Here is a post from low_no_budget@yahoogroups.com which some may find helpful. Also, anyone involved in independent production should subscribe to this group. It is very active in the local independent production field.

Hello fellow filmmakers-

Paying your volunteers
Anyone who volunteers to work with you on a video project is expecting to be paid, but not to be paid with money. So, in order to pay them well, you must take into account what they expect in pay.
Question:
Ever have this happen to you?
You start a project, collect a crew of volunteers and begin working on the project. As the project advances, you notice some of your volunteers seem to loose interest or just stop showing up. The most common reason is that the pay is not worth the work.

When you start your next project and find little or no interest from previous volunteers, you can assume that they wern't paid well. So, if they're not volunteering for money, what is it? There is no single answer, but here are a few I've found:
Actor- Screen exposure, resume, publicity, hone skills, fun
Camera, grip, gaffer, PA- Experience, screen credit, resume, fun
Writers, directors, producers, etc- All of the above
Friends, family- See you succeed, fun

We all have a bit of what's in it for me in our blood. Personally, I do volunteer work for selfish reasons; I get almost as much kick out of seeing someone succeed as me succeeding. An inexperienced or un-cooperative crew is a nightmare and will rarely succeed. On the other hand, a tight, cooperative team is a dream to work with.

For directors, producers, writers, when working with volunteers, check your ego at the door. No one likes working with a "Hollywood" mentality. All members of the production crew should feel comfortable and be able to freely express their ideas. That's what friends do.

I always treat volunteers like I am paying them money, but not much. I try not to waste their time or my imaginary money. I also try to pay them what they want. If it is an actor, treat them like one. Make sure they have everything they need. Provide as much of it as possible. Make
them comfortable and try to keep them out of the confusion between scenes if that's what they want. While shooting, have someone shoot digital stills of the actors and shoot. If possible, get some head shots and in costume shots to give to the actor. They can use them in their resumes. Also assure them that you will give them footage for their reels.

For other crew members, it's much the same. Resume, credit, experience, etc. We never turn down help from volunteers. Many times we will add inexperienced volunteers to work with the pros. There is a large base of potential volunteers out there that are afraid to speak up since they have little or no experience. Use them. We will sometimes assign a newbee to work with an experienced camera operator who works with the newbee during idle time and before and after a scene. At some point, they will switch positions. This works with most all crew positions. Or use newbees for PAs. Helping someone with little or no experience costs you nothing but can return much.

Keeping work load down.
Never use volunteer time if you don't need it. If you are having pre-production meetings where certain crew members are not required, invite them if they are interested in attending, but let them know they won't miss anything critical if they don't show.

Never, never, never waste their time. When setting up for a shoot, don't have everyone show up at the same time if not needed. If it's going to take an hour or two to set up the shoot, don't have your actors standing around for 2 hours. They may prefer to come early, but give them the choice. You wouldn't ask Julia Roberts to just hang out for a few hours
would you?

And never let the crew stand around while you make decisions on the fly because you didn't scout the location beforehand or you didn't prepare properly. They will quickly loose faith in you and start thinking they won't be paid (eg, project will collapse so no credit, screen time or a bad mivoe). Volunteers are perceptive. They will know when the ship is sinking or when the workload does not equal the pay. Treat them the same way you would like to be treated in their position. Offer to pay them gas money or busfare. They will probably refuse, but that's not the point. Ask them if transportation is an issue. Maybe they can ride with someone else. Feed them well, even if you have to cook it yourself. Have plenty of drinks and water.

Don't try to assemble a crew a week or two before a shoot. This shows poor planning. And don't ask for everyone's schedule and try to work around it. You're the boss. Act like one. Don't be arrogant, be practical. Plan ahead as much as you can. We normally start assembling a crew 6 to 8 weeks in advance and try to set a shooting schedule before the crew. Either they're available or they are not. Many times you will have to use different volunteers at different times. But all the rules still apply. They are all part of the crew.

Make sure you don't loose focus. Don't get the Hollywood bug just yet. Unless you have a few features under your belt, you're learning too. So is most of your crew.

Be authoritative, confident and honest. Not arrogant. The bottom line is that you must treat your crew with respect, and remember why your volunteers are there. Most people volunteer to have fun and discover new things. Always keep that in the back of your mind and ask yourself: would you volunteer for this project?

Regards,
Ray Raffa
Producer
Miracle Productions