The Spine of Fairness

A few Instagram posts caught my attention. They spoke of films, of crews, of the unseen weight behind the images. They argued that pay should be equal, since everyone spends their time.

Over twenty years, I learned this: PAY SHOULD BE FAIR.

Fairness is not about flattening pay into identical sums. Time matters, yes — but responsibility defines weight. A lead actor carries more than an extra. A DOP shoulders more than an AC. The director carries the greatest creative responsibility, while the producer steers the production. And both, in different ways, answer to investors.

I also noticed fairness is not charity. It is recognition. It is sustainability. It is the spine of filmmaking. Producers should adopt union benchmarks even in non‑union contexts. They must understand that fairness protects the creativity they depend on.

The point is simple:

Everyone deserves fair pay measured by responsibility as well as time.

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