Negotiation was a skill every producer had to master. Sitting across from actors or agents to hammer out terms was a regular part of the job.
As a business negotiation, it had to stay within commercial law and work inside the framework of industry regulations.
This was where all those hours Ryan had put into studying the Entertainment Act and industry conventions actually paid off. He had hired a professional entertainment lawyer to sit in on the negotiations, but without a working knowledge of the basics himself, he would have been completely lost.
Fortunately, The Purge hadn't signed with any union. It was a non-union project, which meant none of those tedious guild regulations applied.
The unions here weren't just for show. When they decided to make things difficult, they could make life miserable. In practice, many crew members were union members, and strictly speaking the union discouraged them from taking non-union work, but generally the union didn't bother enforcing it.
The independent film world was chaotic by nature. Woody Allen hadn't joined any Hollywood union, yet he regularly worked with cast and crew from various guilds.
"Mr. Anderson, fifty thousand dollars is not excessive."
A middle-aged blonde woman who bore a noticeable resemblance to Amanda sat across the sofa and smiled. "Amanda is not a newcomer just starting out. She is worth this price."
The ask was steep, but Ryan wasn't rattled. He said slowly, "Mrs. Seyfried, that price is too high."
Mrs. Seyfried thought back to the appreciation she had seen on his face during the audition yesterday and pressed her case. "The crew plans to film for two months. Sixty days works out to less than a thousand dollars a day. That's only slightly above the minimum salary set by the Actors Guild."
Ryan didn't push back directly. He said, "As far as I know, Amanda hasn't joined any of the three major actors' unions, and The Purge would be the first film or television production she has actually worked on."
Mrs. Seyfried cut in. "The crew still has to follow union regulations."
Ryan smiled. "The Purge hasn't signed with the Actors Guild, so union compensation rules don't apply here. Mrs. Seyfried, you're not an agent, are you?"
The union also required that its members find work through an agent.
"I am Amanda's manager!" Mrs. Seyfried shot back. Strictly speaking, a manager couldn't source work for a client, so she pivoted quickly. "Amanda started as a child model at eleven and has done many children's commercials. She's very well-liked. Mr. Anderson, I watched all the child actors who came in to audition."
She played what she figured was her strongest card. "Is anyone more beautiful, more cute, or more appealing than Amanda?"
Ryan waited without filling the silence.
Mrs. Seyfried answered herself. "No."
That was obvious enough that Ryan didn't argue it. He nodded. "You have a point."
"Forty thousand dollars." Mrs. Seyfried kept her expression serious, but inwardly she was pleased. She had read this young man correctly during the audition. She pressed the advantage. "With Amanda's qualities, she deserves a salary to match."
Ryan said, "She does deserve a salary that matches her qualities."
Mrs. Seyfried felt the tension go out of her shoulders. Settled.
He was twenty years old and inexperienced. When he found someone he liked, a little bias was inevitable.
Ryan looked at Mrs. Seyfried, the background information Robert had found running quietly through his head. His expression stayed easy.
What drove parents to put children as young as ten into the entertainment industry?
If they came from a performing family, the industry was a natural path, and the connections were already there. But for ordinary families, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the answer was money.
All things considered, this Mrs. Seyfried was more responsible than most. The parents of someone like Macaulay Culkin were a different story entirely. A child star ending up with that kind of parent was more than just bad luck.
Ryan kept his smile and still didn't push back directly. He laid it out slowly. "The commercials Amanda appeared in, the longest one only aired for two months. She has never served as a brand spokesperson."
Mrs. Seyfried's relaxed expression tightened.
Ryan continued. "She has not appeared in any television show or film to date, so there is no established public profile to speak of."
Mrs. Seyfried instinctively wanted to argue but couldn't find the footing. Everything he was saying was accurate.
Ryan took a sheet of paper from his drawer, one he had prepared that morning, and passed it across. He blended the real and the constructed carefully. "After the audition yesterday, I had people go to five high-traffic locations around Los Angeles and run a quick survey. Four hundred and fifty-seven people participated. Every single one of them had no idea who Amanda Seyfried was."
He said it without any edge. "In other words, she currently has no public profile and no ability to draw an audience to the film on her own."
Mrs. Seyfried turned through the survey sheet, her expression shifting.
"For the film and television industry, Amanda is a complete newcomer," Ryan said. "She doesn't even have a credit as an extra."
Mrs. Seyfried went quiet. This young man was nothing like the way he had come across yesterday.
She took a short breath. He hadn't contradicted her once directly, but through one side argument after another he had quietly taken apart every advantage she had put forward, until there was nothing left to stand on.
This wasn't a twenty-year-old with no experience. This was someone who knew exactly how to negotiate.
The rhythm of the conversation had been his from the beginning. Mrs. Seyfried found herself asking, "How much are you offering Amanda?"
Ryan said directly, "Six thousand dollars." He smiled. "Based on a sixty-day shoot, that works out to a hundred dollars a day."
Mrs. Seyfried shook her head immediately. "That's too low. Amanda is one of the leads. Will she be included in the promotional work when the film comes out?"
In most cases, the fixed fee paid to actors covered not just their performance but everything connected to the film's release: press conferences, interviews, stills, promotional materials, trailers, and all forms of media outreach.
"If you prefer not to participate, I won't push it." Ryan kept his tone pleasant and found the pressure point directly. "This is an R-rated film. Amanda's age makes her participation in the promotional campaign a complicated matter anyway."
That landed. Mrs. Seyfried's composure slipped. "The crew cannot leave Amanda out of the promotional plan."
Promotion built visibility, and visibility was directly tied to future earnings.
When Ryan needed to close, he didn't stall. He held up one finger. "Ten thousand dollars. That's my final offer. If we can't get there, then I'm sorry."
The project's actual budget was tight. He had to find savings wherever he could on the talent side.
He added, "Amanda's daily filming time will not exceed six hours. The crew will bring in a private tutor specifically for her. She won't be asked to take part in any dangerous activities or anything that could affect her health."
He let the pressure ease for a moment. "As her legal guardian, you're welcome to be on set throughout the entire shoot. You'd receive the same treatment as regular crew members. All of it can go into the contract."
No out-of-pocket costs for food or lodging. Mrs. Seyfried's face finally softened. "Fine."
The salary was settled. But the hardest part of any actor negotiation, the treatment clauses, had only just begun.