Finally, I`m going to write an article about working in the production and trade of taxes and depreciation, but for the sake of simplicity, there are two ways employers pay you when you work in film production: via W2 or W9. Next, we`ll look at the role of the publisher. Well, it gets a little tricky because publishers can be treated like employees or independent contractors and the deciding factor here is the relationship. Is this particular editor available for multiple tasks, can it, or should it run it from you? Do they use their own equipment, just like the cameraman, do they have to appear in your office? If the answer is that they have to show up in your office, they will use your equipment and will have to carry out new projects on your part. This means that they are an employee. We have developed automated payroll software that is the easiest to use and headache-free billing system. Most other payroll company options would require you to hire additional crew members to manage them, which would further reduce your funds. With Topsheet, you don`t need to hire more people to process time cards, w4, and payroll taxes, saving you thousands of dollars. Our automations are designed to help sets save money and save up to 25 times more time on set. Depending on the size of your production, you can reduce weeks or months of work to just a few hours or days. We`ve also created smart call sheets.
Creation and distribution only takes a few minutes and automatically notifies your team of any changes. Not to mention that with our direct deposit, your crew will be paid faster than ever. AB5 does not mean that every person working under Form 1099 must become an employee, there are a few exceptions. 1099 vs employee standards have always had regulations, California just tightened the parameters, a lot. They provided us with the ABC test to determine if the independent contractor can remain independent or if it should be included in the payroll. The parameters are as follows: Pose with the first paycheck I earned as a production assistant Next, we will look at the role of the cameraman. Now people in this position often come with their own equipment. This means that they have made a great investment in their own personal business. And offer you a service temporarily. They may have multiple projects running and there they have control over how their money is spent in a very different way than a production assistant. Therefore, they are an independent contractor. Hello, I`m Jeanine Hall, founder of Quant Solutions, and today we`re going to talk about employees or independent contractors in the film industry.
Quant Solutions has its roots in the film industry. We have had the pleasure of working with many media and production companies. Anyway, all the companies came to me with a question about whether someone is an employee or a contractor. And for my movie client, it`s all about control. If you`re a producer or part of a larger production company, you`ve probably already heard of Bill 5 from the California Assembly. Also known as AB5, the state law goes into effect on January 1, 2020. AB5 states that a large portion of independent contractors are in fact employees and should be classified as such. As a result, these employees are entitled to better occupational health and safety benefits, such as minimum wage, sick leave, unemployment and workers` compensation benefits. California`s landmark law has become widely passed due to its impact on the app economy and odd jobs, especially for companies like Uber and DoorDash. However, AB5 also has serious implications for the film and television industry, which a production of any size should experience. I have just been offered a job as an assistant for commercial production outside the state.
The production company told me they would send me a check for $2350, of which $400 is a down payment for my services and that they would have to send the rest to a sponsor`s travel agency to arrange my flight and hotel accommodation. Given that I`m very new to this industry and don`t know how things work, is this a legitimate job or am I getting scammed? If you decide to move to a medium-sized city to work in film and television, be prepared to stay at the production assistant level much longer. It will be easier to make ends meet while working in the entry level, but since there are fewer TV shows, movies, and commercials, it may take longer to get out of the production assistant level than if you were in a city with a lot of work like Los Angeles. “The general rule is that a person is an independent contractor if you, the person for whom the services are provided, have the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not the means and methods to achieve the result.” www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-18/gavin-newsom-signs-ab5-employees0independent-contractors-california AS I worked for more and more companies, the price was usually $150 to $200 a day, with some ridiculous productions offering a meagre $125. Towards the end of my PA tenure, when I served more than 2nd AD, a few benevolent companies offered me $225 a day. When this happens, the person making this decision has, in most cases, just opened up their production company to many legal issues, including significant fines and penalties at the federal and state level. In many cases, they have even been prosecuted. I just thought of letting you know that after a few phone calls and research on the entire offer, there was a big production fraud scheme! Apparently, the company was hacked with a few others and someone pretended to be a manager and scalped for the crew. One.
That the employee is free to control and direct the tenant in the performance of the work, both as part of the contract for the execution of the work and effectively (that is, the employee is both practically and contractually free from the tenant`s control in the execution of the work); B. the employee is performing work that is outside the ordinary course of the tenant`s business (i.e., what the employee does is different from what the tenant`s business does); and C. That the employee is usually engaged in an independently established trade, profession or business of the same type as the work done for the hiring company (i.e., what the employee does for the tenant is what the employee usually does for the work). Hey, I love the blog. Question. What should I do with a production company that allows me to run? It was a commercial concert. For a very large beer company. They keep saying they send me my check that day, but nothing ever comes. I am here at the end of my mind. Admittedly, it`s not much for them, but I have bills to pay. .
