{"id":133645,"date":"2025-05-18T15:25:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T15:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/equal-pay-initiative-by-sing-sing-filmmakers-for-hollywood\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T15:25:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T15:25:16","slug":"equal-pay-initiative-by-sing-sing-filmmakers-for-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/equal-pay-initiative-by-sing-sing-filmmakers-for-hollywood\/","title":{"rendered":"Equal Pay Initiative by ‘Sing Sing’ Filmmakers for Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revolutionizing Independent Filmmaking: The Ethos Initiative<\/h2>\n
\n

\n What if there was a way to **cut filmmaking costs**, while empowering every member of your **cast** and **crew** with the promise of **equality**, **transparency**, **vested interest**, and potential **pay** on the backend? Oscar-nominated filmmaking duo **Greg Kwedar** and **Clint Bentley** are doing just that with their plan that could save **independent filmmaking** and even **disrupt** the entire industry. They created **Ethos** \u2014 an **equal pay initiative** that not only pays back investors, cast, and crew but also brings everyone into a form of partnership. Their aim is to share this **vision** with the industry.\n <\/p>\n

\n Kwedar and Bentley started making features with **Transpecos**, directed by Kwedar, followed by **Jockey**, directed by Bentley, and then **Sing Sing**, also directed by Kwedar and led by **Colman Domingo**. Their next project will be **Train Dreams**, featuring stars like **Joel Edgerton** and **Felicity Jones**.\n <\/p>\n

Understanding the Ethos Concept<\/h2>\n

\n The idea for **Ethos** originated with a commitment to **fair pay** for everyone involved in filmmaking. “Starting with everybody\u2019s going to get paid the same rates,” says Bentley. “Then it got more exciting, thinking about the **creative equity** side of **independent film** and cleaning that up in the same way the investor side is very clean.” This concept has led to a model that is as **transparent** as possible, ensuring that “nobody has a bonus that everybody else isn\u2019t privy to.”\n <\/p>\n

\n Kwedar reflects on his experiences with previous films, stating, “We knew the way we made **Transpecos** didn\u2019t really yield success for our investors or ourselves.” As a result, they began to explore a new paradigm aimed at lowering risks without compromising film quality.\n <\/p>\n

The Three Tenets of Ethos<\/h2>\n

\n Bentley lays out a **three-tenet plan** for the Ethos initiative. The first tenet is the **equitable pay structure**: “Everybody is paid the same rate from the writer to the director, the star, and all the way through the production assistants and post-production,” he explains. This creates a standard that all can rely on.\n <\/p>\n

\n The second tenet is **standardizing equity**. The only difference in payment is based on the duration of work on the film. “Everyone who qualifies and works a minimum amount is party to the backend equity of the film,” Bentley states, leveling the playing field for all contributors.\n <\/p>\n

\n The third point is essential for financial transparency: Bentley says, “Finding a way to split money off the **gross** rather than the **net**.” This change redefines how profits are distributed among cast and crew.\n <\/p>\n

A Case Study: Jockey<\/h2>\n

\n Kwedar explains how these principles were effectively applied in **Jockey**. Traditionally, the first money earned would go to recouping the investors before splitting profits. “We adjusted the waterfall, initially giving 60% to investors and 40% to cast and crew until the investors got 120% back,” explains Kwedar. After that point, profits were split 50\/50 in perpetuity.\n <\/p>\n

\n This model ensured that even if the film only generated modest returns, there was something for the cast and crew for their **sweat equity**. Kwedar adds, “This required investors to put up less money upfront, ensuring that the artists involved also got a fair share.”\n <\/p>\n

Overcoming Challenges<\/h2>\n

\n Bentley acknowledges that this approach does not suit everyone. “Some crew members expressed concerns about needing a certain income for their families,” he notes. While some investors were resistant, the success of **Jockey** helped smooth over the skepticism. “After they saw the positive ramifications, they realized the potential,” he says.\n <\/p>\n

\n The enthusiasm surrounding **Sing Sing**, with its potential for **prestige** and **awards**, attracted Colman Domingo. “It was a chance to be involved in building something from the ground up,” Kwedar states, highlighting the actor’s commitment to the project.\n <\/p>\n

Future Endeavors with Ethos<\/h2>\n

\n Kwedar and Bentley see **Ethos** potentially expanding into the broader industry. They are raising funds with an eye on films of various scales. “Ideally, films that traditionally would cost $5 million can be made for under $2 million using this model,” Kwedar elaborates. They envision that first features like **Jockey**, which would usually require $1.5 million, can be created for **under half a million** within this **equity structure**.\n <\/p>\n

\n In conclusion, the **Ethos initiative** is more than just a funding model; it encapsulates a vision of a more equitable and inclusive **filmmaking** environment, bringing artists and investors alike into a closer partnership, and ultimately fostering a system where everyone has a stake in the success that follows.\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Magazine – 8<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Revolutionizing Independent Filmmaking: The Ethos Initiative What if there was a way to **cut filmmaking costs**, while empowering every member of your **cast** and **crew** with the promise of **equality**, **transparency**, **vested interest**, and potential **pay** on the backend? Oscar-nominated filmmaking duo **Greg Kwedar** and **Clint Bentley** are doing just that with their plan that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}