There is a movement going around as of late, most recently being spearheaded by Rod Diamond, which is for Paid Actors. It’s a good cause, and it’s something I am in support of.
The bottom line for such a group, and the only reason why I am in support of it is the fact that many film crews labor under the impression that the acting talent for the film is “disposable” and end up working for free when various crew members end up getting pay, no matter how large or small. There is this belief that a person hired to handle “sound design” for a film does this for a living therefore he should be compensated for his time out on set. Same goes for a gaffer, or a DP, an AD, or a PA. This can go on and on. The problem is is that acting is something certain actors do for a living as well. So what sets them apart? What makes them different than the crew? Without sound, a film is less than perfect. Improper lighting can make or break a film. But the same goes for actors as well. This industry is entirely collaborative based, and everyone’s participation is crucial to making a film of quality standards. No one is less as important to another.
In my support and in dealing with this belief, some other issues are presenting themselves.
Most of those who are in the “producer” role making comments on the Facebook page talk about low budget movies. A problem that resides here is that some films being made around here are not low budget, but rather no budget. It’s hard to pay cast and crew if the film has absolutely no money to disperse to begin with. While I don’t think it is the intention of this group to say that there is a big difference between low budget and no budget, but it can come across that way. I’ve have watched many films done locally that vary in size of budgets, from 25k to 0 and it surprises me that many of the films with no budgets are actually better. I find more enjoyment with films made on shoestring budgets, filmed entirely on weekends to accommodate day jobs and weekday schedules of the films talent, and more importantly, watching the creative talent making a world that was built from scratch… something that cannot be often said around here. Yet, even with no budgets there is a way to pay cast and crew and that answer is simple; Good Material. A writer should write a screenplay that is worthy of production. A director should understand this material and know how to handle a film set and get the best out of your talent. If the project is universally applauded for originality and masterful screenwriting, the talent will follow the material with or without money (this of course going into the assumptions that such cast/crew will be paid on the backend which is only right).
Produce good material and see what happens. Have the right director who again, knows the material and how to handle a film set. Horror stories of film productions are coming to me in great numbers in which the cast and crew are being taken advantage of and thus unhappy due to a director’s inability to listen and to do their job.
In order to gain good material is another issue in and of itself. One of the big reasons why our community is filled with garbage is the fact that the talent on or behind camera are willing to do just about anything as a resume builder and to gain exposure. This is a double-edge sword as while it works to build their reels and presence, it also continues to breed poor material coming from the writers/directors. They are unwilling to change their tune or better their works because they continue to gain people willing to work with them.
Everyone should be paid equally IF the film has a budget. Therein lies a problem that was brought up on the Facebook page that caught my attention. In such a comment, it was stated that producers need to learn how to raise money for their films in order for actors and crew to get a paycheck for their hard work. I couldn’t agree more. But this goes further and it’s a problem with the producers themselves.
While it is good that producers can “raise” such money for a film production, they are failing miserably on “recouping” such costs. Less than 5% of budgeted films made locally actually make their money back. If we are trying to make Utah become “Little Hollywood”, these producers would never work again if they cannot find ways to pay back the money invested into their films. This creates a snowball effect of people who have invested into films before are no longer willing to do so as they aren’t seeing a return, making it increasingly difficult for other producers to secure the funds they need. Even bigger is the fact that films gaining budgets are not necessarily worth a dime. Add in the fact that budgets of films around here are inflating which by Hollywood standards it should be the opposite.
Can producers justify their budgets? Especially when acquisition prices are at an all-time low. Most filmmakers overshoot and come up with unrealistic budget levels that they can’t possibly recoup via traditional or self-distribution. Producers here seem to have pie in the sky notions which fail and end up walking away from bad investments and start working on their next projects to do the same things over again. There’s no faster way to lose investors than to lose their money- and sadly this is something Utah filmmakers are excelling at. If the film you are working on generates profit (after ROI’s), you’ll keep working. If not, you won’t. Simple as that.
This is hurting all of us, and it’s one reason why actors aren’t getting paid.
Then inexperience kicks in. Producers get behind projects that really aren’t marketable. They hire directors who can’t manage a film set. They are unwilling to fire anyone out of friendship and loyalty but end up causing the project go over budget and behind schedule- big no no’s in the industry. Bottom line, films should have the smallest possible budget and you should only move forward with good, quality driven material. Everyone is happy, everyone gets paid, and hopefully it will generate enough interest in which you can give your cast/crew some residual, back-end pay and gain enough support from investors and the film community to begin working on your next film.
