Overtime laws can vary from state to state, but the gist is that employees eligible to receive overtime (non-exempt employees) will receive significant bumps in their base hourly rates after they exceed a certain number of hours worked in a given day and/or week. 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. Amazon, Instagram, YouTube are just some of the destinations the Screen Actors Guild classifies as new media. Whether youre making a film or series, they both fall under this agreement as long as your budget is between $50,000 and $1,000,000. We take our crew members hourly rates, multiply them according to the number of hours expected in a normal workday, and label the resulting amounts day rates.. However, the pay per week is higher as are all SAG rates, when you consider that youll have to pay health and pension on top of it. The first eight hours are counted normally, coming out to eight pay hours, but the other four must be multiplied. 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. Per the DGA Rate Card, you have to guarantee a set number of days for pre-production, shooting, and post. You can download the latest DGA rates here. Pay hours are a simple way to account for the effect of overtime laws on an hourly rate. 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. The DGA rates for UPMs and ADs though vary whether its level 4A ( $3.75MM - $5.5MM) or 4B ($5.5MM - $8.5MM): Unlike the DGA Television rates, Level 3 doesnt set a specific program rate, prep period, or even a DGA rate for work beyond a guaranteed commitment. The films shooting schedule, where its shooting, travel/lodging situations, per diems, kit rates, and more. You also will need to consider what you will pay if you shoot overtime. The vast majority of SAG commercials are Class A, meaning that your commercial will air in over twenty cities. 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. WebSearch & Hire Film Crew Hiring the right film production crew doesnt have to be a pain. You may change your cookie settings at any time. Looking for some reading material? WebFilm & Television or Commercials & Corporate or Pop Promo Photographic Standard day & overtime rates The industry standard for a photographic job is 300 for a half day (up to 5hrs) and 500 for a full day (up to 10hrs).Overtime where applicable is charged at 20% of the daily rate per hour. Here, you can find DGA rates for films across a variety of budgets. Usually in the $800/10 range. Web5! For Principal Performers, deferred compensation under this Agreement for this purpose may not be less than 20% of the applicable day rate from the Basic Agreement current at the time of performance per day for Principal Performers.". Open the interactive PDF on Mac or Windows using Adobe Reader. On union productions, this will never be an issue, but it does pop up from time to time on non-union shoots. Animator!3! Non-exempt employees are required by law to be paid according to hourly rates, and hourly rates come with a few features that do not apply to true day rates. If youre working with some actors who arent in the guild, dont worry. Rate is usually $2k/day. Sometimes a 1015% (or more) of budget. You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances. Directors and producers rates are highly negotiable and receive between 2-5% of the films overall budget. 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. Loader/Data gets $250-$500/10 and $250-$500 gear. Unless, of course, youd prefer to handle payroll the easy way. Discover how to find the best production assistants in Los Angeles with this guide. Kennys effective hourly rate is $25.00 per hour. If you cant pay your crew make sure to pay their expenses so they are not out of pocket. What happens, for example, if the day runs for 14 hours? However, this is a high level position that is negotiated depending on past quotes, experience and budget of the project. 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. On a full budget feature, a UPM or AD gets 19% pension and health, approximately 2% training and qualification, and 7.719% vacation and holiday. Per the DGA rate card, television rates only apply to directors directing an episode of an existing show. per videogr. As is the case with most SAG agreements, the more time you book actors, the less youll have to pay them per day. That being said, many crew members factor in many other elements than rate when it comes down to deciding whether or not to take a film gig. 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. Under a DGA contract, directors receive a minimum feature film director day rate of $4,081 to $5,441. 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. From there, you find the fees. But now their timecard says they were on the clock at that time, that could cost you. For example, the 2014 film Boyhood was shot over several years even though it fell under this DGA contract (its budget was estimated to be $4 million). Note that the SAG rates increase the less an actor appears, as those actors will be working fewer weeks for less overall net pay. But if you think a first AD is a tier 2 position, you havent worked with a good 1st. Ten? A "cookie" is a small text file stored in a visitor's web browser that distinguishes their device from others. Whether youre producing a half-hour or hour-long episode, if youre hiring a SAG actor for just one episode, youre looking at $1,082 a day, $2,741 for three days, or $3,756 for the entire week. AB-5 puts the onus on employers to prove that workers are independent contractors through a more stringent ABC worker classification test before actually classifying them as such. The amount of prep time and guaranteed shooting are nearly identical. It will surely wow my in-laws from abroad if I present to them something artistic and sentimental to commemorate the day. In this bucket, nothing changes on your DGA agreement in regards to prep time, guaranteed shooting time, and cutting allowance. Its worth more than one pay hour.. Insurance providers like Wrapbook can spin up a policy thats SAG compliant at lowest possible cost to you. TheSSA also posted a fact sheetsummarizing the 2022 changes. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. As you can tell, the contract language here can often become confusing and widely varied, so always consult with the DGA first. We begin by negotiating the expected length of Kennys workday. Oops! Really has helped me develop my project further with fairness, balance and credibility. Find all of the latest MEAA resources from enterprise bargaining agreements, standard contracts, tax and superannuation info to agents' lists and freelance rates. If the job calls for a spotter or second op: $3000+. WebDistant Location Minimum Rates: Effective 07/31/22: 5400 Gen. Foreman (per week) 5401 CLT (hourly) $54.98: 5403 ACLT (hourly) $49.90: 5411 Sub-Foreman: $51.71: 5421 Chief Rigging Tech. These rates will be valid through June 30th, 2022, with the exception of commercial rates which are valid through November 30th, 2022. One of the first decisions youll have to make as a producer on a project is deciding whether or not to hire DGA directors. How much a producer pays in overtime costs will depend greatly on where theyre located. States that have wage theft protection laws, the hourly rate and overtime rate are clearly spelled out. All of these rates may be lower or higher than the normal Basic/TV agreement rates. For example, lets say were trying to hire your old friend Kenny as a gaffer on our low-budget, non-union production. Your email address will not be published. Instead of airing on a set network, wild spots only air on specific stations and markets. In Kennys case, we divide a rate of $350 by a pay hour total of fourteen. But before you say Ha! Instead, please see basic. Crew positions are paid at different scales according to their specific job titles. In essence, were paying Kenny for fourteen hours of work at his base hourly rate per day. A good rule of thumb is to budget your shooting days to go at least 12 hours, no matter what, especially on independent films. Need an actor for just one episode of your series to say a few lines? In general, your day rate will increase the higher the project budget. Hiring talent on SAG weekly rates (5-day basis) does result in a per day discount. Editor! With all the details planned out we are finally ready for We send our own production crew to 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. $1,200-$1,800 (more, depending on the experience/skill). If you end your day early, they cant just go and jump on some other film crew that day to make up for the lost hours. (Note: This does not apply to episodic nor animated projects.) WebWhile ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $95,500 and as low as $18,500, the majority of Film Production Crew salaries currently range between $29,000 (25th percentile) to $47,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $69,500 annually across the United States. Mostly camera op or 1st AC. Its interesting to know that film crew payments tend to be tiered. *2-5% budget. Now you just have to repeat that process with every single other member of your crew. Under this contract, actors must make a SAG day rate of $703, or $2,441 per week. Unlike national or cable ads, wild spots are commercials that air in over twenty specific cities. Union-mandated rate scales likewise shift in accordance with these different project types. SAG has not updated anything beyond July, 2022 so it stays at $703. 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. While there is no weekly SAG scale for ultra low budget projects, the SAG day rate is $216. But for non-union films, its a bit different. And on a low budget, they receive 19% pension and health, but no vacation and holiday, under some, but not all levels. WebThe film ratecard applies to films with budgets 30m and above, under 30m and less than 10m. Anyone who exists on a call sheet (aside from maybe vendors), who is being told when and where they need to reportlikely not a contractor. On a low budget film your cast and crew costs will likely be your highest expense. Ultimately, the best way to know what a fair wage is for any department is to look at what their union has laid out for that particular job. If youre making a short or documentary, this is also your contract, regardless of your budget. If youre producing a film directly for streaming, you might fall under a New Media Agreement. Well go over all that in our next installment. Be sure to check back on this post periodically for the most updated rates. Almost 100% narrative. As such, you now work for yourself and must find your production crew rate. Their concept of a 10-hour day at say $500 per day is $50 per hour. If youre paying actors for Network Television, rates are dependent on many factors. Lower budgets go to $700/10 or /12 depending. Unions operating in the film industry generally mandate minimum rate requirements that productions must meet in order to remain compliant. The SAG pay scale for Series Regulars on 1 hour shows functions exactly like 1/2 hours. You may change your cookie settings at any time. I think 175250 is industry standard with 250 on the high/commerical [sic] end. 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). Tier 1.5 positions with immense responsibilities but are more focused in scope and often more technical: Principal Makeup, Sound Mixer, SFX lead, Script Supervisor. Something went wrong while submitting the form. hi(at)jeremiahwarren.com. Bay Area Sound Mixer Labor $650/10HR and basic audio kit rental starts at $300 will scale to $550+ depending on whats needed. People like David Fincher arent working with Netflix for nothing. I get hired a lot to op or run a gimbal as well so Im running double duty a lot of the time and that hikes the price up a little bit. That rate varies depending on what they own. In reality, what we commonly call day rates in the film industry are actually an estimation based on crew members hourly rates. The SAG day rate is $379, while the SAG weekly rate is $1,315. SAG Short Project Agreements cover films that have total budgets less than $50,000 and a maximum running time of 40 minutes. To learn more about how Wrapbook processes personal data, please see our privacy policy. With built-in features like Quickbooks integration and automatic calculations of LA commercial IATSE and Teamster timecards, Wrapbook is constantly innovating to streamline entertainment payroll and maximize your productions efficiency. Including: DGA West Coast Free, searchable collection of scale rates for SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, WGA, Teamsters and more. This much-requested tool allows crew in the field to enter their purchase orders, including vendor and payment info, and email the file to the lead accountant. WebAbove the line crew are involved in the creative development of the film. ), All of this causes much consternation in the minds of many cheap, inconsiderate producers. Despite having the same number of included days, these contracts dont require producers to shell out as much both upfront and an additional day basis. know the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees. The 1st use SAG commercial rates are: While not as popular as Class A, the SAG Commercial Agreement Class B applies to commercials that will air in six to twenty cities. Whereas Theatrical SAG rates depend on budget, SAG commercial rates depend on where and how many times youll be airing the commercial. For example, they will offer higher rates if you work in a union city like New York. For a grip, $450-$550. Your preferences have been updated. Usually, producers have to negotiate back and forth before they come to an agreement. Recommend this to any filmmaker, producer. $1500 is a good baseline for an experienced op with good gear. In order to do this, Local 873 has created the IATSE 873 Independent Agreement. DGA rates depend on the type of production youre producing, your schedule, as well as your budget. Were a team of compassionate and curious people dedicated to solving complex problems with sophisticated solutions. For the latest and greatest union rates, we like to recommend the Paymaster Rate Guide. WebThe DGA minimum salary schedules for Directors, Unit Production Managers, Assistant Directors, Associate Directors and Stage Managers, effective July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. This of course has huge implications. Can you guess which feature matters most in an industry where a normal workday lasts between twelve and sixteen hours? Below the line crew are responsible for the day to day filmmaking involved in pre-production, production, and post-production. Figuring out overtime (AKA O.T.) and budgeting for it is something many of them find odious. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2017 estimated film and video industry electricians and lighting workers earned an annual mean wage of $77,470. And with this guide, I hope I can find a creative crew with a short film director that shares the same vision as me. In order to account for the unique pilot directing process, the DGA Rate Card for pilots gives directors a higher amount of prep time and compensation. Previously a printed binder-book, the Labor Guide now exists entirely paper-free, online. If your project is going straight to the web, start here - SAG Rates 2023. Even if its a non-union shoot, you should get paid in the ballpark of the union rate. While the DGA Rate Card refers to dramatic programs, there isnt a separate rate card for comedies. Feature films, documentaries, and short films fall under this DGA agreement - DGA Rate Card 2022. Keep in mind, these are the minimum rates, and quite often, DGA members can be paid far beyond these numbers. Be an industry insider with EP's newsletters and alerts. To learn more about how Wrapbook processes personal data, please see our privacy policy. The taxable wage cap is subject to an automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) each year based on increases in the national average wage index, calculated annually by the SSA. A 1 camera operator film crew could film the following types of videos: 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. Collection of scale rates for films across a variety of budgets also your contract, must... Your old friend Kenny as a gaffer on our low-budget, non-union.... Paid at different scales according to their specific job titles much a producer on low... As your budget ballpark of the film in this bucket, nothing on. Most in an industry where a normal workday lasts between twelve and sixteen?! Episodic nor animated projects. the SAG pay scale for ultra low budget projects, hourly. 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Card refers to dramatic programs, there isnt a separate rate Card 2022 Coast Free, searchable collection scale. Day filmmaking involved in pre-production, production, and short films fall under this contract, regardless of your make. Of course, youd prefer to handle payroll the easy way productions, this will be. Guild, dont worry a set number of days for pre-production,,... Cable ads, wild spots only air on specific stations and markets cant your. Cheap, inconsiderate producers his base hourly rate to prep time, that could cost you for example they. Receive a minimum feature film director day rate will increase the higher the project budget and above under! Agreements cover films that have total budgets less than 10m a project is deciding whether not. Increase the higher the project budget where and how many times youll be airing the commercial producing! 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Specific stations and markets arent in the minds of many cheap, inconsiderate producers, please see our privacy.. Union-Mandated rate scales likewise shift in accordance with these different project types - SAG rates on... All that in our next installment contract, regardless of your budget 14 hours Hiring talent on SAG rates! Are not out of pocket reality, what we commonly call day rates in the ballpark of the budget.