Working Conditions in North Macedonia

General Info about North Macedonia

• The Republic of North Macedonia is a landlocked country in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe with total area of 25,713 km2. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. It shares borders with Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and Kosovo. The country’s geography is defined primarily by mountains, valleys and rivers. There are three large lakes – Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Lake Dojran – which lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania and Greece. Lake Ohrid is considered one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world.
• Its capital city, Skopje, is located in the Northwest part of the country and is home to roughly a quarter of the 2.06 million inhabitants
• Population: approx. 2,060,000 – Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Romani, Serbs, etc.
• Climate: Macedonia has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are hot and dry, and the winters are moderately cold.
• Government: Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition from the unicameral legislature (Sobranie), and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court.
• Religion: The majority faith in the Republic of Macedonia is Orthodox Christianity, making up 65% of the population, the vast majority of who belong to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Various other Christian denominations account for 0.4% of the population. Muslims are the second largest religious group, with almost 33% of the population, mainly the country’s ethnic Albanians.
• Language: Macedonian
• Currency: Macedonian Denar (MKD), 1 EUR = 61,5 MKD
• Time zone: CET (UTC+1)

Permit

North Macedonia is not part of the EU. Working permits are required and issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Shooting / Location permits have to be requested by the registered local (North Macedonian) production company.

Working Hours and Overtime

• 6 working days per week for feature films / 5 working days per week for series;
• Sunday is a day off by law, when companies, markets, shops, etc. are normally closed. Filming is possible on Sunday, and sometimes it is easier to organize filming on specific locations which are usually busy on a working day.
• There are 12 working hours per day = 11 hours of work and 1 hour lunch break.
• Lunch break must be given not later than 5 hours after crew call as per call sheet. (Can be negotiated on the spot).
• Turnaround time between work shifts is 11 hours; 35 hours on the day off.
• Overtime is calculated after the 12th hour from crew call and if the turnaround hours are less than 12h.
• The calculation for overtime is the daily rate/12h*150% per each hour.
• Sometimes we also work on 10 hours continuous day – without lunch break (lunch is running).
• We have also the practice of semi- continuous day 10 working hours +30 min. lunch break (not running).
• There is no OT during those days. If there is, then the calculation is the daily rate/10h*150% per each hour.
• In this situation the overtime starts after the 10th or 10:30th hour.
• If we do not give a day off on the 7th day of the week this day is calculated as overtime on the basis: daily rate*150%.
• Extras only have per diems, but they can’t work more than 14 hours a day.
• If filming is within 35 km from the base location, travel time is included in the working hours.
• No additional payment for night work.

Rates

There are no film workers unions in North Macedonia. There is a MACEDONIAN FILM PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION, which encompasses various member sections (Directors, Producers; Scenographers, Costume Designers and Makeup Artists; Editors and Sound Engineers; Animators and Cinematographers).

Film workers’ fees are negotiated individually for each project depending on the project’s budget. Please see chart for average fees valid for 2022/23. These rates are just an indication; actual rates are subject to negotiation. Usual daily fee is 1/6 of weekly fee.

Allowances

• Employer/Producer is to provide transport for the local crew and actors to/from shooting location or, alternatively, cover the corresponding transport / fuel cost. Some crewmembers like location, transport managers etc.… are compensated with car allowance (for example, use of own car per day).
• Employer/Producer is to provide transport for all of the foreign crew and actors to/from shooting location or, alternatively, cover the corresponding transport / fuel cost.
• Employer/Producer is to cover accommodation if crew members work outside of their home town.
• Employer/Producers are expected to pay crew members a per diem for work outside of their home town.
• Construction crew members working on a location without infrastructure or places to eat (mountains, fields etc.…) are to be provided a meal allowance or lunch (negotiable depending on the case).
• A minimum of one full meal, a sandwich, snacks coffee/tea and water is to be provided to everyone on set during a working day.
• Catering and craft crew members are to be included in the total crew member count for catering (negotiable depending on the case).

Actors & Extras

Actors’ working days are also 12 hours (wardrobe and makeup time usually included); normally no overtime (in the limits of common sense).

• Important actors day rates are usually 500€ - 1.000€
• Other actors day rates range from 250€ - 800€

Day rate for extras are usually 25€ - 75€ (the latter is for extras with a task). Working day is 12 hours and they receive two meals and craft during the shooting day.

Locations

Permits from the Police and local municipality are needed. Local production company requests for permits. Authorities are usually cooperative in these matters.

Fringes

10% on top of each wage is to be paid to the State.

VAT - 18%

The standard VAT rate in the country is 18%.

Cash Rebate - 20%

According to the national Law on Film, a film producer who has invested funds for filming in the Republic of North Macedonia may acquire the right to receive a refund of the amount equal to 20% of the gross expenditures made in the country.

Additional information on:

North Macedonia Film Agency
http://filmfund.gov.mk
https://www.facebook.com/northmacedoniafilmagency

Macedonian Film Professional Association
https://www.dfrm.org.mk

Prepared by:
Dejan Krajchevski, Producer, KRUG FILM (dejan@krugfilm.mk)