Overtime and the DOP

[Aaron Francis Farrugia]

Just a question out of interest .... Do cinematographers charge for overtime in the countries your from?

I've heard mixed things about this in countries outside of Australia

[Brian Drysdale]

It depends on your agreement with the production company, some are for 12 hour days as standard, others may have 8 or 10 hour days plus overtime.

[David Mullen ASC]

Generally on a union shoot, you are paid hourly so the rate changes as you go into overtime -- when overtime begins and by how much depends on the contract you are working under. But as a DP you make a deal for a weekly rate, so the accountant may break that up into a hourly rate based on a 12 hour day rather than an 8 hour day for the payroll company to calculate. So on some shows, it seems like I get the same flat rate every week whereas the crew's checks vary more by the amount of overtime, and on other shows, my check also varies more depending on the hours.

 

It's important though that your hours worked are accurate on your time card because that time is used to calculate your union pension and welfare contributions and qualifications.