Producing : Webseries do's vs. don'ts and to go union vs non-union by Brett Golov

Brett Golov

Webseries do's vs. don'ts and to go union vs non-union

Hi there, I guess my first main question is, I am in search of some experienced webseries producers who can enlighten me on the do's and don'ts of going union vs. non-union; are there was around having insurance?

Simon © Simon

Insurance, medics and an LLC is the way to protect yourself. Once someone hurts themselves trust me when I tell you a lawyer will appear like mosquitoes at dusk. Imagine someone hurts their back on set, steps wrong and turns their ankle. They will want to sue you and or put a lien on your movie. At the minimum.

Brett Golov

thanks for your input simon simon

Brett Golov

anyone else have 411?

Samuel V Langford

You should always have insurance Brett, about Union versus non... There are many that would advocate only going Union all the time and many that would say only go Non... my opinion is pretty common sense... go union if you have the budget, if you can't now...you can always go Union later after you make your indie hit movie.. and follow it up with a film with a bigger budget.

Brett Golov

hi samuel thanks for your input; i am planning on making some webisodes - it's not a movie; i was curious if anyone has had experience making webisodes and what they did

Brett Golov

Let me maybe rephrase my question; has anyone on this stage 32 community created a webseries, and if so, please share your experience with how you put together your production, union vs. non-union, how did you assemlbe your crew, etc - thanks to any and all who share their experiences

Samuel V Langford

actually Brett, if you already have the script, just have an experienced line-producer put a budget on it that fits the scope of production you intend to produce... could be a tier 1 union shoot or an indie... if you plan on using sag actors depending on the number of webisodes you plan to shoot at once, you might qualify for the SAG short contract, meaning it's 30 minutes or under running time and under 50k budget... which would save you a ton of money... but talk to a good line producer... that's their place in the mix to help you budget and give advice on the different union specifications and which tier to go with... whether complete union or indie or a combination... you might have an indie crew but SAG actors or all Union based on some form of modified agreement depending on your circumstance. and the best way to assemble your crew... hire a good line producer.

Simon © Simon

You might want to check out some books. At least they usually are credible. Things like Make your own damn movie comes to mind. Personally the indy scene in AZ where I live is bumping pretty good. Where I am at a meetup at least once a month if not three. That networking is where you find an insurance agent whole give you a ryder for your whole shoot for a 100 bucks (maybe) due to what you are shooting, stunts if any. Your city will modify event permits to reflect a green light to shoot on the court steps. (with that insurance ryder) Many times charm and honesty will get you free location. Where you need a location release. I started a comedy webseries and actually have one current. IF you head to my profile (which you prob already did since you Networked with me,,,) Follow the links to see I did most with green screen. I am not sure if you are trying to shoot location mini series, but I would recommend at the least find meetups via yahoo meetups in your area. Attend many network and kiss a lot of frogs to find your partners. *TIP shoot many episodes (at least three) out front and leave it open to kill off anyone or so they won't be missed. I assume you are trying to get free help. That means you are low priority no matter how much YOU care about the project. Three episodes gives you time to replace if you have subscribers and one or two move on...

Other topics in Producing:

register for stage 32 Register / Log In