Hi All,
To make a long story kind of short, I'm being hired to write a screenplay adapted from a novel written by a friend of a friend. The budget is projected around $300,000. By all accounts, the film is a go, the funding is there, and it will be produced next spring.
After I proposed an initial fee/structure that was 3.5% of the final locked budget (with a floor and a ceiling) plus 5% of "net profits", I feel like maybe I overshot it. The Producer came back offering me a lot less: a flat fee of $4,500 (which is 1.5% of estimated budget) and no mention of "net profits".
When I came back and asked about the % of "net profits" she said no, at least not at this time.
And when I asked if we could still go by a % of total budget (in the event that the budget became unexpectedly larger, I'd want to get paid accordingly), and that I'd be fine coming down to the lower percentage of 1.5%, her answer was that there's no chance of it becoming a bigger budget. Hm.
I have no credits yet, and could definitely use the credit/sample/money/exposure/etc. that this produced film would provide, so between you and me and everyone else on this forum, I am not really in a position to walk away from it.
Is this a fine deal for someone in my position and I should just accept it and be happy, or am I getting taken advantage of? Without prior experience in these matters, it's so hard to know.
Thanks very much for any insight.
Dom
To make a long story kind of short, I'm being hired to write a screenplay adapted from a novel written by a friend of a friend. The budget is projected around $300,000. By all accounts, the film is a go, the funding is there, and it will be produced next spring.
After I proposed an initial fee/structure that was 3.5% of the final locked budget (with a floor and a ceiling) plus 5% of "net profits", I feel like maybe I overshot it. The Producer came back offering me a lot less: a flat fee of $4,500 (which is 1.5% of estimated budget) and no mention of "net profits".
When I came back and asked about the % of "net profits" she said no, at least not at this time.
And when I asked if we could still go by a % of total budget (in the event that the budget became unexpectedly larger, I'd want to get paid accordingly), and that I'd be fine coming down to the lower percentage of 1.5%, her answer was that there's no chance of it becoming a bigger budget. Hm.
I have no credits yet, and could definitely use the credit/sample/money/exposure/etc. that this produced film would provide, so between you and me and everyone else on this forum, I am not really in a position to walk away from it.
Is this a fine deal for someone in my position and I should just accept it and be happy, or am I getting taken advantage of? Without prior experience in these matters, it's so hard to know.
Thanks very much for any insight.
Dom