How much do you pay your actors?

F

Firm1

Hey guys. I'm in the process of setting a budget for a pilot episode my brother and I are making, but I'm a little stumped on knowing how much to pay our actors. We'll need to hire 9 good actors and about 32 extras.

We were thinking about paying our "good" actors 300 dollars per day for 10 to 12 hour days and our extras 50 dollars per day. We were also thinking about using non-union actors, which brings up another question. How do we ensure that these actors will show up and play their roles?

The reason I ask is because when we were shooting the promo for the pilot we were working on a shoe-string budget so we couldn't pay our actors that much and since we didn't have them under any legal binding contract, they were pretty laxed about showing up to the shoots because they often cancelled at the last second to do higher paying gigs. Definitely understandable, but it was frustrating because we had to move the shooting dates, which caused us to go over the budget.

Anyway, I'm really trying to avoid that when we do the real thing because we're campaigning for a lot of money so we need to be able to deliver. We figure 300 is good considering these guys aren't even b-rated actors but they're definitely talented enough to pull off the job. Do you guys think this is enough?

Also, we'll need them to also show up and dedicate their time to complete this project. What kind of legal mess do I have to get my hands into if I want to make sure my actors do the job when we need them to?

Thanks!
 
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The SAG ultra-low budget rate for actors is going up from $100 to $125 per day in (I think) June. If these guys don't have any name recognition and/or some serious credits (either film or TV), I think the $125 rate is plenty.

How do you make sure they show up? If a pay check isn't enough to do it, I don't think anything will. Make sure they know when you cast them what the shooting days are, and get a written agreement. And be prepared to replace them if they don't keep their end of the bargain.
 
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Firm1 said:
We were thinking about paying our "good" actors 300 dollars per day for 10 to 12 hour days and our extras 50 dollars per day.
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Mara is correct; the SAG low-budget rate is $125. So you're paying
41% above what the Guild requires. That should be enough for any
actor. I've paid name actors less.

Firm1 said:
How do we ensure that these actors will show up and play their roles?
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What kind of legal mess do I have to get my hands into if I want to make sure my actors do the job when we need them to?
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Legally there is much you can do. If they sign a contract and do not
show up you can sue them for breach of contract. But that doesn't
help you on the shoot days. If you have the money to sue them after
the shoot then you need to specify in the contract what damages they
will incur if they breach it. And you need to be prepared to file the breach
of contract suit and follow through.

So you need to seriously consider if you are willing to sue non guild
actors who don't show up and what damages you will sue for. Other than
that usually a paycheck is enough to get people to show up.
 
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I once replaced an actor who had a small speaking role because at the last moment (e.g. on the day of the shoot) he announced that he had a scheduling conflict and could only be on set for 1/2 of the agreed time. The movie was under the SAG ultra low contract so there was no limit on using non-union actors. I drafted a crew member with no acting experience but who fit the wardrobe - and it worked out fine.
 
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Hmm, this is very interesting. So, perhaps its best if we go with SAG ultra-low budget? What are the benefits in going through SAG vs. non-union? Is it safer to go through SAG?
 
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Firm1 said:
Hmm, this is very interesting. So, perhaps its best if we go with SAG ultra-low budget? What are the benefits in going through SAG vs. non-union? Is it safer to go through SAG?
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Is what safer?

If I understand correctly you are trying to make sure actors show
up and do their job. On a previous project you couldn't pay so people
didn't show. Is that correct?

On this project you are paying. I suspect people being paid will show up.
 
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directorik said:
Is what safer?

If I understand correctly you are trying to make sure actors show
up and do their job. On a previous project you couldn't pay so people
didn't show. Is that correct?

On this project you are paying. I suspect people being paid will show up.
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Well, I guess what I'm trying to ask is, does SAG hold actors accountable or do anything if directors complain about their work ethic and costing the production more money for choosing not to show up? If not, then I guess it doesn't matter that much if we go with SAG or non-SAG members. As long as we pay them well. Thanks a lot of the advice.
 
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Firm1 said:
Well, I guess what I'm trying to ask is, does SAG hold actors accountable or do anything if directors complain about their work ethic and costing the production more money for choosing not to show up? If not, then I guess it doesn't matter that much if we go with SAG or non-SAG members. As long as we pay them well. Thanks a lot of the advice.
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SAG may hold actors accountable if they gets a lot of complaints
from producers. And a producer can withhold payment if an actor
causes a significant delay or financial loss. But all this happen after
the actor doesn't show up. There is nothing you can do on the day
if an actor doesn't show up. There is nothing SAG can do on the
day of production if an actor doesn't show up.

I know you had a bad experience with unpaid people not taking
the non paying job as seriously as you would like. And if that happens
when you are paying it's even worse. I have never had a problem
with actors or crew who take a paying job not showing up. I suspect
you will find that when you pay actors they will take the job more
seriously. And $300 per day is much higher than even the SAG low
budget agreement so I doubt you'll have the same issues as when you
didn't pay.
 
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The point of SAG is that you are supposedly working with professionals. I would assume that a professional is more likely to show up for their job than a non-professional. But it comes with a lot of paperwork and a time table.
 
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Yes, SAG requires a lot of paperwork. Plus, you will need to bond the entire payroll for the SAG actors before you start shooting. You do not get this money back until your film is completed.

Like many people have pointed out here, that is a pretty competitive pay rate for a low budget indie. So even if you go non-union, I'm sure most anybody you would cast would be pretty committed to showing up. Especially if it is a good project.
 
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