What is procedure and terminology to make an offer for an ?A list?
actor or actress?

Especially when the offer is being made from a non-Hollywood production company.

Do we first call to inquire of his or her price? Or, do we first call
to discuss the project with the agent?

Do we outline our interest in the actor or actress via the telephone
or via a letter with the script attached?

How and when do we present the agent with the script.  Do they want a
package proposal before they review the script and they pass it on to
their client?

Since one does not get many opportunities to make a pitch for the
services of an ?A list? performer we want to make sure we do it right.

I would contact the Screen Actors Guild:
http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/application;JSESSIONID_sagWebApp=Bmi41RXhnK3D9QV8Wo8nCmJGMUIeRHDr2l8uHsk0C1hz51ouYQ8h!156057220!NONE?origin=hnav_bar.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=Contact+SAG

I hope the link works. My apologies if you have to copy/paste.

:)

It's a simple search for "Screen Actors Guild" WITH the quotes, and
then I clicked on CONTACT page.

Is your film fully financed?  If not, you will have a VERY hard time
approaching an "A" list performer.

If you have the financing, you may want to consider hiring a casting
director to help.  They will be more familiar with the process and may
already have a relationship a particular agent or manager involved.
Additionally, you should have an entertainment attorney available to
help you negotiate the deal.

When studios want to offer a role to an actor, they first make sure
the actor is available for the shoot.  Then they try to get the
actor's working quotes from other projects by calling the studios who
hired them.  This can be difficult, because most studios aren't as
likely to release this information to non-studio people. When you have
quotes to work from, you will have an idea as to what kind of money
you should offer.

Other things to consider when attaching a star name is to limit their
shoot window as much as possible.  If an actor only has to work 5 days
for $100K, it will be a much more appealing offer than 4 weeks for the
same money.

I guess the main question is do you have any money or are you trying
to attach a name so you can get financing?  If the later is the case,
you should still have a casting director's help in figuring out what
kind of names might be willing to attach themselves to an unfinanced
project via a Letter of Intent (a simple letter signed by the
performer indicating their intent to do your film, provided good faith
negotiations and availabilities will allow).  A Letter of Intent may
make a big difference when looking for investors. Understand that this
process can take a lot of time and may not even come through for you.

I hope this helps. Let us know how your project progresses.

Dear jasonk88-ga,

Thanks for taking the time to write a thoughtful and insightful
response to our question.

Your understanding of our situation is accurate and your recommended
course of action is strong.  We are hoping to lure an ?A-list? star as
the keystone to the production.

Based on your input we have initiated a search for a casting agent who
would be responsive to our plans.  We are targeting next summer as our
shoot date so hopefully advance planning and flexibility will help our
proposal.

We are also thinking of approaching a director as a first step.

We will keep you informed.

Thanks again.  Your response was very helpful.

zmaster-ga

Great! Good luck to you.

BTW, it's Casting Director, not Casting Agent. It's a common
misconception that often offends Casting Directors... just so ya know.

For listings of CSA Casting Directors, check out
www.castingsociety.com. These are usually very experience CDs in TV
and film, but they are often very busy and/or have higher fees.

If your project is low budget or you are seeking a "cheaper" CD, do
some searches on www.imdb.com.  You're bound to find someone.

Good luck!!