Film is a business. With major directors and actors, the questions and dramas involving how much they are paid are center stage, with high profile actors unafraid to hide that being financially snubbed by studios can lead to them refusing to return for sequels, such as to the original actor behind Rodey in the Iron Man films.

In fact, other than Willi Ninja, the movie’s star dancer, who has stitched together a career including choreography, fashion and music, the characters Ms. Livingston presented remain, at best, where they were when filmed.

With documentaries, the waters are muckier. Not bringing in anywhere near the quantity of funds received by mainstream movies, documentary filmmaker’s intentions may seem more clear cut. And yet the distribution of funds between Livingston and the “stars” of Paris is Burning show how ambiguity is able to slip into the matter, becoming potentially exploitative. The NY Times article Paris Has Burned discusses how Livingston setup a deal where at minimum $55,000 would be distributed to the main 13 stars based on their screen time. This amounts to, on average, $4230 per actor.

The person worst off in this scenario becomes Paris DuPree, who’s ball called Paris is Burning is the center stage for the documentary and, self-evidently, the name of the film. With only three minutes of runtime, assuming the deal made with her is consistent with the deals of the other actors, it can be speculated that she earned approximately $2171 from the film with her three minutes of screen time, far less than Livingston’s $4 million.

Read the article Paris has Burned on New York Times, available here (Free to read using an Emory NY Times Login)