Yes I have worked for free, yes I donate my time to passion projects. Yes I donate resources and cash to passion projects. That does not mean that I owe ANYONE those things. Especially multi-million dollar productions that I have personally raised thousands of dollars for.
My entire career I have heard about producers making legit money. How this is the level at which everyone gets paid. Yet here I am airing out the frustration at the obvious. You still gotta fight to get the basics. People are still trying to get me to do a lot and give me less. People are still trying to put out how much they are sacrificing how much they are the victim of the film "system" and how much I should really donate my time, Rolodex and skill set. Trying to use the guilt lever that EVERY SINGLE INDIE film I have every worked on uses. Also yes, I have used this myself in trying to get things donated....when my budget was $500.00. When the budget is closer to $5 Million then this is a ridiculous notion. Especially when specific promises have been made.
So why do I still feel like somebody is gonna say that I am a bad _______ for fighting to get paid? Because it's probably happening. For sure the comment is being framed as being "hard to work with". The problem with this is....this time I represent the money. But mostly, after 15 years of donating work, and "falling in love" with projects only to get stiffed in the end...I don't want to make the same mistake again. This time, it's Covid-19 and I have a family. This time the whole thing falls apart if the people I represent don't get what they are supposed too. I am very grateful that none of this is coming to that. That none of what is happening is sinister, that it's just hard. The people I am negotiating with are good people and we are going to get paid. It's not malicious it's just how it goes sometimes. I have been on the other side of this fence many many times. The one thing I always note to myself when paying someone out after a difficult negotiation is that I need to remember the tenacity of how those people fought to get paid. That I should do the same for myself and more often.
Every Film Maker, Investor, Grip, PA, Accountant, Executive Producer, Background actor should get paid for contributing, every single time.
When it doesn't happen it's unfortunate, often tragic. It's also not always the fault of the Director/film maker. Usually it is a situation out of their hands. Which is why you never should feel bad about fighting to get paid, you might not get it, but you should always fight for it. Really, the producers and especially the film makers WANT to pay people. Films are expensive, the industry is top heavy, and this whole process is difficult. Patience and a firm resolve are necessary on both ends of this process. This post is gonna be short but it's a necessary conversation about how this negotiation isn't just for the Indie Art Directors and Sound Designers....Producers at the multi-million dollar level are still dealing with the same stuff. Work those negotiating muscles early and often, your gonna need them later. Believe, everyone else at the high levels are doing the exact same negotiations that are happening on $500.00 music video's it's just more money.
Stay frosty.
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