As Tollywood resumed film shootings from Thursday, September 1, the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) announced major guidelines to revamp the remuneration structure for those working in the industry and set a window for theatrical releases to stream on OTT platforms. A month ago, shootings were halted voluntarily by the Telugu Film Producers’ Council citing increasing production costs after the pandemic.
In an official release dated September 1, TFCC said that there will not be any per day payments for artists or technicians and that they will be paid on project basis depending on their role. It further said, “All artists’ remunerations shall include staff, local transport, local accommodation, special food, etc. The amount to be finalised by the producer on a role/film basis. The producer should not directly pay any amount related to artists except the agreed amount to the artists themselves.”
The same will be applicable for all major technicians as well. Earlier, the cost of production used to be manifold as all other expenses related to the actors were also borne by the producer in addition to the actors’ remuneration. Now, actors and technicians will have to manage the expenses of their staff as well as for their local travel.
The release also said that all remuneration related details should be signed as agreements and officially recorded before the commencement of the shooting. It was also agreed that the call sheet timings of each actor and technician should be strictly implemented and a daily report of the shooting be maintained.
TFCC said that the early release of content on various OTT platforms has become a concern for producers and exhibitors, as the number of people coming to the theatres to watch movies has been affected. Regarding this, the TFCC collectively decided that any theatrical release will stream on OTT platforms only after an eight-week window.
Further, it was also decided that the names of OTT or satellite partners will not be mentioned in the film titles or in the publicity material of theatrical releases.
Some other decisions regarding theatres and digital service providers will be finalised after a meeting that is scheduled on September 6.
TFCC said that all these decisions were taken after extensive discussions with all the stakeholders and third-parties in the industry, and that everyone has agreed to them. The decisions will be implemented from September 10, 2022.