UPFRONT AGENCY FEES A THING OF THE PAST?

AROUND one-and-a-half-thousand background artists will be £100 a year better off as a result of a BECTU campaign against upfront booking fees.
The Ray Knight casting agency, one of the longest established in the film and television industry, has responded to BECTU’s intensive campaign by announcing that they are to drop the fees.
Upfront book fees are usually an annual charge of between £50 and £150 made by agencies to those registering, supposedly to cover the cost of producing the agency’s casting directory. A spokesperson for BECTU said: “Artists employed in walk-on parts, as stand-ins and to make up the crowds often register with several agencies to maximise their chances, but many are not actually found work. So the upfront charges make background artists virtually the only people in the country whose employment leaves them financially worse off. And some cowboy operations are set up specifically to rake in upfront fees from background artists with no intention of finding work, and then disappear with the loot.”
In a letter to BECTU Official, Spencer MacDonald, Ray Knight stated he was aware the yearly charge was extremely unpopular with artists and has led to the pressure for a change in the law governing the operation of entertainment agencies. He also said that he was replacing the book fee with a rise in commission from 11 per cent to 15 per cent.
MacDonald said: “Background artists on the whole won’t mind having Ray Knight’s commission charges raised by four per cent, because unlike book fees, they will only pay them if they work. I congratulate Ray Knight for responding so positively to the views of the background artists, and for showing the way for the rest of the industry.”
The Dolly Brook agency have also stated they will drop their fees following the news of Knight's decision. This agency charges £75 over two years. BECTU are hoping that other agencies will follow suite.