HOW MUCH EVERYONE GETS PAID ON MOVIE SET?

WANT TO MAKE MONEY IN HOLLYWOOD? Sadily, the chances of becoming a movie star are about 1 in 1,190,000, according to The Book of Odds.

It’s much easier to make it behind the camera, however, where, even if you don’t make millions, you can still earn a decent living.

So how much do people in show business really make’? The Hollywood Reporter published typical salaries for a variety of jobs on small- and big-budget movies. We combined THR’s numbers with additional data from salary research site PayScale.com and a Vanity Fair project about a theoretical $200 million budget film to get a sense of what you can truly expect to make if you break into Hollywood.


MAKEUP ARTIST

Film industry makeup artists earn about  $48 to $79 an hour, depending on the size of the production, notes The Hollywood Reporter. That’s way
above what PayScale reports as the job’s nationwide median pay of $18 an hour.



CAMERA OPERATOR

A camera operator’s median earnings in the film or television business are just under  $50.000 a year. But the lucky few who score gigs on big-budget films can take home three times that amount.


SCREENWRITER

Writers Guild rules stipulate screenwriters earn at least  $72,600 for an original film script ($63500 for an adaptation), but The Hollywood Reporter says stars like Aaron Sorkin can demand $3 million to $5 million. Annual median pay is $72,414.

PRODUCER

PayScale reports that the median annual salary for a producer in TV and films is just $66,121. However, the typical Hollywood film producer earns $750,000 to $1 million per movie. Producers behind a box office  smash can pull in tens of millions.


DIRECTOR

Big-budget directors make around $500,000—until they have a hit, says The Hollywood Reporter. Patty Jenkins, who reportedly took home $1 million for Wonder Woman, will earn $8 million to $9 million for the sequel.


BOOM OPERATOR

The boom operator, who dangles the microphone above actors’ heads  (but outside the camera frame),  earns about $31,000 working on low-
budget films. And that goes way up on big projects, according to The Hollywood Reporter.


KEY GRIP

The key grip, who oversees equipment supporting cameras and lighting—such as dollies, tripods, and cranes— makes an estimated $113,920 on a big-budget film, and $25 to $35 an hour on TV shows and low-budget films.


ACTOR

A-list stars routinely make $15 million to $20 million for leading roles in big-budget movies. Meanwhile, lesser- known actors like Gal Gadot in Wonder  Woman might get only $150,000 to $300,000. According to PayScale, the median salary for an actor or actress in general—in plays, TV, and the movies, without regard to the size of the role—is far, far less: $50,529 per year.