Commercials
If anyone accepts work on a commercial that offers a really small fee, don’t do it. It undermines everyone ion the business. If you’re not sure if rates, go onto the Equity site and find them. The more people accept poor pay, the more companies will exploit actors - all actors.
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So what is the equity fee for a ' commercial ' ? £200 BSF I expect .
You make it sound easy but what do they mean by ' commercial ' -is it tv i.e. a broadcast advert , is it an on-line no broadcast one - is it on -line on just one website this 'commercial ' or is it on many platforms ( Youtube , Vimeo , instagram , etc ) . It must depend on usage - so an all-in fee is a no-go area unless one knows what's what .
BSF is around £250-350. Usage is usually a buyout for a specified time - usually a year- and that should start around £2,000 depending on platforms. A TV commercial should meet these fees. Walk-ons or background fees are different and only have BSF. If you do an ad for a particular product, then you are can’t do another commercial for a similar product (say a supermarket) for three years so if you do an advert where you are featured and recognisable for day £100, that £100 is really your pay for three years.
Online is considerably less but if you’re featured, you really ought to be paid a buyout for a specified time.
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Buy -outs are now for ever and worldwide usage - these are the contracts that we are being asked to sign . I DO know all this I just wanted to illustrate it's not that easy to work out a fee if one doesn't know where it's going / OBVIOUSLY I am talking about a featured role not extra or walk or - but a new 'featured walk -on ' has sprung up lately too . I was trying to point out it isn't as aesy as one might think to work out a 'proper/decent ' fee AND Equity only ever have a minimum rate for what it should be .
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Buyouts are not worldwide, in perpetuity unless that is what you signed for. You may have secondary media included which is for clients internal use or crews Showreels etc but you will have a media format and usage reliant buyout. Even for online, you will get buyout and usage and you will need to find out if it is geolocked of not - this will all be in your contract which you should see prior to the shoot day. There are websites such as usefee.tv that help give you an idea of what you should be earning but if your BSF is not between £250-£500 pd PLUS a reasonable buyout depending on usage than you are being fleeced. Commercials shouldn't be 'you're only being used for two hours so the fee £100' find out where your likeness is going. It would be great if Mandy stopped allowing these 'commercials' to slip through the net then actors may start to realise their worth.
I can’t ever see this stopping. This site probably charges a fee for each job that is posted.
This website in the last couple of years has been swapped with extras and Am-drams. Who have no idea how to build a career and see this terrible fees as a start to a professional career.
Tight restrictions across the industry is what we need. But unfortunately it’s just not going to happen.
Exactly Lauren, buyouts are for a limited time and will be in the contract. If they want in perpetuity, I suggest you let them know exactly what that means for an actor. They are buying your image and identity for a mess of pottage.
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Having used the site to cast, it's free to post a job so just like Spotlight actors are finacially keeping Mandy afloat.
Totally agree that there are some who are desperate to get 'credits' and see worth in that rather than actual money.
We just need to keep educating ourselves and others to know our worth
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