Film shorts wages go under the lens

Published Tuesday 31 May 2005 at 15:45 by Jeremy Austin

Film-makers who use public funds to create shorts will be investigated by Equity to ensure that actors are properly remunerated rather than just being paid with “lunch and a copy of the finished movie”.

Conference passed a motion presented by the Birmingham General Branch on behalf of the council, that urged the union “to investigate these productions and produce proposals to ensure that actors involved in these projects are properly and fairly remunerated”. Presenting the motion, Birmingham representative Tracey Briggs stressed, however, that student films or friends getting together to make movies would not be accountable.

“Directors are being paid. Camera crew are being paid. The editor is charging £150. Actors’ wages are never taken into account. There seems to be a general assumption that actors are so desperate for work there no need to pay for them,” she said.

Supporting the motion, vice-president Jean Rogers said the Shooting People website often had postings on it asking for actors but stipulating they would not be paid.