Production Services & Fees

Animal Protection Agency (APA) is fully sanctioned by the entertainment industry and is officially approved in the SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement. It is not necessary to register with, or contact, any other animal oversight agency when using animals in production. Please feel free to reach out to us via our Contact Page, phone or email at [email protected]. 

Unless otherwise stated, all quotes are in U.S. Dollars and are to be paid in U.S. Dollars

Production Fees for APA Animal Safety Consultants

Daily rates for each APA Consultant to oversee animal welfare of Animal Actors on set are as follows:

Union and Non-Union / Domestic and International

FEATURE OR STREAMING FILM:

  • Domestic US Fees: A Flat Daily Rate, both Union and Non-Union, of $485 for a Full Day (5.5-12 hours) or $250 for a Half Day (any hours less than 5.5).  An extra flat fee of $65 will be charged if hours on set run over 12 per day on domestic productions.
  • International Fees: A Flat Daily Rate, both Union and Non-Union, of $525 for a Full Day (5.5-12 hours) or $250 for a Half Day (any hours less than 5.5). An extra flat fee of $75 will be charged if hours on set run over 12 per day on international productions.
  • Travel Fees by Vehicle: Car commute mileage is $.60 per mile. When Consultant travels out-of-state, and in certain instances to be determined by APA, when 2 hours or more of car travel time, portal to portal one-way is required, an additional fee of $25 per hour may be attached.
  • Travel Fees by Air: Flight Travel Days to and from any location, portal to portal, for production is $30 per hour, not to exceed an 8-hour billing maximum (domestic) or a 12-hour billing maximum (international).

EPISODIC TELEVISION/STREAMING:

  • Domestic US Fees: A Flat Daily Rate, both Union and Non-Union, of $485 for a Full Day (5.5-12 hours) or a Half Day Rate of $250 (any hours less than 5.5). An extra flat fee of $65 will be charged if hours on set run over 12 per day on domestic productions.
  • International Fees: A Flat Daily Rate, both Union and Non-Union, of $525 for a Full Day (5.5-12 hours) or a Half Day rate of $250 (any hours less than 5.5). An extra flat fee of $75 will be charged if hours on set run over 12 per day on international productions.
  • Travel Fees by Vehicle: Car commute mileage is $.60 per mile. When Consultant travels out-of-state, and in certain instances to be determined by APA, when 2 hours or more of car travel time, portal to portal one-way is required, an additional fee of $25 per hour may be attached
  • Travel Fees by Air: Flight Travel Days to and from and location, portal to portal, for production is $30 per hour, not to exceed an 8-hour billing maximum (domestic) or a 12-hour billing maximum (international).

COMMERCIALS:

  • Daily Hourly Rate for Commercials and Still-Shoots for APA Consultant is $38 per hour plus $.60 per mile for under 2 hours of car travel .
  • APA Charges a 4-hour minimum day on commercials at an hourly rate of $38 per hour.
  • Overtime: Any hours worked past 10 consecutive hours on-set on a given day will be charged at time-and-a-half.
  • Travel by Vehicle: Car commute mileage is $.60 per mile. When Consultant travels out-of-state, and in certain instances to be determined by APA, when 2 hours or more of car travel time, portal to portal one-way is required, an additional fee of $25 per hour may be attached
  • Travel Fees by Air: Flight Travel Days to and from any location, portal to portal, for production is $30 per hour, not to exceed an 8-hour billing maximum (domestic) or a 12-hour billing maximum (international).
  • Commercials shot internationally will adhere to television international rates quoted above.

CORPORATE/PROMOTIONAL MEDIA:

  • Corporate and promotional media is charged at the same rate as APA’s Television Fees.

APA Office Administrative Fees + APA Consultant Payment Information

  • Feature or Streaming Film Admin Fee: Based upon the number of days APA Consultant is required and animal-action scripted to occur on-set. Typically $550-$900 per film. 
  • Episodic Television/Streaming Admin Fee: Based upon the number of days APA Consultant is required and animal-action scripted to occur. Starting at $175 for short-term projects (1-2 On-Set Days). Admin Fees on long-term episodic projects with sporadic or consistent animal-action days for which Consultant is required more than 3 days will start at $250 and depend upon length of entire project. 
  • Commercial Admin Fee: Based upon the number of days APA Consultant is required. Starting at $150 for a 1 day shoot schedule. Admin Fee may increase on shoots longer than a single day. 
  • NOTE:  APA consultants are part of the crew, and therefore will be paid on crew payroll, receive per diem (including travel days to and from location) and, when applicable, will fill out start-paperwork and can sign deal memos with the production. In order to comply with employment laws, we are unable to invoice Consultant hours.
  • We do utilize an invoice for our APA General Administrative Fee which may include some expenses (outside of usual timecard receipts such as parking, or car transportation from airport to accommodations, etc.) incurred. This admin invoice will be provided to short-term productions upon animal-action wrapping, and to longer-term productions once animal-action begins.

APA Administration service fees include:

APA Certified Animal Safety Sign-Off Letter stating all animal safety and welfare protocols were met, once all animal action has wrapped on production. The APA End-Credit Disclaimer Logo will be supplied once project is locked, and, in most cases, APA has been able to screen the completed project. Complete support from Animal Consultant Experts for pre-production through post-production, advising production on safety issues, script reading, documentation of all animal action (including daily comprehensive animal reports provided to production), thorough care, oversight of animals well-being, documentation review of any permits as required by animals employed on location, analysis and review of scripts, one-liners, shot lists, story boards, days out of days and all related production materials. Site visits for animal care may also be a part of the APA process.

When Applicable:

  • Idle Days on location when there are no Animal Actors on set is a Flat Daily Rate of $250. Determination of Idle Days are dependent upon whether shoot schedule includes weekends. Example: Should filming schedule include Sunday as a rest day for entire crew, this would not be considered an idle day and no hourly fee would be applied. Per diem remains in place for each day an APA Consultant is on location.
  • Holidays on location are to be paid at a Flat Daily Rate of $250. Per diem remains in place on Holidays.
  • Prep Days for Film & Television, whether domestic or international, are $465 for Full Day (5.5-10 hours) or $250 for Half Day (any hours under 5.5) + $.60 per mile. A fee of $50 per hour will be charged for any hours over 10 on prep days.
  • Travel Expenses may include airfare, ground transportation, hotel, per diem and related costs (such as car rental, gas, parking and tolls) to be covered by production directly. All air travel to and from a location will include Consultant per diem on the day/s of travel.
  • Cancellation Policy: Should production cancel once APA process is initiated, and should animals still be being used in production, a cancellation fee will be instituted and invoiced, along with any costs incurred by APA or Covid Testing Stipends due. Typical cancellation fee is $300-$500.
  • Full Day vs. Half Day: Typically a Full Day or Half Day is not arranged in advance. APA will be present during the entirety of the animal/s being present on set. If that is under 5.5 hours, the Half Day rate fee is valid.