French short film in Los Angeles

C

Chelly Films

Hi everybody,

I'm Mustafa, director and producer in Chelly Films, a french film production company. I'm going to produce and direct a short film near Los Angeles for this summer and I have many questions about the pre production work.

We have a small budget, 40 000$ for ten shooting days.

My first question is : is it possible to have a crew for free. I don't like the word free, i'm sorry. But for a french company like us, to shoot in Los Angeles it's a big effort. So is it legal to not pay the crew? How many hours of working per days is legal?

My second question is about the contract, especially for the filming locations. Do i need a american company to sign the contract or can i do it myself as a foreign company?

And finally, is it expensive to hire an executive producer to organize the casting and the shooting?

I thank you for your answers, and sorry for my english!

P.S the purpose of this project is doing an international film.
 
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Welcome to indietalk!

Chelly Films said:
We have a small budget, 40 000$ for ten shooting days.

My first question is : is it possible to have a crew for free. I don't like the word free, i'm sorry. But for a french company like us, to shoot in Los Angeles it's a big effort. So is it legal to not pay the crew? How many hours of working per days is legal?
Click to expand...
Yes, it is legal to ask people to work for free. No one in the Los
Angeles area will work more than 12 hour days. And you're going
to find it very difficult to get anyone with experience to work for
you for free for ten days.

Chelly Films said:
My second question is about the contract, especially for the filming locations. Do i need a american company to sign the contract or can i do it myself as a foreign company?
Click to expand...
You can sign the contracts.

Chelly Films said:
And finally, is it expensive to hire an executive producer to organize the casting and the shooting?
Click to expand...
A good one will be expensive. But you can ask if someone will work
for free. You won't be looking for an executive producer, you will be
looking for a UMP (unit production manager) or a production coordinator.

I suspect much of your $40,000 is going to your own travel, lodging
and food. Perhaps you should raise enough money to pay the crews
and actors. It sure is asking a lot to expect people to work for free.
 
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Chelly Films said:
Hi everybody,

I'm Mustafa, director and producer in Chelly Films, a french film production company. I'm going to produce and direct a short film near Los Angeles for this summer and I have many questions about the pre production work.

We have a small budget, 40 000$ for ten shooting days.

My first question is : is it possible to have a crew for free. I don't like the word free, i'm sorry. But for a french company like us, to shoot in Los Angeles it's a big effort. So is it legal to not pay the crew? How many hours of working per days is legal?
Click to expand...

Rik has already clarified the contract issue, so i needn't go any further, and am not choosing to simply concentrate on what I've quoted from your post above.

If i was to discover that a short-film was working a budget of $40,000, over a period of ten days, and that the crew where to be made to work for free. I'm sorry, but i would need to know exactly why it is you are receiving -if this is an incentive from investors- this sum of money, with intentions such as leaving your crew unpaid.

Even if these people are willing collaborators, this is not something i would look upon as a "Collaborative art process".

I've worked for nothing, i've worked for pay. If there is a budget, i pay people who work with us, always.

I must assure you that this is not delivered with any haste, or judgement. I'm just quite astounded that a budget -even though considered a pittance to some- was to be used without paying those, who i feel atleast, to be the most important part of the creation process.
 
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Thank you very much for your answers.

In fact i want to pay the crew. In all the movies i produced in France, i paid the crew. But for this new project, to shoot in Los Angeles, in a country where i don't know all the rules, i just wanted to know what is legal and possible or not just in case. Because, for exemple, i don't know if the filmings locations or the rent (camera, light, sound) is expensive here, i'm at the beginning of the pre production work.

So my next question is how much can i pay the crew, how much per days and per persons? Between 50 and 100 dollars per days is it realistic and respectfull?
 
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For a ten day shoot (2 weeks) you should pay the DP and audio mixer $400.

$80 is fine for PA's, $150 for most "assistant" positions and $200/$250 for
department heads. A good local UPM will be about $350.

Locations can be very inexpensive - or very expensive - depending on the
location needed. Equipment rental is very competative here in LA. So you
can find very enexpensive equipment rentals.

Again, a local UPM will be able to save you a lot of money which is why
you shouldn't be thinking of less that $350. If you want one who can
really pull some favors and save you a LOT, you should be thinking
closer to $450.

All numbers are day rates.
 
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If you are paying, agents are eager to get their clients work.

for short films there is even an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild
you can use so you can hire professional actors. But here in LA there
are a hundred thousand actors who are working hard to get their first
job. Or book their next one.

A good UPM will have connections to casting directors who can do all the
hard work so all you have to do is look at 10 or so resumes and choose
who you want. Another expense, but for someone traveling so far and
with limited time here in Los Angeles a wise one.
 
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