VPAA Calls on Productions to Deliver Actors Their Footage
Actors should not chase their scenes for months or years. The association is asking filmmakers, producers and platforms for usable scenes, a delivery timeline and reel permission.
Actors should not have to chase their footage for months, or years.
The scenes an actor shoots are how they build a reel, find representation and book the next job. When footage was promised, delivering it should be part of finishing the project, not a favor the actor has to keep asking for.
The petition
VPAA is calling on filmmakers, producers and vertical platforms to commit to three things:
- Usable scenes. Clean, edited footage of the actor’s work, not a watermarked screener or a link that expires.
- A clear delivery timeline. A date, written into the agreement, by which the actor receives their material.
- Permission for reel use. Explicit clearance to use the scenes in a reel and on professional profiles.
The petition was inspired by filmmaker Adrian Yang, who has made footage delivery a standard practice on his own productions and spoken publicly about why.
Why vertical makes this acute
A vertical actor can shoot five projects in a month. Each one is a potential reel scene. If none of them deliver footage, the actor has worked for a month and has nothing to show a casting director. In a format where the next booking depends on being seen, withholding footage withholds the career.
The association asked members and the wider community to support the petition by adding their names and experiences. Footage delivery is among the commitments the association is writing into its production standards.