How much money does a documentary filmmaker make?
The range is so variable that there’s almost no way to answer this question. Mainly, it depends on whether you are working in the commercial or non-commercial (i.e. public television) realm. At the time of this writing, experienced commercial documentary makers like me can average anywhere from $50,000 to $90,000 a year — but because it’s mostly a freelance business, it can be less in a bad year, or a bit more in a good one. Non-commercial documentarians generally earn less, but I’ve never been one, so I don’t really know how much less.
