A course like this would make us more professional and certainly more competent as actors. The course might run for a set period with credits being granted as each stage is completed successfully. The positive side is that full membership would be achievable within a specific period if all facets of the course were completed.
Then there are those who want things to remain the way they are now on the basis that if we get sufficient work, then the credits will come through upgrades, student films, a couple of S.O.C.s and the Actraworks course.
We suggested to Actra that if ALL Apprentices had to take a course, the influx of dollars into the Actra coffers would be substantial to say the least. We were informed that Actra does not run courses. These are handled by outside agencies like Actraworks.
"We have established a Membership Criteria Task Force in order to review the entire Membership structure of ACTRA.
Our mandate is simply to produce a study paper for discussion only at the National level in the new year.
In order to facilitate a change in Membership the recommendations must be debated within the National Council; discussion must then take place at the Branch level across the country, then redebated at the National Council, and finally voted upon by ACTRA Members in a national referendum.
These are suggestions, we welcome yours."
The following note is from ACTRA .
THE IPA & Background numbers
One of the items for which we fought at the IPA negotiations was an increase in the number of background from 25 to 30. This we have achieved for big movies. For TV series and MOWs the producer can opt either for 25 background and pay additional vouchers if more than one epsiode of a series is shot in a day (block shooting), or can go for 30 background and not pay the additional vouchers if more than one episode is shot in the day.