RE- Sound Mixer

   So Let me get this straight- If I bring my expensive sound gear to your shoot you'll pay me $50/day, but if you have to rent in gear elsewhere you'll pay me even less? Oh gee where do I sign up of this great opportunity.

Reality check!
Minimum wage for California is $112 for a 12 hour day. That is what McDonald's pays high school dropouts to flip burgers and guess what McD's doesn't ask these kids to supply their own grill flipper and burgers.

A basic sound kit rental from a rental house will cost $450 for that you'll get a mixer, recorder, boom and a couple of lavs- that's it. No comteks, no extra mics no extras of any kind.
A skilled mixer will cost you more than minimum wage- approximate regular rate is around $550/ day, but most will offer good discounts to low budget indies



Post like this are not only illegal under CA wage laws they are disrespectful to our craft. Let me guess you're going to be feeding us unrefrigerated Subway Tuna sandwiches for lunch too. If you want to make your film on the cheap get your friends and family to help out- If you want it done right raise some money to pay professionals properly.

Original Posting:

Need a sound mixer for a shoot April 3-5 and 7&8th. $50 per day. Need to get someone ASAP, we have full production insurance. Can provide you with gear but your day rate will have to be less if we provide the gear. Our films do really well in festivals!

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2002140/

Contact me ASAP

Ronnie

• Location: wherever you my be

RE: DP/Cinematographer, $1500, 21 day-shoot, price with red scarlet/ep

So let me see if I understand this properly! You are offering a DP (highly skilled position) $71.42 a day for him AND his RED camera (scarlet or EPIC)... and if the HIGHLY SKILLED DP brings lighting you will pay him/her $28.57 for a LIGHTING PACKAGE!!!!

1). California State minimum law is $112.00 a day for a 12 hour day X 21 days = $2,352.00 (I guess you just went over budget).
2). A RED Epic is going to cost you at LEAST $1500 a week... on a 21 day shoot... which will either be 3 and a half week rental (shooting 6 days a week) or a 4 week one day rental if you are shooting 5 days a week... so lets just figure around $5,000.00 for your camera package.
3). Lighting Package? well lets look at just ONE light! Something simple 4Ft 4 Bank System (with globes) $40.00 a DAY for ONE light! x21 days so we got $840.00 for ONE LIGHT..... I get a total of $8,192.00 for a MINIMUM WAGE DP, a nice camera and ONE LIGHT!!!!

WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM????? If you don't have the money to pay for SKILLED LABOR - Do not shoot! Without your DP you are basically shooting Radio! Oh but I guess you are looking for a Sound Guy with gear for $71.42 a day too....

Original Post -

21 day shoot: starting 4/14/13 (Los Angeles primarily, Palmdale)

$1500: for DP services and use of yourcamera (Red Scarlet or Epic only)

$2100 if you also bring your own lights with the camera package

Location: Los Angeles
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: $1500 (DP services plus camera use); $2100 (DP services + camera use+ lighting p

If YOU want LOW or NO PAY...READ!

Some helpful tips for those looking to hire creative freelancers for LOW or NO PAY:


LOW PAY:

Don't say "the pay is low BUT we will have MORE work for you if it works out!"
WHY? Who wants MORE LOW PAY?
Instead say "if this works out, we will have other HIGHER paying work!"
See what I mean?


NO PAY:

Don't say "there is NO PAY BUT we will give you CREDIT!"
WHY? Credit is AUTOMATIC and goes without saying, it's industry standard.
Instead say "unfortunately there is NO PAY, BUT, the project is REALLY great creatively, so you will get to do very compelling work for your reel and you will meet and work with some great people who are driven to succeed!"
See what I mean?


IF YOU CAN'T say either of these things, you probably should not be expecting LOW or NO pay from qualified and talented freelancers.
This IS a give and take, not ALL take!

• Location: Santa Monica

Crew Jobs

Is it just me or are all the offered rates off by one decimal point? This is utterly 100% MFing crazy.

When craigslist just started, mandy.com was still viable. I got real jobs on TV and smaller ( under $1M) films from both. and real corporate gigs that paid a grand a day.

Now, Mandy.com is bullshit and CL is.... Unpronounceable. ....Unbelievable,,, does anyone have words for what's going on ?

We also see the current magic recurring posts from the ass hat who DEMANDS a DP who's shot a $10M+ feature or better. That's cool. There are 20 agencies in town who book those. May I suggest Montana Artists, Dattner Dispoto, and The Skouras Agency for starters ? They all turned me down and I have had 2 theatrical features so their DPs must be good. Or maybe it's because they all use 5k cameras like the ones mentioned in your ad. Never mind that only one of those cameras is 5K.

But what do I know ? Apparently nothing. I keep coming back to this toilet.

Grandpa used to ask " if you have WANT in one hand and SHIT in the other, which hand fills up first ?"

• Location: L.A.

DPs - 7Ds and BURGER KING

   All DPs have to look forward to on this "CL crew gigs section" is having complete irresponsible, wannabe filmmakers posting for highly-skilled DPs with their own gear, or worse yet, using their 7Ds with no professional lighting gear, or sound gear and offering
a whopping $40.00 a day.. Now that's a big whopper!!!

Hell, you can make $8.00 bucks an hour at Burger King.
This forum and gig section has been dragged completely into the dirt!
The days of making $300.00 a day and shooting a great script
are long gone!

Long live the wannabes who have ruined it for everyone!
Congratulations! Your selfishness has conquered the film industry
and destroyed any hope for real filmmakers who care.

• Location: Lost Angeles
• Compensation: one sad dime  

For the hiring of sound mixers

   Sound mixers get a bum deal. We have to invest over $10k to get decent gear and enough of it to be able to handle the demands of what production wants. We provide a valuable service that is even more important than your picture. Your film has dialogue, people want to hear it and hear it clearly. We try to do that for you despite poor locations, poor wardrobe choices, and sometimes, ridiculous shot composition. A camera crew is exactly that, a crew. Operator, 1st AC, 2nd AC. If there's no 2nd AC then there's damn sure a 1st. Sound mixers are apparently expected to do the job of two people and get paid peanuts for it. In the LA area, the absolute minimum for our services should be $350 per 12 hour day with $250 for a kit fee. Base minimum.

Any asshole with a DSLR can call themselves a DP and show up on set and get paid decently because they have a camera. A 744t recorder is nearly twice the cost of a 5d markIII and a 788 is more so. On top of that, producers want at least 2 wireless, a shotgun mic with great rejection, and comteks so they can hear and complain. Cameras have gotten cheaper but sound equipment hasn't. Don't pay less than minimum wage. $100 a day or $150 a day is garbage. If you have name talent you can afford a rate. You don't go into a store and say, "I want to buy this pair of pants that costs $40 bucks but I've only got $10 so thats what I'm gonna pay you." You want good sound? We are an investment. We buy more equipment so your movie can sound better and we'll work with you often if you do shit right. We can't do that if we're not even making our rent. Everyone has to eat and have a place to stay and have gas to put in our car.

We help people want to watch your movie. A film with terrible sound and a gorgeous picture is still unwatchable, a film with mediocre picture and excellent sound will be watched in its entirety (provided the story is worth it).

Don't insult production sound mixers or boom operators (two separate jobs, by the way) by wanting to pay $150 for a 12 hour day, subway for lunch, and no equipment fee. $350 +$250 kit fee is minimum. If we really really like you, we might do it for less if we're bored. But don't insult us by calling it a job.

• Location: all of LA
• Compensation: $350 + $250 kit fee minimum 

RE: NEED a DP (for FOOD&DRINK)

Date: 2012-09-24, 12:01PM PDT

---

Whoever posted the AD below, I truly admire his/her guts...
This guy is asking for any DP out there with 5D or 7D (notice that a specific type of camera is required. It can't be Panasonic HVX200 because it's too outdated), and he generously offers...

FOOD AND DRINKS WILL BE AVAILABLE.

Wow, I have a 5D so I'm entitled for food and drinks. That's a fair deal because I'm feeling hungry and thirsty lately. I'm wondering if I throw in my 7D as well, does he add a desert, maybe?

Someone, please advise him that he has a much better chance to find a DP if he waits at the US border for people successfully crossing from Mexico because they are very hungry and thirsty, spending
3 nights in the desert. Of course they all own 5D or 7D (some smugglers even own fast prime lenses)...

Original Post:
I am looking for a DP who has and can work a 5D and 7D camera. We are shooting a webisode and need extra crew. Food and drinks will be available. Great set for networking and meeting new people and perfecting your craft. Be a great samaritan! Looking to shoot within the next week or two!

• Location: Homeless Shelter
• Compensation: Food and drinks, possibly desert, too.