first refusal

The mommy cam, part 2

The long wait is over (I think)

Well, I’ve decided the long wait is over. I happen to know that some friends of mine who were also on first refusal for the train commuter audition were contacted about the commercial. However, I wasn’t. No phone call. No email. Zip.

Now, typically, when one is on first refusal for a gig, one of two things happens:

the client decides they like you and the casting director calls to hire you for the gig; or,
the client decides they won’t use you and the casting director calls to release you from first refusal

In this particular case, neither of these happened to me. So, any one of these situations could apply:

the client decided I wouldn’t be used and the casting director forgot to call to release me from first refusal
the client forgot about me altogether and, consequently, the casting director didn’t contact me
the client hasn’t finished selecting cast for the commercial and, therefore, … Read more »

The long wait

Ten days ago I had a second audition for the role of a train commuter in a television commercial. The commercial is slated to shoot in about a week, but none of the actors have heard anything, yet. Or, at least I haven’t. We’re all still on first refusal. (Or at least I’m assuming all have elected to stay on first refusal.) Essentially, we’re waiting. I sent an email inquiry today to see if the casting director knew anything about where things stood with this particular spot. This is the response I received:

“Hey! WE are still waiting to hear!! WE will let you know [sic]“

Okay. So the casting director is waiting, too. And is possibly busy and in a hurry. It was great that I received a response, though. The casting director could have just ignored me.

I realize that patience is a virtue, but I must admit I’ve never been the most patient of girls. … Read more »

Not my first refusal

So, last week I was asked to be “on first refusal” for an overnight commercial shoot for a well-known bank. The spot is slated to shoot tonight. I agreed. Working overnight isn’t that bad; one is just really tired come breakfast-time. How does first refusal work?, I hear you asking. Well, to “be on first refusal” means simply that the client is interested in using you, isn’t sure if s/he/they will use you, but would like for you to hold the desired time(s) for her/him/them. However, as the talent, you are not committed to the project and, if something comes up for you, it’s okay. Just call to indicate you are no longer available. I was cool with this. I didn’t have any major Friday night plans.

Last night I received an email message with the subject line “EXTRA WORK RELEASE”. (Yes, in all caps.) The message read, in part, “Thank you so much for being available, but the job has booked and we … Read more »

The mommy cam, part 2

The long wait is over (I think)

The long wait

Not my first refusal

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