“Scale,” in the film and television industries, means the minimum pay and work conditions set by the Screen Actors Guild and other actors’ unions. To “work for scale” means to receive the lowest wage possible for acting work.

The SAG Low Budget Agreement applies to films with budgets between $700,000 and $2,000,000, making this the SAG pay scale of most independent films. Under this contract, actors must make a SAG day rate of $670, or $2,324 per week. If you’re working with some actors who aren’t in the guild, don’t worry.