There are movies in Hollywood with big budgets and then there are these smaller movies that seem to be regional. If they are not picked up by big studios, do they just go straight to video?
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Straight to video or streaming in most cases. Depending on the content, they could also be picked up for broadcast as "made-for-TV" movies, especially with the name recognition of a cast like this. We're in an era now where just about anyone can make movies, and often make them quite well, but not good enough for wide distribution by a studio.
Thankfully there are plentiful outlets nowadays for getting them in front of the public, especially online through Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and their competitors, and via cable/satellite, broadcast TV, etc. DVDs are slowly becoming less likely, but are still a viable option, and on any given week in North American Walmarts you can find a few dozen titles like this on the racks. They don't stay in stock for long, not necessarily because people are snapping them up, but because more and more of them are always coming in. Many titles, especially the horror shows, eventually get bundled into "multi-film" sets a bargain basement prices, but Walmart's one of the few brick & mortar retailers still willing to give smaller distribution companies space on their shelves, which is important if you're involved in the production of low budget indies like this. And there's always Amazon, of course, where they can remain in circulation forever if the distributors so choose to keep making the discs.
On top of it all, shows like these provide work for "journeyman" actors/actresses and past-their-prime stars who just like to ply their trade and are willing to work for modest paychecks. Sometimes the results are quite good, other times they're middle-of-the-road, and sometimes they're downright awful, but because of their under-the-radar status they don't kill careers, so most people involved in them will get other opportunities. I used to watch a ton of these regional efforts many years ago -- the good, bad and awful -- but now there's just too many of them being made to even keep up! That's probably a sign that there's money to be made long-term at this level of filmmaking if you can score even a modest distribution deal or two.
Good take.
Yeah I had to ask because being born and raised in California, I always thought A-List actors only stay with making big budget movies (okay fine, not all necessarily big budget; however, a movie big enough so that it does not "kill their careers"). This movie was shot in La Grange and I was an extra on it. By pay check alone, I thought it would have been low budget due to being paid $58/8 and not even time and a half for overtime (usually most movies pay time and a half, after 8).
The movie I had done before this went straight to On Demand Hallmark (The Ultimate Legacy) and that seemed to be a pretty low budget movie as well. For that I was paid like $120/8 with time an a half after 8 and double time over 10. O_O! Kind of confusing.
Now a recent movie began shooting here, as of May 24 called "Above Suspicion" and it stars Emilia Clarke from Terminator Genisys. I asked myself "why would Emilia Clarke, after doing such a big movie, be associated with a low budget film?"
How did I know it was low budget? Because like JL Ranch, they are paying $58/8 for extras; however, unlike JL Ranch, they are giving time and a half over 8 hours!
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Above Suspicion had at least 3 times the budget of JL Ranch but it is a poor gage of budget to look at background actors pay rates. Those typically stay about the same film to film regardless of size, much like the rates for assistants and PA's, These positions are generally not subject to a bargaining agreement and are dictated by the productions budgetary needs and the minimum wage laws in the state of production. Most of a film's budget is spent on things that will draw people to the box office (special effects, movie stars, directors & producers). If you want the higher pay rates you need to be a principle actor in a SAG-AFTRA signatory production to get the benefit of having your minimum pay dictated by a union bargaining agreement.
shareEven if that may be true, what would you say about Above Suspicion vs. The Ultimate Legacy?
From what I know through research, there are categories called Above the Line and Below the Line cast. Above the Line like actors, directors, and producers can negotiate; however, below the line, PAs and extras are paid a set rate.
On another film, The Song, I was paid $25 flat for the whole day.
Then again, I am still sure that it may have to do with the budget of the movie as well because I have definitely been paid more than minimum wage on certain feature films and this is even in KY. What would make The Ultimate Legacy pay so well? Maybe I just go through a good casting director, who can somehow negotiate? Some of the rates of extras, I was shocked to see because sometimes extras here are paid better than ones in even California!
RIO OLYMPICS!!!! August 5th!