Article 42: Union vs. Non-Union Projects: How to Evaluate Opportunities Without Simplistic Answers

Conversations among actors sometimes frame union and non-union projects as two moral worlds: the first automatically professional, the second automatically questionable.

Reality is more nuanced.

A union agreement provides very important minimums and protections. A small non-union film can still be serious, humane and artistically excellent. Conversely, the fact that a project is unionized does not guarantee that the role will be interesting or that the experience will be perfect.

The better question is: what framework protects the work, and does this opportunity genuinely serve my career?

What the union framework adds

Under an applicable ACTRA, UDA or Equity agreement, many conditions are already negotiated: categories, minimums, overtime, breaks, certain expenses, use rights, safety and dispute-resolution mechanisms.

You do not have to invent every rule from a two-page homemade contract.

In an industry where bargaining power can be very uneven, that structure has real value.

A non-union project requires more individual scrutiny

Ask questions such as:

• Who is producing and directing?
• What contract will you sign?
• What is the compensation?
• How many days and hours?
• Transportation and meals?
• Insurance?
• What rights are requested over your image and voice?
• For how long and in which territories?
• How are intimacy, weapons or stunts handled if they are involved?
• When and how will you receive footage?

A serious production should not be offended by those questions.

Non-union does not necessarily mean unpaid

Some non-union projects compensate performers properly.

Some student or microbudget films pay little or nothing but can offer valuable experience, collaboration or a genuinely interesting role.

The value depends on your stage of career and what the project asks in return.

A weekend shoot for an excellent short film is not the same as a commercial seeking very broad worldwide rights for one small buyout.

Look at the rights, not only the fee

This matters especially in commercials and digital content.

A high one-day fee can look excellent until you read the use clauses: duration, territories, media, exclusivity, renewal and digital transformation of your image or voice.

The broader the rights requested, the more carefully the contract deserves to be read.

If you have professional representation, your agent is there precisely to help evaluate that part.

Digital technology adds another layer

Contemporary contracts may contain clauses about capturing, reproducing or digitally altering your image, voice or performance.

Do not treat that language as meaningless jargon.

Understand what you are authorizing, for how long and in what context.

Professional organizations continue adapting protections around these issues. On a non-union project, your own vigilance becomes even more important.

Independent projects can have real artistic value

Many filmmakers begin with limited resources.

A short film may give you a richer role than you are currently getting in larger productions, a strong scene for your reel, a relationship with an emerging team or the chance to explore a different register.

I do not underestimate that value at all. Some of the most stimulating projects in a career can be financially modest.

But artistic passion does not replace basic organization.

Student projects: a possible school, not a free pass

Student projects can be an excellent training ground early in a career.

Still, ask about the institution, supervision, schedule, contract and possible delivery of footage.

Do not automatically accept an unpaid week simply because the word “student” appears in the notice.

Your time has value.

Footage is not guaranteed compensation

“You’ll get great footage for your reel” is a common promise.

Ask when and in what form.

A film may take a year to edit, stay on the festival circuit or never be completed.

Treat footage as a potential benefit unless delivery is clearly included in the agreement.

If you are a member, the decision is no longer entirely personal

Depending on your union status, some non-union projects within the organization’s jurisdiction may be prohibited.

An artistically appealing offer is not necessarily permissible simply because you want to do it.

Contact your agent or organization to see whether an appropriate framework exists for the project.

Unions do not work only with major studios; different mechanisms may exist for independent or lower-budget productions.

Safety is never “indie”

A small budget does not justify poorly managed weapons, improvised stunts, intimacy without clear consent, unsafe driving or irresponsible schedules.

If a safety question receives only, “We’re indie, everybody pitches in,” take that signal seriously.

Budget size can change the means available.

It does not remove the duty of care.

Look at the team’s reputation too

Before accepting a non-union project, research the director and producer.

Do their earlier films exist?

Do they finish projects?

Do performers speak reasonably well of the experience?

Are credits actually given?

A little research can distinguish a serious emerging team from a project that is perpetually “in pre-production.”

A simple decision matrix

Quickly assess:

• quality of the role;
• quality of the script;
• team;
• conditions;
• compensation;
• rights requested;
• safety;
• potential footage;
• value of the collaboration;
• impact on your availability for other work.

An opportunity can be financially weak and artistically very strong.

But if it is weak on almost every dimension, being offered a role does not automatically make it a good opportunity.

Learn to say no

Turning down a project is not turning down the profession.

A simple professional response is enough: thank them, decline and wish them a good shoot.

You do not need to explain every objection in the email unless an important issue needs to be reported through the appropriate channel.

In short

Union work provides an essential collective framework. Non-union work requires more individual evaluation.

Early in a career, some independent projects can be extremely valuable. As your career and status evolve, your threshold for accepting work will change too.

Do not ask only, “Is it paid?” or “Is it union?”

Ask: “What exactly am I agreeing to, under what protections, and for what artistic or professional value?”

The final article in this section looks at the landscape where many readers of this series actually work: Quebec’s screen industry itself.

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