WHY ISN’T EVERYBODY WORKING?
Posted on July 22, 2008
On June 30th the SAG contracts had run out, and since then their are conflicts surrounding the continued negotiations. The AMPTP claims it made a final offer already and that it remains on the table. Doug Allen and SAG president Alan Rosenberg paint a different picture, claiming that negotiations continue on.
I imagine it’s somewhere in the middle, but don’t be surprised if AFTRA takes advantage of their new online jurisdictions during this nervous climate. SAG’s to-do list could become hunting grounds even before a strike is called.
What a rough time to produce television.
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Filed Under film, SAG, Actors, AFTRA | Leave a Comment
Projects on Hold as Contracts End
Posted on July 1, 2008
It looks like the Actors won’t budge and their contacts run out tonight. After a devastating strike from the Writer’s Union that lasted from November to February, the industry is terrified that Alan Rosenberg will lead his union to a strike. This is still unlikely, but Hollywood is taking no chances and halted projects such as Transformers II until an agreement is made.
For those of you who think this is just an interruption in your programming, think again. We are talking about 120,000 jobs that are not receiving adequate changes to their contracts to cover the future of the tv and film markets. These aren’t amateurs, these are professionals who deserve the dignity of financial security.
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Filed Under film, strike, SAG, Actors | Leave a Comment
Still No Deal For SAG
Posted on June 19, 2008
With less than two weeks to go before the SAG contracts are up and no deal in sight, everyone is wondering what the Hell is next. After the Directors, Writers, and AFTRA made major concessions to move forward, there is little evidence that SAG too will bow to pressures on DVD sales. The whole industry is changing drastically, and a wrong move in these negotiations can make the difference between middle class artists and street corner artists.
If a deal isn’t reached by the end of the month, the union could either vote to extend the previously existing contracts, or vote to authorize a strike. Is the American television viewing audience patient enough for another hiatus? I doubt it.
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AFTRA Reaches Agreement
Posted on June 3, 2008
The pressure returns to SAG as AFTRA falls in line with the basic model created by the Directors and Writers Unions. Along with a noticeable raise in minimum pay, the deal increases the unions jurisdiction over web based programming as long as production exceeds fifteen thousand a minute.
On the other side of things they were unable to revise a decade old payment system for DVD sales that has always bordered on sharecropping. That’ll be a sticking point as SAG returns to the table, and I would be surprised if it isn’t a deal breaker.
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Buy My Lemonaid
Posted on May 14, 2008
The one thing this recession has been teaching me is that there isn’t a single model or map for the well being of American Markets. Sure they are all connected, but the link between oil prices and food costs might be a more correlative relationship than Film distribution’s reliance on economic bliss.
During the last writer’s Strike, a lot of folk were pitching that the industry was shifting toward the Independent Film Makers for a new wave of features. At the same time others liked to point out these 30 million dollar monsters that keep appearing at Sundance. Big Budget Production Companies have been releasing their own ‘independent’ films in festivals, and their place has solidified rock solid elbowing out opportunities for less funded film-makers.
Still, one would think during such difficult economic times, with two possible strikes looming, that the Film Industry would be buying up independent films like beanie babies, but the numbers don’t look good. Sales at Sundance this year totaled 25 Million, down from 53 Million in 2007. So has the wounded economy dragged itself to the doors of Hollywood? Is this a sign that the future of film may drift to the safe enclosure of the big Apple? Though it appeared at first that New York’s skin was thick enough to outlast the economic slowdown, but there are signs that European investors can only prop the situation for so long. A single turn of currency could change the whole game.
I’m keeping an eye on the whole equation, because the markets are shifting and no one can quite see the shape of things to come. The one thing everyone is hedging their bets on is that the future of film is online, and things are going to get better.
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Filed Under film, SAG, Actors, AFTRA, festival, feature market | Leave a Comment
And in This Corner!
Posted on April 16, 2008
“Aside from my family, I have two great loves in my life: acting and the fight for social justice,” he said. “Oh yes, we are very serious.”
The New York Times has done a nice piece on Alan Rosenberg, probably the most feared man in Hollywood this spring. Even the Governator will have to tip his crew-cut when he hears those spurs ring through the dust.
The offers have hit the table to the sound of aluminum thunder and I am on the edge of my seat. From my perspective in the Big Apple I can tell you that there are many media artisans on the cusp of going union, and that over the next few years there will be a tidal wave in new members. Due to the high costs of living in the city to get this work, it’s very important that we are creating a middle class income. This is about getting a fair shake and supporting a family. It’s just American.
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More News on the Front: A Country Divided
Posted on April 6, 2008
With the emerging technologies influencing the boundaries of art, one can see the turbulence between theater and Film. Just when we thought we had an agreement, SAG and AFTRA have drawn a deep line in the sand. This has been a long time coming, with mixed media doing what it does best.
Who would have thought it would be over the small screen.
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Who wants to Go Again?
Posted on April 3, 2008
Just when network television and Hollywood managed to struggle up on their knees in order to search for the rest of their teeth, an ominous shadow engulfs their closeups. That’s right, it’s negotiating time. Standing in this corner with the tall leather English boots, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
The industry is waking up to the changing times, and the unions are trying to keep up the pace. With all these positive changes in the industry it’s too bad the two sides presently conflict, but look at the brighter side. This will only improve the quality of their programming, and the eagerness of their audiences. Not to mention the justified compensation for services rendered.
And just to show you where my squishy parts lie…
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