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Our Thoughts On The Budgets For Making TV Shows?! (Patreon)

Published:
2019-12-24 19:38:26
Imported:
2021-04

Content

Thanks for the question, our Supernatural expert TOASTED TODD!!!

Full Question Is:

What, if anything, do you know about the cost of making TV shows? The budget of SPN Season 1, all in, was £200k (special effects, salaries, sets, everything). I have heard some people say £20,000 but I don't think that's possible - maybe they're confused and it's £20k per episode?

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Would Love To Get Your Thoughts, Patron-O-Jects!

Files

Toasted Toad Q&A December

Comments

Toasted Toad

Thanks for answering that one! I always thought that the 20k figure was just impossible. Let’s say J2 agreed to do it for almost nothing as their chance to co-lead, how could they do 21 or 22 episodes for 20k? That’s less than 1k per episode. You still have to pay crew, extras, build sets, pay for camera, film, etc. This figure is supposed to be EVERYTHING. Even 200k sounded like shoestring to me and I’m pretty sure it was no more than that. But I don’t actually know anything about cost of making TV so was curious and thought it likely that you guys might be a bit better informed than me! As of about 3 years ago, 2m per ep sounds more likely, as Jensen was paid 175k per episode and Jared a bit less, plus other reoccurring cast, better sfx, etc. Of course, who knows how people get hold of those figures and I hear variations, but it does seem plausible to me.

Michele

I don't know how they did it for 200K. That seems impossible to me, even for 2005. It is much cheaper to film in Canada. It could more likely have been 20K for each episode. And the CW has always been tight with SPN budget for some reason. BTW - Toad is a She. lol

Michele
>>30388977

I didn't know how much they were getting paid per episode. Not normally something I look into. I am curious about the difference between J2's salaries. That seems odd. I'd figure they'd both make the same amount. But maybe some times one gets more screen time than another, or something.

Michele

I think that 20K for the whole season is wrong. Depends on your info source. I do know that they boys got very little the first few years.

Toasted Toad
>>30388977

Am going to add this to my earlier comment too. Greg & John - I recommend you don't read this discussion, as it contains much more RL information than you are likely to want to know. When they started, Jensen was the bigger ‘name’ of the two. It’s going to be up to their agents I guess and what they can negotiate. It may well be the information is misleading and they’re on the same salary. Jensen would also get some extra in those seasons where he directed an episode.

Vel
>>30388977

There's this misconception stemming from the AA's in the fandom that Jensen was making more initially. However, that's not the case. First billing, #1 on the call sheet and show protagonist will always end up with the higher salary. At least initially. Bottom line: Kripke wrote Sam as Luke Skywalker and Dean as Han Solo. But then Jensen stunned everyone with his creation of Dean and they went with Jensen's direction. Jared's Q score is higher than Jensen's, also, which will play into the scenario even though Jensen is more recognizable than Jared. Another thing, their salaries haven't been made public since 2011 (Jared's 125k) and 2014 (Jensen's 175k). Directing is generally in the 45-50k range, depending on the contract. All that being said, they have both said several times at conventions that they negotiated for the same salaries and benefits to present a united front and keep the whole SPN family/brothers vibe going.

Vel
>>30395833

There's A LOT of misinformation running rampant in the fandom. Every side will have a different "truth" they live by...but that doesn't ever mean it's THE truth. ;)

Toasted Toad
>>30388977

Interesting stuff. What are "AA"s? I can well believe that, whatever may have varied along the way (and I have no information more than you have quoted as I am getting it from web searches and neither of them is going to give away this stuff in interviews), for the last few seasons at least they would have been same salary except for Jensen's direction. I doubt very much - like VERY much, that Jensen earned less than Jared at any point (just from the stories they've told about how they were cast).

Vel
>>30388977

AA = Ackles Army. They're a subset of fans that have been following him since DOOL. Most of them will have AA in their bios on SM. Fandom is very strange thing. Especially this one that has so many subsets and longevity. Well, I'd like to believe that everything was fair and equal, but that's not how studios work with their pay scale. Personally, though, I doubt it was that much of a pay difference. The show didn't cast 2 main protagonists. It BECAME a show with two protagonists.. but that wasn't until S4, after Jared had his first breakdown on set in S3. Jensen had stepped up and created a multi dimensional character that was never meant to be one (which he has stated multiple times), and Jared wanted to leave because of MHI. That's when the turning point happened and they started negotiating as a unit in support of one another.

Toasted Toad
>>30388977

Hmmm. That doesn't actually make sense to me, because Jensen was cast first. Then they wanted Jared as Sam instead of Jensen and they wanted Jensen as Dean instead, selling it to him as he would be the "Han Solo" to Jared's "Luke". I doubt he'd have agreed to that if it meant that it involved a still lower salary than he would have got in the first place. Sam was first on the call sheet, but that does not mean he was paid more, especially in a show with only 2 stars. Jensen quit a major role in Smallville a year early to take SPN. I don't see why he would take an additional salary hit. All this is only conjecture, and without facts we can only get so far, but the show had two protagonists WELL before Season 4. The show locked onto the fact that it was about the brothers, not the monsters, less than half way into season 1. That info is available on commentary tracks.

Vel
>>30388977

I completely get what you're saying. The entire premise of the show was based on two brothers. But the reality of a hollywood studio and the office politics aren't that simple. Jensen was cast first, but in order to restructure a contract after an offer has been made takes a lot of work and $...something I don't believe the studio had a lot of back in the day for the show. My guess..? An offer hadn't been signed yet, which leaves it open to negotiations. That's just logic, having a general idea of basic contracts and having an entertainment lawyer or two as friends who know how this works (better than I do, that's for sure). Contracts usually run 4 years in general, and that would have been S4, unless there were clauses that stipulated otherwise. And that's when Dean started getting his own major arc's. Before that, he was Han Solo...and Han is not the main character of Star Wars. And as far as commentary tracks go, I appreciate them and it gives me a broader perspective. The one you're speaking of specifically states mid season 1 was when they knew they really had something. That's not BEFORE the show, during original contract signing. But I'm sure it helped during negotiations during the next contract.

Toasted Toad
>>30388977

Drat! My whole comment seems to have disappeared. Well, I can't be bothered to remember what I wrote. Just assume that I said something deep, meaningful, thought-provoking, incredibly intelligent and possibly world changing! 😂😂 Merry Xmas!

Vel
>>30388977

HA! I hate that. I've started typing out comments on a text document just because of that very scenario. MADDENING. And I'm sure it was everything and then some, TT. Same to you. XOXO