Something went wrong while submitting the form. As you can tell, the contract language here can often become confusing and widely varied, so always consult with the DGA first. Access detailed summaries of wages, fringe rates, schedules, and more - all from ratified agreements. ordinator! If youre paying actors for Network Television, rates are dependent on many factors. Expect the unexpected. Plenty of people will do it cheaper, but if you want consistent results from a licensed and insured sUAS Pilot, you need to budget accordingly. Making a television pilot is an extremely laborious process. Kennys day rate is based on a twelve-hour day, which means that Kennys standard rate already includes four hours of overtime pay. Your preferences have been updated. In essence, were paying Kenny for fourteen hours of work at his base hourly rate per day. Need minimum rates for a crab dolly grip, or SAG scale for a day player? If youre working with some actors who arent in the guild, dont worry. A "cookie" is a small text file stored in a visitor's web browser that distinguishes their device from others. These are all direct quotes from professionals in the industry. In the eyes of the DGA, pilots get special treatment - DGA Rate Card 2022. Mostly camera op or 1st AC. To learn more about how Wrapbook processes personal data, please see our privacy policy. Recommend this to any filmmaker, producer. Download the interactive PDF right to your computer. IATSE Local 873 supports all film makers, at every budget level, with highly skilled professional crews. Your preferences have been updated. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. Something went wrong while submitting the form. If your production goes beyond five days in a week (which does happen), youll have to pay your director in accordance with state overtime laws. Tier 3.5 Production assistants learning the trade. Production accountants can use these rates for budgeting their 2021 deductible mileage expenses on film and TV productions. $1500 is a good baseline for an experienced op with good gear. But after those set hours, shes owed time and a half (1.5 times her regular hourly rate), for up to 12 hours in a work day. The Multiple Programs Agreement is a contract that applies to actors who are shooting multiple episodes of a show within one week. Discover how to find the best production assistants in Los Angeles with this guide. Some commercials are shot over several weeks. 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. Minimum wage will go up in several states in 2022, so production companies will want to plan ahead to make sure theyre paying their freelance crew correctly. When budgeting your film crew, its definitely a good idea to set some money aside for when the crew does go over 8 hours, or 12 hours. Calculating production crew rates is no easy task. If you cant pay your crew make sure to pay their expenses so they are not out of pocket. Luckily, weve put together this comprehensive guide, breaking down the SAG rates of 2023 so you can determine what you might owe for a principal performer. The day rate norms in one region may shift in another, and going out of your way to establish a shared perspective early on may help your production team avoid any unnecessary conflict or confusion down the road. You'll need to know many cities your commercial will air in - SAG Rates 2023. $700750/10 as a 1st, and ~$600700 as a 2nd. The Showbiz Labor Guide has been the go-to authority for guild and union rates in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, including SAG-AFTRA scale. Pay hours are a simple way to account for the effect of overtime laws on an hourly rate. Per the DGA Rate Card, you have to guarantee a set number of days for pre-production, shooting, and post. While a theatrical release isnt required to qualify, there is a fair amount of paperwork needed to fall under this contract. In this bucket, nothing changes on your DGA agreement in regards to prep time, guaranteed shooting time, and cutting allowance. Plus kit fee. Film Production Crew Rates (In Studio - Call for On Location) Half Day (3 to 5 Hours) Full Day (5 to 10 Hours) Director of Photography: $495-$650: $750-1300: Camera Operator: $395: It doesnt matter if he works one hour or eight hours or sixteen hours, if Kenny worked one day, hes getting paid $350 for that day. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. Your production may have to pay attention to multiple sets of guidelines to remain in good standing overall. Job Role. The P&H rate for performers is 21%. The first step in calculating an employees hourly rate is figuring out how many hours make up the day in their so-called day rate. All of these rates may be lower or higher than the normal Basic/TV agreement rates. The minimum compensation for a Second Unit Director is $1,500 per day. Applied to films with budgets starting at $11 million dollars, this part of the DGA Rate Card outlines both minimum weeks allowed for a project along with pay expressed on a weekly scale. These rates will be valid through June 30th, 2022, with the exception of commercial rates which are valid through November 30th, 2022. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. For New Media projects less than $250,000 (but greater than $50k), expect to pay performers a minimum rate of $125 per day. If an actor appears in less than half of a seasons episode order, talent would then be classified as a major role (guest star). Regardless of the commercials scale, the DGA commercial rates for directors must be at least $1,573 for the day or $6,292 for a 5-day week. If the job calls for a spotter or second op: $3000+. Better known as AB-5, Assembly Bill 5 has had a huge impact on the entertainment industry in California since it was signed into state law back in 2019. (Note: This does not apply to episodic nor animated projects.) Unlike SAG agreements for film (where everything is determined by budget), in the world of television, rates are determined by the number of episodes youre going to create, and more often than not, the episodes length. Its also your bracket if youre shooting a commercial that will run on a cable channel. 2nd ac $350/10. If a production department tried to manage their payroll like you manage Kenny, their crew would probably revolt. WebArea Standards rates SAG-AFTRA scale rates WGA wage scales and fees DGA wage scales and fees AFM fees and schedules The Labor Guide also displays overtime rates and guarantees per job category, plus a section of Fringe rates such as Pension, Health and Vacation pay. Then your production probably falls under a SAG AFTRA Theatrical Agreement. 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. This of course has huge implications. And if you know the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees, you know that this classification has a huge impact on how crew members total earnings are calculated. Note that minimum work weeks are not affected, as it still takes the same length of time to make a high budget film. Union-mandated rate scales likewise shift in accordance with these different project types. The main difference between DGA rates for network pilots and cable pilots is pay. One page summary of the latest TVC/Corporate Video, Television, Feature/Short Film and Live theatre minimum rates. SAG-AFTRA rates are the minimum amounts of money the Screen Actors Guild will allow its members to work for on a given project. Under most DGA contracts, you pay a lump sum for the entire production process. A guide to understanding when its time to incorporate your photo business, and how to do it. If youre looking for a SAG short film agreement, this is likely the right place to start. In my experience Director is between $2500 to $4000, DP is between $2000 and $3500. This is all for Inspire 2. For UK filmmakers see advice provided byBECTU. Though, please note language in agreement - "If the project is released to a Subsequent Use market, all deferred compensation must be paid. Lets take a look. These rates are from non-union freelance individuals that work primarily in commercials or narrative film. If a lot of pre prep is needed, thats a separate charge. You may change your cookie settings at any time. Including: DGA West Coast The average cost for a videographer to film your event is somewhere between $750 to $1,000. Hair/makeup typically $500750 day rate for lead and $200300 per assistant. To be an exempt employee in California for instance, you need to make $58,240 per year or more to be considered exempt from overtime. Avoid opening yourself up to unnecessary risk wherever possible. Like SAG rates, the DGA minimums are based on the budget of your project. Unlike other SAG day rates, actor salaries are completely negotiable. At this point, your project has crossed out of New Media and into its traditional counterpart. Looking for some reading material? UPMs and AD rates vary whether its a level 2 ($2.6MM - $1.1MM) or level 1B ($500K - $1.1MM) project. To become part of a union, you must meet their terms. 2022 Video Collective | Registered Trademark. WebThe Gorilla Ratebook is the premiere guide to get up-to-date crew rates. How many hours does an employee have to work to earn their pay? You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances. You can download the DGA rates here. A day rate is still subject to change if the planned amount is exceeded. The rates for films with budgets 30m and above should be read in conjunction with the new agreement covering major motion pictures introduced on 2 April 2018. All depends on production and their budget. Lower budgets go to $700/10 or /12 depending. With the pay hours total in hand, calculating hourly rates is an easy task. But theres still one more step to go before were finished. While the DGA Rate Card refers to dramatic programs, there isnt a separate rate card for comedies. Producer. On a small film, it might benefit your production to pay everybody the same flat rate, and not worry about time and a half or double time, but that should only be if youve got a fairly cohesive group of people working on your film to begin with, and probably only if your crew is made of up largely inexperienced people. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. Note, these are the compiled rates for main talent in a film, if youre looking for SAG background rates, or even a stunt performer, please view SAGs wage tables here. When converting so-called day rates to hourly rates, theres a chance that the resulting hourly rate might not meet a states minimum wage requirements. However, its also important to communicate with your crew and ensure that youre operating with a mutual understanding. Such valuable information. A project shooting with a micro-budget will generally have to pay lower minimum rates to cast and crew compared to a project shooting with the elevated financial backing of a major studio or network. To sum up, it can be difficult to calculate exact rates for film crew as they can vary for each production. You can download the latest DGA rates here. 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. For example, Christopher Nolan was reportedly paid $20 million upfront and 20 percent of the gross for Dunkirk. We then add these six pay hours to the eight initial pay hours to get a grand total of fourteen pay hours. Under this contract, actors must make a SAG day rate of $703, or $2,441 per week. If youre producing a daily talk show or variety show for streaming or cable, this is your pay bracket. The most versatile film budgeting software on the market, Showbiz Budgeting allows you to actualize your film budget at the detail level, and display your actuals in column format alongside the original. You may change your cookie settings at any time. Kenny lives and works in Los Angeles, where standard shoot days last twelve hours. SAGs Basic Theatrical Agreement applies to films with budgets greater than $2,000,000. Makeup, 1st AD, were all paid the Subkey rate, or the middle rate. When Im doing super basic stuff, it usually comes out to $850950/day. From there, you find the fees. Need an actor for just one episode of your series to say a few lines? Additionally plan for $300 as a starting place for gear (Recorder, Boom, 2 Wireless, and Hardline to Camera). Also remember that if youre expected to provide your own kit (such as camera, electrical, audio, or grip), you should charge extra for the rental. Home Filmmaker Resources Film Production Crew Rates in 2023. The Wrapbook Team consists of individuals who are thrilled about building modern software tools for creators. Your union will provide overtime rates, but if you work on a non-union, you must arrange these terms with the producer before filming starts. Inspire2 fully loaded with two crew starts at $3k/day. And what does that mean for having contractors on your crew? But what about the reverse? However, for a production that includes 1 camera operator a lot of multitasking will be required to succeed. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. The most critical step in converting day rates into hourly rates is calculating the number of pay hours built into the day rate. However, calculating your SAG rates for TV is by far the most confusing. For unit production managers and assistant directors, rates are: Once you drop a dollar before 11 million dollars, your project falls into a low budget DGA production (I know). We should note that these rates are for performers of cable and streaming shows. WebVideography Full Day Rate $700.00 Up to 8 hours of setup and/or prod. Feature films, television shows, commercials, and new media all operate under slightly different regulations. Rate is usually $2k/day. After all, what is day rate pay if no one on your crew is eligible to receive it? What the inexperienced crew member might not realize is that labor laws dictate that for the first 8 hours of a shoot, shes supposed to be paid straight time, or for the first 40 hours she works in a week. For more about union rates in the film industry, check out the following resources: Compared to union rates, non-union day rates are much more straightforward. For the specifics here, we recommend consulting the DGA directly. It has pretty much everything you need when putting together a film budget for a union crew. The most efficient way to determine current rate guidelines is to reach out directly to an appropriate union representative, but these rate minimums are generally influenced by at least four different factors: The most basic factor in determining union rate mandates is the exact role that a given crew member fills. Your email address will not be published. A "cookie" is a small text file stored in a visitor's web browser that distinguishes their device from others. 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. Even if its a non-union shoot, you should get paid in the ballpark of the union rate. To learn more, check out our complete list of worker classification tests by state. know the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees. Instead of airing on a set network, wild spots only air on specific stations and markets. 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