After the second or third time I was told by a casting director that actors’ STARmeter rankings are taking on greater importance in the casting process, it finally made an impression. Sometimes I’m slow like that.

While researching ways to maximize my IMDB ranking, I stumbled onto a new web site that looks very promising.

NOTE: The information below is ONLY FOR ACTORS. Non-actors or anyone without an IMDB page will find this information of no use.

The site is called ActorLikes. The premise of the site is to take what most actors normally do, send our IMDB page link to casting people, directors, friends, acquaintenances, etc. one at a time, and put the process on this steroid called SOCIAL NETWORKING.

What if a group of actors agree to visit my page if I in turn will check out their IMDB page and LIKE it? Sounds kind of like a play on what we’re already doing on Facebook. We suggest links to films, shows, actors, etc. Having a consistent flow of pageviews and likes should increase and hopefully, stabilize, IMDB STARmeter rankings.

This has much more appeal to me than paying ‘some guy’ $40 a month to have his server farm hit my IMDB page. I can help another actor, they can help me.

So let’s get started. Here’s a link to my ActorLikes page. Please use this link to get there ’cause I get some kind of bonus points if you do. I don’t get any money. The site is FREE.

There is some tweaking you need to do once you join the site and start LIKING other actor’s pages. Be careful about filling up your wall (and your friends news feeds) with multiple IMDB links. I had to catch onto this after I got started. You can remove the post from your wall, but the link will remain under one of your INFO sections. As long as you have the link publicly visible, you’re good to go.

For those who might want to know a bit more about the IMDB STARmeter rankings and how they work, read on. Otherwise, hit me up on ActorLikes and my Facebook Fanpage Hit the LIKE button at the top of the Fan Page even if we are already Facebook friends!

So what the heck is the STARmeter, how are the rankings calculated and why should actors who don’t have multi-million dollar incomes, a posse and a harried PR flack care?

Here’s how IMDB explains things:

HOW ARE RATINGS CALCULATED? ” IMDbPro uses proprietary algorithms that take into account several measures of popularity for people and titles. The primary measure is who and what people are looking at on the public IMDb.com website.”

WHAT DO THE RANKNGS MEAN?: “Plain and simple, they represent what people are interested in, based not on small statistical samplings, but on the actual behavior of millions of IMDb users. Unlike the AFI 100 or Academy Awards, high rankings on STARmeter and MOVIEmeter do not necessarily mean that something is “good.” They do mean that there is a high level of public awareness and/or interest in the title or person.

So how does all this impact the everyday working (and often not working) actor? It means that you need people looking at your IMDB page on a regular basis to boost your ranking and to keep it from dropping into a black hole. And for most of us actors, the STARmeter ranking can fluctuate wildly over time, often over a short period of time.

My personal STARmeter ranking has gone from as low as 5,716 (pretty darn good) to as high as 630,618 (ouch). These ratings fluctuations in my case are from 1998 – Present. As of this writing my ranking is 40,065 (okay, but not great). This is where I should ask all readers to hit my IMDB page, cause I need some STARmeter love.

Given the apparently increasing importance of the IMDB and IMDB STARmeter rankings in the casting process, it behooves actors to at least monitor their IMDB page. The ActorLikes site looks like a tool that most actors will want to consider.

From KeyeTV.com:

Thursday officers found the body of a man in a home on the 1100 block of Darvone Circle. That is south of William Cannon Dr. between Manchaca Rd. and S. Congress Ave.

Now he faces a capital murder charge.

Sadly, we now know the victim was Lou Perryman.

I first became aware of Lou upon seeing Eagle Pennell’s THE WHOLE SHOOTIN MATCH and then met him at an audition upon arriving in Austin in 1994. I didn’t know Lou well, but we would have a chat at auditions here and in Dallas where we’d bump into each other coming or going from readings. Lou was blessed with a lot of talent and a great character actor’s face. And, sad to say, he was an underutilized talent in this market.

In my experience, Lou was one of the good guys. Prayers go out to his family at this terrible time.

R.I.P., Lou.

December 04, 2008
By Mark Dundas Wood
Recently, Drew Barrymore directed and starred in a feature called Whip It!, set in Austin, Texas, and based on a novel by a former Austinite, Shauna Cross. The film was shot in…Ann Arbor, Mich.

Say what? Why would a town with a rich film culture and at least two major favorite-son film directors — Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater — miss out on hosting a project that’s such an obvious fit?

As usual, it’s a money thing. Michigan — along with such states as New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Louisiana — currently offers producers hefty incentive packages to shoot on its soil. As Gary Bond, director of the Austin Film Commission, points out, the 8.25 percent sales-tax exemption and other incentives that Texas offers to filmmakers don’t add up to the same breaks available elsewhere.

Nevertheless, last January, Austin was named the No. 1 American movie city by MovieMaker magazine, beating out such incentives-rich locales as Albuquerque, N.M., and Shreveport, La., not to mention Los Angeles and New York. Austin may not be getting the same kind of commercial projects as other states, but apparently it is doing some things very well.

A (Lone) Star Is Born
The first Hollywood-size project that lensed in Austin, says Bond, was 1977′s Outlaw Blues. In subsequent years, a handful of TV movies and occasional theatrical features (1982′s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, for instance) shot in the area, but no cinematic stampede to the city ensued. Things began to change in the mid-1980s when the first sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Jeff Bridges-Kim Basinger vehicle Nadine were shot back to back in Austin, with both films employing many of the same personnel. Gradually, says Bond, local crew — especially members of art departments — amassed impressive production credits and reputations.

At the same time, Austin was becoming a major music hub. The city’s famous South by Southwest (SXSW) festival actually began as a music event in 1987 but soon incorporated film and other media. “We were sort of a two-headed calf,” says Bond. “People wanted to come here and see what this buzz was all about.”

Filmmakers venturing to Austin found a city surrounded by a wide range of physical terrains: hills and lake chains to the west, rolling prairie to the east. “It’s always been an excellent place to do a road movie,” says Bond, noting that the bulk of the cattle-drive miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989) was shot within 30 miles of Austin, with the countryside standing in for Canadian and Mexican locales.

In the 1990s, the scene grew, especially with the emergence of Linklater and Rodriguez and the latter’s then wife, producer Elizabeth Avellan. Other Austin-based filmmakers include Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions) and Mike Judge (Office Space).

Rodriguez and Avellan developed Troublemaker Studios at the site of Austin’s former municipal airport. Meanwhile, Linklater had founded the Austin Film Society. What began as a film-appreciation organization eventually expanded, assuming management of Austin Studios: other refurbished, city-owned airport property that became “production central” for projects coming into town.

The Actor Factor
But what about human infrastructure? What does Austin provide to filmmakers in the way of an actor workforce?

Beth Sepko, who operates Beth Sepko Casting, as well as an affiliated company, Third Coast Extras, began her career as an agent in San Antonio, returning to her native Austin in 1994. Sepko has worked on several films with Rodriguez. She also casts Austin’s first major network series, NBC’s Friday Night Lights, for which she won a 2007 Emmy. “We have a really strong talent pool,” she says, “but it’s sort of shallow. If I have a film project that has, like, 90 roles on it, then I definitely have to pull from other markets.”

Read the FULL BACKSTAGE ARTICLE HERE.

Accept a truly lousy contract now and hope to undo the damage in three years? Or reject the contract and take a strike authorization vote?

What happens if the guild does take that strike authorization vote and it is defeated? What happens if it passes? Do we really want to strike at a time when the national economy and millions of families are in financial distress?

Do we really believe that SAG, WGA and AFTRA will come together in three years as a group, united in a way that they have not been during this round of contract negotiations?

What is the best hope for the non-star actors who rely on contracted minimums and residuals to pay their bills and try to support their families?

Today, Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily has posted a proposal to SAG. Below is an excerpt. I suggest you go to DHD and read the whole proposal and then read all of the comments.

The decision by SAG president Alan Rosenberg and executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen to delay the Strike Authorization Ballot originally scheduled to start January 3rd should be recognized as the smart move to make now when SAG’s solidarity is splitting down the middle. It is a mature recognition that both sides on this issue raise valid points and deserve to be heard before anything with the word “strike” on it is considered by members.The “Yes” camp believes that actors will be stuck with what is inarguably a lousy deal undermining residuals not just for the next three years but perhaps forever given Big Media’s historical refusal to contractually revisit new technologies. The “No” camp thinks that a Strike Authorization will inevitably lead to an ill-timed strike in this economic recession and that SAG should join the other Hollywood guilds in 3 years to try to negotiate better terms with the AMPTP.So what was supposed to be a January 24th weekend National Board meeting has now been moved up to January 12th and 13th. It’ll constitute one of the two plenary face-to-face confabs held each year. The NY Division and the Regional Divisions should have no trouble traveling to the Hollywood division’s backyard with so much advance notice. The point of this decision to delay is to ensure a fair airing of all views. (It even takes into account the “No” vote petition supposedly signed by “well-known” actors even though the list includes no mechanism for verifying the names posted on it.)

I believe that SAG now has a unique opportunity to bypass a strike authorization altogether and place itself in an even stronger negotiating position by following a third and less risky course of action: to vote on the AMPTP’s June 30th contract proposal.

Therefore, I urge SAG to…

See the whole post and comments at Deadline Hollywood Daily

I’m including only Texas and Louisiana in this post. New Mexico production was not a part of this list which was only for the South Region.

Once again, this list is illustrative of the current state of affairs of Texas film production.

Note the number of Theatrical contracts in Texas vs those in Louisiana. The theatrical contracts are generally for films with budgets over +/- $2 million. The Low Budget and Ultra Low Budget contracts specify much lower budget thresholds. Which state has the bigger budgeted projects?

Most producers will not accept direct submissions and will only consider performers submitted by talent agents. Since they do not accept direct submissions, many producers will not grant permission to include casting information or production office address data on these communications. If the information does not appear on this update, it was not made available to the Guild for publication.

Texas

American Cartel – Ultra Low Budget
Agave Productions, LLC
Location: San Antonio, TX
Start Date: 8/24/08

Code Enforcer – Ultra Low Budget
Steve Cauley
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: To be determined

Elbows and Vogues – Ultra Low Budget
Nexus Entertainment
Location: Dallas, TX
Start Date: To be determined

Friday Night Lights – TV Series
NBC Studios, Inc.
Location – Austin, TX
Start Date: August 1, 2008
Casting: Beth Sepko

Guys – Low Budget
Guys the Movie, LLC
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: To be determined

Unbridled–Low Budget
Unbridled the Movie, LLC
Location: Brackettville & Jacksboro, TX
Start Date: To be determined

Year of the Rat – Low Budget Modified
Year of the Rat, LP
Location: Dallas, TX
Start Date: To be determined

Louisiana

Caged Innocence – TH
United Spirits LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: October 27, 2008

Dead Whisper – TH
Dead Whisper Pictures, LLC
Location: New Orleans, LA; Big Bear, CA
Start Date: November 10, 2008

Dolo TV aka Justice for All
DMG Holdings, LLC
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Start Date: October 2, 2008

Eyes of the King – Theatrical
Eyes of the King, LLC
Location: Louisiana (non-specific)
Start Date: October 1, 2008

Gator – TH
Gator Films, LLC
Location: Lafayette, LA
Start Date: September 20, 2008

Heroes and Villains – Theatrical
Capstone Entertainment Group, LLC
Location: Vancouver, CA; New Orleans, LA
Start Date: September 1, 2008 (through February 2009)

His Kind of Woman – Theatrical
His Kind of Woman Productions, LLC
Location: New Orleans, LA; Santa Fe, NM
Start Date: October 15, 2008

Hunting Ground – Ultra Low Budget
Film Froggie Productions, LLC
Location: Metairie, LA
Start Date: October 1, 2008

Jack of Spades, The – Ultra Low Budget
The Jack of Spades Production Company
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: September 8, 2008

Jaws of the Mississippi – Low Budget Modified
Jaws Productions, LLC
Location: Lafayette, LA
Start Date: October 22, 2008

Jesus in Cowboy Boots – Theatrical
Trailer Park Productions, LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: September 15, 2008

Keep Coming Back – Theatrical
Trailer Park Productions, LLC
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: July 14, 2008 (through December 1, 2008)

King of Rhythm – Theatrical
United Spirits, LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: September 15, 2008

Leaves of Grass – Theatrical
Leaves Productions, LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: September 22, 2008

My Own Love Song – Theatrical
Cinemotion, LLC
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: October 13, 2008

Night of the Demons – Theatrical
Prodigy Entertainment
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Start Date: To be determined

Skateland – Theatrical
Skateland Productions, LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: October 20, 2008

Three Stories about Joan – Theatrical
Three Stories Productions, LLC
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: October 2, 2008

Unraveled – Low Budget Modified
Unraveled Productions, LLC
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Start Date: October 6, 2008

Who knows. A quick support ticket to HostPC and a fairly quick response had me back online with a ‘sorry for the inconvenience’ message from support.

So…sorry for any inconvenience to visitors. For better or worse, txactor.com is back online.

Thanks for visiting.

Tommy

Dear Alan and Doug:

This is in response to your letter dated September 29, 2008 to Peter Chernin, Robert Iger and me. Your letter indicates that the Screen Actors Guild is not prepared to change its position on any of the threshold issues in our negotiations. The Guild’s position remains unchanged since we last met on July 16, 2008. Further, in addition to new media, there are a number of significant issues which, in and of themselves, prevent the parties from reaching agreement.

Our Final Offer to the Screen Actors Guild is comparable to our agreements with the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and AFTRA. Our Final Offer memorializes a set of compromises, including in the area of new media, worked out with other Guilds and Unions and particularly addresses actor specific issues raised during the Screen Actors Guild negotiations.

We do not believe that it would be productive to resume negotiations at this time given SAG’s continued insistence on terms which the Companies have repeatedly rejected.

In light of the unprecedented economic difficulties facing our industry and the nation, the Companies continue to hope that the Guild’s leadership will recognize the five major labor agreements that have already been concluded this year and will accept our Final Offer while it remains on the table.

We want to reemphasize that we value greatly our industry’s talent – the directors, writers, actors, and below-the-line people who create entertainment products for audiences around the world – and hope that our Final Offer can serve as the basis of an agreement.

Sincerely,
J. Nicholas Counter III

September 29, 2008

Dear Gentlemen:

We believe it is clear that our members would fail to ratify your proposal of June 30, 2008. It would serve no productive purpose, therefore, to send our membership a proposal that SAG’s National Negotiating Committee and National Board have rejected and that our membership would not ratify.

It is our fervent hope that this news will encourage you and your colleagues to reengage in formal bargaining, with the exchange of proposals and compromise by both sides necessary to reach an agreement.

Our discussions with you and many of your colleagues since formal talks ended have educated both of our teams about our respective priorities and flexibilities. As we have said to SAG members, if we can reach agreement on three threshold issues, we believe we can finish these negotiations. One issue you brought to the table: force majeure protection for actors held by contract to a suspended production. Two issues we have identified as core principles: coverage for all new media productions (including those below $15,000/minute) and residuals for made-for new media productions re-used on new media. Other issues divide us, certainly, but we believe those other issues can be successfully addressed once we have resolved these three threshold issues. We have approached these contract negotiations reasonably and with a realistic and informed view of the state of the industry.

We are prepared to meet formally and continuously until we reach agreement. We owe it to our constituencies and the thousands of others in this industry that depend on a productive, stable and uninterrupted relationship between Screen Actors Guild and the networks and studios.

The alternative to reaching an agreement as soon as possible is unnecessary and destructive uncertainty. If your intransigence continues, however, our choices become harder and fewer. We would prefer the more complicated and productive choices that compromise will make necessary. But we can’t make those choices that lead to agreement working alone.

What do you say; when can our committees meet face-to-face?

Sincerely,

Alan Rosenberg
National President

Doug Allen
National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator

SPEAKERS: A Panel of Speakers from THE ALLIANCE
* Donise Hardy, President, Talent Works-USA
* Veronica Kelly-Albiez, Vice President, DVA Talent
* Liz Atherton, TAG Talent
* Heather Collier, Collier Talent
* Gabe Folse, State Theater

Our September 24 Mixer will feature the panel of Speakers listed above from
THE ALLIANCE, a cooperative of Casting Directors, Talent Agents and Acting
Coaches that provides insights into the needs and concerns of the acting
community. SEE: http://www.theallianceaustin.com/index.h….

This is a very important Mixer and all actors, and those in the film community in general,
are encouraged to attend.

Please pass on information about our Mixers to your friends and associates
in the film/media industries, and if you have a website associated with
those fields, please post our website - www.networkaustinmixer.com