Article C5 - Television Documentary (IPA 2024-2027)

Article C5 - Television Documentary

Writers of Television Documentaries shall be paid at least the following minimum Script Fees (based on the broadcast length of Program):

Script Fees and Production Fees for productions with Budgets of eighty-two thousand dollars ($82,000) or less are negotiable between the Writer and Producer.

C501

Documentary:

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$4,022	$4,183	$4,329
30 minutes or less	$8,043	$8,365	$8,658
60 minutes or less	$16,087	$16,730	$17,316
90 minutes or less	$24,132	$25,097	$25,975
120 minutes or less	$32,177	$33,464	$34,635
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C502

Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline:

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$1,209	$1,257	$1,301
30 minutes or less	$2,413	$2,510	$2,598
60 minutes or less	$4,827	$5,020	$5,196
90 minutes or less	$7,241	$7,531	$7,795
120 minutes or less	$9,654	$10,040	$10,391
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C503

Documentary Script based on a Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline which is provided by the Producer to the Writer, from which the Writer proceeds directly to a Documentary Treatment or Shooting Script without preparing a Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline. (This Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline shall be appended to the contract if not contracted under this Agreement.):

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$3,339	$3,473	$3,595
30 minutes or less	$6,678	$6,945	$7,188
60 minutes or less	$13,353	$13,887	$14,373
90 minutes or less	$20,030	$20,831	$21,560
120 minutes or less	$26,707	$27,775	$28,747
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C504

Documentary Rewrite:

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$1,167	$1,214	$1,256
30 minutes or less	$2,333	$2,426	$2,511
60 minutes or less	$4,665	$4,852	$5,022
90 minutes or less	$6,998	$7,278	$7,533
120 minutes or less	$9,331	$9,704	$10,044
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C505

Documentary Polish:

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$583	$606	$627
30 minutes or less	$1,167	$1,214	$1,256
60 minutes or less	$2,333	$2,426	$2,511
90 minutes or less	$3,498	$3,638	$3,765
120 minutes or less	$4,665	$4,852	$5,022
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C506

Written Narration other than by the Writer of a Television Script or Story and Television Script:

	May 22, 2024	March 15, 2025	February 1, 2026
15 minutes or less	$2,040	$2,122	$2,196
30 minutes or less	$4,082	$4,245	$4,394
60 minutes or less	$8,161	$8,487	$8,784
90 minutes or less	$12,246	$12,736	$13,182
120 minutes or less	$16,325	$16,978	$17,572
Over 120 minutes	calculated on the length of the program and based on the 30 minute rate

C507

A Television Documentary Script may be contracted:

i.	as an existing Script;
ii.	as a complete Script with or without right of termination;
iii.	as a Script from Outline or Proposal;
iv.	as the following single elements or components of a Script: Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline, Polish, Rewrite; as Narration without right of termination.

C508

When the Producer contracts for a Documentary Script that forms part of a Series, the Script Fee shall be paid as follows:

i.	on signing of the contract	10%
ii.	on delivery of the Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline	20%
iii.	on delivery of the Documentary Treatment or Shooting Script	40%
iv.	on delivery of the Final Script	30%
	OR
iv.	on delivery of the Documentary Rough Cut Narration Script	15%
	AND on delivery of the Documentary Final Narration Script	15%

C509

When the Producer contracts for a Documentary Script based on a Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline contracted under this Agreement, whether or not it forms part of a Series, the Script Fee shall be paid as follows:

i.	on signing of the contract	10%
ii.	on delivery of the Documentary Treatment or Shooting Script	60%
iii.	on delivery of the Final Script	30%
	OR
iii.	on delivery of the Documentary Rough Cut Narration Script	15%
	AND on delivery of the Documentary Final Narration Script	15%

C510

When the Producer contracts for a Documentary Script that does not form part of a Series, the Script Fee shall be paid as follows:

i.	on signing of the contract	10%
ii.	on delivery of the Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline	20%
iii.	on delivery of the Documentary Treatment or Shooting Script	40%
iv.	on delivery of the Final Script	30%
	OR
iv.	on delivery of the Documentary Rough Cut Narration Script	15%
	AND on delivery of the Documentary Final Narration Script	15%

C511

When the Producer contracts for a single element or component of a Television Script, the Script Fee shall be allocated and paid as follows:

i.	on signing of the contract	25%
ii.	on delivery of the stage	75%

C512

When the Producer contracts for Narration without right of termination, the Script Fee shall be allocated and paid as follows:

i.	on signing of the contract	25%
ii.	on delivery of the Documentary Rough Cut Narration	50%
iii.	on delivery of the Documentary Final Narration	25%

C513

Option for Television Documentary under $250,000
The Script Fee set out in Article C5 and the Production Fee set out in Article C10 do not apply to writing services provided for a Television Documentary if:

a.	the Budget of the Documentary (per episode when applicable) is under two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000); and
b.	the Producer retains the services of the Writer for a complete Script (with or without right of termination), which may or may not be based on a Documentary Initial Proposal or Outline provided by the Producer to the Writer.

In such cases, the Writer shall receive a combined fee (in lieu of Script Fee and Production Fee) of no less than 4.5% of the Budget (or 2.25% in the case of a Narration Script) and payable in instalments as required under Article C508. No further payment shall be owing on the first day of principal photography.

Under this option, the Distribution Royalty remains unchanged (i.e. calculated in accordance with Article C11).

C514

Low-Budget Option for Half-Hour Television Documentary Series under $200,000
The Script Fees as set out in Article C5, Production Fee as set out in Article C10 and Distribution Royalty as set out in Article C11 do not apply to the following writing services, except to the extent specifically indicated herein:

For half-hour Television Documentary Series programs with Budgets under two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) per episode, the following optional terms may be applied:

The Writer(s) of the Documentary Script shall receive a Script Fee which is five percent (5%) of the Budget.

ii.

The Writer(s) of Narration Scripts shall receive a Script Fee of two and a half percent (2.5%) of the Budget.

iii.

Upon payment of the fees in i) or ii) above, the Producer shall acquire an exclusive license for five (5) years from the date of delivery of the broadcast-ready tape for unlimited world distribution (except theatrical distribution) of the program without obligation to report or pay a Distribution Royalty under Article C11.

iv.

Optional Rights Renewal. The Producer may elect to pay to each credited Writer of the program:

a.	fifteen percent (15%) of the Writer’s original contract fee, if paid on recording of final Narration, or at the fine cut if no Narration recording
	OR
b.	twenty percent (20%) of the Writer’s original contract fee, if paid at any time prior to the expiry of the distribution license under (iii) above.

as a rights renewal payment. Upon payment of the rights renewal amount, the Producer shall acquire the exclusive license in perpetuity for unlimited world distribution, except theatrical distribution, of the program made from the Script. There shall be no obligation to report or pay a Distribution Royalty under Article C11.

The use of this Article may not be combined with use of Article C503.

C515

Narration Scripts for Documentaries
For Narration Scripts for Documentaries, i.e. Scripts written at rough cut stage or later, the following formula shall apply:

i.	The amount of the Production Fee, which shall be due at the time of recording of the Narration, shall be fifty percent (50%) of the Production Fee as calculated in accordance with the appropriate formula in C10.
ii.	A Rewrite for a Narration Script shall be negotiated and such payment shall in no case be less than fifty percent (50%) of the fee provided in C504.
iii.	The amount of the Distribution Royalty shall, in the case of Narration Scripts only, be fifty percent (50%) of the Distribution Royalty calculated according to the formula contained in C11.

C516

A Producer may engage a New Writer at fifty percent (50%) of the applicable Script Fee. Use of this provision is limited to one New Writer per cycle of a Series.

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