Wage scale. –
12-13-2007
The top of the line real asset actor would compare to how much a DJ, an MC or band member would make in a night. Provided they are seriously bringing something to the event. So this ranges $120 to $200 a night. Wether they realize it or not, this sounds wonderful to make as much as $50 an hour but, this limits them to only being wanted on certain nights. If you don't reward someone that has invested in one or more quality characters they are indeed likely to become part of the midway instead of the cast.
On the low end of the scale, slighltly above minimum wage is acceptable. It is maybe a dollar more than minimum wage because it is a temporary position. Then there is the fact that over the years with demonstrated investment and continued participation in education, they will increase a bit every year and one day might have that $20 per hour or more position.
The lower end has occasional perks like coming to pick them up and get them back home to arranging others to car pool them their. Little things like that are really appreciated by those that can not provide for themselves or otherwise be left out of the fun.
Because the entire involvement is under 90 days, they can be signed up from anything from having to report to a temporary company that will be handling the payroll to an independent contractor that will be making their own investment in the tools of the trade and will get paid in November. Making the bigger bucks also comes with the responcibility to genuinely provide a service to the event. They should be submitting a bill with some amount of pre agreed upon time to pay. This confirms their independent non employee status for tax purposes.
It is also possible that this star is to realize his stardom is only required two nights per season and all other hours will be at a much reduced rate as he gets on the job familiarity with the type of customers and layout of the facilities.
It is different per region but here $10 to $12 cost after taxed and such is quite the commitment from a company. Especially mutiplying this by 30 to 75 positions. So the normal increase from year to year is a scale of not being a problem, doing the job and progressing at 50 cents to $1 per year to the maximum $10 to $12 rate per hour. This might be 6 years of involvement.
A star negotiation would have their own high quality costume developed, be able to explain or demonstrate what they are going to do and do what they said they were going to do.
Any deal with an employee or long term character is difficult only in getting the what do you want from them. If the upper level wants to be treated like an employee they get employee rates. If they have the mindset of being able to provide a legitimate service as a signature character, sometime it is simply haveing the freedom to be who and where they want to be. I have watched events at wander in time and the bands and DJs and MCs aren't all that whereas the actors are in fact getting it and it is a shame they are not compensated at such levels.
in the long run, those providing a service are worth 4 times the hassle of the ones that need everything provided to them to still do half of the job. On the same token there are a lot of unproven individuals that will walk right in and suggest that they be your partner with 60% of the door and they will show you how it is done, never having even been to a haunted house. Usually these kind of people have been to prison. I think they learn how to do this there and always have to go back for refresher courses it seems.
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