Salaries for low budget films

T

TiBi

I'm in the pre-production stage right now -- bringing it all together -- and am writing/directing and producing (with another person) a short that I intend to get to the festivals.

Question (s) I have:

How much could the base salary be for hiring an Assisstant Director. Because, once I inquire/hire one, I want to be fair with regards to salary. Also, how much would the salary be for a Line Producer on a small budget indie short. I understand these are two key people (like the DP and actors) that are essential during the pre-production of a film.

thank you for you answers.

Terry
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Are you talking about union rates? Are you going to hire union crew? I'm not sure about that...and I think they set their own rates as union anyhow...which is negotiable, but they'll come to set with an asking rate...

If this is non-union, you can create your own rate. If you have very little money to work from, you can get away with paying everyone very little...sometimes nothing at all (what we call deferred pay in the industry). Most indie films with micro-budgets pay very little or nothing at all.

If you have a budget of, say, 15-30K...I'd pay all of my main cast and crew $250 for the entire picture. If I had a budget of 30K-60K, I'd pay all my main cast and crew $500 for the entire picture.

These are all non-union rates that I'm completely pulling out of my ass (ie. rates I'd be happy with getting as a lead actor).
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Alcove Audio, yes, the sound mixer is also very essential during pre-production. In this case, my film will be a music overlay, over the actors performances. There may be places where music isn't played but only the ambient sound of the location they may be in.

If you've seen the finale of Six Feet Under, where the song played by Sia is played, you notice you only had a montage of the actors performance without dialouge, just images of emotions. That's pretty much what this film is like.

M1chae1, lol, you've pulled some valueable information out of your ass. and I appreciate it. I was thinking that a AD would be costly but, you've put my mind at ease. I will probably go with a non-union Ad for this production

As far as a Line Producer -- for such a 20-min short -- are their rates pretty up there, or can they be hired at a resonable low rate? I'm looking at a budget of say $10,000 or maybe a little more.

The actors -- that I've selected -- are willing to work for free: including dinner at a nice resturant and drinks and picking up their tab.

thanks for your answer(s)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
am writing/directing and producing (with another person) a short that I intend to get to the festivals.
Click to expand...
Just understand that you will never see a dime of profit from making a short, so with that in mind cut as many corners as you can. Shoot the thing one day a week so that you can do more of the work yourself.
$250-$300 a day per person is not an unreasonable rate
Click to expand...
You can find crew people for $125 - $150 a day in Los Angeles. I'd feel ripped off if I paid $250 for independent anything. Independent films don't make money, much less indie shorts.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sonnyboo said:
$250-$300 a day per person is not an unreasonable rate. Work out how many days of pre-pro you need, and that is what it will cost.
Click to expand...

This is WAY too much for an indie film. You're talking union rates here, on a film with 100K or more budget...and not just union rates, but established union rates. You might ASK for $300 a day, but on most low budget union movies (or SAG sig), you're likely to get $125 a day. Non-union, micro-budget films can't afford anything close to these rates...these are rates for the entire film (if it has a decent micro budget).

And let me just say, LA is completely different than other markets...LA follows its own rules. Often times non-union films don't even pay outside of LA.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow guys, thanks so much for the info. Yeah, I understand that 'most' indie films don't make that much money, and as far as making a short......well, ya never know. Maybe I can sell it to the IFC. Just being optomistic. Again, this is why I want a Line Producer to go over these things with me during pre-production.

Also, it's great to be here on this site, because now I know that there are some really talented people here, ready to go into a production, and....it makes it easy for me to contact with anyone here, once I'm in wanting of their services.

I'm starting with this short, and other indie films, to build up my film knowledge. It's been a while since I've made a film, so, I'll going in again like it's all new to me, because things have changed. I've three features (screenplays) I'm working on that I consider, will be, my breaking into the big time. But for now, I will meet, and get to know, and become friends with people here, so once THE moment happens (espcially if there's someone here that is damn good with FX, CGI, and Visual effects), I'll know just where to turn.

For this short, I'll still look around for a Line Producer. I guess it wouldn't hurt, to learn a thing or two from him/her.

thank you guys. looking forward to more info from you:-)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You get what you pay for. Maybe you can find someone "starting out" for dirt cheap, but will they f**k up the look of your movie? In LA for $125 - $150 you can get pros who know what they are doing but at the same time they might defect the last minute to another (higher paying gig) if it comes along, so you have to have back up options as far as crew.
I'd line produce it yourself and then just spend a little more on a good DP. Make sure the DP is good at lighting. You can get 2 people in 1 if they are good at lighting. Also some DP's are sloooowww and stupid and others with experience will work within your time constraints so you get your shoots done and don't go over budget.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow - it's awesome you're even willing to pay for a low budget indie.... of course depends on what you mean by "low" that could have a totally different meaning to me than it does to you....

I think $100/day is a good basic starting rate once you start talking about paying people.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Blade_Jones said:
You get what you pay for. Maybe you can find someone "starting out" for dirt cheap, but will they f**k up the look of your movie? In LA for $125 - $150 you can get pros who know what they are doing but at the same time they might defect the last minute to another (higher paying gig) if it comes along, so you have to have back up options as far as crew.
I'd line produce it yourself and then just spend a little more on a good DP. Make sure the DP is good at lighting. You can get 2 people in 1 if they are good at lighting. Also some DP's are sloooowww and stupid and others with experience will work within your time constraints so you get your shoots done and don't go over budget.
Click to expand...

You don't always get what you pay for...just wanted to scream that from a mountain top.

Sometimes you'll pay for a 'legit' crew member, and they will either flake out and leave you hanging, or they'll be slow and unqualified.

Other times, you'll get someone for free who's fast and awesome--these are the people you want to become best friends with. Because if they believe in you, and you in them, you can bolster your production value without spending a dime.

Again...I'm not in LA...but I'm sure the same applies over there. Just because you're paying someone, doesn't mean they're the cats pajamas (ie. worth it).

Also, just because you've worked on a dozen pictures, does not mean you're better than someone who's only worked on one...believe it or not, that's totally true.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Most people have normal jobs, at a young age, making $10/hr at 40hrs a week will give you about $315-$330 after taxes (depending on the state you live in)

That is about $65/day on an 8 1/2 hour shift.

So if you can afford to pay $100/day for someone relitively new, there shouldn't be a problem getting someone.

Although rates for DPs, Sound Mixers and a few other importants usually spawn a higher rate all together.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M1chae1 said:
You don't always get what you pay for...just wanted to scream that from a mountain top.

Sometimes you'll pay for a 'legit' crew member, and they will either flake out and leave you hanging, or they'll be slow and unqualified.

Other times, you'll get someone for free who's fast and awesome--these are the people you want to become best friends with. Because if they believe in you, and you in them, you can bolster your production value without spending a dime.

Again...I'm not in LA...but I'm sure the same applies over there. Just because you're paying someone, doesn't mean they're the cats pajamas (ie. worth it).

Also, just because you've worked on a dozen pictures, does not mean you're better than someone who's only worked on one...believe it or not, that's totally true.
Click to expand...

Just want to say I agree 100% and this happens all the time.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sonnyboo said:
$250-$300 a day per person is not an unreasonable rate. Work out how many days of pre-pro you need, and that is what it will cost.
Click to expand...

This was in response specifically to what an AD or LINE PRODUCER would cost. Not anyone on the crew or just any ole position.

If you want someone good and has experience (actual experience on bigger sets), this is what they would cost.

Union rates are more than double that (Check with IATSE, the DGA, and the PRODUCERS GUILD).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sonnyboo said:
This was in response specifically to what an AD or LINE PRODUCER would cost. Not anyone on the crew or just any ole position.

If you want someone good and has experience (actual experience on bigger sets), this is what they would cost.

Union rates are more than double that (Check with IATSE, the DGA, and the PRODUCERS GUILD).
Click to expand...

I do understand this...I said 'base' union rates for these jobs.

My point was that this is unreachable by micro-budget films. Unreachable.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thanks for all the insights. I guess -- like most things I do whether a short or feature -- I like to create an as professional set as possible. Just priming myself for more projects, and on the next one, I've more contacts to connect with.

Yeah, I agree, you don't always get what you pay for, and making a film with the optomistic; ready to go; want the experience willing to work for free or a low cost personal, does seem the better way to go. Just like the actors I'm interviewing now. They are eager (without pay) to be part of the production, and I've a feeling they will give a 110%.

As far as the key people in pre and post production, I'll work out something, and based on the information you've all shared, my options seems more expanded now.l

I'm just that kind of person when it comes to anything I do. And when it comes to any film production I create; I just want it to look, feel, and sound good. Even if it's a 30 second commercial. I'm all about making films (or other media) that pulls and draws a person in. And the better it looks and feels, the more chances it has in standing out.

My focus is to submit this short to the 'short film festivals.' And that's only -- again - to get my feet wet, and learn as much as I can about the film world. With the amazing talent that's out here, I look forward to aligning my self up with some of it, and putting together - and out, - some outstanding / original idea pictures.

I'm learning a lot here from you all.

huge thank you
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Quick Note: I'm all about what can be done. I'm a strong believer in that, regardless of the perceived obstacles.

Also M1chae1, I'd check out your homepage, and may I say -WOW- :-) What did you do to secure/legalize/license your production name. Was it a task in doing so, and did you seek legal advise from an entertainment attorney for legal assisstance?

I've come up with a name that I want to use as a film company, and production company. Now tyring to figure out the in and out of getting it licensed and/or protected is my next journey.

thanks
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TiBi said:
Quick Note: I'm all about what can be done. I'm a strong believer in that, regardless of the perceived obstacles.

Also M1chae1, I'd check out your homepage, and may I say -WOW- :-) What did you do to secure/legalize/license your production name. Was it a task in doing so, and did you seek legal advise from an entertainment attorney for legal assisstance?

I've come up with a name that I want to use as a film company, and production company. Now tyring to figure out the in and out of getting it licensed and/or protected is my next journey.

thanks
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean...my 'production name'?

The company I work with all the time is Scorpio Film Releasing...if that's what you mean. But I wouldn't have an answer there because it's not my company. It's Richard Griffin's. You'd have to ask him. It's named so because of his astrological sign, naturally.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top