Recently, as there seems to be almost every week, another conglomerate gets into the game of monetizing or investing in the ability and future reality of content creation. So now Amazon, not so long ago, dumped a bunch of money into the commitment of 6 Comedy Pilot orders. And while this is GREAT news in so many ways it is also causing quite a bit Continue reading
Yes, phobia, that weird thing that we have in our language that is listed as such: pho·bi·a (pho·bi·as), strong fear or dislike; an irrational or very powerful fear and dislike of something such as spiders or confined spaces (a phobia about traveling in elevators). Since the day I FOUNDED what became, The Actors’ Network, it was and always has Continue reading
I have touched on this topic before, but just the other day in a casting I heard all the excuses and apologies I have heard in the past. So, just to recap because it is a new year…
I know it is polite to apologize, that is the right thing to do when you may have offended or harmed someone, but apologies are NEVER appropriate in an audition. LET ME REPEAT – Continue reading
What? I know what you’re thinking… being discouraged is ok and not counterproductive? Well, IF and only IF you utilize that frustration to create something out of it.
Here’s my story… Continue reading
Box Office Bonuses: While back end points are based on a percentage of the profits, box office bonuses are usually a flat rate, based upon Daily Variety’s weekly box office chart. They work as follows: If your film earns $1 million dollars in the box office as per Daily Variety, then you will get a $10,000. Then, for every additional $1 million the film earns, you will get an additional $10,000. These bumps are negotiable, and vary in how much the bonuses are and how often, and often the producers will try to put a cap, so that the actor stops earning any bonuses after $50 million. The reason why box office bonuses are attractive for talent are that they are easily verifiable. There are no auditing statements to look at, no accounting to do, you can simply open the trade and see when you should start bugging your agent to get you your check.
Back End Compensation v. Box Office Bonuses: Depending upon the success of the film, the size of the budget and the drafting of the profit definitions, sometimes it is better to have profit participation over box offices bonuses or vice versa. You can imagine that even when a film does very well, if the film had a high promotional budget, or if a star was taking a big chunk up front, it would take longer for the film to earn profits, as the investors get paid in full before anyone can earn their profit participation revenues. It is not uncommon for a film to do very in the box office but barely break even because it was so expensive to make. Not to say this is all guesswork, and an experienced attorney and/or producer would be able to advise you regarding the likelihood of what the film can make. Sometimes, an actor will get both back end and box office bonuses, and then they don’t have to predict, they are covered on both aspects.
Please note: The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice and is intended for educational and information purposes only.
There are different ways an actor can get compensated on a feature film: 1) Flat compensation, which is an “up front” daily or weekly rate, payable in lump sums or on a weekly basis; 2) back end compensation, which pays an actor out on the “back end” of a project, once the film has been released and starts to earn money (if ever); and 3) residuals, which compensates an actor for re-use, after a project’s initial release (I’ll tackle this topic in another posting).
Flat Compensation: This is a flat rate you will be receiving on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Sometimes you can get your fee all in one lump sum upfront, which your representatives should negotiate for you in the event the production company is not established or well known, and there are concerns about their ability to pay their cast and crew. As a SAG member, producers must comply with the union’s minimum day/weekly rates, with a reduction in those basic minimums for projects under $2.5 million.
Profit Participation: Deferred compensation, contingent compensation and box office bonuses are all different ways an actor can make money on the back end after a film’s release. When someone mentions “back end” compensation, they are usually referring to contingent compensation or profit participation, where if the film makes a “profit,” then the actor gets a percentage (a/k/a “point”) of the profits. Back end compensation provides actors additional opportunities to earn money on a film dependent upon the profitability of the film. Actors receive back end participation if the producer’s are trying to sweeten the deal and give the actor more incentive to take the job and get them fully behind the project.
Please note: The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice and is intended for educational and information purposes only.
When was the last time you turned on the TV and saw Jillian help an obese person lose weight, Emeril whip up a meal in 30 minutes or Ryan report on the goings-on of a celeb? If you’re anything like me, it was probably just a few minutes ago.
How is it that I can use the first names of these three people and you know exactly about whom I’m talking? It’s because they’re each a specific brand!
Jillian is “health”
Emeril is “food”
Ryan is “entertainment”
CLUELESS: I am not talking about the movie, I am talking about a way of being. For the love of God, please act like a professional actor. Let me explain something, have any of you reading this ever worked in the service industry? Do you like it when you are 5 hours into an 8 hour shift and a customer can’t make up his or her mind, changes their order several times…? Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome back to the TAN blog, and our on-going educational conversation about the exciting world of professional commercial, film and television acting from the business side of the industry. In the near future we will be posting our on-going podcast series. You will have the chance to listen to both Kevin and Paulo Andrés discuss many of the topics and issues facing today’s performer in Hollywood and beyond.
We cannot stress expertise enough in our quest to assist you with your career. The actor/performer aspect of the entertainment industry is hands down the least accurately educated profession of any in our country. If you think it really doesn’t matter because well it is just “luck” or it is a “lottery ticket” industry or whatever your reason we need to be sure and remind you…yes it does. The old cliché holds true: Knowledge is power! Continue reading
