Possible scam - Need your advice
Tue, 11 Dec 2012, 08:10 pmmusicalc13 posts in thread
Possible scam - Need your advice
Tue, 11 Dec 2012, 08:10 pmHi all. I've realized my friend and I might have been scammed by a filmmaker. It's really frustrating and we want to take action but decided to ask for your advice first.
Recently I was contacted by a filmmaker on a talent website asking me to appear on his show. Although it was good money, I didn't think I was the best fit for the role, so I declined the offer. The role required a very specific person and he was having a hard time finding the right one. So he asked me to talk to my friends to see if they are interested.
I called my friends and one of them was interested. All of us, the filmmaker, my friend and myself, met up and he explained about the role and the show. He said the payment would be ready a week after the shooting. He also added that it would be aired internationally on a major TV network. My friend agreed to pay me a portion of the money for finding him the work.
The shooting went well, and my friend and the filmmaker met again to sign a release form and a payment contract. But he didn't sign them because the payment wasn't ready and the contract was for volunteer extras ("You will receive no payment"). The filmmaker said he would fix it and re-send it, which he did last week. My friend hasn't signed them yet, just in case.
I called the filmmaker and asked when he'd make the payment. He said he wasn't sure because he hadn't even been paid by the TV network yet. ("I am paying for the show out of my own pocket") I requested a point of contact at that TV station, but he refused to provide the information.
I searched his production company on ATO's website to see it's active, and it sure wasn't enough. I feel very sorry for my friend that I had him involved in this show. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Another view
Thu, 13 Dec 2012, 01:15 pmWalter Plinge
Gotta be careful about the use of the word 'scam' to describe this situation I think. To declare it a 'scam' implies that this director deliberately set out to mislead and defraud people in order to attain personal gain. This may indeed be the case.
However, this situation could also simply be a case of inexperience and naievity on behalf of several people including the director. Perhaps this director is very new to the process of getting a show on air and has mistakenly assumed that the artistic, administrative and payment pathways are seamless and prompt. Depending on what he thought was going to happen post production, this director may also be currently feeling as if he has been 'scammed' by the process or a TV network.
What this does clearly highlight is the absolute necessity of either a contract or statement of purpose for all contributors pre production.
Artists need to be realistic here too. Unless you are being engaged under contracted MEAA conditions, then you are donating your time with the hope that things go well and you score some cash or fame for your efforts. If you're not prepared to take the risk of giving up your time to a co-op and getting nothing out of it, then don't take the risk. Stick to purely amateur pursuits.
I do wish the writer all the best with resolving the financials with the director on this production.
Tulipa.