hello, I have my own short script that I am planning on shooting in the summer of 2017. my experience is in film scoring so I am coming here for advice. I have a few folks who are not sag actors who I feel are a great fit for my film. This will be the first time producing and working with actors on this scale (I was a PA before) what would be a great price to pay the actors. I don't have a major budget. Any pay will be out of my own money. I was thinking 150 a day (a bit more than 10usd an hour) or is a flat rate acceptable? Thank you.
Producing : Producing short film Non Union by Shanika Freeman
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Have you developed a budget or even a guesstimate for the costs for your project? After food, equipment, fees, etc., etc., can you afford to pay anything? Have you considered paying key crew members before your actors?
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yes. my budget as of now is 5,000 and plan on saving a bit more before summer 2017. By then, i expect my budget to increase to 8,000. I put aside 3,000 to split between boom op, AD, PA ,sound recordist, make up and dp. A previous client of mines offered to do the editing in post (we've already established pay and it isn't factored in budget). I will write and record the score and supervise music as well as location scout. the remaining 2 000 will go to insurance, security, marketing and actors. I plan on increasing that by next year for a total of 5k for insurance security actors. I have equipment and props already. there are 3 actors total.
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on the right track. Suggestion: partner with a student DP or Producer and use their school's equipment and Insurance. I know a few filmmakers who enrolled in community college just to use the film equipment and get student waivers on Shooting Permits & insurance. Look into a nearby cheap school course, drop $50 for a class to save Hundreds$$$ later
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In the immortal words of Samuel Jackson, 'Let's slow it down. Let's slow it way down...." How do you know the short is ready to be shot? I'm a producer, screenwriter, and actor in Big Denver, and the number one reason for Independent Filmmaking Failure here is hands down the script. Some Creatives think their 'idea' is special and they can bypass a well-written story/script. Not saying this is you, but I must ask: how's your storycraft?
thank you! I've edited this script for about 1 yr and have gotten feedback from other writers and a mentor but have not entered in any competitions. the feed back I've received was positive but I could always get more constructive criticism. :) Thanks for the advice,everyone. sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors. I am currently writing this on my cell phone. :)
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Yes, $150/day for a short is acceptable. It's actually a very nice rate.
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Heck, $150 is fantastic, for Talent or Crew! So many indie shoots offer 0 money - food and BS Credit only. Good Luck!
Shanika Freeman did you shoot short?