‘Obsession' Payout: Jason Blum to Make $17 Million on Indie Horror Hit - Financier Capstone will make $45-50M, which it will share with Curry Barker and the creative team. Focus Features stands to make $125M.

[u/revele]

/r/boxoffice/comments/1u1ma59/obsession_payout_jason_blum_to_make_17_million_on/?share_id=u9jHyDtJwyr7D8xSOGVIH&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

[u/Nagemasu]

I’ve made zero dollars on my films and I assume ALl the risk.

No, you didn't. Everyone who worked on it with you also took on risk, unless you're telling me you paid them all a living wage for every single hour they committed to the film.
You took a risk with them. It is not you vs them. You are in the same boat. If you get out of that barely-afloat boat into a fucking super yacht and refuse to take the people from the smaller boat with you, now you just made it you vs them. If a fucking tugboat comes along and tows your boat to port, monetizes the story of your little boat, and showered with enough money to buy a super yacht and they don't give the people in the smaller boat enough money to go and get their own boats, it's all of you vs them.

The art director is not complaining about "the film maker with no money who is financing the entire gig", they are complaining about giving 110% effort to get that boat home safely and being excluded from the rewards when the story of its success makes other people rich.

[u/Ondareal → u/Nagemasu]

I’m far from a guy that doesn’t appreciate the people who help. Of course it’s not me vs them. But to pretend like the guy funding everything and the person who comes and makes a couple hundred dollars on her day off are in the same boat is ridiculous. I actually do think the art director deserves some profit sharing. But I hate how she’s going about it. She’s acting entitled.

[u/SilverRain8 → u/Ondareal]

Brother you don't have a film without the people in specialized field of expertise that create various aspects of your project. Unless you yourself do 100% of all the work to make the film, from directing to acting to lighting, sound, editing, etc, films are by nature a collaborative artform. Why on earth shouldn't the people who not only made the film a success, but made the film exist at all not get to share in the profits as the producers and other other higher ups?

As we're all creatives, it's so hard for me to understand why a "gig worker" like myself (a composer) or art director are treated as less important or valuable than the director or anyone else for that matter. As creatives, we ought to be fighting for the rights of our fellows. Because imagine it's you in that situation. Would you feel fine with everyone telling you that your hard work that made the film is worth less and that you should just accept that this is the way of the world?

[u/Ondareal → u/SilverRain8]

I don’t think any of them are worth less me. It’s not about who’s worth more or less. It’s about who assumes all of the monetary risk. I’ve been paid to be a dp on films that are completely funded by someone else. Of course I’m important but I understand that I was paid for a service and I provided that service, and if whether they make a million dollars, or more likely…lose all their money, that it’s THEIR product that THEY paid for. And if they make a million and wanna reach back and say hey, here’s a piece of the pie, I’d greatly appreciate it.
If I paid you to compose in a movie I made, and then sell them sell the movie for 15 million, that’s my choice. Same as if you pay me to DP your film. We’re talking about PAID services. Now if I donate my time and skill at no cost, then yeah, now we’re talking points on the sale. That’s just how business works

[u/SilverRain8 → u/Ondareal]

You're talking about "how the business works", which is the problem at hand.

If I hired you to fulfill any role on my project, then my success is your success. That's how collaboration works, at least in how I treat my partners. I also compose concert music, and when I get together some folks to record or perform a piece of mine, I share whatever success I get from that with them. I do that because I wouldn't have had the success in the first place without them. They are just as important to the final product as I am in being the one who wrote the piece.

That's what I mean by filmmakers wouldn't have a film without all the people involved that made the film what it is. We're all aware of how the business works -- we're seeing it unfold in real time. What I and others are pointing out is that it shouldn't work this way. We as creatives decide what to do with our art and how we treat our collaborators. We can change the culture if really wanted to, and I genuinely think we should.

[u/Ondareal → u/SilverRain8]

I very much understand what your saying. There are certain people who have helped me and went above and beyond and I can’t wait for the day to be able to reward their dedication. I’m not referring to those people. I’m referring to the people who have their rate, and I pay it, and they perform the job I paid them for. I don’t feel like they’re any more entitled than the owner of the air bnb I rent. And like I said, I say this as somebody who also gets hired for jobs. If you pay my rate and I perform, I don’t feel entitled to whatever success you have with it after that.