Utah 2008:12

December 15, 2008

BUILDING AN INDUSTRY IN UTAH

By Susan Dolan
Utah Branch President

As those of you who attended our general membership meeting know, one of the missions of our council is to build a strong film industry in Utah. We have a great base to start from with a long history of film work shooting here, a large talent pool, the Motion Picture Association of Utah (which I, again, encourage all of you to join ASAP), unique locations and a highly capable crew base. It helps us all if we connect with others in the industry and support each other.

Please join the MPAU by clicking here.

The perfect opportunity for this is approaching next month with the Sundance Film Festival. The Utah Branch of Screen Actors Guild and SAG Indie are sponsoring the Utah Producers and Actors Forum on January 17, 2009. It is a great chance to learn more about our industry and network with people who are in a position to hire you. As more details develop we will let you know, but pencil the date in now.

If you haven’t signed up on the Utah Film Commission website, please do so now by clicking here. Remember, they can’t hire us if they don’t know we’re here! Best wishes to you all for a safe and joyful holiday season.

SAG FOUNDATION'S SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION AVAILABLE

The 2009 John L. Dales Scholarship application for eligible SAG members and children of members is available now at the Foundation website,  SAGFoundation.org. Click on Scholarships to view eligibility requirements. There are two types of scholarships, Standard and Transitional, and the application deadline is March 16, 2009. For more information, please contact Davidson Lloyd at (323) 549-6649 or dlloyd@SAG.org.

UTAH MEMBERS ELECT NEW COUNCIL LEADERSHIP

The Utah Branch completed its annual elections with terms beginning on September 25. Serving two-year terms of office are Council Members at Large Morgan Lund, Charles Metten, Michael Steven Scott and Donald L. Shanks. Elected to one-year terms are Paul Mulder as first alternate council member and Joyce Cohen as second alternate council member. We extend our deep appreciation to each member of our council, both past and present, for their willingness to serve the Utah Branch membership.

THE UTAH/ARIZONA OFFICE IS MOVING

By the time you receive this we will be open for business at our new location. Also with the move comes new local phone numbers for the office and fax. The toll-free numbers for the office and fax will remain the same, which means you will be able to contact us the same way you usually do. But please make note of the changes, and always keep the contact information you see below handy.

Screen Actors Guild
1820 E. Ray Road
Chandler, AZ  85225
Office (480) 264-7696 or (800) 724-0767, ext. 7
Fax (480) 275-6987 or (800) 859-2964

Don Livesay
Arizona/Utah Executive Director
dlivesay@sag.org

WHAT DOES SCALE REALLY MEAN?

By Don Livesay
Utah Executive Director

I’ve heard non-members boast that they may work non-union, but they never work below scale. They contend if, at the end of the day, they bring home at least as much money as members working under a SAG contract, that’s OK.

The problem is that their definition of scale simply doesn’t measure up to what real union scale means. They make a false assumption that the work itself is somehow the same as it is under a union contract. “Work is work,” they say. But frankly, non-union work is not union work, and certainly non-union pay is not union pay.

Before we go any further, let’s define the term “scale.” Scale is the minimum payment or payments set forth in the collective bargaining agreement between SAG and the producer. Scale is not just the session fee. Scale, in fact, covers all the negotiated fees that are part of the contract, including residuals, wardrobe allowances, per diem, mileage, transportation and travel time—to name a few. Scale is the upgrade you get when, as a background performer, you are thrown a line, and also the liquidated damages added when your check is late. And don’t forget pension and health. Can a non-union producer provide the benefit package that is the equivalent of what professional performers make when they work under contract? I don’t think so. All of these payments are scale because they are negotiated as the minimum payments that come due when the particular circumstance calls for it. For scale to be paid on a non-union job, the equivalent of all these payments would have to be assured, and they are not.

Scale is a win-win.

Did you ever wonder why things tend to run smoothly on a SAG set? It happens because under our contract, all work is “on the clock.” Production dollars are saved when schedules are met. The discipline of time and money determines that time and money rarely are wasted, and the best people usually are hired so they aren’t.

No, not everything is smooth—this is show business after all—but when the producer sets up the optimum working conditions according to the contract that he/she has signed with us, the best possible results are more likely to occur. The consequence is that scale buys a quality of performance that tends to permeate the set. Good for producers. Good for actors.

The fact that producers continue to look to our members for quality performances is a tribute to what scale terms and conditions bring to the process. The fact that performers seek out SAG work, so they can join and build their careers on standards of excellence, is a tribute to what we are as an organization.

Non-union pay can never match up to what true scale is. If one works for scale, the “work” and the “pay” have to equal out. And with non-union employment, they don’t come close.

Scale honors the contribution of the performer. Scale means respect. Scale puts production on a path toward excellence and value, a path we have followed for 75 years. As we look to a new year, let us all remember that.

Happy holidays everyone!

RULE ONE ON JAN 1 — ACT AS ONE!

Starting January 1, Screen Actors Guild will vigorously enforce Rule 1 in new media. For more information, click here.

SAG HOLIDAY GIFT SHOPPING AT THE SAGSHOP.COM

Visit thesagshop.com for the latest in must-have, union-made merchandise. Buy gifts and accessories that demonstrate your good taste and your union pride.

A MESSAGE FROM THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD FOUNDATION

The SAG Foundation is an investment not just in the foundation’s livelihood, but in yours.

Since 1985, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation has embraced its mission to assist, educate and inspire actors to their fullest career potential and to give back to the communities in which they live. While we are not a part of Screen Actors Guild, we are dedicated to serving its members.

From the board of directors to staff to volunteers, the foundation’s diverse makeup is a large component of this non-profit 501(c)(3) organization’s success. Governed independently of the Guild, the non-political, non-partisan foundation is a collective body bringing different personalities, attitudes and opinions together in service of actors who, like us, come from all walks of life.

Chances are that we’ve already helped you, or someone you know, with financial assistance in a time of crisis, scholarship monies, efforts we make toward children’s literacy, time spent in the Actors Center (the only resource center of its kind in Los Angeles), or seminars, workshops and other career-informing events. In any case, please visit our website at SAGFoundation.org to find out more about us.

Our work is rewarding, but not easy. Our programs and benefits are supported not by your Guild membership dues or fees but by grants, donations and our own fund-raising efforts. Resources are limited, and times have been exceptionally hard. Our Emergency Assistance program, overtaxed by such economic blows as the recent Writers Guild strike, which put countless actors out of work, has far exceeded its budget, and the livelihood of the foundation as a whole is in delicate balance.

It takes an actor to understand an actor’s struggle. Most of us at the foundation are actors, and by learning more about the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, we hope you will gain a greater understanding of our work and what it takes to keep us going. Your tax-deductible donation can make a huge difference in the life of a fellow actor. You can donate online whenever you wish, make automatic monthly donations or send us a check made payable to Screen Actors Guild Foundation. You also can consider donating residual checks, which, no matter what their size, might benefit your peers, by signing them over to the foundation as a charitable contribution.

Meanwhile, we encourage you as a SAG member to think about the services we make available in support of your own career. Knowing, understanding and giving to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation is an investment not just in the foundation’s livelihood, but in yours.

Screen Actors Guild Foundation
5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 124
Los Angeles, CA 90036
phone: (323) 549-6708
fax: (323) 549-6710

UNCLAIMED RESIDUALS: GET YOUR MONEY!

Screen Actors Guild is facing a dilemma: getting performers or their heirs to collect their unclaimed residuals. A surplus of unclaimed residuals sits unable to be sent out. Although the Guild knows to whom these funds belong, it can’t send the checks to these performers, in most cases because the Guild doesn’t have the correct mailing information for the residuals recipients. Some residuals checks belong to nonmembers or one-time actors, many of whom aren’t even aware that they have residuals coming to them. In an effort to reduce this surplus, the Finance Committee is embarking on a marketing campaign to get the word out to possible residuals recipients. The campaign, called “Get Your Money,” will reach out to SAG members and non-SAG members through internal publications and online campaigns. If you would like to see whether you have residuals owed to you, visit www.SAG.org/GetYourMoney. Enter your name and “Get Your Money!” Have questions or want to speak with a residuals representative? E-mail residualtrust@sag.org, or call (800) 205-7716 or (323) 549-6535.

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