How Much Can You Make Behind The Scenes In Hollywood


Television Actor A new actor will typically make about $15,000 to $20,000 for each episode; while more experienced actors can make up to $150,000 for just one episode. James Spader from The Blacklist made $160,000 per episode of the second season. Jeff Garlin of the sitcom The Goldbergs earned $84,000 per episode. At the high end, actors like Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki of The Big Bang Theory now make $1 million per episode. Film Writers Film writers may go through a lot of scripts before they get one right, but an established writer can easily earn $1 million for a movie and that doesn’t include a bonus if they end up getting credited on the film. James Vanderbilt was paid $3 million from Sony for the movie White House Down. If editing is more of your thing, you can make up to $500,000 just to re-write or touch-up a script! Television Writers There is actually a scale for TV writers which is $25,048 for a half hour script or $37,368 for an hour long episode. Another way TV writers can be paid is from producing fees which can be $20,000 or $30,000 for an episode. Film Producer An established producer can make about $2 million up front and oftentimes a lot more on the backend. For producing Annie, Will Smith and James Lassiter’s Overbook Entertainment made $2 million. TV Series Creator Creating a hit show can really pay off and most of that money comes from producing fees. Jon Bokencamp made $37,500 for each episode of The Blacklist season two, while Vince Gilligan made $50,000 per episode of Better Call Saul. Craft Services – $1,200 per week. Gaffer – $45 per hour. First Assistant Director – $8,000 per week or $120,000 to $160,000 per movie. Script Supervisor – $40 per hour or about $7,000 per episode. Studio Chief – Base salary of $3 million to $5 million, not counting bonuses. Director of Photography – $10 thousand to $20 thousand per week. Makeup Artist – $60 per hour. TV Cameraman – $75 per hour or $8,000 for an hour long drama episode. Stunt Person – $889 a day or about $50,000 per film (insurance not provided). Second Unit Director – $20,000 per week. Extras – $150 to $200 per day.