Script payment

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  • Script payment

    Hi, guys. A few weeks ago a director contacted me and told me that he wanted to shoot one of my scripts. He has the founding and he sounds very excited. We discussed a few things and he told me that he wants to shoot the movie first and then pay me. I don’t see a lot of sense in that. What do you think?
    Last edited by Done Deal Pro; 04-03-2012, 06:00 AM. Reason: Spelling and font fix.

  • #2
    Re: Script payment

    We're gonna need a sh*tload more information than that before being able to offer any advice. For all we know, your script could be an eight-minute biography of a potato, and the director could be an escaped mental patient.
    https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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    • #3
      Re: Script payment

      Sorry, didn't mean to sound crass there. Apologies. Start with what the budget would likely be, and whether the director has experience under his/her belt.
      Short answer - no, it's not normal for the writer to be paid nothing up front for a produced feature. That's more student-film territory.
      https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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      • #4
        Re: Script payment

        Originally posted by ProfessorChomp View Post
        We're gonna need a sh*tload more information than that before being able to offer any advice.
        I'll disagree -- we have all the information necessary to know DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SAY YES.

        Tell him you'll be more than happy to get paid in full on the first day of production or he can go fck himself.

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        • #5
          Re: Script payment

          he has the funding then he needs to pay. is he paying the director, the camera person, the actors, the catering? you came first. you should get paid first.
          ask him for a writer's percentage of the budget... and then ask for an associate producers credit as well.

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          • #6
            Re: Script payment

            JcGary's right, unless your script actually IS an 8-minute short about a potato, and Terrence Mallick wants to shoot it on 16mm for fun on his ranch this weekend. Then maybe think about it.
            https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
            http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Script payment

              Honestly, the "run away" advice is good advice. But it's also not fair to say there are NO circumstances in which you should think about it. A pal of mine has now made several huge movies with the same director, and it all started with them collaborating on a "nobody gets paid" feature in film school. I'm sure he doesn't regret that. Is this a film school thesis project or something?

              Look, if you're fresh off the bus, have zero contacts in Hollywood, and you've met a brand-new grad-student director whose last two shorts are the most brilliant pieces of art you've ever seen and who wants to make your feature on a deferred-payment shoestring budget to kick off both your careers, maybe think about it.

              But if he's just some dude, run away. Because this is NOT how the business is supposed to work, and he's trying to hose you.
              https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
              http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Script payment

                Hey, if the budget's ten grand and a pizza, take a slice of pizza and a deferred payment and a piece of ownership in the movie and a couple free DVDs and be very excited that your movie's getting made. But if actors and below-the-line and the director are getting paid, then you should be getting paid too.

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                • #9
                  Re: Script payment

                  Originally posted by ProfessorChomp View Post
                  Honestly, the "run away" advice is good advice. But it's also not fair to say there are NO circumstances in which you should think about it. A pal of mine has now made several huge movies with the same director, and it all started with them collaborating on a "nobody gets paid" feature in film school. I'm sure he doesn't regret that. Is this a film school thesis project or something?
                  The key here is whether it's a "no one gets paid" situation, or a "writer doesn't get paid" situation. If no one's taking a fee and everyone's deferring their payment to get the movie made, that's one thing. But if the production is paying the director, the actors, the producers, or any other talent and then asking the writer to defer... that's another thing entirely.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Script payment

                    The guy contacted me vie email a few weeks ago saying that he like my script and want to make a movie. The script is the first i ever written its 90 min horror and it's total crap - poor characters, dialog, story... everything. I have no idea why he likes it. He told me that he has 1 feature and 1 short as a director and 2 features as assistant director. The founding will be 900k and I will get 15k when the movie is finished. We use skype to comunicate because he is from another counrty. The other thing that bothers me is that he wants me to go on the premiere and then we will sign the contract. That's it basicly. Any idea what ot do? And sorry about my english.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Script payment

                      If he has 900k to make the movie, then he should have 25 grand to pay you on the first day of production.

                      If he can't pay you, then he isn't serious about making the movie.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Script payment

                        Agreed. First day of production.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Script payment

                          Originally posted by slavi555 View Post
                          The guy contacted me vie email a few weeks ago saying that he like my script and want to make a movie. The script is the first i ever written its 90 min horror and it's total crap - poor characters, dialog, story... everything. I have no idea why he likes it. He told me that he has 1 feature and 1 short as a director and 2 features as assistant director. The founding will be 900k and I will get 15k when the movie is finished. We use skype to comunicate because he is from another counrty. The other thing that bothers me is that he wants me to go on the premiere and then we will sign the contract. That's it basicly. Any idea what ot do? And sorry about my english.
                          I'd tell him (as he should already know from his work on other features as an Assistant Director) that writing is a category of any legit budget, just like directing, acting, and craft services. A conservatively-budgeted writing category of 2.5% of the budget would be $22,500. If you're the only writer, you should get that amount paid directly to you upon funding of the production or, at the very latest, upon commencement of principal photography.

                          If he balks at that, I'd ask him why he's so determined to pay only upon finishing the movie. He's got the budget and the money allocated for the writing already. What difference does it make to him if you're paid when the movie starts versus when the movie's finished? He still owes you the money and it's still coming out of the budget; he might as well pay you when he's funded or when they start shooting, just like every other production.

                          This situation reminds me of the old J. Wellington Wimpy saying, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Why does this guy have to wait until Tuesday to pay you, as opposed to just paying you now?

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                          • #14
                            Re: Script payment

                            Here is one thing that is certain, big movie or small--you will never get paid.

                            I don't care what business you are in; "gladly pay you Tuesday (after I've already gotten what I want)" means you never get paid.

                            Maybe, if the person promising is your mother, you might get paid. But, even then, I'd get it upfront.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Script payment

                              Here is another angle: if you want the movie credit more than the money, then do it.

                              But, don't expect any money.

                              If you go in figuring you will not get paid, and you are OK with that, then, you will be alright. I don't mean, "I'll pretend I'm not going to get paid, but really in the back of my mind, I think I will." I mean, REALLY not expect any money.

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