutions are fine to a point. We know schedules change and things come up. As long as we know beforehand, it's usually no problem. Make sure the substitute knows for whom he or she is substituting (i.e. "I'm Jane Smith with Film Corp. taking the place of Dave Johnson.") as well as if your company needs to pay anything upon check-in.
That leads to another point: if you all are arriving separately, we will assume the first person from your company is paying. If that's not the case, they can relax until the paying member shows up.
Can you explain more about the discounts?
In our ongoing efforts to keep the event inexpensive, we have worked with various filmmaker groups and media organizations to offer discounts to the regular registration price. The early registration of $25 is usually discounted to $20. The regular registration is discounted from $50 to $40. There is no discount for paying the day of. It's $75 cash only (and you will have needed to registered previously anyway).
We suggest going for the early registration if you can. It's the cheapest and the actors like to read about which companies are attending.
Please confirm that your membership with the organization in question is active before you register. It makes the whole process much easier.
What do the pay scales mean in the registration form?
The pay scales are shorthand to help the actors know what type of work you're offering. Most likely, you'll be offering several different pay scales depending on the project in question. When filling out the registration form, please check all the pay scales that apply.
None/Deferred:
One filmmaker termed these projects the ones "for fun and glory" and we think it's an apt description. If you're spending your budget on equipment and keeping the cast and crew well-fed and happy, check this box.
If you are offering deferred pay: in other words if you do not have money in your budget to pay actors within 30-45 days of their working for you, but you really, really want to pay them beyond credit and copy some day, check the box.
Remember that some actors may only be interested in commercial work but many, many actors, including the established and union actors are willing to work "for fun and glory" as long as they trust they'll be in professional hands.
Low Pay
This includes any amount of money you are paying actors—less than commercial non-union rates—that has been budgeted into your project expenses and will be paid to actors in short order (30-45 days) after they have worked for you.
If you've worked in the various professional theaters in the area, you'll know that low pay can vary wildly, but that even a modest stipend is appreciated. Odds are the actors you get will be doing this for the rewarding acting opportunity, but please be prepared to let actors know exactly what the pay is when you call them.
Does this sound like something you do or will do? Check the box.
Non-union (commercial rates)
This one should be pretty straightforward. If you're doing a public service announcement, training film, or any "industrial" video but you are not using union talent, you're probably paying actors a standard "market" rate.
Even so, please make sure what that rate or pay range is as the actors you contact may ask.
SAG (Low Budget Agreement)
As mentioned elsewhere, the most rewarding acting work is not always the most lucrative. SAG has recognized this and come up with contracts for independent filmmakers.
These things are wonderful and, yes, since it is a union, this does involve limitations and paperwork. However, ask your commercial counterparts if they'd like to pay a mere $100 a day for SAG actors (as per the ultra low budget agreement). Better yet, if you fit the short film agreement, you get to defer pay.
Getting a contract through SAG (becoming a "signatory") takes about 4-6 weeks, so if you want to use union actors, you can't short-change your pre-production process.
If you're contacting a SAG actor about participating in such a film competition, be sure to mention that fact as he or she may not be aware of the signatory status. Some union actors may not be interested in any case, but it never hurts to ask.
AFTRA (commercial rates)
We're assuming you know if you're using these rates and will check the box accordingly.
SAG (commercial rates)
As with the AFTRA commercial rates, we are assuming you know if you're using these rates and will check the box accordingly.
Do we really need to fill out any of the optional information?
Well, if you really did, we wouldn't call it optional, but it is strongly suggested. Companies that don't provide any information look very, very uninteresting to the actors—who are deciding whether or not to attend the event based in part on your descriptions. This doesn't need to be a lengthy or awe-inspiring treatise. One of the shortest and most informative descriptions yet was:
We do professional videos and websites for money, short films for fun and glory.
That says it all about that company—as well as giving you a peek at their playful attitude. Combine that with some specific projects they plan to work on (which that company also included) and the pay scales, and actors have a good picture of that company.
If you do not include any information in the "What You're about" or "Current and Upcoming Projects" sections, we will contact you—if only to gently prod you to pen something to get people pumped about who you are and what you do. Come on! You're filmmakers, not the National Association for Watching Paint Dry (NAWPD). Even if you're making a training film for NAWPD, you want to get people excited about it, don't you?
What do I need to know about filmmaker check-in?
To make sure the day begins smoothly, we are asking all filmmakers to check-in between 9:00am and 9:40am the day of the event. True, the actual event starts at 10:00am, but by 9:45am, we are already processing the first group of actors. If you have not checked in by 9:40, you will need to check-in after the first set of actors is processed.
Once you check in, we will confirm who is attending from your company as well as take any remaining payment. You will receive a card listing your company name and the number of headshots sets you've requested. These cards help the staff identify you the first couple times distributing headshots and ensure we set aside the right number of headshot sets for companies running late.
What if I can't make it to Stonehenge that day?
We're sorry you won't be able to join us. If no one from your company or organizations can attend, we suggest talking to colleagues who plan to attend Stonehenge to let them know what sorts of actors you're looking for. Check the Team J blog for the next Stonehenge dates.
What if I'm registered and I have to cancel?
Please check and see if someone else from your company or organization would be able to attend. If no one can, let us know about the cancellation. We will happily refund your registration fee up until the Wednesday registration closing.
If you discover no one from your company can attend after filmmaker registration closes (ie three days before the event), all is not lost. We will be happy to collect resumes for you as planned and mail you said resumes in a flat rate box with delivery confirmation via Priority Mail for $15.
What if I'm late?
If you run late, we will fit you in as soon as we can in between processing actors. Please let our check-in staff know you are there and they will then in turn let you know when they can check you in. Bear in mind that the ongoing processing of actors takes 8-10 minutes out of every 15 minutes, so we will have to fit you in at just the right moment.
As mentioned above, any company who has not yet checked in will have its requisite number of headshots set aside until one of its members shows up and checks in. If circumstances arise so that no one can attend, we are happy to mail you the collected resumes in a flat rate box with delivery confirmation via Priority Mail for $15. If you have to leave early and no one from your company can remain, we can mail the remaining resumes to you, also for $15.
How do I get there?/What's the deal with parking?
Check the specific Stonehenge schedule for location details. Essentially, depending on other events going on that day, parking may be sparse to downright awful. Please budget plenty of time and/or money for parking or plan to take mass transit.
What should I know about SAG (union) actors?
Note: We're assuming that if you're planning to use SAG actors for commercial work, you already know what you need to know. This answer is more for student and indie filmmakers.
More than likely, you'll find they're rather good and you'll want to use them in some of your projects.
To use SAG actors, you will need to have signed an agreement with the union or become "a signatory" as they like to say. This process generally takes 4-6 weeks, so plan for it in your pre-production schedule. You can learn about the various low budget agreements at SAG's indie film web site.
(For commercial work, please check out the regular SAG site.)
When contacting SAG actors, (who as a rule, happily put "SAG" prominently on their resume), they may well ask you if you are a "signatory"—so be prepared to let them know you are or are planning to for the project in question. The term may seem like jargon, but for many union actors it's something of a shibboleth that tells them you're a serious filmmaker in the know. Also, bear in mind that many SAG actors are looking for paid or commercial work. They may be entirely happy to do a "fun and glory" project, but they also may say no. It never hurts to ask.
May I tape the auditions?
No. Because union (SAG) actors will be auditioning as well as minors, you would need actors to sign releases in order to tape them--along with all the other filmmakers wanting to get releases. It wouldn't be pretty. So please, no taping or photos.
We will be having the actors deliver their monologue in front of a camera and broadcast the image onto a screen or monitors. Most filmmakers have opined that it was more worthwhile to watch the actor in the moment, both live on stage and on the monitors. In addition, starting with Stonehenge VI, we will be taping all actors who opt-in and upload them to a Stonehenge Auditions channel on YouTube.
Remember, you are welcome to tape or photograph actors at any callback audition you arrange. For this audition, your observations of the actors, their headshots, and your notes should suffice.
What should I bring?
Something to write down impressions of actors and something to store all the headshots and resumes (there will be over 120).
So I've seen all these actors. Now what?
Some of you have definite projects you know you need actors for in the next few months. Some of you are using this to update and expand your roster of potential actors. In either case, we encourage you to take an hour or so soon after Stonehenge (a day after if possible, definitely within the week) to review your notes. Revise, rewrite, or expand them so they're comprehensible to you and your colleagues later. This may be as simple as putting Post-Its® on select headshots or as complex as entering the information into your company's casting database.
After that, we're guessing you will need to conduct a callback audition of some sort.
What should I do about callback auditions?
As mentioned earlier, if auditions are about getting to know actors, then mass auditions are a good introduction (or in some cases, reintroduction). Unless you are simply attending for a film competition such as the 48 Hour Film Project, you will want to conduct a follow-up audition or "callback" session. Actually, if feasible, a callback session is a great idea for 48 Hour teams anyway—you've seen a bit of how they play, now you want to see how they play with others.
Besides cold readings, follow-up auditions give you the opportunity to, in the words of one actor, "turn the whole audition process on its head."
Here's a few possible scenarios with Stonehenge actors:
- Sure, that one actress did a great sultry monologue—but will she have any chemistry with your intended male lead?
- He has the look and the voice for the training video. How is he with dense scientific jargon?
- Both those two women had great comic timing, but do they have the improv skills you know you'll need?
- You've seen a particular actor create character and deliver lines with nuanced precision, but can he do that and handle a camera one foot from his face?
There are any number of approaches to test these actors (and Team J is more than happy to give you suggestions). Best of all, this type of auditioning is fun for the actors because they get to play—far more fully than they did at Stonehenge.
Stonehenge, or any mass audition, can never accommodate the testing and experimentation you will want to introduce to thoroughly get to know the actors. But we're certain it's a great help in kicking off the whole casting process. That's one reason that Team J produces Stonehenge.
Remember the maxim that the more time you spend in casting, the less time you stress in directing.
Do you have any suggestions based on the last Stonehenge?
Have at least two people attend the auditions. That way, one of you can take a break. Take the time between audition slots to chat with your fellow filmmakers about projects and compare notes. You will see a variety of actors in terms of experience and age—and you may find yourself re-evaluating your casting needs based on the talent you see.
What if I have other questions about Stonehenge not answered on this website?
Email us at stonehenge@teamjabberwocky.com.
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