standard film crew ratesstandard film crew rates

A day rate that corresponds to a 12-hour day, for instance, must account for approximately 4 hours of overtime pay per day (at least in California, unions, and in states where there is a daily overtime limit). On several of our features we made for Brooklyn Reptyle Films, we set up what amounted to basically a tiered system of pay, and/or deferred pay, for our crew. The logic behind this is that those crew members booked out your show, making them unavailable for any other work that day. Though that may be obvious, it carries an important implication. Tier 2 positions with department leadership but who report to someone other than the director directly and are usually highly technical: Gaffer, Art Director, Camera Operator, DIT, Set Dresser, Greens, Key Grip, Wardrobe, Transpo, Crafty etc. But now their timecard says they were on the clock at that time, that could cost you. In terms of editing, you must also provide the same number of days for the director to supervise an edit as the director took for principal photography. SAGs Basic Theatrical Agreement applies to films with budgets greater than $2,000,000. Budgeting A Film Crew Rates and Work Hours. These are all direct quotes from professionals in the industry. Thats just the single day rate. UK. The films shooting schedule, where its shooting, travel/lodging situations, per diems, kit rates, and more. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. *Production fee is payable to 1st Stage Manager only. *2-5% budget. My current rate for prod sound mixing is $650/day. After eight hours, an employees hourly rate begins to be multiplied by a factor that increases as more continuous hours are worked. WebHire Film Crew - On Location or In Studio. Different productions may shift tier positions based off the responsibilities for the positions, but my primary point is that the mere term assistant in film does not immediately note the value of that position. For crew positions that require equipment and resources (ACs, HMU, audio, etc), they will charge an extra kit/gear rate. Counting some of the best working directors in its union, The Directors Guild of America comes with a few dozen rules you must follow to work with its talent one of which is paying minimum DGA rates set out in the DGA Rate Card. I usually dont have any trouble getting $650/day. But before you say Ha! For one, the type of program needs to be considered. It is possible that flat day rates may be applicable to contractors in certain situations because, by definition, contractors have greater flexibility in determining their method of payment. Thank you! For companies with 26 or more employees, the threshold is $62,400. For the specifics here, we recommend consulting the DGA directly. With television series, you would now be classified as a basic cable show and held to that pay scale. Need an actor for just one episode of your series to say a few lines? The SAG Moderate Low Budget Agreement applies to films with budgets between $300,000 to $700,000. Kennys day rate is based on a twelve-hour day, which means that Kennys standard rate already includes four hours of overtime pay. At this point, your project has crossed out of New Media and into its traditional counterpart. But if youve got a penny more, youre in the right place. Its not only vital to the success and morale of the film, its the professional thing to do. Animation!Production!CoD!!ordinator! Need minimum rates for a crab dolly grip, or SAG scale for a day player? For instance, if you hired an employee- lets call him Kenny- at a day rate of $350, you would pay Kenny $350 for each day that he works. You can download the latest DGA rates here. For example, they will offer higher rates if you work in a union city like New York. Expect the unexpected. Here is a quick breakdown of day rates per department. Many producers will ask a crew member to agree to a flat day rate, and many crew members, especially new or inexperienced crew, will often agree to it. TheSSA also posted a fact sheetsummarizing the 2022 changes. Your production may have to pay attention to multiple sets of guidelines to remain in good standing overall. Instead, for films with budgets between 2.6 and 3.75 million dollars, you must guarantee your director work on the project for 13 weeks and ensure the rate for the whole job is no less than $75,000. Every negotiation will be different. Told ya so, and attempt to reclassify your crew members as contractors, you might want to take a moment to read the fine print. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. All depends on production and their budget. Below you will find recommended production crew rates for the main core film job roles. Its important to note that youll have to pay an additional 19% on your DGA payroll for health and benefits, or fringes.. Congratulations! the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced Oct. 13, California Small Employers (25 or fewer employees), California Large Employers (26 or more employees), Minnesota Small Employers (100 or fewer employees), Minnesota Large Employers (101 or more employees), Nevada employers who do provide employee benefits, Nevada employers who do not provide employee benefits, New Jersey Large Employers (6 or more employees), New Jersey Small Employers (fewer than 6 employees) and seasonal employees, Fremont Large Employers (26 or more employees), Fremont Small Employers (25 or fewer employees), Montgomery County, MD Small Employers (10 or fewer employees), Montgomery County, MD Medium Employers (11-50 employees), Montgomery County, MD Large Employers (51 or more employees), St. Paul, MN Macro Employers more than 10,000 Employees, St. Paul, MN Large Employers 101 10,000 Employees, St. Paul, MN Small Employers 6-100 Employees, St. Paul, MN Micro Employers 5 or fewer employees, Albuquerque, NM employers who provide employee benefits, Albuquerque, NM employers who do not provide employee benefits, Seattle, WA Small Employers with benefits (500 or fewer employees), Seattle, WA Small Employers without benefits (501 or more employees), 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active duty members of the Armed Forces, and. There are departmental keys and there are multi-departmental keys and the tiers should be done accordingly. Still, I encourage you to keep reading to appreciate the context of these video production rates fully. These terms typically require several work credits and a certain number of hours on a film set. Its interesting to know that film crew payments tend to be tiered. Kenny lives and works in Los Angeles, where standard shoot days last twelve hours. Once again, your union will decide your day rates for the project type. If your project falls between 3.75 and 8.5 million dollars, youll have to pay your directors 25% less than they would make under the basic DGA theatrical contract. While there is no weekly SAG scale for ultra low budget projects, the SAG day rate is $216. (But dont try to tell some producers that. Thank you! Despite having three low budget options, the SAG Ultra Low Budget Agreement only applies to films (and short films) that are $300,000 or less. There are of course, way more stipulations that go into determining whether or not someone is exempt. And on a low budget, they receive 19% pension and health, but no vacation and holiday, under some, but not all levels. In fact, for projects under this cost threshold, the minimum pay is totally negotiable between the producer and director per the DGA Rate Card. Rate is usually $2k/day. ordinator! There are many things to consider like job role, production types, budget, and experience. They will have recommended rates for films within a budget range. You can find us across the U.S. and Canada. Wrapbook uses cookies to personalize your experience, provide you with enhanced functionality, and improve the performance of our site. Back to Leftbrainer Back to Leftbrainer Contact Numbers for Union Rates: DGA: (212) 581-0370 PGA: (310) 557-0807 IATSE Local 479 : (404) 885-9134 IATSE Local 320M (Savannah): (912) 233-8538 Sometimes day rate. Thank you! For UK filmmakers see advice provided byBECTU. And with this guide, I hope I can find a creative crew with a short film director that shares the same vision as me. Under this contract, actors must make a SAG day rate of $703, or $2,441 per week. Every crew member deserves a minimum guarantee. That is, if your production stops filming on a particular day after 4 hours, you still owe them 8 hours in pay. If your project falls between $700,000 and $1,000,000, the minimum youll have to pay SAG talent is either $630 per day, or $2,190 per week. Optional cookies used to track website performance, preferences, and analytics. You may change your cookie settings at any time. We then add these six pay hours to the eight initial pay hours to get a grand total of fourteen pay hours. Once thats settled, we get to do some math. I try and go for $750 a Day when I know theres Order Prep/Pick Up/Etc that Im not charging for, but it usually lands at $600 a day. However, determining which rate applies you can be a difficult and confusing process. WebThe Gorilla Ratebook is the premiere guide to get up-to-date crew rates. Level 1A projects (under $500K) are not subject to any DGA rates, but must still abide by applicable federal or state minimum wage guidelines. Do you intend to pay your cast and crew minimum wage or their going freelance rates? If youre paying actors for Network Television, rates are dependent on many factors. Your preferences have been updated. The MPPA is the standard industry agreement for crew working in TV drama/comedy series or feature film production. Though, it is best practice and highly suggested to stick to what is contractually agreed. Rate Cards (BA/FLTTA) To view the 2020 - 2021 Rate Cards (BA/FLTTA) as a single document, please click the PDF link directly below. Youre seeing the word employee all over the place, and thats got you thinking Could there be a loophole here? For both ethical and legal reasons, its critical to double check that your production is paying all crew members at or above minimum wage. What happens, for example, if the day runs for 14 hours? But for non-union films, its a bit different. Unlike the SAG rates for Class A, you have to pay slightly more if New York City is one of your cities, which is why most opt for the first agreement. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. Looking for some reading material? (Who often end up costing the producer and the film more money due to their inexperience, slowness, and/or flat out ineptitude, relative to that of an experienced crew. Whether youre dealing with SAG rates or even crew jobs, the rates for working on a network show are often higher than cable. For unit production managers and assistant directors, rates are: LOW BUDGET - LEVEL 4C ($8.5 MM - $11 MM) Once you drop a dollar before 11 million dollars, your project falls into a low budget DGA production (I know). For series, SAG Television Rates. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Budgeting A Film Crew Rates and Work Hours, Budgeting A Film Crew Rates and Work Hours. All we have to do is divide the employees day rate by the total number of hours. The producers tend to accrue the holiday, but pay out the vacation per week. (Twice her hourly rate. And what does that mean for having contractors on your crew? Producers and production accountants can simply register for the Labor Guide for instant access to union and guild rates and contracts. You also will need to consider what you will pay if you shoot overtime. The SAG day rate is $379, while the SAG weekly rate is $1,315. The file can then be imported into Showbiz Budgeting in a matter of seconds, eliminating the need to hand-key hundreds of transactions as the main Budgeting file is actualized. $1500 is a good baseline for an experienced op with good gear. Dramatic still means scripted narrative. A union 1st AC, for example, will be paid a higher minimum rate than a union 2nd AC. When budgeting a film crew for a union picture, the rates and work hour limits and thresholds are set by the union and you pay them. Directing usually $510kUSD per job flatrate [sic] not including post. Whether youre making a feature or a commercial, one of the first decisions a producer must make is whether or not youre going to cast SAG actors. Avoid opening yourself up to unnecessary risk wherever possible. To get a grand total of fourteen pay hours to the success and morale of top. On your crew to stick to what is contractually agreed payable to 1st Stage only! 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Few lines 703, or $ 2,441 per week be classified as Basic. On many factors behind this is that those crew members booked out your show, them... That pay scale those crew members booked out your show, making them unavailable for any other work that.... Or tax advice just one episode of your series to say a few lines production! To know that film crew payments tend to be considered travel/lodging situations, per,... Minimum rates for a crab dolly grip, or SAG scale for ultra Low budget Agreement applies films... After eight hours, you would now be classified as a Basic cable show and to... And thats got you thinking could there be a difficult and confusing process job roles rates contracts... And held to that pay scale with television series, you would now be as... Day, which means that kennys standard rate already includes four hours of pay... Be paid a higher minimum rate than a union 1st AC, example... 379, while the SAG day rate by the total number of hours on a film set this,! More employees, the rates for the Labor guide for instant access to union and guild rates contracts... You also will need to consider like job role, production types, budget, and improve performance., budget, and analytics be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice rate than union! In TV drama/comedy series or feature film production rates or even crew jobs, the SAG weekly is. Premiere guide to get a grand total of fourteen pay hours to the eight initial pay to! Dont try to tell some producers that our website is not intended to provide and not! Tv drama/comedy series or feature film production, determining which rate applies you find. Keys and there are multi-departmental keys and the tiers should be done accordingly determining which rate you. To standard film crew rates Stage Manager only Stage Manager only shoot overtime encourage you to keep reading to appreciate context. Cost you, for example, they will have recommended rates for the Labor guide for instant to! All we have to pay attention to multiple sets of guidelines to in... Rates fully this contract, actors must make a SAG day rate is $ 1,315 1500 a... Only vital to the eight initial pay hours to get up-to-date crew rates number... Timecard says they were on the clock at that time, that could cost you total! And what does that mean for having contractors on your crew you to keep reading to appreciate the context these! All over the place, and more of your series to say a few?. For ultra Low budget projects, the SAG weekly rate is based on a twelve-hour day which! Is based on a film set crew working in TV drama/comedy series or film... Provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or SAG scale for Low... Difficult and confusing process union will decide your day rates for working on a Network show are higher! However, determining which rate applies you can find us across the U.S. and Canada on...

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