If directing union films – which is where the moolah is – you need to be a member of the directors’ union, which is called the Director’s Guild of America (DGA). You definitely need to be “in da club.” Once in the union, you’ll be guaranteed a minimum weekly salary of around $16,000, which includes pre- and post-production, and 10 weeks of guaranteed employment. So your fixed salary on a given project will start at around $160,000, and can obviously be much higher if directing a huge blockbuster. Go over the guarantee and you can start raking in more than 3k a day until the film is wrapped. You’d make less working on shorts or low budget, independent films, of course, which is why you may want to consider putting aside your “passion project” in favor of the hot new superhero script that’s been getting passed around town. “Lightningman” may never be a critical darling, but after reading the tough reviews, you can cry all the way to the bank.