The feature film, Desperate Acts of Magic, is looking for a non-SAG magician to shoot a short scene that takes place during a magic contest at a magic convention. The magician will be performing a silent act. We will be shooting Sunday, July 31st, in Redondo Beach, CA. This film was written up in the April issue of Magic Magazine, and magicians who have appeared in the movie include Nathan Burton, Jonathan Levit, Rob Zabrecky, Brian Gillis, Eric Buss, Tom Ogden, Jethro Alcuaz, Krystyn Lambert, Shawn McMaster, William Draven, and more. There is no pay, but it should be a fun time, and you will get an IMDB credit. If you are interested, please contact Joe Gold at joetylergold@yahoo.com. To learn more about the movie, you can visit http://www.desperateactsofmagic.com or http://www.facebook.com/desperateactsofmagic

I'm always happy when people live out their creative dreams. I'm usually even happier when magicians get paid for their efforts like any other professional. I've always said that I would do any project for free when the producer can show me that not one other person in the entire production process was getting paid in any way. The title of your film is very ironic. The reason you're willing to ask people to work for free is because we are in a city of desperation where producers can get talent to work for nothing so they do. When I was young and didn't know anything, I thought it was great... now that I'm older it's just sad.

I completely agree with Ray. I wish that everyone on this production could be paid for their work. And magicians are used to getting paid. Most magicians start doing kids birthday parties in their teens and get paid. Actors are used to working for free. And in the world of independent film, especially in this economy, most people work for free. It's the only way to get experience. This is a SAG ultra low budget feature film, and SAG requires that I pay the SAG actors $100/day, practically nothing. But this film is completely self-financed, along with some donations from friends, family, and fans. I'm basically spending my life savings on the movie. As you said, it's a dream project for me. And my life savings are running out, and the movie is not done. We're trying to do something special. We're trying to show magic in a really great light, where the magic advances the plot, or tells us something about the characters. It's also one of the only films to have a female magician in a lead role, which we hope will be an inspiration for young girls who like magic. There have been so many fantastic magicians who have donated their time to this project, and without their help this film would not have been possible. So if someone would like to be in a feature film, showcasing their act, this is a chance to do that. If not, I certainly understand and respect that.

Joe... that's a really fair post! lol... I'm sure you also know the reason to have a female magician in the lead role is not just to give young female magicians a role model! It's a very smart move. I've donated so much time for student films and young film makers learning their craft.

Please understand that you sound like a great guy and this isn't directed at you but the state of independent feature films as an industry. There is a certain mentality that says if it's an indy film, talent is free. As I'm sure you know there is a HUGE range of indy film makers and many with really large working budgets with full scale crews and all of the money thrown into production, yet the talent which does it's fair share of the lifting on the project is frequently expected to work for a much lower percentage of their rate than the crew and production team.

I have produced shows out of my own pocket for years and can under stand the challenges. Then again, if I didn't have the correct funding I did smaller shows. I did 15 minutes, then spent 15 years working my way up to a full evening show.

A good friend just won a BAFTA for his ultra low budget short student film, I also recently shot a short directed by Rita Wilson that had Don Burgess as the DP. I've seen both ends of the range. In my vernal years, I always told my parents I wanted to do a big show. lol... my father always told me that he wanted a Lamborghini but he couldn't afford one. I should work hard, put in the years and I'll get that big show when I earned it. I do want people to live there dreams but I also want them to be successful which means growing in manageable stages.

I have no idea where you are in your particular journey but I wish you the best of luck and hope this will yield not just a film in your back pocket but a successful jump on a larger career path. If we ever get to the top, the amount of time we spend there is directly proportionate to the time it took us to get there.

Good luck on the project!

Thanks for the support Ray! You are right. The state of independent film is in rough shape right now, and that leads to some very strange economic decisions. Like when they give $25,0000 to a big name actor to come for one day, and everyone else gets minimum. We couldn't afford to even think about things like that. The film has been coming along great. We've shot 14 days, and we have 4 or 5 left. So we're close to the finish line. Thanks for the good wishes. I look forward to sharing the film with you, and the rest of the magic community (and hopefully non-magicians, too!).