Utah 2008:10

October 9, 2008

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR UTAH BRANCH PRESIDENT

By Susan Dolan

Exciting progress is happening in the Utah film industry. We are fortunate to have Gov. Jon Huntsman fighting our cause to convert the incentive system to a tax credit system and attract another series as well as bigger budget movies. Huntsman was raised in Hollywood, and he would like to see Salt Lake City become “Saltywood,” a premiere filming destination. He recognizes the 53 million-dollar economic impact the film industry had on our state between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008, and with the help of the Motion Picture Association of Utah, he wants to grow our industry.

Branch Executive Director Don Livesay, Branch Vice President Anne Sward and myself met last week with Jason Perry, who is Governor Huntsman’s executive director of economic development. The purpose was to encourage the governor’s office not only to promote the state of Utah's fantastic locations and professional crews, but also to include all of you, Utah’s premiere talent. Perry was very interested in our talent pool and in helping us find ways to let the casting people know we are here before they cast our roles in Los Angeles. Not only does it save the producers money by hiring us, it also helps the state by us paying our taxes here and spending our earnings here. Perry is working with the film commission to get them to create a website that will allow us to put our headshots and resumes there for producers to see at the same time they are considering locations.

It is imperative that every single SAG actor in the state take five minutes to go to the Utah Film Commission and register. You will get invited to lots of free screenings and a couple of fabulous industry luncheons. In addition to these goodies, you will be promoting yourself and the film industry in Utah. As I have stated since I started my presidency one year ago, it is all about the numbers. If a Los Angeles casting director goes into the resource directory and sees 200 SAG members available in Utah, it has an impact. They can’t cast us if they don’t know we’re here. For the same reason, you should all be registered on iActor, SAG’s wonderful casting tool. These are free promotional services for us and are not difficult to navigate. Help is available if you have a hard time, and they help not only you but the entire film industry in Utah. As Governor Huntsman said, “What is it we want to be? Think big!”

I will also plead with you to join the MPAU. It is an entirely volunteer organization and is currently working on their website. It is the main lobbying effort we have with the legislature. The film commission is a government entity and therefore cannot lobby for the incentives themselves. Please get involved in the film industry. It’s the best way to keep your phone ringing for work!

ORGANIZING HAPPENS PROJECT BY PROJECT

By Maggie Stenson

Editor's note: This was originally published in the Seaport Report, the official SAG e-newsletter of Portland and Seattle, on August 28, 2008.

Did you know that union members may audition for non-union work without being in violation of union rules? It’s true. In fact, one of the greatest organizing assets Screen Actors Guild has is our talent base, or more specifically, YOUR talent. Whether casting for an independent project covered by one of SAG’s low budget agreements or a project for new media, savvy producers know the value of professional talent. That’s why the Guild has signed countless low budget films and more than 500 new media projects. Organizing depends on the project, and it depends on you—your knowledge of SAG contracts, your talent and your professionalism. The more your talents are seen by writers, directors and producers, the greater the likelihood that those planning to shoot non-union may want to rethink those plans.

I submitted myself for a compelling project a month or so ago. It was advertised as a non-union new media project, and I was up front about my union status. I also was very up front about my willingness to work with the producer to help coordinate the minimal paperwork to use union talent. I felt good about the callback, and was hopeful that they might want to use me. It isn't often a smart, well-written script comes along for middle-aged women, so I was doubly excited about the possibility. I was told afterwards that although they thought I'd done a great job, they just couldn't afford to use a union person on the project. Rats!

Ironically, given the amount of the stipend they were planning to pay, hiring a union actor for the current minimum—the producer must abide by state labor laws—for the maximum number of rehearsal hours and filming hours that they had budgeted SAG’s flexible New Media Contract could have saved the project some money. Sadly, even after I showed them how they could save money while filling their cast with union people, they demurred. I felt sorry that they decided to go that route, since I know there were quite a few SAG actors who would have been great assets to the project. My sources tell me that one SAG member decided to take financial core status in order to take a role on the project. Why anyone would think that resigning from the union to take non-union work is a good idea is beyond me, but that is a topic for another article. You can never really know why a producer decides not to go union. Sometimes even minimal paperwork is too much for an inexperienced producer, sometimes a producer is misinformed, and still others may be unwilling to cooperate with unions for personal reasons.

So why did I put so much effort into trying to get a union job for me and my fellow actors in that project? Because it can work! Several years ago, a project came up on TPS for a non-union student film. I liked the concept and thought I was right for one of the parts. I met the writer and director at the audition, and they really liked me. I helped them make my part a SAG one. It didn't take much doing, and everyone was happy. Contracts for new media, student films and other low budget projects shouldn't cause fear and consternation. As a matter of fact, we all should brush up on the contents of such contracts, so that we can allay any fears people have about entering into a SAG contract.

It didn't work out for this particular new media project, but it might for the next one. (I'm batting .500!)

My suggestion to all of you is to submit for the parts that you know you are right for, whether they're asking for union actor submissions or not. Be up front about your union status, blow them away at the audition and let the producers know that if they want to use you (or any other union actor) in the project, you'll work with the SAG office to make it happen.

Organizing happens project by project—and YOU make it happen.

NOTE: To contact the SAG office for information, call (800) 724-0767 or e-mail dlivesay@sag.org.

RULE ONE: OUR PAST PROTECTS OUR FUTURE

By Don Livesay
Utah Executive Director

From the very earliest days of Screen Actors Guild we needed a cornerstone. Rule One became just that.

Here is how Rule One now reads:

No member shall perform any services as a performer nor make an agreement to perform services as a performer for any producer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the Guild which is in full force and effect. This rule applies worldwide.

Let me share some thoughts about what Rule One does. Primarily, Rule One sends a notice to the industry and to other actors that members of SAG will not undercut each other by taking work where the wages and working conditions are not protected by an established union contract. Rule One calls for unity within our ranks, and in dong so, Rule One assures that the work of professional performers retains value, where one performer will not be pitted against another and forced to take bottom dollar just to work.

When members stand behind Rule One, it builds strength and empowers the Guild to organize more work where minimum standards apply—whether that work be in motion pictures, television programs, commercials, industrial/educational programs, video games, music videos, Internet work or any other new media format that exists now or in the future.

Because of Rule One,we have contracts that set standards before, during and after the session takes place. Those contracts spell out how auditions are to be conducted, how the work day should progress and what payments are made for the session and for the re-use of the product. Rule One leads us into negotiating agreements with the industry that provide actors with working conditions too often taken for granted, such as overtime, meal periods, and built-in rest periods. Because of Rule One, we can bargain on behalf of our protected groups (women, seniors, people of color, and performers with disabilities) who are most often discriminated against in hiring. We can set special working conditions for young performers, and we can establish safety standards for everyone on the set.

In short, Rule One gets us to the table. Rule One allows the union to face employers and speak to them from a position of strength for a fair return on the dollars producers make from our members’ performances. It tells producers that without a contract that adequately addresses our concerns, there will be no contract at all, and our people—the performers they need in their films—won’t work without one.

Rule One has provided us with the best collective bargaining agreements for professional performers in the world, contracts that mean quality of performance and professional integrity. Rule One identifies who we are, and in this year of negotiations, as we celebrate our 75th anniversary year, let’s not forget that.

OPO - A LITTLE KNOWN KEY TO JOBS

Have you ever been told by a producer that he would love to hire members of the Guild but that it's just too expensive? You might have pointed him to AGIndie for a look at the special contracts we have for low budget films. But what if he is not producing films, but local commercials or industrials?

SAG in Utah provides a contract for commercials that are produced in and played in the state. It is called the Utah Limited Letter of Adherence for Commercials, and it was designed with terms and conditions specifically to provide an incentive to local producers to hire union members who make Utah their home.

But there's more. This contract and the Industrial Educational Contract are available on a one-production-only basis. Let's say a producer wants to hire SAG members, but his budgets don't always allow a full commitment for the full term of our agreements. In most instances, we can help him by way of the One Production Only Agreement, or OPO. This arrangement permits our members to experience full union protection for a job, including SAG-Producers Pension & Health Plan credits, while allowing producers who wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford it a chance to hire our people.

The OPO is limited to programs produced under the Industrial & Educational Contract and to commercials produced under the Utah Limited Letter of Adherence for Commercials. It might be a key to opening a door for work that you might be missing out on. Use it when you can. Call the office and when producers say SAG is too expensive, point them in our direction. We can be reached at (602) 383-3780, (800) 724-0767, ext. 7, or by e-mail at dlivesay@sag.org.

SAG TALK

Have you checked out SAG Talk yet? It's the new blog that takes on some of the timely issues facing Screen Actors Guild and its members. Its goal is simple: to set the record straight. One of the recent blogs was titled, not surprisingly, “Fact Checking the Blogs.”

SAG Talk is just one of the new beneficial features of the constantly improving SAG.org.

IN AN EMERGENCY SAG IS STANDING BY

In case of an emergency requiring immediate after-hour assistance for matters concerning safety, health or harassment, please refer to the numbers on the back of your membership card. For emergency assistance on the West Coast—including Utah and Arizona—call (323) 954-1600. Please know that if an emergency comes up, we will respond to your needs wherever and whenever you might be performing.

WHAT IS UTAH'S REEL REPORT?

Utah's Reel Report is the official e-newsletter for the Utah Branch. It is published quarterly, and it is designed to keep our Utah members informed of news and upcoming events. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please send them to Utah Branch Executive Director Don Livesay at dlivesay@sag.org.

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