Most indie films fall into the low-budget category, between $700,000 and $2.5 million. The daily rate for low-budget actors is $630 while weekly SAG minimum pay is $2,130. If the director uses non-union actors as well, they receive the same rates.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $76,500 and as low as $16,000, the majority of Actor Entry Level salaries currently range between $31,500 (25th percentile) to $48,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $58,500 annually across the United States.
The minimum deferred rate of compensation under the SAG-AFTRA Short Film Agreement is $125 per day. Performer and Producer are free to negotiate a higher deferred salary at the time of initial employment. In such event, a separate rider must be attached hereto and signed by both the Performer and the Producer.
It's safe to say that they do not make as much as blockbusters or Hollywood films, but they can still make some dough. The average made on independent films is $1,000,000 in the US alone, which is not bad for a movie that was shot for less than $5 million.
HOW DO FILMS MAKE MONEY? | A LOOK at THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION
Can you make a movie with 0 budget?
No-budget films have proven time and again that limited resources don't have to hinder creativity and success. There are countless examples of films made on little to no budget that have gone on to cult and mainstream success.
Short film creators can generate money, but the answer depends on how strong your script is and what medium you use to distribute your film. Creators should not expect to sell it to platforms like Netflix or Disney because that's only going to bring disappointments.
C list celebrities can make up to a million dollars per movie if the part calls for it or as little as $25,000 for a part that's not very big. Perhaps its a 2 minute role but the actor is very well known and some may not know their name. They might collect 100k to 250k.
If you are understudying a principal role, you get a small weekly pay bump of at least $60. If you are a dance captain, you get paid an additional $464.60 a week. Actors also get a bonus if they are with a show for more than a year, usually around $2,600.
Collaborating on a short film project introduces you to fellow actors, directors, writers, and producers. These connections can lead to future opportunities, auditions, and even long-lasting professional relationships.
The median hourly wage for actors was $20.50 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $13.00, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $100.01.
According to the study, two-thirds of actors wash out after their first year of acting. The pool of long-term career actors is comparatively slim, and the chances of making it in this profession drop exponentially over time.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $67.07 and as low as $7.45, the majority of Actor wages currently range between $14.42 (25th percentile) to $22.12 (75th percentile) across the United States.
Actors start out at a day rate, and if they are needed for longer, the payment scheme is bumped up to a weekly rate, and then to a run-of-the-picture rate. Leads and supporting players: $65,000/shoot.
Adam Sandler's four film projects of 2023 propelled him to an annual salary of $73m (£57m), making him the highest-paid performer in Hollywood, according to Forbes magazine.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) says union members get paid every Thursday for the work they did through the previous Saturday. There are some exceptions, such as for actors staying overnight on location. Pay is based on SAG minimum rates, though established actors may have the standing to ask for much more.
The D-list is for a person whose celebrity is so obscure that they are generally only known for appearances as celebrities on panel game shows and reality television.
They get paid for whatever they did to become a celebrity and then make it stretch between gigs. According to the most recent SAG statistics, the average member earns $52,000 a year, while the vast majority take home less than $1,000 a year from acting jobs.
Possibly an even more successful low-budget film was the 1972 film Deep Throat which cost only $22,500 to produce, yet was rumored to have grossed over $600 million, though this figure is often disputed. Another film that not only had a major return on its investment but also had a huge cultural impact was Mad Max.
How much money does a movie need to make to make money?
It is usually estimated that a movie needs to make two or three times its budget to become profitable in Hollywood after marketing costs, splitting revenue with theaters, and more are factored in. Since The Creator only cost $80 million, the $160 million estimation would be twice the cost.
A low-budget movie is a movie that's (usually) financed through self-financing or small private funding. There's some conjecture as to what the low-budget movie range is (especially when accounting for inflation) – but most analysts agree anything below $5 million USD can be characterized as low-budget.
