RE: [theatre-sound-list] Re: 829 B'way contract

[Dave Stevens]

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [theatre-sound-list] Re: 829 B'way contract
> From: Justice Bigler <justice...@gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, February 11, 2012 3:11 pm

> You also have to keep in mind that when working freelance corporate work,
> you may work for a week or two on a production or series of productions,
> but then may not work for the rest of the month (at least this is what I
> have been told by my buddies who freelance corporate work).

That's market dependent. It's bounced back here but the rates are lower
for most everyone doing corporates. I hear Orlando and Chicago are
coming back as well. There was a time during thr crash where corp types
around here didn't work for weeks. The crash thinned the talent pool
but the work is coming back. Concert work too but the house gigs are
far and few between as everyone that has one is holding on to it.

[Robert Kaplowitz]

Sorry it's been a couple of days...

TJ - are you really making $3-400 per day on a regular basis, freelancing non-union?

Local 1 sound guys on 8 hour days make less than $300 / day, at least last time I checked.

Off Broadway, best rates are $200/day, and many are lower - the Public still pays $18/hour. Shop prep crews might pull $325 on super-premium shows, but that's not work that falls into just anyone's lap, and certainly not 50 weeks/year. And there are no p&w benefits on that.

Off-Broadway assistants make $100-$150/day, best case - I'm usually given $1500-$2000 total to pay an assistant on almost all off Broadway shows, and I've been given as little as $750. Big off-B'way musicals can be exceptions - but, even there, assistants are $800-$900 per week, for as many weeks as I can fight to achieve. And, in other markets (Philly, DC, Texas, etc) assistants aren't even provided, or, if they are, they're paid out of my pocket, they're staff members at the theater (so on theatre local salary), or I have to shave my rental budget to find them money.

Now, most sound folks I know are always on the hustle - an 8- hour load in followed by a show at night - and so they're doing ok. But I think it's important that folks on this list who aren't in NY don't develop illusions that a freelancer in NYC can expect to pull down $1800-$2400 for a 6 day work week on a regular basis.

Also, worth keeping in mind - lighting design minimum (aka standard, in many cases) for a musical on Broadway (a fee we are hoping to attain with the addition of sound to 829's jurisdiction) is $11,500. That equals 8 weeks of assistant minimum. Even when I get a premium (higher) fee, it's not unusual for my assistant or associate to out-earn me before opening... And s/he doesn't have to deal with producers coming over saying, "You know, I was the drummer in a band for a while, and if you really want the vocals to pop..."

Sorry if this feels like I'm defending producers - I'm not. I'm just saying that the assistant rates for which our union has fought really are quite reasonable, and I'm optimistic about sound assistants coming in to the commercial contract at that rate.

<><><><><><><><><><><>
Thumb-typed without autocorrect... Sorry in advance.
-Rob Kaplowitz

[Jeremy Lee]

IMO, that completely depends on the stage of the project that you're in, and the nature of the show.  The minimum USA assistant rate is $1429/ week.  That's decent for a week of 8 hour days doing paperwork.  It's a lot less OK when you're doing 4 weeks of tech and another 4 weeks of previews on a large show, arriving at morning coffee (10am) and leaving after a production meeting at the end of the day (midnight - 1am).

And, of course, these days, the producers want to dole out 3-4 weeks of assistant pay on a straight play, but the job requires much more than that.

The economics of this business are just lame.

On Feb 14, 2012, at 10:21 AM, Robert Kaplowitz wrote:

Sorry if this feels like I'm defending producers - I'm not. I'm just saying that the assistant rates for which our union has fought really are quite reasonable, and I'm optimistic about sound assistants coming in to the commercial contract at that rate.

-- 

Jeremy Lee

    Sound Designer, NYC - USA 829

        http://www.jjlee.com

[Ted Pallas]

That's the question, though, for everyone involved (including producers):  Making art is a privilege.  Is the cost of that privilege worth the hassle of making art?  Producers are working with limited funds, too - that assistant sound designer is also a few costumes is also the projector rental is also the...My point here is that there's a lot of money being spent, and historically very, very little of it being made back.  Even on a successful Broadway show the economics are astounding - this isn't the forum, but it's definitely worth looking into how shows make their nut, and how long that process takes (in an economy where tickets cost multiple hundreds of dollars.)

I'm sitting here reading this thread and it's striking me that we work in the only artistic industry that by-default involves the audience paying the people making the art.  We should all be really, really glad this isn't the "Supremely Talented Musician Mailing List," or the "Independent Cinema Audio" list...I can't imagine those guys get to spend too much time talking about contracts and unions.

Ted Pallas
Live Media Designer
Sandwich Construction Consultant
ted dot pallas -at- gmail dot com
516.286.9661

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