Movie Director Training Class: Movie Director Salary Information

People think of movie directors as incredibly wealthy elites, spending massive amounts of money on their projects and earning considerable salaries in return. The truth is much more complex. While the Steven Spielbergs and Peter Jacksons of the industry do indeed make millions, most directors earn very modest salaries. They toil in indie productions, cable movies and direct-to-DVD efforts, happy to be practicing their craft and collecting any kind of paycheck.

Directors come from all walks of the film world. Some started as actors, while others were screenwriters or production assistants. The Director's Guild of America and other unions sponsor training programs for up-and-coming directors. Those who can't get into such programs either cut their teeth serving various roles on another director's movie or venture into the world of independent directing---raising money from sponsors and using it to fund and distribute their own works.

The Director's Guild of America is the industry's primary union for movie directors. It holds sway over most significant directing job opportunities in Hollywood, as well as dictating a base salary for its members. Joining the DGA is fairly difficult. You usually need to be associated with a production company that has an agreement with the guild, then get placed on a qualifying list. Once you qualify, you must pay an initiation fee and quarterly dues.

Base salary for DGA members depends on the budget of the film they're working on. For budgets below $1.5 million, base salary starts at about $10,000 per week. Budgets above that dictate a base salary of about $15,000 per week. Additional rules exist for short films, sequel rights and guaranteed periods of employment, which may add to the DGA member's salary.

Average annual salary for a movie director---whether DGA or not---depends largely on who you ask. CNN says it is about $30,000 a year, while Simply Hired calculates it at a slightly more than $47,000 a year. Those figures balance a staggering array of pay scales, from the biggest names, who command millions of dollars per film, to those just happy to complete a picture for nothing.

One big factor in the apparent discrepancy between the DGA's base salary and the average income is that directors rarely work full time. Individual projects may last a few weeks or months, and the pay from those projects needs to sustain the director for the long stretches when work is not available.

Movie Director Training Class

Movie Director Salary Information

Training

The DGA

Base Salary

Average Salary

Discrepancy