Defferred payment

HBlack

HBlack

Underage Member
I'm trying to think of how (or whether) I'm going to pay my actors for an upcoming short I'm doing. I'm not likely to make any real amount of money off of it, but if I make a few hundred holding local screenings it doesn't seem right not to pay them anything. A friend and I are splitting the initial cost of making it (around $300). With these people involved, how would you go about splitting any return?

Myself (dp, director, editor, writer, co-producer, paying half of it)

Friend 1 (helped with the writing and ideas, attending every step of development, boom op/pa, co-producer, paying for half of it)

Friend 2 (pa, likely working on it only when we need the extra help)

Lead actor

Lead actress

2 secondary actors with non-speaking roles

6 zombies


Who would you pay, or would you pay anyone?
 
how long is production/filming?

if we're talking about a coupla days shooting i would look for actors who arent requiring any money, if any are willing. most of the actors i have worked with know shorts dont make money, and will do them for the experience and a copy for their reel, if it were a feature it'd be different.
 
It's only over a couple of days. But is it fair if I'm profiting (however insignificantly) off of it without paying them?
 
seeing as you are "the investors", i would outline a pay schedule that pays back the investment first, before dividing up profit. i also wouldn't enter into any agreement with the actors that promises money in the future. this frees you up to give them a monetary "gift" in the future if you find yourself making a little cash off this short.
 
is it possible to do some fundraising first? I'm working on a business proposal for my next short, going to get fiscal sponsorship and then spend a couple of months raising the funds to pay everyone.
 
HBlack said:
I'm trying to think of how (or whether) I'm going to pay my actors for an upcoming short I'm doing. I'm not likely to make any real amount of money off of it
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Let me change just a few words and see how this flows: "I'm trying to think of how (or whether) I'm going to pay the guys who mow my lawn. I'm not likely to make any real amount of money off of it, after all." :D

Er -- see where this all falls apart? They're working for you. They're doing something for you. So you should pay 'em. (if they agree to accept copy, food and credit, well, that's up to them to decide whether to take the deal or not.)
 
I'm banking on the hope that they'll accept food/copy/credit, because I can't afford to pay them up front. What I'm asking is how to divide any profits afterwards.
 
HBlack said:
It's only over a couple of days. But is it fair if I'm profiting (however insignificantly) off of it without paying them?
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if you're feeling guilty then pay them a rate per day. whatever you think is fair. keep in mind you already feel like it wont make much money.

the actors are a part of your production and there wouldn't be a movie without the actors, true, but the fact of the matter is that on this level, in your short nobody is coming to see your film because of the actors you have unless you have a name actor or face people can look at and say "oh wow, look, he's got a short film with Tom Cruise/Paul Walker/Denzel Washington, etc starring in it"

they'll be watching the film because of whatever marketing or selling you've done and probably solely on your concept not because you have joe blow that's fresh out of acting school up the street on your movie poster.

i'm sure if you explained this to your actors none of them would hit you in the head with a day rate if not offer to do it for free...at least that's been my experince.

What I'm asking is how to divide any profits afterwards.
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just pay the actors a day rate up front, dont get into back end royalties, dividing up profits. they are not the investors or A-list actors. you are the investor. if anything split profits with the people that did the most leg work on your project. 50/50 or 70/30, whatever, you decide.
 
That's a good idea. Good footage of themselves acting is probably something they'd go for.
 
HBlack said:
What I'm asking is how to divide any profits afterwards.
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Don't bother, because there won't be any; back-end profits are extraordinarily rare and most certainly there won't be anything substantial off of a little short film or something like that.

Pay up front, as much as you can, in a clean finished deal. Trying to negotiate back-end profits is opening you up to accounting hassles and hard feelings and, eventually, if you're lucky enough to turn a profit of any note at all, lawsuits.

If you feel you must do back-end, set specific targets and criteria. On The DVX DVD, I paid people a small fee on the day of the shoot, and established certain performance criteria for the sales that, if I hit those sales targets, they'd get bonus payments. For example, something like "for every 200 copies I sell, you'll get another 100 dollars, up to a maximum deferred compensation of $500". Something simple, easy to understand, no room for misinterpretation, no auditing, no calculating percentages, no advances against royalties or any of that stuff. Which means, no hassles. Spell out exactly what you're gonna do, and then do exactly what you say you will.

(and I'm pleased to say that everyone who worked on THe DVX DVD received 100% of their promised deferred payments!) :thumbsup:
 
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