Skillset/UK Film Council Feature Film Production Workforce Survey 2008

4.2 Gross annual income from feature film work only

Respondents were also asked about their recent annual income from feature film work only.  As expected, these figures were lower than for audio visual income, given that film work often forms only part of many respondents’ total income, albeit a significant part. The mean annual earnings from film work stood at £27,699, equivalent to 82% of the mean income for audio visual work.

Please note it is not possible to make definitive comparisons with the income figures reported in 2005 because of differences in the way respondents were recruited. In consequence of the way respondents were contacted to participate in the survey, a far larger proportion of respondents to the previous survey had done no paid film work in the previous year, whereas the present sample was recruited through film productions they had been involved in.

Just 2% of respondents to the present survey had earned no income at all from feature film work in the past year, and a further 60% had earned less than £20,000 (47% less than £10,000). One fifth (21%) had earned between £20,000 and £39,999; 9% had earned between £40,000 and £49,999, and 10% had earned £50,000 or more from feature film work in the past year.

Again, there appeared to be a difference between the annual gross feature film income of men and women, although it is much less pronounced than was found in the 2005 survey report.  As Table 4.2.1 shows, 32% of women earned no income or less than £10,000 from feature film work in the past year, compared with 28% of men (in the 2005 findings the figures were 42% and 24% respectively).  And while 29% of men had earned £40,000 or more in the past year from feature film work, this was true for 19% of women. 

As was the case for audio visual income reported in section 4.1, further analysis revealed that women were significantly more likely to earn less film production income than male counterparts in the same age and occupational group. [1] And as previously noted, the particular lack of older women in the film production workforce prevents women as a group from achieving the higher level of income that older workers would expect to receive across all occupational groups. 

Table 4.2.1 Gross income from feature film work in the past year (by gender)

Note: mean income was calculated using the mid point value for each income band and excludes the no income category. A figure of £75,000 was used for the £75,000 or more band.

As with audio visual earnings more generally, feature film income increased with age.  Nearly three quarters of 16-24 year olds (72%) had earned no such income or less than £10,000 in the past year, compared with 34% of 25-34 year olds, 19% of respondents aged 35-49, and 13% of those aged 50+.

The proportion of workers earning £40,000 or more from feature film work in the past year increased from 13% of 25-34 year olds to 37% of respondents aged 35-49 and 34% of those aged 50 and over. No workers aged 16-24 earned this amount in the previous twelve months.

Table 4.2.2 Gross income from feature film work in the past year (by age)

Note: mean income was calculated using the mid point value for each income band and excludes the no income category. A figure of £75,000 was used for the £75,000 or more band.

The 2005 survey reported an apparent difference between the income from film work of different ethnic groups. However, the data reported in Table 4.2.3 do not reveal any statistically significant difference, indicating the gap between different ethnic groups in the lowest income band may have narrowed. In the 2005 survey report, 30% of ethnic minority respondents earned less than £10,000 form film work compared with 19% of their white counterparts. The present survey found these proportions are now evenly matched at 29%.

Table 4.2.3 Gross income from feature film work in the past year (by ethnic background)

Note: mean income was calculated using the mid point value for each income band and excludes the no income category. A figure of £75,000 was used for the £75,000 or more band.