Funny how the Internet broke as much on Leonardo di Caprio’s Oscar as it did on working for free on Leap Day (unsure how Ennio Morricone’s award got a little less attention though). So much noise for celebrating the value attributed to the performance of a professional by a handful of people (ok, about 7,000 of them foe the Academy Awards), you may say. Or maybe that is the media’s food to force-feed us with. Receiving the appreciation of one’s industry sure feels like a million dollars (granted, for an Oscar winner, that amount is on the low side). That being said, being awarded a prize, whether it be a film or a contract, for all the freelancers of the world, often happens once one has proved his/her significance to the ones hiring.

Value what?

Value, worth, substance, pertinence and relevance: all these words are the essence of the selection process. A client, or a movie director, knows and relies on that part for a project. When one is not “Leo” with a profile renowned worldwide, it is a bit more difficult to get the job based on what one thinks s/he is worth. The competition is fierce, and budgets regularly shrunk. A recent episode of mine reminded me of a basic casting error: the prospective client who reached out did not need me specifically. He “just” needed a set of skills I could offer, creating a glitch in the fitting process, not caring much about the baggage I was bringing to his carousel of requirements. Call it experience, practice or consciousness, these criteria could not find a position in his agenda.

That is when and where the self-assessment comes into play, as objectively as possible (yes, self and objective can be in the same sentence indeed, it only takes practice…). Selling myself short has never been in the cards (no, really…). There was no need for a negotiation contest either. Does that mean I intend to sell myself “long” (for as English as it can be)? Maybe not. Financial despair is not a source of motivation, and my plan is to keep it that way. Self-esteem, self-respect and basic value rating take time to grasp, acknowledge, embrace and contract out, whether to a Martin Scorcese or not. Yes, I have never shot a scene and been attacked by a bear. However, if di Caprio does not act for free, or dirt cheap, why should I?