Overview
- Sally Choi, the film’s art director, posted that she was paid $300 per day and took home about $6,700 after taxes for work on Obsession, a microbudget movie that later became a major commercial success.
- Choi said she and other crew did extra tasks beyond their job titles and urged peers to share pay rates to push for industry change.
- The post drew heavy online criticism from users who argued crew accept low day rates by choice and can leverage the credit for future work rather than seek extra pay.
- Neither the film’s director nor distributor Focus Features has publicly responded to Choi’s disclosure in the coverage provided.
- The episode has widened discussion about how low‑budget productions pay below‑the‑line crew, whether windfalls should be shared beyond contracted terms, and what reforms or transparency measures could protect early‑career workers.