Important Agency Information

How to join our agency:

After you have completed successfully Phase II of our Warrior Masterclass or have completed one of our BAA courses and possess an action based skill to high level, students are eligible to apply to join our screen action agency. 

Applications are dealt with on a case by case basis and you are not guaranteed entry to our Agency until your application has been reviewed and accepted by our Agency team.

Our agency application terms state that you will not be able to accept you onto our books until you have provided us with the following:

  • Professional headshot (low res image uploaded onto your portal account)
  • Body shot (low res image uploaded onto your portal account)
  • Action shot (optional low res image uploaded onto your portal account)
  • Bio data completed in full (on your portal account)
  • Copy of a current DBS Certificate (emailed to agency@britishactionacademy.com) (Must be updated every two years, failure will result in possible removal from Agency.)
  • Copy of passport/visa (emailed to agency@britishactionacademy.com) 
  • If applicable, a share code to prove your right to work in the UK.

If we have not received the above information from you in full, we can confirm you are not on our agency and will not be called for work. 

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is completed and we have received your application data in full (see above list). 

Our application process changed in October 2017 and so if you are a pass Phase II student prior to October 2017, who has previously worked with us and believe you are still on our agency, you must log into the portal as soon as possible and ensure we have all the application data from you (listed in point 1).

If any part of this information is missing or incomplete, then you are not on our agency and will not be put forward for casting calls. You will have to reapply via agency@britishactionacademy.com 

What type of agency is the BAA?

We are a Skilled Supporting and Featured Artist agency. Not an extras agency. This means we will actively source and prioritise the following roles:

  • Skilled Supporting Artist roles (SSA)
  • Featured action roles
  • Specialist action roles

The roles we work hard to bring in are statistically higher paid than standard FAA/BBC/ITV extra rates with many of the roles being featured and closer to camera. On many productions. we have secured our performers travel and accommodation, unlike other agents with SSA roles. This however, is not guaranteed.  

Stunt work through the agency

Our first port of call for any stunt work that comes through our agency in the UK is to use stunt professionals who will be employed accordingly.

Every performer is put onto an Equity stunt contract and is paid full stunt wages and travel/accommodation is negotiated under certain conditions.

We charge commission on the daily rate for performers who work through us in this field. We also charge a 20% plus VAT agency fee on any negotiated buyouts for performers.

Success on gaining work through our agency

For close to camera/more featured combat work, we may prioritise work to students who have completed the BAA Advanced Screen Combatant. Priority will be given to students who are higher trained through the BAA, however we work hard to ensure work is distributed as fairly as possible.

I'm on your books, but I'm not getting called for work, why?

Firstly, if you are a Phase II student (pass) and you have not supplied all the relevant data needed to join our agency (listed in point 1) we can confirm you are not on our agency and will not be called for work.

However, if you have supplied all the relevant application data and are a Warrior Masterclass Phase II (pass) student, you will be on our agency. In this instance gaining work through our agency is based on a myriad of conditions.

As the roles we source are invariably more featured, productions are much more specific about look and costume fit than if they were casting for standard extra roles. If you do not have the right look for a role or do not have the right body shape, we cannot put you forward.

It's also important to mention that at no point do we ever guarantee work through our agency, we are not a dedicated management service. We are not obligated to provide you work.

Agreeing to our terms

On many productions you will not need to sign a contract with the BAA, however, upon entering onto the BAA agency books and accepting a role through the agency, you automatically agree to the agency terms and conditions. These terms and conditions can be found clearly on the BAA student portal and on the main BAA website on the footer of every page.

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with these terms and conditions and if you have any issues regarding any of the terms, these must be raised with BAA management before accepting any work.

On any occasion that you need to sign a contract between the Production company and the BAA, you will be provided with a contract prior to your contracted work dates.

How likely is it for me to become a successful performer?

Any performance route in the screen action industry is tough to break into and to make regular reliable work from. That being said, we have hundreds of students who are currently working as either stunt performers, actors or skilled supporting artists.

These performers have ensured that they continue to work and promote themselves. To be noticed and to stand out against the wealth of talent in the action industry and to be successful in this business, you must promote yourself as a business. You cannot expect the phone to ring for work, you must be proactive and motivated to network yourself.

A performer in the action industry is always training, always learning and updating their skillset. They live and breathe the action industry and prioritises their career over and above anything else.

As a performer, you should possess professional headshots, body shots and a showreel.

As you move into the action industry, we recommend you do not give up all other forms of income straight away as work and progression can be slow initially - it will take various amounts of time to build up your network and start working more consistently.

Our courses and what they mean in the industry

Warrior Masterclass

The Warrior Masterclass is the flagship standard in screen combat and is the only screen combat course recognised by the UK film and TV industry. It is ultimately designed to help you become a better screen performer.

Of course, completing any phase of the Warrior Masterclass will not guarantee you work in the industry, however, as it is the industry standard requested by some of the leading Directors, Producers, AD's, Stunt Co-ordinators and casting agents in the UK film and TV industry it is an essential skill to gain, should you want to become a performer in the industry.

The BAA Advanced Screen Combatant qualification (completing all 4 phases and passing the final test day) is hugely respected in the industry and after over 10 years, it still provides the highest standard in screen combat training in the UK.

B.L.A.S.T Stunt training

Our B.L.A.S.T stunt training course is designed to be a personal development course for those looking to develop their action skills. The course is open to anyone with any background and offers the only industry approved health and safety stunt training in the UK.

In the last 2-3 years we have trained over 70% of the new intake of the stunt register. The six skill system teaches you to become a competent athlete, however it does not teach the stunt techniques that you will need to become a successful stunt performer. Hence why our B.L.A.S.T. course is extremely popular with trainee, and current successful stunt performers, both in the UK and around the world.

Gun Rush

Gun Rush is a firearms performance based training course, which offers you the chance to learn how to perform realistically with firearms on the big screen. The only firearms course in the country taught by leading registered stunt professionals, the course trains you how to perform as a variety of disciplined gun handling characters alongside learning how to understand and operate a variety of weapons safely and believably.

Whilst this is not a certificated course, it is essential performance training for anyone looking to enter or progress into the world of screen action.


© The British Action Academy® 2022

Last updated 21/02/2022