By Hussein Kiganda
Tony Lutakome kicked off a debate on whether or not actors should set personal price tags after he set his at $2,150 (about sh8m).
Talking to The Kampala Sun, Patriq Nkakalukanyi, who won Best Actor In A Feature Film at the Uganda Film Festival in 2022, said he would also set a price tag like Lutakome.
“Every actor needs to have a tag that is associated with what they put into their craft. But I wouldn’t announce it like that. It’s called bragging. It’s like screaming to the world how you only eat chicken. Just eat your chicken. Those that visit will know it,” he said.
“But good luck to him… He knows what he wants, that’s the first step to getting it,” Nkakalukanyi added.
Nathan Magoola, the producer of Prestige, a popular TV series, said it is key to learn market considerations before setting a price tag as an actor because if an actor sets the price too high for the producers, he or she may not be hired.
“Everyone is free to determine their worth. If he feels he is worth sh8m, good for him. But it is just important to be mindful of market considerations. If you ask for prices the market can’t sustain, then no one will hire you,” he said.
Magoola noted that actors should be mindful of their skillset and attributes. To him, for a lot of roles, that many other people can do, if an actor sets his/her price too high, producers will choose someone cheaper for that very role.
He advised that people need to be flexible and differentiate feature film roles and TV roles because feature films are sold based on the cast.
Magoola reasoned that the cast makes or breaks a feature film. To him, when it comes to TV series, any actor with decent skills even if they are a newcomer/unknown, can perform well if allowed to be on the screens.
Andrew Elvis Mutebi, the president of the Uganda Film Producers Association, told The Kampala Sun that it is nearly impossible for Ugandan producers to hire an sh8m rated actor because the budgets of most feature films in Uganda range from sh10m to sh30m.
“Not every producer will pay you the same fees, but it’s good to set your price tag. From my observation, any producer who is willing to pay an actor sh8m is probably professional too and would accept the actor to have real star power and can offer returns on investment. As a producer with a sh10m to sh20m budget for production, I could not consider him at all,” Mutebi said.
He said it is key for actors that are setting price tags to be more specific in the charges.
Mutebi said they should explain whether the fee is for per feature film, a series role, and the specifications on the roles such as the lead, secondary or guest role.
However, he maintained that actors, especially those that come with loads of experience in the craft, should set their price tags and then negotiate from there.
