Hi everyone! This post is going to be a little different than some of our others but I think it’s an important topic for anyone looking to start working in film, especially as a freelancer. To preface this, I have worked for free on films and have been paid for my work. I have also made films where the cast/crew were unpaid and some where they were paid. Especially when you’re first starting out, it’s hard to know when working for free is “worth it” and when someone is just trying to take advantage of you.

*SPOILER* Your time and energy are always worth financial compensation but, as it stands, expecting that in this industry is somewhat unrealistic. As such, I’m going to share with you what my personal boundaries were when it came to taking on paid and unpaid work as a beginning freelancer in the film industry.

First off, I want to tell you a story. Right out of undergrad I was looking to switch up my career path. I spent weeks emailing different publishers and businesses in the literary community seeing if they were hiring, had need of an assistant, etc. The search led nowhere (I had no experience in those fields) but I did have someone from one of the small presses contact me about potential film work.

They were releasing a book series on American war heroes and they wanted to pair it with a short docuseries on soldiers’ gravesites and how they were being left in disrepair (we’re talking Revolutionary/Civil War-era graves). It sounded interesting, it was local, I was intrigued.

Then I brought up budget.

They proposed that I make them the first episode for free as a trial run and then we could talk numbers for the rest.

Mind you, at this time I had sent them a full portfolio of work, had multiple film credits that could have provided references, and had already produced two award-winning films myself. This wasn’t about them doubting the quality of my work.

Still, I agreed. At that point, I was still looking to shift from the film sphere—I was working contract for a public access television station at the time—and if things went well I was looking at a fairly extensive project that could then lead to a long-term working relationship with this company. Considering the financially stable position I was in at the time, I felt it was worth it.

Then we get to planning. I meet with the rest of the team over the phone and it’s clear none of them have any film experience. That’s fine, but when I told them it would take all day to film at three separate locations across two states—and that even then it would be tight—the whole project was almost dropped right then and there. They didn’t believe me, suggested they could do it just as well themselves, and, had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned location permits.

Somehow, though, we managed to get through and set a date. They agreed to film at two locations instead of three and to write up a script instead of just winging it when we got there. So, I start making arrangements from my end to get together any necessary permits and permissions from the various locations (one grave was in a Quaker graveyard and the other was in a public cemetery). I heard back from the meetinghouse with approval but was unable to get a response from the city in time for the cemetery. When I reached out to my contact at the publisher about that, he said it didn’t really matter.

Apparently, they had just jumped the fence to find the graves and were planning on doing the same for this docuseries.

Which, obviously, is illegal.

I’m not going to say it’s never worth jumping the fence for a shot. I’m not going to say I’ve never done it. But this company had the ability to set a budget. They had the ability to get those permits. They had the ability to commission and create this project in a fully legitimate and legal way.

They were choosing not to for the sake of cutting costs and investing minimal time.

The real kicker of the situation is that when I told a former professor of mine that I had backed out of the project—I was not about to commit trespassing for an unpaid project when they claimed they could “do it just as well themselves”—he acted like I was making the wrong choice. That I was being too picky.

And therein lies the problem.

The film industry fully expects people to work insane hours for free in the name of connections and experience. I’ve done it. Sometimes, it works. My first job was unpaid and the connections I made there have spurred most of my industry career. However, the people and companies I was working with were vetted industry professionals who were recommended to me by multiple colleagues.

There are a few difference with these situations that make up the foundation for how I personally decide if it’s viable to work on a project for free:

• Credibility of the offer. If this is a reputable company/crew within the industry then I’d be more likely to agree. If the offer comes from someone with little to no experience then I’d be wary. Not that they’ll all ask you to break the law, but most people without experience don’t understand just how much work it entails and therefore will be more likely to take you and your work for granted.
• Personal level of experience. I learned so so much from that first unpaid film I worked on and, as it was my first experience in the industry, that experience was invaluable. As I said, your time and effort are always worth compensation but, I think it’s worth saying, the more experienced you are the less you should consider unpaid work.
• Current financial standing. If you are not financially stable enough to take on unpaid work then don’t let anyone talk you into it. It is never necessary to work for someone else for free to get into this industry. Can it help? Sure. But there is always someone willing to pay for your effort. If it’s experience you’re lacking, then invest in your own projects. You can practice shooting by yourself on your phone. Make a few shorts to build up your portfolio and just keep trying until you land that first professional gig. It’ll be harder if you refuse unpaid work but it won’t be impossible.
• Consider your passion. This is probably the biggest one for me (second only to financial standing). Was I willing to trespass on private property for an unpaid docuseries with a team that neither respected me nor my skills? Hell no. Would I trespass for a film that I was excited about with a team of my favorite colleagues? For legal purposes, also no (but I think we all know the answer here). If you have the time and the financial stability to volunteer on projects that you’re passionate about, then by all means do.

You deserve to be paid, of course, and please at least have that discussion with the person inviting you to the crew. But, if you’re passionate about a project and a team and if you’re in the position to take on that work, then don’t write it off right away. Just make sure to remember that you and your work are worthy of financial compensation and be honest about how much you’re willing and able to take on for the sake of the projects you’re invited to join.