Hi All, Although I'm not new to production, I am new to the development of indie narrative projects and I have a couple of questions for the community (apologies in advance if this has been answered elsewhere at some other time...and if it has, I would appreciate links to the info). I have a need to hire a scriptwriter to write a 15-20 minute script from scratch. Characters and a brief story arc (based on someone's real life) are already in basic form. Could anyone provide advice on what the pay range would be for this kind of work for hire? Second...I am obtaining the rights to develop a small novel into an indie film project. Same thing goes, what would the pay range be and what are the parameters to take into consideration? Apologies if this question makes me seem like a total newbie...it's because I AM! LOL! Any guidance, answers, clarifying questions, etc would be highly appreciated. Cheers, Aldo
Screenwriting : Looking for advice on pay ranges for the development of a 15-20 minute script. by Aldo Bello
Looking for advice on pay ranges for the development of a 15-20 minute script.
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$500 is not uncommon for a short script. Includes first draft and one revision. Subsequent revisions $50 to $150 depending upon complexity, amount of rewrite. You really want to keep your script to 15 pages (tops), if you're looking to succeed in the festival market.
Thank you Philip!
Absolutely.
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id agree that $500- $1000 is fair for a 15ish pg short. id try to hire someone who can keep it to 15 pgs. in terms of adapting a book to a feature, thats a diff story. it depends on experience, turnaround, material, etc. But id say youre looking at $5k--20k. If youre still looking for someone for the short, message me.
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I say see what your budget can afford a writer. I know some writers want the big money but sometimes we forget that production has a budget and if they won't pay you, say, $1000 for the script they aren't going to pay you that. My advice is see what your budget says and pay that writer that amount.
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I've written four to nine page scripts for $75 to $100, but I might charge more or less depending on the specifics. What genre are you dealing with? Who's directing? What will the project be used for? At this stage in my career, I'm willing to write for low fees for an opportunity to work with a talented director. If there's a chance the film won't be produced, I'll expect a higher payment.