Getting
into the Screen Actor's Guild can be a humbling and
emotional experience for many actors. Most actors work
really hard for many years to become established actors.
For many actors, getting a SAG Card signifies that an
actor has "arrived" and become a respected, professional
actor.
The Screen Actor's Guild was established to represent actors
who perform in film. Like all actor's unions, Screen
Actor's Guild, or SAG for short, protects actors from
unfair treatment and ensures that actors receive fair and
just compensation for their work. SAG is responsible for
setting the minimum amount of money an actor should be
paid, which is known as scale. SAG also sets guidelines
for working conditions and for the amount of time an actor
is to be expected to work.
How Do I Join SAG? Joining SAG is usually not very easy. Joining SAG
requires that an actor has worked on a SAG-recognized film
project. The trouble is, an actor cannot work on a
SAG-recognized film project if he or she is not a member
of SAG. However, there are a number of ways to join the
union even if you are not a member:
An actor can join SAG through the Taft-Hartley Act,
which makes it possible for an actor to work on a
SAG-recognized project for 30 days, even if he or she is
not a member.
An actor may be able to join SAG if he or she can
prove that they have worked or are expected to work on a
SAG-recognized project.
Actors may be able to join SAG if they can prove
that they have been a member of another actor's union,
such as Equity, and they have had a major (principal)
role while a member of that union.
