Here's a good explanation, in plain english, of the SAG Experimental Film Agreement (click here) (http://www.rewindvideo.com/RVM/Articles/Harmon/Latest.html)

Thanks! That was an interesting read.

That's great Michael, thanks.... I was planning on trying a SAG experimental in September but was sort of dreading it... It looks pretty doable though.

Here's a follow up regarding actors and SAG waivers
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Actors have to acquire 3 SAG waivers before they can join the union. SAG waivers are issued to non-union actors who perform in a SAG production.

EXCEPT for the Experimental Film Agreement. You will not be issued a SAG waiver for non-union actors you use under the Experimental Film Agreement.

More info on using SAG Actors in Indie films (click here) (http://www.ifp.org/experts/expert.php?id=10)

Newest info on SAG agreements:

1. Contracts (http://www.sagindie.com/contracts2.html)
2. SAG website (http://www.sagindie.com/index.html)

FYI on the new agreements.

The experimental agreement has been replaced by the short film and ultra low budget agreement.
There is currently not an agreement that would allow deferred pay for feature length projects without obtaining a waiver directly from SAG.

I was disappointed to see them do away with the Experimental Film agreement :-(

I'm currently gearing up for a short under the Short film agreement. There is still a mountain of paperwork, but I think it will be worth it considering the level of talent responding to the notices.

Also, you can only defer salaries, you must pay mileage and any meal penalties.

Hey Michael and Reid,

I'm also working on an indepdent feature. Went to Sag office in Chicago they are really nice about it and there is a talented pool of artist. Its kind of gives you confident on seeing their show reel.

Yes the experimental agreement is gone and replaced with Ultra low budge agreement.

:)Hari

That's good to know about the Chi office. I was just talking to someone on another forum from that area, telling him to contact his local office.

Thanks for the heads up.

I was speaking with my local SAG rep and the LA SAG rep, and they seem to be very accommodating about the Ultra Low budget agreement, etc. We're talking about $100/day + local employment law compliance (workers comp, etc.) which seems reasonable. My understanding about deferred payment is that it's a tough one to legally enable in any meaningful way.

Moderator: the initial posts in this thread are simply out of date and should be removed in the interests of clarity. Someone reading just the first few posts would have an incorrect idea of the current situation.

I think updating or starting a new thread is in order. I got all excited about being able to make a feature with SAG and non-union with deferred pay. :(

You can definitely still use SAG actors with deferred pay. Check out the SAGIndie site:

http://www.sagindie.com/

Yes, but I believe the first post and article talk about doing it in a feature length setting, maybe I misunderstood, and you could never do it, but now deferred payment is only available for shorts.

Yeah, the new agreements rule out deferred pay for feature length.
Maybe, if you're not in the NY or LA regions you could beg for a deferral, but it will be tough.
I think current pay for ultra-low budget features is $100 day. Since they have to be covered under workers comp etc, I think that works out to $135 a day, once all the taxes etc are handled.

I think that works out to $135 a day, once all the taxes etc are handled.

This is indeed a very fair price to pay for any SAG actor. If you can get a B, or even a C player in your film, it way, way increases your distribution and sales potential.

Even if, say, you live in a city like Phoenix, if you had a B player who liked your script, you could fly them out, put them up in an okay hotel or someone's nice guest room, and get them to work on your film for a day for a total cost of SAG/air/food, of couple hundred bucks.

I'm not going to drop any names, but my experience in trying to get B players has been mostly quite positive. Their agents and managers are often more than willing to hear what you have to say and read your (WGA registered and copyrighted) script, especially if you are familiar with this SAG rule and mention it up front. There are some who aren't interested in something under mid-six figures, but most of them are at least open to hearing what you have to say and reading your writing.

Keep polishing your scripts folks!

The SAG Ultra Low Budget Agreement can be a nasty trap for low budget filmmakers.

Here's a no-nonsense article written from the filmmakers POV:

Easy Budget Articles (http://www.easy-budget.com/articles/articles.asp?article=ultralow)

Well, I now have some experience with the short film agreement. Wrapping up our first SAG short this month. It's been pretty interesting and it is not nearly as complicated as I thought it would be.

I am looking into the Ultra low budget since that's basically the best deal you can get from SAG on a feature, and I see it as a plus that it definitely is in my budget range :)

Would just like to point out the link in the OP doesn't work anymore...