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Following all the rules and regulations around SAG paperwork is complex. It takes time and practice to master. Every actor’s deal is different - whether they are booked daily, weekly, or - for a select few - booked on a SAG Schedule F contract.
But what is a Schedule F SAG contract used for? How does it differentiate from other contracts on your TV show or film? And how do Wrapbook’s new features make SAG Schedule F contracts easier to account for than ever?
Read on to find out!
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The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) governs all the rules and regulations around employing actors in Hollywood productions.
The union has developed a variety of different contracts that actors and productions can use to tailor employment to both parties' needs.
A Schedule F SAG contract - also known as “deal performer” contract - is used to employ an actor on a film or television show for a specific period of time.
As opposed to a daily or weekly contract, SAG Schedule F deals are usually reserved for lead or supporting actors who are needed for the entire run of a given project.
The SAG Schedule F rates guarantees a minimum of $80,000 for run-of-the-picture deals for film and $32,000 for TV, though that can be negotiated up based on the length of the shoot.
These numbers in this article are subject to change.
Finding the correct SAG agreement for your project can be tricky. Take our quick quiz and we’ll point you to the contract that’s yours.
Take the QuizSAG-AFTRA Schedule F contracts offer several benefits to parties on both sides of the deal. Unlike many industry contracts, Schedule F SAG deals are relatively straightforward.
They are a “X amount of money for Y amount of time” agreement that reflects SAG Schedule F rates.
Let’s take a look at how the structure of these SAG Schedule F deals make everyone’s lives easier.
The SAG Schedule F contract was introduced in 1952 and was negotiated between the studios and SAG. Since then, it’s been employed in a number of ways on both independent films and major productions.
In indie film, SAG Schedule F is used to pay negotiated flat rates to stars over the course of small productions.
These rates free the producer from having to worry about rehearsals and overtime fees that come with daily or weekly deals. The SAG Schedule F contract covers all of that.
(SAG Schedule F is just the tip of the iceberg here. Make sure to check out our guide to how to pay actors on low-budget features for more.)
Over time, SAG Schedule F deals have changed with the industry’s ever-expanding media universes. The same tools that were once used to book talent for a few weeks for a small fee are now used to guarantee their availability over multiple films and television shows.
For producers, a Schedule F SAG contract is a reassurance that the leads and supporting cast are locked in for the run of the show. For some performers, they offer a very different set of benefits.
Important to note - not all actors prefer working under Schedule F, but for those that do, the biggest appeal is the certainty of it. In a bumpy industry that offers very little in the way of a “sure thing,” Schedule F SAG contracts give performers some financial security for the length of a production.
It’s easier to plan a year around a guaranteed amount of work and money than daily or weekly fees that can be curtailed for any number of reasons.
Plus, when a SAG-AFTRA Schedule F deal is made to attract name talent to a small project, producers usually pair the offer with some other financial incentives. These incentives can include things such as lucrative back-end points or producer fees.
In cases such as these, the upfront money might be limited, but the financial potential on the backend is extremely appealing.
Payroll companies should make paying Schedule F easy... Let’s take a look at how you can pay out a SAG-AFTRA Schedule F contract using Wrapbook’s new SAG Schedule F feature.
With Wrapbook, you can pay SAG members on platform and off-platform, supporting SAG escrow for loan-outs. Learn all about how Wrapbook handles SAG escrow here.
The first step is to classify your talent as working under SAG Schedule F rates.
To do this, simply select the actor or actress in Wrapbook and scroll down to make sure “Guild” is “SAG-AFTRA” and “Job Title” is “Schedule F.”
Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the actor’s page to make sure the salary that has been agreed to is filled in accurately!
Once these details are filled out, the performer’s page will mark them as “Schedule F.” When clicking the Schedule F chip, it opens a drawer that provides Help education on Schedule F.
From here, it’s easy to set up Schedule F payables in Wrapbook.
One way to do this is to go into “Timecards and Expenses.” From there, you can scroll to the right and select “Schedule F.” A menu of actors will open and allow you to select the appropriate name and how much you would like to pay them.
Wrapbook has also introduced a SAG Schedule F Payment Tracker that makes keeping track of expenses easier than ever.
The second way to create a Schedule F payable in Wrapbook is to click the ”Create Payment / Record Escrow Transaction” button on this widget. From here, it’s easy to log in a new payment and watch the payment tracker update in real time.
Finally, Wrapbook allows you to pay a Schedule F SAG contract by creating a timecard.
Once on the timecard page for the selected actor, forget about filling out the usual details of a timecard. Just select the Schedule F Payment Tracker at the top and input the necessary payment information.
The SAG Schedule F is a valuable tool in a producer’s arsenal. It makes scheduling and budgeting a little simpler.
If you need more support for SAG Basic, review our SAG Agreement Finder. By answering just a few questions, we can point you towards which agreements are best for your project. If you want to go deeper into SAG Escrow and how Wrapbook handles it, go here.
At Wrapbook, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding free resources to producers and their crews, but this post is for informational purposes only as of the date above. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances.
Chris Cullari is a writer/director based out of Los Angeles. His most recent film, THE AVIARY, is available for streaming on Paramount Plus and Showtime. You can find him tweeting about monsters, pro-wrestling, and horror movies.
