Quick question about screenwriting rates. I?ve recently been contracted to write a 30 minute pilot and I?ve been asked to provide a fee for this. Now I am definitely not looking to break the bank on my first job, the writing credit is the most important thing, however what would be a reasonable rate to throw back to the producers. I don?t want to ask too high and sound arrogant, but then I don?t want to do it for nothing. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
-Jack
Too many variable to be able to answer with much more than, "It depends."
Are you experienced enough to ask for the WGA minimum?
Does the prodCo typically pay close to or above WGA rates?
What is the going rate where you live? Here in L.A. it might be higher than where you are. And in might be lower somewhere else.
What is worth it for you? You say the credit is the most important thing, so would $300 be worth it to you? If not, how about $1,000? Or $3,000? You know better than anyone here what you minimum would be.
With no knowledge of you, your experience, your needs, the needs of the producers or the even where you live, it's gonna be hard to even ballpark a number.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
To answer some of your questions, I do live in LA but only write as a hobby. Then when through an acquantaince I get asked: "Hey, can you write us a pilot, what are your rates?" I want to be able to respond with something that sounds like I know the industry. Money isn't the main concern, so if I get $5 a page or $1000 a page, its all good. My question is more along the lines of, "What are some good references or links to get a ballpark for writer rates?" The WGA sounds like a good starting point, which I will try and research...
If it's a serious funded project and you don't know the answer, you could always ask for WGA rates and let them figure it out :).
If it's a typical low-budget project then I'd guess your rates will depend on what they can afford to pay.
quote:
Originally posted by jrs397
Quick question about screenwriting rates. I?ve recently been contracted to write a 30 minute pilot and I?ve been asked to provide a fee for this. Now I am definitely not looking to break the bank on my first job, the writing credit is the most important thing, however what would be a reasonable rate to throw back to the producers. I don?t want to ask too high and sound arrogant, but then I don?t want to do it for nothing. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Find out their film budget-- is it a $1000 film budge? A $1,000,000 film budget? In the book "Reel to Deal" for various budgeted films the author shows budget sheets showing about 1% to 5% for the writer/script. If the writers is a member of WGA then the rate minimum will pretty much be fixed, although WGA has various rates now for lower budget films to allow indie filmmakers to hire WGA union members. But if the film production company has not signed on with WGA as a signatory then the production company is not obligated to pay WGA rates to writers and anything goes.
If you are actually asked to write a true honest to goodness pilot episode of a tv series you should offer to do it for pretty much nothing with the agreement that you'd get a staff position if the show is picked up.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
quote:
Originally posted by Beowulf
although WGA has various rates now for lower budget films to allow indie filmmakers to hire WGA union members.
I wasn't aware they had a low budget rate for TV pilots - or even for indie filmmakers. The agreement I know about is films budgeted at under $1,200,000 and the minimum is around $40,000 for the script. When did the WGA introduce a contract for lower budget films?
I have a very different opinion than RJ. I suggest never writing for free - even to ensure a staff position. Producers who think they can get a writer to write for free are more likely to want to keep getting the writer to work for free. And a producer who can't afford to pay a writer isn't likely to have the financing to take a pilot to series. It's all too common for a producer to get a writer to write a pilot for free and then use it to secure financing - when they get the money they then hire professional writers. And if you have written for free, the might not see you as a professional writer.
=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
While I agree with what you say Certified I would suggest that a producer scrapping together a pilot is going to play a different game when a show gets picked up as they will be forced to run a union shop and thus the situation changes enormously.
I've never heard of someone shopping around for a writer to write their pilot though. I would think by the time you were of the position to make a pilot you'd have a dozen writers in your rolodex already. So maybe the talk about a pilot is just a way to get cheap or free work and I walked right into it.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
quote:
Originally posted by certified instigator
quote:
Originally posted by Beowulf
although WGA has various rates now for lower budget films to allow indie filmmakers to hire WGA union members.I wasn't aware they had a low budget rate for TV pilots - or even for indie filmmakers. The agreement I know about is films budgeted at under $1,200,000 and the minimum is around $40,000 for the script. When did the WGA introduce a contract for lower budget films?
...
I swear I read about new low minimums for ultra low indie film productions, I can not put a handle on which of the 40 books or so I have read the past few months on all this (my brain is about to explode). Looking at the wga.org website everything I see there (contracts, minimums, etc) seems to be dated 2004 so I suspect they really need to update their website materials. I am going to email the wga.org about this to find out if there are in fact lower minimums for ultra low budget indie and student films, etc. I will report back what they tell me even it means I eat a generous serving of crow, LOL!
?Beowulf
quote:
Originally posted by Beowulf
I swear I read about new low minimums for ultra low indie film productions, I can not put a handle on which of the 40 books or so I have read the past few months on all this (my brain is about to explode). Looking at the wga.org website everything I see there (contracts, minimums, etc) seems to be dated 2004 so I suspect they really need to update their website materials. I am going to email the wga.org about this to find out if there are in fact lower minimums for ultra low budget indie and student films, etc. I will report back what they tell me even it means I eat a generous serving of crow, LOL!
I just sent an email to wga.org's contract division. Hopefully I will hear back from them in a day or two. I will share here what I discover.
?Beowulf
I suspect this is what you are remembering. I believe it came into being when SAG came up with a low-budget option for paying actors. The guilds tend to demand an all union set so it makes sense that each guild would create an option.
http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=924
The Company must pay a script publication fee of $5,000, which is due thirty (30 days) after final determination of the writing credits on the Picture. For films budgeted at $500,000 and below, however, upon the writer?s request, the fee may be deferred along with the screenplay purchase and/or first rewrite compensation. The fee gives the Company the right to publish the screenplay on videodiscs/videocassettes.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
quote:
Originally posted by rjschwarz
I suspect this is what you are remembering. I believe it came into being when SAG came up with a low-budget option for paying actors. The guilds tend to demand an all union set so it makes sense that each guild would create an option.http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=924
The Company must pay a script publication fee of $5,000, which is due thirty (30 days) after final determination of the writing credits on the Picture. For films budgeted at $500,000 and below, however, upon the writer?s request, the fee may be deferred along with the screenplay purchase and/or first rewrite compensation. The fee gives the Company the right to publish the screenplay on videodiscs/videocassettes.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
Yes I just found a contract including that clause you mention on google, just before I saw your post, and it even allows for deferment of any payments to the writer until production costs are recouped by the indie filmmaker (for budgets below $500,000).
http://www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/writers_resources/lbafactsheet.pdf
(see page two of above document)
That's great. I wonder when they introduced that. As both a guild member and a producer I haven't heard of this $500,000 and below contract.
I'm confused about the $5,000 script publication fee. It appears that is in addition to the writers fee since the clause says it may be deferred along with the screenplay purchase upon the writers request. I'll have to contact the Guild to see who gets that $5,000 and if it is in addition to the screenplay purchase price.
Regarding getting paid: Of course this comes down to the individual. Many writers are okay with working for free with the hope and promise that they will be hired in the future. It's what producers do. And I'm not even suggesting a producer who makes that offer is a bad person - it's business. But once you've been around for a while you will discover that producers who can't pay now rarely can pay in the future. I'm sure it happens occasionally and it's those rare stories that writers count on. I just know way too many examples of producers who have made that promise and then it never goes anywhere. I don't know of a single example where a producer who couldn't afford to pay the writer of a pilot got the show into production. Spec TV shows in production are nonexistent.
=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
quote:
Originally posted by certified instigator
...I'm confused about the $5,000 script publication fee. ...I'll have to contact the Guild to see who gets that $5,000 and if it is in addition to the screenplay purchase price....
It goes to me. You can send the check to me at
Beowulf
Uvebeentaken Street
101 Pipedreams Avenue
Luckytown, MN
USA
🙂 hehe/LOL.
quote:
Originally posted by certified instigator
I don't know of a single example where a producer who couldn't afford to pay the writer of a pilot got the show into production. Spec TV shows in production are nonexistent.
Same here, at least in America; making a pilot of spec seems more acceptable in the UK, though I'm not sure of specific cases where it's worked.
