We just started going on auditions, so are new to the process. My daughter just got put on hold for a commercial. She first has a call back tomorrow. How may kids usually get put on hold/get callbacks? What is the likelihood she will get the part? When will we hear back? We have a vacation planned for the filming date that we would need to reschedule (but we probably will need to reschedule before we hear back). If the chance is low that she'll get the part, then we probably wouldn't reschedule.
Thanks for the info and advice!

Short answer: might as well consult your magic 8 ball...there is no way of knowing how many kids are called back and/or put on hold for any given commercial and there is absolutely no way to know for sure if she will book or even how likely it is that she will book. Sometimes you don't know if they've been booked until the night before, or even in some cases, day of, for wardrobe fittings.

If you have accepted the audition, you have agreed with your agent that you are available for shooting dates. If you are not available for shooting dates, you should not go on the audition in the first place. So, since you have already accepted the audition, and she has been called back, you are essentially obligated to be available for the shooting dates. If it turns out you are not available your agent will be extremely peeved.

Sometimes there are alot and sometimes not-- you should have a better idea at the cb tomarrow,but this question would be best answered by your agent or mgr

quote:

Originally posted by castlerock:
Sometimes there are alot and sometimes not-- you should have a better idea at the cb tomarrow,but this question would be best answered by your agent or mgr

Many times the agents and managers don't even know how many kids have been called back. And sometimes the callbacks are spread out throughout the day, so you can't really get a sense of how many kids have been called back. And sometimes the size cards for all the kids called back are laying out for all to see, so you know exactly who has been called back.

I've noticed recently that some CDs consistently have smaller callbacks than others. This could be due to many variables, but it is something I've noticed.

Would you guess that the chance of getting booked is 1%, 10%, 50%? Also, just curious - how much do you get paid for a commercial, tv spot, etc.
Thanks

And...do they always put you on hold if they call you back?

quote:

Originally posted by MOM1:
Would you guess that the chance of getting booked is 1%, 10%, 50%? Also, just curious - how much do you get paid for a commercial, tv spot, etc.
Thanks

As I said, there is absolutely no way to know the chance of booking. There is no science to this. It is a combination of talent, luck and being in the right place at the right time. I know a kid who has been called back and held for ten commercials in a five-week period and didn't book a single one. So, even though this kid has a 100% callback rate, the kid has a 0% booking rate for this 5-week period. I know a couple of kids who were called back for a very small percentage of their auditions, yet they each ended up booking one. There are kids who have booked their first time out. Attempts to quantify your chances will prove futile.

In NY, they do put you on hold if they call you back. This means you should be holding the dates of the shoot. If they are not interested, you might get released right after the callback, or you might continue to be held up until the 11th hour and then released.

And how much do you get paid, well, that depends on a lot of things. Is this a SAG commercial or non-union. Non-union usually pays for a buyout. Salary/buyout can be anything. For a SAG commercial you would get paid SAG scale for shoot days plus possibly, holding fees until commercial airs plus residuals. bizparentz does a good job explaining what you can expect to make on a national commercial. Your agent or manager should be able to tell you how much you will be compensated and how the residual payments are structured.

Good luck to you. How did the callback go? We have been on hold for about five commercials now which is great considering we have done only 6 commercial auditions but just like other people have said it never amounted to anything. We are on hold once again and am hoping this is "the one" but we just have to forget about it and move on. Hopefully everything will work out for you. It must be hard with a vacation planned. Let us know how it goes. Good luck to you!