How Do You Become A Screen Actors Guild Member?
The Screen Actors Guild is a union. It’s a union of actors, producers and crew. The union itself does not make movies. SAG enforces minimum wages, collects and distributes residuals, enforces standard working conditions and offers health care. In Los Angeles and New York, most productions are “closed shops”. That means you must be a member of the SAG union to participate as an actor, or that minimum numbers of SAG members must be hired before non-union actors are hired. You need to have a credit as principal from a SAG production to become a member. So, it’s a bit difficult to join when you need SAG credits, but cannot work unless you are a SAG member. Often it’s easier to get SAG credits in a state where SAG cannot operate as a “closed shop”. You can get credits on SAG projects, then become a member and pursue roles in New York or Los Angeles. You can also sometimes get credits by working as an extra. Conversely, SAG members are not to participate in non-union projects. The Screen Act
