The Down and Dirty of Producing Entertainment
The down and dirty of producing entertainment is ugly at times at any level from the studio system to the true independent level. People are difficult to play nice with sometimes.
I have read articles about powerhouse multi-millionaire A-List actors, directors and producers suing studios of royalty payments they feel they are owed on movie sales from studios.
Entertainment lawyers that have clients racking in big entertainment dollars jump in the fight and so goes the entertainment business, so goes the wheel of money we all live by.
When the rubber hits the road producing true indie entertainment it is too damn bad to see when people let ego and greed drive their creative motivations.
This post is inspired by a fellow indie producer’s situation that happens too much in the world of indie cinema. I have also been in the same waters with people that forget about kind gestures and treating people with respect.
When Slice of Americana Films can we tip out actors and crew on top of their daily rate for being solid with us. When we can’t the money just is not there, not that were greedy, it just is not there at that point in time.
Some cast and crew involved look past the movie and only care about their needs and money (even when they have been paid).
Not to say that there are not bullshit indie producers that screw over actors, directors and crew over money. Happens in every business that I know of above board and below board and sideways.
In life one rule I was told and learned from experience is are contracts are only good as the people involved. If someone is out to burn you on a deal they will try to find a way to burn you no matter what papers are signed.
The honest rub is when an indie producer that is not out to play games and is taking care of business to see their creative vision come to life by treating people right from the PA to the lead actor.
Part of taking care of business gets difficult when people that are like buckets with holes in them that never can be filled.
I know handshake deals and honesty are almost DEAD at the indie cinema level. At the studio level it is entertainment lawyers and power agent donnybrooks going off, because no one trusts anyone.
Not saying it is right or wrong. I grew up in a world where deals were done with handshakes. It was understood your name was out there on a deal, so if you screwed people over you would be out of business.
I have been fortunate as an indie entertainment producer to work with mostly cast and crew that had that same belief and were not out to screw Slice of Americana Films over.
You will never make all cast and crew happy. I know there some out there that did not like working with me, but on the other side of that coin I know some that have.
Slice of Americana Films will continue to hire them for real paying gigs. Others we shake off as bad calls.
Slice of Americana Films coproducer Tim “Timbo” Beachum and myself do not give the BS lip service to diversity in front and behind the camera like some big name directors lurking out there selling an image that when their card was pulled would prove to be more BS.
Our flicks are hard-hitting and we mix it up in front of behind the camera. I went off track on this post.
I just felt bad for a fellow indie filmmaker that is getting run around from some cast driven by greed when the person is not out to burn them, just wants to finish movie with passion. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT
