Expert: Phil Nemy - 4/19/2010

Question
QUESTION: Dear Phil,

Typically, on a film's budget, how much is allocated to the actors' salaries? For example, the 1997 direct-to-video film "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" had an estimared budget of USD $7,000,000, I am wondering how much of that was cut for the actors. Especially for the top star Rick Moranis then the other cast such as Stuart Pankin. Do you have any guessed based on your experience in the industry?

Generally, depending on the budget of a movie and the actors the director/producer have in mind are no where near extreme A-list multi-million dollar per movie actors, how much can be expected to be budgeted toward the cast on like a made-for-tv film? For example, actors like Melissa Gilbert, John Heard, Christine Lahti, and Delta Burke?

And typically, how is the number of shooting days on a project determined? If a motion picture has a shooting schedule of 80 days does that mean the cast crew all work 7 days a week? Do the actors work more than eight hour days?

All movies obviously have a different running time, what running time do directors tend to shoot for?
When screenwriters have an idea for a screenplay how do they turn their vague idea into a 120-page story that fits the three-act structure? Do you think anyone who is able to write can write a screenplay?

In your own opinion, what % of actors (excluding the mega A-list celebrities) can make a living on the projects they do each year? Do most actors take on second jobs?

ANSWER: Blaine,

Thanks for writing. There is no set price for a star actor's salary. The star of a film is paid whatever his/her agent and the financier can negotiate. A talent agent is going to try and get as much money for his client as possible, while the financier is going to pay as little as he can get away with. A film with a budget of $7.0 million usually does not have actors paid in the millions primarily because a budget of that size generally cannot bear it. Especially a film that is heavy with visual or special effects such as HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS.

Stars get paid anywhere from Screen Actors Guild scale minimum to over $20 million. It truly depends on who is financing, what the budget of the film is, and how much the actor will demand in order to be in the film.

The shooting days on a project are driven primarily by two things: the screenplay and the budget. A complex screenplay can require more days to shoot. That said, if your budget is in the lower range ($2-5 mil), you don't have a lot of money and therefore cannot spend a lot of days to shoot. A typical film shoot is a 5-day week, preferably Monday through Friday. When a production goes onto a distant location for an extended period of time, it is not unusual to work 6-day weeks so that less time is spent on location. Rarely, if ever, will a film shoot 7 straight days primarily for two reasons: 1) it's very expensive to do that and 2) the director, actors and crew need to rest. A typical do of shooting is usually a 12 hour work day. Some crew members, such as the drivers, may work longer as they have to get the equipment to location before everyone else shows up, and they're the last ones to leave after everyone has packed up all the equipment to move to the next location.

Most films run somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes in a movie theater. Some directors shoot and edit longer films that can and have run 2 1/2 hours. The problem is that audiences often have difficulty sitting in a seat for longer than 2 1/2 hours. In addition, when your film runs longer than 2 hours, there are less times in a normal day that it can be screened for the public. So studios and theater owners prefer films to stay at a maximum of 2 hours for financial reasons.

Only movie stars are paid the big bucks. Most actors cannot make enough money to support themselves and their families with income derived solely from acting. Most have other jobs to make ends meet.

Hope this helps.

Phil


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks so much for taking the time to answer so thoroughly. I also believe that most made-for-tv movies are budgeted between $750K-4million. Based on those type of budgets how much, generally speaking, can the budget shell out for the actors without having problems for finding money in the other departments? And for lower-budget films how is budget determined?

Have you written a screenplay before? Is it difficult for screenwriters to come up with stories for the screen, and are ideas hard to come by?

Thanks again and take care,
Blaine Betts

Answer
Blaine,

TV movies, which rarely get made anymore unless they are on HBO, Showtime or Lifetime, generally pay their stars $50-75k.

The thing you need to understand about budgeting is this - a film can be produced for any price. You can make a film for $10,000 or you can make a film for $10 million. At the end of the day, everyone involved must be on the same page about what they expect it to look like. You're going to get one look for 10k and another look for 10 mil. So you budget is a reflection of your expectations and what you believe you WILL produce the film for.

I have not written a screenplay - that's not my talent.

Phil