We are a small production company (advertising commercials) located in
the East.  We would like to expand into the feature film area.  We
have a feature film property in the form of a very strong script that
we would like to take the first steps to producing (not selling the
script.).

We want to engage a semi-major star (top 25) and would like to know
the correct procedures to do so.

Our objective would be to make a reasonable enough offer (in base
price) to have the agent and their star read the script and then, if
there is an interest, further negotiations would go from there.

First, is that the right procedure to obtain the services of a star?

Secondly, is there an Internet site that gives the actual salary/or
fees (and what is it called?) that a specific actor is paid. I know
there are a lot of other side deals but is the first offer a specific
fixed number?  And, is that fixed, base number published somewhere? I
know there is a lot of hoopla regarding big salaries (and puffery by
the agents), but I have been told that the actual base salaries/fees
are much less.   (Can one call a star?s agent and ask what his asking
price is?)

What is the procedure for making an offer?  And, what is the
terminology of the offer letter?  I remember once talking to one agent
and he said, ?fax us your offer.?  Are there examples of Offer letters
to a semi-major star?

Our goal is to get a commitment from a star and then approach studios,
etc.  Is that the right procedure?  (We understand one can go to a
director first, then to the star but in this particular property we
see the star first because of the nature of the film.)

In other words, how do we go from a small, unknown production company
to getting a film property into production? What are the steps, what
are the procedures, what is the smart way to do it, what is the not-so
smart way, what are the pitfalls, etc.

I look forward to your response.

Here's a top film & TV industry resource is online: BASELINE.  It's a
serious site for professionals, not a fan site.  You subscribe for a
flat fee -- or you can purchase info on a document by document basis. 
 It has everything from celebrity agent and manager contact info, to
production companies, to celeb bios, to what projects people have in
development, etc..  (so you can see whether they're working or what
they're commmitted to).   It tracks and archives info on pretty much
every film and TV show, and has phone numbers, grosses, pretty much
everything you could want or need -- or a way to find it.

But the feature it sounds like you would really like is called SALARY
TRACKER.  Here's the description:


 BaselineFT?s Star Salaries database is the first survey to identify
earnings figures for hundreds of the world's most popular film and
television stars. Yes, salaries are generally considered personal and
confidential, but such scrutiny of stars, CEOs and other high-profile
professionals goes with the job.

 The Report tracks the salaries, "quotes" (asking prices), annual
earnings and final paydays (includes back-ends) of mega-earning,
so-called $20-million club members like Mel Gibson or Jim Carrey,
evergreens like Michael Douglas or Sean Connery, exciting newcomers
breaking through to seven figures (like Colin Farrell), or young
break-out stars whose quotes are spiraling upward (like Reese
Witherspoon).  In addition to compensation figures, the Report also
identifies specific projects and supplements its numbers with
explanatory notes and citations. In the case of major stars, the
Report often has multiple listings that also serve as salary
histories.

 The Report figures are not hard and fast numbers. Star salaries, like
production costs, are usually closely guarded -- unless they serve a
particular agenda. For instance, salaries and costs are leaked in an
effort to enhance the perceived value of a star or project. But looked
upon as approximate, relative figures, these numbers can suggest both
individual career arcs and where stars reside on the food chain."

I've never actually used the SALARY TRACKER feature, but have been a
Baseline subscriber for years, so can recommend it.   They're very
good, too, about Customer Satisfaction.  If you use a feature or buy a
document or do a search that is incomplete or flawed in some way, you
send them an e-mail and you get a credit on your bill.

Here's BASELINE'S website.  They tried changing their name for a while
to "Hollywood Pro," but it didn't click, so now they're back to
BASELINE FT (FT for "Film Tracker).

http://baseline.hollywood.com

Thanks Cryptica, that sounds like what I was looking for.
zmaster

There are a number of resources and indexes of links on the Web that
can help point you in the right direction.  An excellent gathering of
useful links is a new community that I am almost finished
building/creating.  It is not officially launched and new components
are still being addeed to it.

The URL is http://www.goodsynergy.com and the specific URL for the
site's Entertainment Industry links is
http://www.goodsynergy.com/Industry-Links.htm

If you sift through the categories of Industry Links, then you will
discover it to be a very valuable and time-saving resource for your
future searches.  The big plus of this Industry Links section is that
it is not a comprehensive gathering of links.  Rather, it is a
pre-filtered selection of links, so that visitors don't have to go
through the drudgery of filtering through hordes of links to find the
decent ones.

I wish you tremendous success with your film project!

AB