Production houses

[ninjakiller]

Over dinner last night with a friend working in the media industry, I was told that it's common for production houses to be late when it comes to paying actors and camera crew.

As far as I know, production houses usually have very few staff, and typically work on projects such as documentaries, sitcoms and variety shows commissioned by bigger media entities like MediaCorp. Corporate videos and commercials also contribute to their revenue.

But it appears that some production houses are fast gaining a bad reputation for themselves by not giving out salaries punctually or even defaulting on payment. If you know of any such cases, please share them here so that people who intend to work in the media industry can know which production houses to be wary of.

[spankysam]

If it's common practice, then has it been accepted by the actors and camera crews? What's the usual lag period?

[leonardtan]

I think the media industry in Singapore is very small. So all these actors (especially b or c-listers) might not be able to fight for their rights as much as they want to.

Quite a shame to hear about this trend though. Imagine working for weeks, or even months on a production, and not getting the pay you deserve.

[edms]

Originally Posted by spankysam

If it's common practice, then has it been accepted by the actors and camera crews? What's the usual lag period?

It does not happen to just actors, camera crew etc... freelance designers, copywriters, programmers...that are hired by even your big name agencies also sometimes do not pay out in time..it also depends on the agreement that they have, there are also companies that can only bill after it hits a certain amount

I have heard of some agencies that take up to 6 months to pay freelancers..

[harangue]

6 months! gosh.

then what do these people eat in the meantime? obviously, something needs to be done. or is it a problem endemic to fledgling media industries like singapore's?