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The following section contains information of specific interest
to producers. Here is where you will find information on the agreements,
the paperwork involved and other issues related to getting your
production up and running with us.
Becoming a Signatory Producer
How to engage ACTRA Members
Bringing American actors into the country with
you...
Low Budget Film Production - There Are Options!
A signatory Producer is one that has agreed to abide by the terms
and conditions of the Collective Agreement and is therefore allowed
to engage ACTRA members. A Producer becomes a signatory by signing
a Voluntary Recognition Agreement and other related documents. Once
a Producer has become a signatory, he/she is bound to the terms
and conditions of the agreement for any and all productions that
they undertake during the life of the Collective Agreement.
A Producer cannot simultaneously make union and non-union productions,
and all subsidiaries or otherwise related companies are legally
bound by the Voluntary Recognition Agreement.
If you wish to engage ACTRA Members, you must become a Signatory
Producer by executing the required documents. If you are a Signatory
Producer in one province, you can engage ACTRA Members anywhere
in the country, and do not have to re-sign when you change shooting
locations, except in the province of British Columbia.
When you become a Signatory Producer you are agreeing to abide
by all the terms and conditions of the Collective Agreement, including
all the rates and working conditions and all the terms governing
responsibility for payment of royalties and residuals in the future.
Those terms and conditions include giving preference of employment
to ACTRA Members.
All Producers working under the IPA must pay an administration
fee to ACTRA. The percentage of that administration fee depends
on whether or not the Producer is a member of the Canadian Film
and Television Production Association (CFTPA), or the Association
des Producteurs de Films et de Télévision du Québec (APFTQ), for
Quebec-based Producers.
Every Producer must sign a Voluntary Recognition Agreement. Once
you have completed that document, please contact the ACTRA office
to discuss providing them with the appropriate other documents.
They will provide you with contract forms, time sheets and remittance
statements (if required) as well as any other relevant material,
including print copies of the Collective Agreement.
Prior to commencing production, ACTRA requires each Producer to
arrange a pre-production meeting to discuss the specifics of that
production. Usually the Assistant Directors and Accounting staff
should attend these meetings as well. At this time, the ACTRA staff
will ask the production a number of questions related to the production
including such things as whether or not the film will be applying
for Canadian Content status, the names of key production personnel
and pertinent information about stunts and children.
Each Producer is required to post a security bond with ACTRA, which
is normally calculated at two weeks average payroll for the film.
This would include not just the basic fees but all sums for Pre-Payments,
Insurance and Retirement contributions and work permits. The bond
may also include calculations based on the contracted fees for the
'above the line' talent if other financial arrangements have not
been entered into on their behalf. The bond must be received by
ACTRA prior to the commencement of principal photography and will
be returned once the final payroll has been received, all payments
have been verified and all appropriate paperwork has been received
by the ACTRA office.
There are several procedures required before a non-Canadian citizen
can enter the country to work on a production, regardless of whether
or not it is a Canadian or U.S. based production.
ACTRA is prepared to issue work permits for the stars upon request
of the production, but generally any requests for other roles are
subject to greater scrutiny and proof that reasonable efforts have
been made to engage local personnel. ACTRA is prepared to provide
production with lists of casting and talent agencies, and if need
be, to assist production in identifying appropriate candidates for
difficult or specialized roles, and expects that producers will
make genuine efforts to hire here prior to signing a contract in
another country. We encourage productions to provide us with a complete
list of permit requests as early as possible in pre-production,
so that appropriate discussions can be held between union and production
personnel.
Approval from the appropriate guild must be sought prior to making
an application to the government authorities for the work visa.
Once approval has been received from government authorities, an
application is sent to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the
actual work permit. There are small fees payable for these applications.
Local production personnel are very familiar with the processes
and timeframes required to ensure that all paperwork is received
prior to a technician entering the country and we urge production
to consult with them early in pre-production.
Directors and certain art department personnel fall under the jurisdiction
of the Directors Guild of Canada. The Guild has its own procedures
and we suggest that you contact them early in the process as well.
ACTRA has a talented pool of actors, who are highly experienced.
They have worked on televisions series, documentaries, commercials,
feature films and large format films (ex: Imax) for Canadian, American
and European productions. It might interest you to know that it
takes six (6) separate speaking engagements under ACTRA's jurisdiction
to join, making entrance requirements substantially higher than
those required to join the Screen Actors Guild. An ACTRA membership
card is your proof of professionalism and ability.
We are confident that we have what you need in our membership and
that you will be pleased with the quality they bring to your film.
One of the biggest concerns we hear expressed from young filmmakers
or newer producers is the problem of trying to produce "union" on
small budgets. ACTRA is committed to supporting the independent
filmmaker and is sensitive to this type of production, so we have
created several possibilities for smaller budget productions to
be made under our jurisdiction. This section is designed to explain
some of those possibilities to you. Please don't hesitate to contact
your local ACTRA office to set up an appointment to discuss these
types of productions.
The CIPIP (pronounced see-pip) is the most commonly used of the
low-budget agreements. The basic principal behind the CIPIP is that
the performers are prepared to accept a discounted rate up front
in exchange for the right to share in revenues down the line. If
the film makes money, so do the actors. If the film does not make
money, the producer has minimized their upfront cost to the cast.
Designed to accommodate smaller productions, it covers films with
budgets up to $1.8 million dollars, television drama specials up
to $423,500 and television series with episode costs no higher than
$393,000. Depending on the size of the budget and the percentage
of Canadian cast, it offers discounts up to 45% on the basic rates.
There are conditions attached to these rates! (Please
see the full text downloadable on the Agreement and Forms page.)
- The producer must apply no later than 4 weeks before the beginning
of principal photography and must include properly certified copies
of the complete budget (including deferrals) any distribution
agreements and the script.
- The film must meet all Canadian content requirements. The percentage
of discount decreases if there is a non-Canadian in the cast.
- All markets cannot have been sold off to finance the production.
There must be significant markets available in which the film
can be sold in order to generate revenue.
- There are conditions affecting the front end screen and print
credits for the lead actors.
- Please see the full text of Appendix 18 (click on IPA agreement)
for the list of excluded projects, including short films)
You must call the ACTRA office to arrange a meeting
to see if your production qualifies under the CIPIP prior to auditioning
or offering employment to ACTRA Members.
The Co-Op Agreement is the union equivalent of "let's get together
and put on a show." When a group of ACTRA members decide jointly
to produce a film, this agreement offers one way of doing just that.
The key element here is that the project is jointly owned by the
ACTRA members, and at least 3 out the following 4 positions must
be held by ACTRA members: Lead Actor, Producer, Director, Writer.
The members must form a legal partnership and be more or less equal
shareholders in the property. Given the legal obligations binding
people together, this might not be the agreement for everyone. The
principal elements of the Co-Op Agreement at as follows:
- All the Performers must be Canadian Citizens or Landed Immigrants.
- Any performers participating in the production who are not shareholders
are to be paid as per the CIPIP agreement.
- The Partnership must apply to ACTRA at least 30 days in advance
of principal photography (and we recommend between 45 and 60 days)
and must submit (amongst other things) the legal partnership agreement,
the script and a certified budget.
- The production must be certified by ACTRA as a "co-op" production
prior to any auditions.
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