Point
From ForcaWiki, the simple encyclopedia
| In one sentence | One percent of a movie's profits, the unit used to measure how big a share someone gets. |
|---|---|
| Category | Film and Television |
| Related | Participation, Profits, Overage |
Imagine a birthday cake cut into exactly 100 equal slices. Each slice is one percent of the whole cake, and if someone tells you that you get "3 slices," you instantly know exactly how much cake that means.
A point works exactly like one of those slices, but for a movie's profits. One point always equals one percent of the movie's profits, so if a director is given 5 points, that means they are entitled to 5 percent of whatever Profits the movie ends up making. Points are the standard unit used to measure a Participation deal, the kind of contract that gives someone a share of a film's success instead of, or in addition to, a flat fee.
Fun facts
- Studios sometimes give away points as a reward or incentive, letting a director or star earn much more than their normal fee if the movie becomes a big hit.
- Because points are based on profits, and movie profits can be defined in very complicated ways in a contract, a point can sometimes end up being worth surprisingly little in practice.
- Giving away too many points can add up. If enough different people are each promised several points, a studio can end up giving away a large chunk of a movie's entire profit before it even earns a dollar.