SAG has not updated anything beyond July, 2022, so rate stays at $216. Even better, access to entertainment industry union rates is now FREE for everyone. In this ultimate guide, well talk about what day rates are, why the term day rate can be misleading, and how to calculate a crew members day rate pay for yourself. Since networks have been around television the longest, they have their own special rules and regulations. SAG Short Project Agreements cover films that have total budgets less than $50,000 and a maximum running time of 40 minutes. Producer. Find all of the latest MEAA resources from enterprise bargaining agreements, standard contracts, tax and superannuation info to agents' lists and freelance rates. A day rate that corresponds to a 12-hour day, for instance, must account for approximately 4 hours of overtime pay per day (at least in California, unions, and in states where there is a daily overtime limit). 2023 SAG rates for performers in television. The minimum compensation for a Second Unit Director is $1,500 per day. SAG actors are paid weekly for their time: $4,520 per week for appearing in every episode, $5,042 per week for appearing in more than half, and $5,897 per week for appearing in half. Your preferences have been updated. If they believe in the project, crew members will usually be willing to work with you for the sake of the budget. You can find us across the U.S. and Canada. Your preferences have been updated. This is how much you charge for your work per hour, day, or week. Kenny lives and works in Los Angeles, where standard shoot days last twelve hours. Like the SAG Short Project Agreement, there isnt a set SAG weekly scale or even a set day rate its all negotiable. Here are the 2023 SAG rates for performers in television. Thank you! To learn more about how Wrapbook processes personal data, please see our privacy policy. Find local video editors and animators to directors and videographers. But after those set hours, shes owed time and a half (1.5 times her regular hourly rate), for up to 12 hours in a work day. If youre interested in learning more, check out our post on payroll compliance, or visit our events page to learn live. If its complicated enough to require a separate a cam op, then I charge $2500. It is vastly superior to EP's Paymaster and Showbiz's Labor Rate Guide. determining whether or not someone is exempt. Day rates are simply a method of calculating an employee's rate of pay for each day of work. But before you say Ha! Tier 3 Positions work for their department leads to accomplish the goals: grips, electrics, ACs, drivers, technicians, art assistants, utilities. But as an example, lets say were in Texas or Georgia. Recommend this to any filmmaker, producer. However, if your major role performer is appearing in an episode within the first season of your show, its possible you may only have to pay the regular rate for a performer (above). Need minimum rates for a crab dolly grip, or SAG scale for a day player? In this post, were digging into the complex world of production payroll to learn everything we can about day rates. On several of our features we made for Brooklyn Reptyle Films, we set up what amounted to basically a tiered system of pay, and/or deferred pay, for our crew. Take a look Finding the correct SAG agreement for your project can be tricky. 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2021. After eight hours, an employees hourly rate begins to be multiplied by a factor that increases as more continuous hours are worked. A good rule of thumb is to budget your shooting days to go at least 12 hours, no matter what, especially on independent films. To be an exempt employee in California for instance, you need to make $58,240 per year or more to be considered exempt from overtime. For companies with 26 or more employees, the threshold is $62,400. You can see the new pension and health plan numbers here.. I charge $1000 a day + per diem. UK. These localities have minimum wage requirements that are different or higher than the state or federal minimum wage, or they will in 2022: In 2022, the Internal Revenue Service issued optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Lets take a moment to discuss the role of unions and professional organizations in determining your crews pay. While the DGA Rate Card refers to dramatic programs, there isnt a separate rate card for comedies. Others are shot in a few hours. Note that minimum work weeks are not affected, as it still takes the same length of time to make a high budget film. 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. Through a background that blends project development with physical production across multiple formats, Loring has developed a uniquely eclectic skillset as a visual storyteller. A "cookie" is a small text file stored in a visitor's web browser that distinguishes their device from others. ordinator! Overtime pay for an entire crew could result in a production incurring extra expenses of thousands upon thousands of dollars. In NYC for a very low budget scripted shoot (non-commercial) you are looking at $400-$650/12 for the Art Director and $225-$250 for the PA. Art PAs typically get paid a bit more than a regular PA because they need more experience than a set PA and their job is specific. States that have wage theft protection laws, the hourly rate and overtime rate are clearly spelled out. If you have any questions about compliance, reach out to a team member anytime. The rates are negotiated depending on the percentage of gross or net of a project. But now their timecard says they were on the clock at that time, that could cost you. Feature films, television shows, commercials, and new media all operate under slightly different regulations. I know union assistants cant make less than $450/day, so use that as a guide. You dont need to use budgeting software, but understanding the cost of your project is crucial to determining your DGA rates. The main difference between DGA rates for network pilots and cable pilots is pay. Set to expire March 31st, 2025. Here, you can find DGA rates for films across a variety of budgets. When it comes to DGA commercials, the DGA Rate Card is simple and easy to understand. The MPPA is the standard industry agreement for crew working in TV drama/comedy series or feature film production. For more about union rates in the film industry, check out the following resources: Compared to union rates, non-union day rates are much more straightforward. Level up your filmmaking knowledge with our list of the top 10 filmmaking blogs of 2023. Additional days cost a few thousand dollars more as well. But what about the reverse? Access detailed summaries of wages, fringe rates, schedules, and more - all from ratified agreements. In the US, your union and state will affect your day rate. Crew positions are paid at different scales according to their specific job titles. After a quick conversation, Kenny agrees that his old rate of $350/day will be officially recognized as $350/12 hours. Travel rates may be negotiated depending on location. How much a producer pays in overtime costs will depend greatly on where theyre located. That being said, youll still have to pay at least 19% in fringes on top of whatever rate you and the director reach. Foley!Artist!2! The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. Well dig deeper into the details when we discuss day rate calculation, but even a single hour of extra overtime can represent a significant added cost. Wrapbook uses cookies to personalize your experience, provide you with enhanced functionality, and improve the performance of our site. And then after 12, depending on what state shes working in, she may even be entitled to double time. AB-5 only applies to California, but contractors face similar worker classification tests in other states. Sometimes a 1015% (or more) of budget. Avoid opening yourself up to unnecessary risk wherever possible. If youre booking a big name guest star in one episode, then in the eyes of SAG this is usually classified as a major role performer. WebFilm Crew Pricing Sheet: Director of Photography Day Rate: $1,500 to $2,500 Camera Operator Day Rate: $850 to $1250 Digital Image Technician Day Rate: $500 to $750 Gaffer/Key Grip Day Rate: $500 to $600 Grip/Electric Day Rate: $400 to $500 Swing Day Rate: $350 to $500 Sound Recordist Day Rate: $900-$1200 Studio Shooting: $100/hour to You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances. *Production fee is payable to 1st Stage Manager only. 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. USA. Your productions only legal obligation for non-union rates is to achieve payroll compliance with all federal and local labor laws. Need an actor for just one episode of your series to say a few lines? In addition, they will help to arrange your rate and workers rights, such as break hours and overtime pay. In California, overtime pay starts at a factor of 1.5x, so we take the four hours of overtime baked into Kennys rate and multiply them times 1.5 to get six pay hours. In short: the more times a commercial is aired, the more a SAG actor makes. Unlike DGA television rates, directors have a greater number of included days baked into their agreement. The Showbiz Labor Guide has been the go-to authority for guild and union rates in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, including SAG-AFTRA scale. Oops! 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. The P&H rate for background actors is 20.5%. It is important to note that these are just DGA minimums; often, a directors quote will be far above what is legally required. 1500/10 excluding OT. 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. Discover how to find the best production assistants in Los Angeles with this guide. As with most DGA rates, network rates are always higher than cable. His work has been commissioned by a diverse range of clients- from Havas Worldwide to Wisecrack, inc.- and has been screened around the world. Per the DGA Rate Card, you have to guarantee a set number of days for pre-production, shooting, and post. Over 13,000 Union Rates The Gorilla Ratebook contains thousands of union rates. (But dont try to tell some producers that. While made up with some of the best talent in the world, working with the Screen Actors Guild comes with its own set of rules. Critically, different crew positions fall under the purview of different unions. Kennys day rate is based on a twelve-hour day, which means that Kennys standard rate already includes four hours of overtime pay. Instead, for films with budgets between 2.6 and 3.75 million dollars, you must guarantee your director work on the project for 13 weeks and ensure the rate for the whole job is no less than $75,000. Your email address will not be published. Add and save notes within the PDF for future use. Furthermore, your rate may increase if you work elsewhere and travel to work in an expensive location. Its worth more than one pay hour.. Before diving in, its critical to create a detailed budget of your production, as this will determine your specific SAG rates. Animation!Production!CoD!!ordinator! You can read the bills full text here, but the basic point of AB-5 is to protect workers by making it more difficult for employers to deny them benefits via a contractor classification. (Who often end up costing the producer and the film more money due to their inexperience, slowness, and/or flat out ineptitude, relative to that of an experienced crew. Thank you! If your budget falls under $20,000 or less per picture or episode, you may be eligible to work under the SAG Micro-Budget agreement. With the pay hours total in hand, calculating hourly rates is an easy task. When Im doing super basic stuff, it usually comes out to $850950/day. But theres still one more step to go before were finished. If your budget falls under $50,000, you should refer to the SAG Short Term Agreement. The term theatrical means that the film must have an initial theatrical release. And perhaps the most important rule is paying SAG rates. UPM and AD rates for this budget range are: Like the DGA Rate Card for 2022, the DGA rates for levels 4A and 4B are identical. However, that does mean youll have to pay for the rest of production on those days too. Expect the unexpected. Fortunately, this is usually the easy part. A guide to understanding when its time to incorporate your photo business, and how to do it. You should also have all your expenses covered, and travel days pay half of the total working day rate. Experienced crew members and producers will be well aware of how crew members day rates function. depends on how big of a crew usually on a commercial 650 gaffer key grip 650 bestboys respectively 600 electrics and grips 550 each, then you gotta rent a grip truck. 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. Wrapbook document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). A 1 camera operator film crew could film the following types of videos: If you work in the US film industry, your union will play a major role in your daily rate. When budgeting a film crew for a union picture, the rates and work hour limits and thresholds are set by the union and you pay them. At Wrapbook, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding free resources to producers and their crews, but this post is for informational purposes only as of the date above. said the great film . One page summary of the latest TVC/Corporate Video, Television, Feature/Short Film and Live theatre minimum rates. Web5! I basically dont fly my octa any more, but it started at about 5k. ), All of this causes much consternation in the minds of many cheap, inconsiderate producers. If your production goes beyond five days in a week (which does happen), youll have to pay your director in accordance with state overtime laws. Twenty-four? However, this is a high level position that is negotiated depending on past quotes, experience and budget of the project. Of course, unions will have their own stipulations based on collective bargaining agreements. 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Of budgets by statute and remains unchanged from 2021 your photo business, and travel days half... In reality, what we commonly call day rates in the minds of many cheap, inconsiderate producers legal accounting! Per diem the correct SAG agreement for crew working in TV drama/comedy series or feature film production workers... Clock at that time, that could cost you for pre-production, shooting, and to... All your expenses covered, and how to do it up to unnecessary risk wherever.! Our site 1,500 per day more a SAG actor makes Short project agreements cover films that have budgets...