Actor Agreement - Movie Law

This Deal Point Checklist is designed to highlight areas of importance when entering into an Actor Agreement for your film project. Attorney Michael Norman Saleman offers these Deal Point Checklists as a courtesy to users of this website. Contact Mr. Saleman if you need help with any of your project’s legal documentation.

Download (Actor-Agreement.docx ) and use this checklist when negotiating an Actor Agreement to assist you in reaching an agreement on major deal points. Return this Word document with the details to facilitate the drafting of your agreements.

Loan Out or Individual
Services
- Start Date
- Rehearsal Days
- End Date
- Sundays?
- Turnaround Time
- Free Days
  - Shoot/Reshoot
  - Dubbing, looping and wild lines
- Additional days
  - Pro rata fee
  - Special rate
- Exclusivity
- Retakes, added scenes, trailers, soundtracks, other languages
- Interviews, publicity, stills, fittings
- Story, song and production conferences
- Pre-recordings
- Promotion and publicity for completed motion picture
Compensation
- Monetary Fee
  - Guaranteed?
  - Pay or play
    - 10% immediately to agent escrow?
    - Balance on commencement of principal photography
  - Payable in portions during principal photography
- Cash Deferrals
- Contingent Compensation
  - Net or gross
Likeness, Image, etc.
- Approvals
- Limits
  - Sound recordings (use of voice)
  - Advertising (print and digital ads, movie posters, etc.)
  - Merchandising
  - Soundtracks
  - Paperback book cover
  - Multimedia products
  - Behind the scenes footage and stills
  - Non-photographic likeness (drawings or paintings, etc.)
  - Any restrictions on use of bloopers and outtakes
  - Biography
  - Wardrobe
  - Appearance
  - Make up person
- Merchandise royalties
  - Most favored nations with others (no one gets better or more)
Transportation and Expenses
- Type vehicle
- Driver?
- Per diems
- Lodging
- Dressing room (size, type, etc.)
Credits
- Size of type
- Paid ads
Other Perks
- Invitations to premieres/film festivals
- Travel and lodging to premieres/film festivals
- Free DVDs/BluRays of completed motion picture