Star Now

[Dell71]

Can somebody tell me how much it is to join Star Now? I know it is free to intially register but wondered how much it was after.
Those who are members on there, have you had much success from there?

[cops22]

I just signed on Monday as there was a job I wanted to apply for for dd and it cost £35 for 6 months, you can do it monthly but I think it's £12 so didn't seem sensible.....
Of course she never even got a casting so I guess they got me but you don't know if you don't try do you???
I thought we'd give it a 6 month trial and see what happened.....
Have to wait for more experienced people to answer about how much work they've had out of it
http://www.starnow.co.uk/leahtucci1

This is dd's profile if you want a look.... I do like that you can put loads of pics on there so it's nice for that.

[Flosmom]

Flo has been on StarNow for just over 6 months and has been offered more things to do than she could actually manage, so she has had to learn to turn things down from time to time as well.

Pandy only joined more recently, having picked up some bits and pieces by going along with her sister and being asked to join in. She is now getting castings in her own right.

The things we have learnt are:

We rarely hear back from London-based opportunities. I guess there are lots of London-based kids.
Students are a mixed bag. Some are great, some can be quite disorganised.
As with all things, there is a risk of weirdness. If something feels wrong, just don't do it.
Very few opportunities are paid, and those that are don't pay much. So make sure your DC has lots of fun!

The work that my girls have done has built their CVs and their experience beautifully and I have learnt tons too. I don't think they would have been signed by an agent without the help they have got from Star Now.

Hope this helps

Deb x

[cops22]

Debs, how much of the stuff has just been offered and how much have you applied for????
Just wondering how it works, also if someone messages you does it show on your profil or do you actually have to check your message box..... hope that makes sense!!
Of course the job we applied for was a commercial that paid £400 for the day so i'm sure hundreds went for it... anytime there is a decent paying one i'm sure it gets bombarded !!!

[Flosmom]

We applied. We didn't get any approaches in the other direction.

It's difficult for anyone to initiate contact with a child directly through StarNow (and rightly so!) if you want to experience this, try sending a message to Flo or Pandy and you'll see what I mean. So it's much easier for anyone who wants to cast a child to create their listing (which is free of charge) and wait for applications to arrive. Once an application is received, contact is established and messages can be exchanged. So if you're waiting for people to make contact with you, you'll probably wait a long time.

When Flo or Pandy get a message I get an alert via email.

From talking to people who have cast my girls, they receive anything from 'hundreds' down to 'about 25' applications. They have always mentioned how variable the quality is, so it's important that your approach stands out in a good way.

Hope this is helpful

Deb x

[cops22]

Very, thank you
Need to sort out her Spotlight page next, never ending!!!
Good job i only work part time

[Dell71]

Thank you for the advice and it's good to know that the children are safe on there too. My dd does have an agent but I very often see opportunities on there that are close to home and just think it would be great for building her CV as she is just starting out really. It's difficult to know what to do for the best when your new to it all plus she's only young so I don't want her doing too much. Decisions, decisions, lol.

[In4aPenny]

Agree with all said above but just to balance things there are the ocasional bogus listings on there, so always, always, check the people advertising out, as best you can. Star Now are quick to remove bogus ones so long as they are reported.

[sophiesocks]

mine have done quite well from star now, my dd had a part in a feature film with superman (a very, very small part, but she did get to spend the day with superman)! she has had a tv job, and a paid modelling job as has my son from star now, not paid loads but at least paid something! they have done quite a few interesting things through star now and my littlest went for her first casting today for a feature film through star now

[Flosmom]

she's only young so I don't want her doing too much.

That's a really important point. Flo has a significant performance every month between now and when we go away on holiday in July, not to mention the auditions, rehearsals etc in between. You just can't do everything...

I am finding that the lead time for jobs averages 4-6 months, so stuff we start discussing now won't come to fruition til the autumn. Is that what other NAPMs experience too?

Deb x

[Lolalou]

Star Now is worth it to build your CV when starting out. DS had some fabulous Time For Prints opportunities resulting in gorgeous professional photographs (showing range and versatility) and headshots which would have cost hundreds under normal circumstances. Definitely worth a 6 month gamble in my opinion.

[cops22]

Ok some more info needed from old pros please.....
For those of you with agents how does it work if you get a job by yourself??? Do you tell them??? Do any agencies charge commision on work you've got yourself???
DD has had theatre work since being with her agent that she auditioned for herself and was 'paid' token panto wages etc we informed the agency she was doing it, they never asked for any commision on that stuff..... but what about modelling or filming through Starnow????

Also do you always get a licence yourself??? I'm sure some of the student films don't even consider it..... do you just send them a part 1 get them to fill it out and then go ahead and process it.... I notice some of the listings are for jobs next week, hard to believe they going to be organised enough to get things done in time.....
Does every parent insist on a licence for every job???

All advice greatly appreciated as always

[frisbee]

We aways tell agent what DS doing never been a problem. It must help them in a way as your child is getting more confidence and experience.

Licencewise from my experience most people advertising on Starnow don't seem to know about licences. I am a matron and a worrywort so I always insist on a licence but that is just from my end, I accept others have another opinion and that's ok too. For Starnow jobs I have always sorted out our part then sent it on.Some authorities, I believe, insist that the film/project producer applies.

It's surprising how quick it is to pick all these things up this site is really helpful.

D

[francescasmum]

With regard to licensing, it really depends where you live, different authorities have different slants on the rules, some don't want licence applications for student films. Others turn a blind eye if they are not missing school. You really need to talk to your LEA to find out.

[Flosmom]

I agree that many of the jobs on Star Now are posted by people who have no idea about licenses. But, in my experience, they tend to respond well when I raise it - especially students who are very keen to get it right and sometimes don't get good advice from their lecturers.

I can't help with the queries about agents because we're only just stepping out on that road. But I bet it's in the contract somewhere...

Deb x