Learning the Ins and Outs of Entertainment Contracts

For filmmakers taking their first steps as professionals in the industry or finding themselves looking to hire a union performer, or for union members beginning to make their own content, working under one of SAG-AFTRA’s many agreements is beneficial. The union’s contracts are created with both the filmmaker’s and the performer’s needs in mind, with helpful provisions that make it easy to exhibit work online, at film festivals or in theaters. 

To explain the process for signing on to a SAG-AFTRA agreement, the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement hosted Contracts for Future Filmmakers on June 8. The session was led by leaders of the SAG-AFTRA Entertainment Contracts Department, National Director Jessica Johnson, Senior Director Stephanie Perry and Senior Manager Lorna Badeo. 

Johnson, Perry and Badeo led a lecture about the two classifications of entertainment contracts: negotiated agreements, defined as contracts made through deliberations with industry-based institutions such as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and promulgated agreements, which are designed with input from members to address their work in different areas of the industry. The webinar gave an overview about each agreement, including those available to student and independent filmmakers and producers, such as the Student Film Agreement, Short Project Agreement, Micro-Budget Project Agreement and other low-budget feature agreements, as well as contracts made for online, or new media, content. They also answered frequently asked questions associated with the signatory process and described the services the department offers to those getting started.

“You’re never alone during the signatory process,” said Badeo. “[Every filmmaker] is assigned to a business representative who becomes your point of contact during the signatory process. Once assigned, they work with you, make sure your paperwork is filed correctly and that you’ve signed the required documentation.”

Following the presentation was a Q&A session. 

To watch the full workshop, scroll below. To learn more about SAG-AFTRA’s entertainment contracts for television or theatrical, or to begin the signatory process, visit the Production Center.