Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

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  • Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

    Help a math challenged writer out!!

    Reading the residual formulas confuses me. To make it simple, let me give you an example.

    A writer writes a 90 min MOW script for the 'price' of 50K for Hallmark channel(basic cable). Hallmark shows it 10 times during the Christmas season(I wish!). What would the writer be paid in residuals?

  • #2
    Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

    you have to call the guild. These formulas are impossible to figure out on your own, I've tried.

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    • #3
      Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

      Originally posted by jimjimgrande View Post
      you have to call the guild. These formulas are impossible to figure out on your own, I've tried.
      I'm just glad I'm not the only one.

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      • #4
        Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

        Originally posted by WriterManJimbo View Post
        Help a math challenged writer out!!

        Reading the residual formulas confuses me. To make it simple, let me give you an example.

        A writer writes a 90 min MOW script for the 'price' of 50K for Hallmark channel(basic cable). Hallmark shows it 10 times during the Christmas season(I wish!). What would the writer be paid in residuals?
        Zero. I believe Hallmark is a non-union shop. No residuals.

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        • #5
          Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

          Originally posted by EdFury View Post
          Zero. I believe Hallmark is a non-union shop. No residuals.

          Not to be taken literally....lets assume Hallmark was Union or substitute your own upstart Hallmark wannabe cable network.


          bottom line -- this is a WGA question.

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          • #6
            Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

            Is $50,000 the going rate for a movie at the Hallmark Channel? Seems high since the budgets are usually south of $1,000,000.

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            • #7
              Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

              Originally posted by abiqua View Post
              Is $50,000 the going rate for a movie at the Hallmark Channel? Seems high since the budgets are usually south of $1,000,000.
              It's a hypothetical(I don't know anyone that writes for Hallmark).

              But if it's WGA and near 1mil, it's probably nearing 40-50K for a draft. Rewrites will get you more.

              That said, someone suggested Hallmark was non-union which means they can make up their own price.

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              • #8
                Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                Originally posted by WriterManJimbo View Post
                It's a hypothetical(I don't know anyone that writes for Hallmark).

                But if it's WGA and near 1mil, it's probably nearing 40-50K for a draft. Rewrites will get you more.

                That said, someone suggested Hallmark was non-union which means they can make up their own price.
                The only channels that play Christmas and holiday films at a clip like that are Hallmark, Lifetime, and a new one, PIXL. All non union. The pay averages between 20 - 30k. And there are zero residuals. How do I know? My first produced film was a very successful Hallmark Christmas film that plays a dozen or more times a year every Nov. & Dec. I get to see my name, but there are no checks.

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                • #9
                  Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                  Ed is right. How do you think they get away with playing those movies over and over? Zero residuals.
                  http://www.pjmcilvaine.com/

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                  • #10
                    Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                    What happens if Hallmark wants to buy a script from a WGA writer? Do they buy it through a WGA signator subsidiary and pay the required residuals? I find it hard to believe that all writers produced by Hallmark (or Lifetime) are non-union, but I could certainly be wrong.

                    Late Night Writer

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                    • #11
                      Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                      I did a production rewrite on the Lizzie Borden movie on Lifetime, and it was definitely a union gig (though the deal was through SonyTV, who produced it). Can't answer about residuals, since I didn't arbitrate for credit.
                      https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
                      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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                      • #12
                        Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                        Originally posted by LateNightWriter View Post
                        What happens if Hallmark wants to buy a script from a WGA writer? Do they buy it through a WGA signator subsidiary and pay the required residuals? I find it hard to believe that all writers produced by Hallmark (or Lifetime) are non-union, but I could certainly be wrong.

                        Late Night Writer
                        I think it depends solely on the deal they have with their feeder production companies. Hallmark doesn't produce anything themselves. When I was working on stuff for a couple of their feeders, it was all non-union and they were only looking for scripts from non-union writers. It has everything to do with budgets. But hey, that may not be the case with all of them...

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                        • #13
                          Re: Residuals, Sanchez, and Hitchcock

                          I have a friend who's written a number of films that have aired on Hallmark over the last few years and they're WGA, so it's not about the network.

                          Now if only the producer would pay the resids, but that's a different story.

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