Don't you hate hearing these production woes....

[Ron Mac]

Don't you hate hearing this....

We have a great script, but no money.
Our budget is really, really tight.
We can't pay you but we'll give you a copy.
:emote_whack:
Feel free to add your own favorites.

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

Sounds like every craigslist "crew" ad.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Can't pay you, but..

... deferred pay, you get X$ or X% once the film makes money, and it will make money!

... You will get film and IMDB credit!

... We'll feed everyone on set! *** they provide Big K soda in a skanky warm cooler and a big bag of Doritos that every grip has stuck his hand into by the time I get hungry enough to grab some. ***

 

[Scott Crawley]

We have a budget of $X... Camera Dept. budget? Oh there's no camera budget. I thought we could use your gear for free. What else can you get us?

 

[Ace]

* they provide Big K soda in a skanky warm cooler and a big bag of Doritos that every grip has stuck his hand into by the time I get hungry enough to grab some. ***

Oh man. Thats a mental image thats making me queazy.. No wonder those Dorito's were moist!

 

[Noah Kadner]

"College credit available." Huh?

Noah

 

[Ron Mac]

How about...

The next gig is a major production and we're takin' everyone who does this project with us.
:emote_head_explode:

 

[MichaelHalsell]

Keep em coming. Funny stuff. Real, but funny.

 

[Frank Weeks]

How would you like to be an Associate Producer?

 

[Brook Willard]

The director has a feature coming up and he'll totally pull you onto it.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

The next gig is a major production and we're takin' everyone who does this project with us.

That's one of my favorites.

I also like:
"We already have a major post house and name talent devoted to this project, it's that good. Oh, and the FX house that did 300. They're all in because they love the project so much. But we can't actually tell you who any of these people are, it's on a need to know basis."

Hey, that one even popped up here on reduser just recently.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

It does seem like the trend these days. Great script, no money, lots of people attached. If any of you checked out the film The Rift that was posted in another thread, you see that every once and a while a good film is made under these circumstances. And sometimes the relationships you form on these types of projects do lead to bigger work if the directors/producers go on to bigger things. But most of us are not only in this for the love of filmmaking but also need to make a living. So, there's only so many "passion projects" we can take on.

The key is to determine how much you are worth, stick to it, and only compromise when you feel there's more to gain by doing something for less money, for example expanding your reel. It's not easy. Jobs come along and when you don't know what else might be coming along sometimes you are tempted to take what's there in front of you, even if it's much lower than you want. Better to hold out when you can because the next opportunity could be lost because you sold yourself short.

 

[dino g]

this business is relationship driven pure in simple. money is put up based on personal relationships not contracts, crew is hired based on personal relationships. if you sit on reduser for 12 hours a day as your camera gathers dust and pass on anything that is not paying you scale, you will end up...well, on reduser with your camera gathering dust.

nothing wrong with reduser at the end of the day, certainly better than a lot of other things a man can do with his free time, but get out there gentlemen...take a chance you never know what good can come out of it. i try and do at least one free job every quarter, sometimes back to back months...it all depends on the real potential and the relationship, and also what cause the job is for. if it is for some producer or director that will just kick you to the curb, then pass, but if you have some sort of connection to the people, do it.

dino

 

[Steve Sherrick]

this business is relationship driven pure in simple. money is put up based on personal relationships not contracts, crew is hired based on personal relationships. if you sit on reduser for 12 hours a day as your camera gathers dust and pass on anything that is not paying you scale, you will end up...well, on reduser with your camera gathering dust.

nothing wrong with reduser at the end of the day, certainly better than a lot of other things a man can do with his free time, but get out there gentlemen...take a chance you never know what good can come out of it. i try and do at least one free job every quarter, sometimes back to back months...it all depends on the real potential and the relationship, and also what cause the job is for. if it is for some producer or director that will just kick you to the curb, then pass, but if you have some sort of connection to the people, do it.

dino

It's knowing which ones to take on. For example, went and saw a musician play at a local cafe with my wife and daughter. Small crowd of people but the musician had a great energy about him, and we all loved the music. Afterwards I got talking with him, and said I'd love to shoot a music video for him. I told him I would do it for free with the RED. We're shooting this weekend. This is one of those passion projects. Who knows where it will go or if this musician ever makes the big time, but all I know is that my family enjoyed the music and they are going to love to see the video.

So, it is more than just a business. But it's knowing when you are about to get screwed over in a big way that's important. Just be smart, go with your gut instinct, and as I said before know your value. And I agree 100% with Dino about relationships. Word of mouth is a big part of my business. It's what I have relied on for 15 years. It's the cheapest form of advertising and often the most effective.

 

[Paul Lee]

I put it up a while back but always looking for new suggestions:
The Student Film Drinking Game:
http://web.mac.com/paulee303/iWeb/student_film/student_film.html

 

[Abd Samad Hassan]

Some of the most famous:

"We're making a movie that will change the industry"

"You can use this as your portfolio"

"We've got (insert guy's name) who has worked in (insert Hollywood blockbuster film title) and you can learn a lot from him. Oh by the way we can't pay you"

"I wouldn't have slept with you otherwise. So start working!"

 

[RivaiC]

How client behave in real world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8...client_relationships/&feature=player_embedded

 

[BigLu]

You guys read my post?
I was wondering who flagged me.

 

[Eric Ulbrich]

My Fav:

I have a passion for films and its my passion that will pay you in the long run. (seriously...)

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

nothing wrong with reduser at the end of the day, certainly better than a lot of other things a man can do with his free time, but get out there gentlemen...take a chance you never know what good can come out of it. i try and do at least one free job every quarter, sometimes back to back months...it all depends on the real potential and the relationship, and also what cause the job is for. if it is for some producer or director that will just kick you to the curb, then pass, but if you have some sort of connection to the people, do it.

You're absolutely right, Dino. And I think many of us here do free projects now and then. It's just fun to laugh about a lot of the crap representation that no-budget indies like to use. I do free projects here and there, lately it seems like I have to just to keep my gear busy. Ouch.

I think Steve had it right with this statement above:

The key is to determine how much you are worth, stick to it, and only compromise when you feel there's more to gain by doing something for less money, for example expanding your reel. It's not easy. Jobs come along and when you don't know what else might be coming along sometimes you are tempted to take what's there in front of you, even if it's much lower than you want. Better to hold out when you can because the next opportunity could be lost because you sold yourself short.

Definitely don't sell yourself short. I'm not opposed to working for free if the production is up front about the situation and what they're willing to offer in exchange for what. But I'm also up-front with no-budgets who come to me and I tell them straight up that I can't commit until a certain date (usually no more than a week before if they want a solid commitment) because I can't afford to pass on paying work just because I've already committed to a free project elsewhere. I actually had a couple freebie projects bite me in the ass last year for this very reason. And sometimes we just have to shoot stuff for the reel or to help develop our skills, even to just have some fun.