Work in Hollywood and want a wage increase? Then train as a boom operator, pronto. Behind-the-scenes professions – including makeup artists and catering crew – have enjoyed salary rises over the past two years, while actors and directors have seen their pay flatline or fall.
The results of a study published in the Hollywood Reporter found that movie stars and directors have been some of the hardest hit in percentage terms. While A-list actors used to regularly command $20m-plus (£15.4m) salaries upfront, only Jennifer Lawrence has managed to net such a figure recently (for sci-fi drama Passengers). Dwayne Johnson – earlier this year named the best-paid actor – managed a mere $19m for Jumanji.
Such potential wage erosion is partly credited to a less stable star system and partly to the resultant trend for back-end deals in which actors pick up smaller upfront packages but receive a larger percentage of any final profits.
Directors are also increasingly subject to such contracts, which can pay dividends if you are a big name – Christopher Nolan is reported to be getting $20m upfront and 20% gross for Dunkirk. But the shift also means directors can find themselves vulnerable to studios’ changing decisions and strategies. David Frankel’s lawsuit against the Weinstein Company over Paul Potts biopic One Chance relates to his signing on for a back-end heavy deal but limited distribution, severely curbing potential profits.
The Hollywood Reporter also found that movie writers tend to be better remunerated than their television equivalents and that studio heads’ pay cheques are more and more volatile, because of the smaller number of tentpole projects released this year.
But there was good news for lower-paid professions: caterers have seen salaries rise 6.1% from 2014 (to average $65,800 per annum) – the same percentage increase as boom operators (who now average $80,000 a year). Makeup artists enjoyed a 5.1% pay rise since 2014, producing an $79,500 average salary.
