|
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
|
Author
|
Topic: How Much Do You Pay Your Staff?
|
|
|
Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 10-20-2000 05:47 PM
Interesting question. Here's what I've been paid at theatres (keep in mind taht I've never worked in a theatre full-time; this is just a hobby for me):
$7/hour - single-screen - projectionist, bank-drop guy, light cleaning of auditorium/lobby at night, fix-it guy for anything that required electricity, etc. ($7 was _not_ enough for this...anyone who has to deal with boxoffice reports and bank-drops like I was doing deserves more than that...this was not smart, especially since management was doing really sloppy accounting work and a few missing dollars could have easily gone unnoticed...fortunately for them, I was honest unlike one of their other employees)
$12.50/hour - multiplex - projectionist - probably a reasonable pay rate for a major metropolitan area and decent theatre
$15/hour - single-screen - emergency fill-in projectionist - this was probably too much for working in a fun little carbon-arc booth, but I've only done this on rare occasions where they couldn't find anyone else and would have had to have closed down the theatre otherwise...my commute sucked, though (2 hours each way in moderate traffic)
Personally, I'd think that most people who work in movie theaters aren't doing it for the money (esp. when Wal-Mart is paying $9.25/hour), but because it's more fun than working at McDonalds or someplace like that. The benefits (free movies, posters, etc.) are better, too. On the other hand, it's tough to get quality people and that is something that is especially important in an all-cash business. I'd say that $6/hour is probably fair for a starting wage for concessions/box/etc. if it's a fun theatre to work in. I would think that the gigaplexes should pay slightly more (though they probably don't). Wages for other employees (projectionist, manager, ushers, etc.) probably depend more on the market conditions...I guess the important thing is to pay something above minimum wage to anyone who needs to handle cash...
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 10-20-2000 05:52 PM
Oops, let me clarify.Federal Minimum Wage in the US is $5.15 per hour, currently. We pay or starting floor staff $6.00 per hour, to start. It is belived that the minimum wage a person needs to earn in the Bay area in order to live idependantly is $17.00 per hour. Under this theory, we aren't even paying ourselves as owners enough to live in the Bay Area I am interested in what other countries minimum wage is and what their starting floor staff makes.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000
|
posted 10-20-2000 08:06 PM
Minimum wage in Ontario, Canada for over-18 is $6.85 (about $4.60US). I suspect most theatre staffers here make that or less ($6.15) if they're kids. Don't let that shock you, things are generally a little cheaper up here right now, different economy. I've noticed that alot of consumer goods over the border has the same numeric price. We ain't buyin' though, cuz a greenback is $1.50 Canadian pesos! You could squeak by on minimum here in the rural parts (if you got 40hrs.), but up in the "Smoke" (Toronto), no way. (Not derogatory, people around here always called T.O. the "big smoke", many even commute and work there.)
| IP: Logged
|
|
Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999
|
posted 10-20-2000 10:05 PM
I could not make a decent wage working in any of the local theaters here. $6 an hour? Gaag. I'm making a little better than that, and even though the car is paid for, I still have to feed it, and pay house payments, utilities, and TAXES, not to mention feed myself. There is little left over for entertainment, etc. I dont even have my satellite turned on anymore. The cost of everything is getting crazy, yet the bottom line employees are still getting as little as possible. I am just thankful that my house payments are just a tad lower than rent on a house. I couldn't make it. I tend to stay home alot, because I really cant afford to do much of anything else.The main job that I have runs 35-45 hours a week. It's hard to cram another job in there, too. Here in Western NC, the job market is getting full, and the employers know it. Old high-paying jobs are going away and low paying replacements are coming in to take up the slack. I am worrying about our future here.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Gracia L. Babbidge
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 709
From: Bowdoin, Maine
Registered: Aug 2000
|
posted 10-21-2000 12:20 AM
Hmm... theaters around here don't tend to pay as well as other places of employment can. (L.L. Bean is one that comes to mind for paying better.  ) For the most part, starting wage at theaters around is the same as minimum wage with one chain, and a little bit higher with another. (I don't want to name names and point fingers, but I will say that the former, as a general rule doesn't treat their staff as well as the latter!)The first theater I was at, I started at $4.75/hour, which was minium wage at the time. After I had been there about six months, minimum wage went up to $5.15, and all the floorstaff that were at the theater earning minimum got raises to $5.25/hour. At that point I was solely a concessions attendant, box office attendant, and usher. Right after that raise was when I learned to be a projectionist.
After another few months at that theater, I got promoted to a supervisory position, and got a raise to $6.00/hour. A piddlance for the responisibilities that go along with the position!
It was a year and a half later, and after a transfer to another location, and going through several hellish months at that other location, before I saw another raise.  Too long of a space there, and too small of a raise.  It was only another $0.30/hour. Things got better when I started working for another chain entirely.  I got hired at $7.00/hour for being an almost-full-time projectionist, no floor duties!  Then going full time meant going on slavery....er, make that salary! And that works out to being a little over $8.00/hour. Yeah, I still don't have the best paying job, but I get paid decently for a job that I usually enjoy.  ~The Purple-Tressed Booth B*tch ------------------
In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic