Director Employment Agreement
(Theatrical Motion Picture)

Summary

This director employment agreement template is a fully-negotiated agreement between a director and production company for services in connection with a motion picture. This template includes practical guidance, drafting notes, alternate clauses, and optional clauses. This agreement is a direct employment agreement between a director and a production company. Note, however, that directors, like performers and producers, frequently form their own corporations, called loan-out companies or lenders, which then loan the directors' services to the production company. The agreement for the loan of a director is very similar to that used for employment of a director. (One noteworthy exception concerns the application of workers' compensation insurance, since a director provided through a loan-out company will rarely carry his own workers' compensation insurance and will probably want to be covered by the production company's insurance.) If your agreement involves a loan-out company, modify this template so that the production company enters into an agreement with the loan-out company, and require the individual director to sign an Inducement Letter (set forth in Optional Exhibit A). For a collection of content related to motion picture production, see Motion Picture Production Resource Kit. Since certain terms will almost always be included in a director employment agreement, the main variations appear in terms of salary range and various additional benefits that may be obtained as the result of negotiations. If the director is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the applicable agreement should be considered with respect to base or minimum requirements for clauses such as compensation and credit. For additional guidance on director employment agreements, see Motion Picture Production Agreements and Documents — Talent Agreements and Entertainment Industry Contracts P 10.01.