Working Conditions in Netherlands
General
In The Netherlands are no strict rules for working hours and rates.
You have to negotiate with each crew member, or arrange a budget with the Head of Department, who usually will make the deals with the assistants (for example: light, grip, make-up, wardrobe).
Permits
The Netherlands is part of the EU. No special working permits needed.
Working hours
- For feature films a working day is 10 hours including 30 minutes lunch.
- Maximum travel time (not paid) per day is 1. Or 2 hours in case of 12 hour deal that starts from home.
- Also common: 10 hours 15 minutes of shooting including 45 minutes lunch.
Standard (most common) day scheme:
- 07.45 hrs: Breakfast
- 08.00 hrs: CREWCALL
- 13.00 hrs: Lunch (30 minutes)
- 18.00 hrs: WRAP
Overtime
Depending on negotiations:
- After 10 hours: 150% (or first hour 125% before going to 150% for the 2nd hour)
- For some projects it’s possible to deal just 100% for the first 2 hours but it’s gets less common to do this.
- After 12 or 14 hours: 150% or 200%
- Flat fees are always including overtime.
- A 12-hour deal is also often made, which means 12 hours working day, incl travel time. In this case overtime would be 150% after 12 hours.
- Turnaround needs to be at least 10 hours - meaning crew should be at home for 10 hours, it doesn’t include travel time.
- weekend rates are sometimes 150% of the normal day rate, depending on the sort of production. But still negotiable.
Night shoots
- Same fee as daytime shoots, although this is changing, especially for the technical crew.
- After a night shoot follow 2 unpaid days off or 1 paid sleeping day.
Rates
- Most Heads of Department get flat deals for the whole production.
- Production crew gets mostly paid by month.
- Sometimes the script supervisor as well, due to long prep
- All other crew members get daily rates.
- In the Netherlands, all crew members are self-employed and bill their services to production services. All fringes are included. With the exception of full-time in-house staff, this is the status of every crew member.
- See PDF of average rates
Allowances
- Car: € 0,19/km
- Car: € 0,28 - 0,45/km (when transporting equipment)
- Truck: € 0,55 - 1,00/km
- Per diems vary (15 - 35 euros per day)
Actors' Rates
There are no standard rates for actors in The Netherlands. It depends on experience, quality and popularity. Rehearsals and fittings are paid 50%, or included in the flat deal for the main actors.
Agency fee is usually between 12 and 15%.
For children on set are very strict rules.
- Until the age of 13 they are officially not allowed to work at all but exceptions for film are possible. Under 13 there are even more rules but it is possible, depending on the sort of production. Only the Dutch producers can apply for permissions. From the age of 16 there are only rules on the length of working days and weeks.
- Check Labour inspection: www.arbeidsinspectie.nl (also in English)
- Special note: when children do other work like theater, this also counts for the total amount of days per year they are allowed to work.
Extras
Day rates for extras + fees from casting agencies:
- Extras € 35 - 50 to be paid on set (also possible throug agencies by bank)
- Fee € 20 - 25 invoice from the agency
- Specials € 50 - 150 to be paid on set (also possible throug agencies by bank)
- Fee € 35 - 50 invoice from the agency
- For epic films, add around 20 euros per person for fittings.
- Some agencies also use a fee when the hair has to be cut.
When you're not working with a casting agency, extras are usually paid 35 - 40 euros on set. Catering for extras is seperate from crew & cast when there is a large amount of extras. If there is a small group of extras, they get the same catering as crew & cast.
Sources of information and useful addresses
- Dutch Directors Guild www.directorsguild.nl
- Dutch Assistant Directors Club www.assistantdirectors.nl
- Start page for Dutch film and television industry www.filmstart.nl or www.filmindustryguide.nl
- Labour inspection: www.arbeidsinspectie.nl (also in English)
- The Netherlands Film Fund www.filmfonds.nl
- National Broadcasters Coproduction Fund www.cobofonds.nl
- Netherlands Society of Cinematographers www.cinematography.nl
- Association for Dutch film sound www.vcafilmsound.nl