[Dixielandjazz] A freebie inquiry

[David W. Littlefield]

The following is an eMail inquiry I received just now, and my response to it. I
fear my response was somewhat conditioned by the narrative we received earlier
this week...
--Sheik

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"At 02:50 PM 3/8/2003 -0500, you wrote: 
>
> [...] Pictures is looking for a 10-20 piece band/orchestra for an independent
> film being shot in DC March 15-16. No Pay but great connections and exposure.
> We would like the orchestra to be ready to play by 6 AM both days and will
> wrap shooting around noon on both days.
> Most of the music will be piped in and the musicians will fake playing and
> only be expected to play for an hour. 
> We were working with another band that got a paying job, so we are sorry this
> is such a rush. We would like to make a decision as quickly as possible! 
> Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions.
> [Female person]


Dear Ms. [female person]: We're professionals who have been around the park a
few times and know that the promotional value of performing briefly on TV or
being extras in movies = the pay you're offering... So considering the time
we'd have to get up to show up on the set by 6:00am, if we aren't to be paid
for playing, we ought at least to be paid for pain and suffering. 

However, it's just possible we might be able to work something out if you could
provide us with the services for the afternoon of, say, three winsome young
starlets (one for each five musicians); we'd supply our own protection...
Actually, come to think of it, considering our ages, winsome would be
sufficient. Realistically, we probably wouldn't need them for much more than an
hour or so.

Thanks for thinking of us.
--Sheik