ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

8 years, 10 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Gosh what a tricky question - what's the going rate for an artist? Clearly the range is enormous. Here in the UK, many, many scripts are written on spec, then deals done if they ever go into production. Even a bought script will go through may redrafts with potentially many writers. Option prices range from £1 to 10%. There's not a 'normal' so much, certainly not inasmuch as a day rate for 'a writer' without narrowing down what they are writing!

If you look to WGA rates, they have 'standard' deals, but they're minima, and only indicative of the Hollywood/Studios market, many indies will not necessarily pay WGA rates. What makes the biggest difference? Sales. The more scripts a writer has sold, the more they can charge. That's the economics of the situation.

What's a writer worth in Singapore? It'll depend on their skills, previous sales, local market, genre, all sorts!

8 years, 10 months ago - Dan Selakovich

As Paddy mentions, rates vary widely. I think a good rule of thumb is 2.5% of the budget (in America, at least).

Here, the WGA minimum for a writer hired by a studio to write a script, is around $67k. If they buy a spec script, the minimum is around $45k. If it's non-union, low budget, rates can be much lower.

8 years, 10 months ago - Peter Spencer

WGGB minimum for one hour is just over £11500 and in the USA the WGA minimum for a spec is $98000 (I recently heard Craig Mazin confirm this on scriptnotes)

8 years, 10 months ago - Adam Ethan Crow

For an new writer 2.5 % is about right. This rises to whatever, depending on your resume. But do not sign an option for anything less than real money!! IF you can use 5K or 10K then sign - if it feels right. This way the producer has an actual investment in getting the film made. Also do not put in an automatic role-over clause after the end of the option. That way he has to stick to the timeframe. I leant all this the hard way. If a producer likes your work then sign a shopping agreement with them, so that they are linked to and can work on the project and try to raise the money but, if you find the money yourself or a better deal you can jump on it. Also get a lawyer to handle the deal. It might cost you three hundred pounds to get done, but get the producer to cover this, if he really is going to push the project and believes in it, he will pony up.

Good luck.

8 years, 10 months ago - Lawrence Gray

For an hour's prime time TV the rates here in Singapore range from £ 1 - 2,000 per hour prime time drama. No residuals and you sell all rights outright. As for films, well the Big Budget Movies here are £.5 - 1.5m and then below that the micro-budgets where nobody really gets paid anything. It's usually a buy out but with regards to film most screenwriters act as producers and directors and so have a lot of say in the proceedings.

The real issue here is that the Singapore Writers Association is forbidden by law to even discuss this! Which, as far as we can see, serves no purpose other than to discourage Free-lance writers and reduce their bargaining power.

I suggested that they should simply discuss these issues in a private forum but apparently even for them to do that is illegal! So I was wondering how the SWA might get around this peculiarity of Singapore and whether such tasks as discussing market rates could be performed by organisations outside of Singapore. I'm sure there are other countries in the world with legal restrictions on such things. Writers and producers in those areas could do with somewhere to go to find suitable benchmarks, even if they are forbidden from setting them up themselves.