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SAG-AFTRA Members Authorize Strike Against Video Game Industry!

 strike.jpg

by October 7, 2015 2:19pm
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 Members of SAG-AFTRA have voted overwhelmingly to give their leaders the authority to call a strike against the video game industry, which is expected to rake in more than $20 billion this year in the U.S. alone. The strike-authorization vote comes after negotiations for a new contract broke off in June.The vote doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be a strike, but it gives union leaders a powerful bargaining chip when they return to the table. If future talks fail to produce an agreement, leaders would be able to call a strike without another vote. The strike authorization was approved by 96.5% of those voting, though only those who had worked under the union’s Interactive Media contract were eligible to cast ballots, and the union isn’t saying how many voted.

With this result in hand,” the union said, “the Negotiating Committee will seek to return to the bargaining table and continue to press for a fair resolution on behalf of performers working in video games.” The Interactive Media agreement expired on December 31, and bargaining sessions held in February and June failed to produce an agreement. “We’ve been through two rounds of negotiations with our employers, and they’ve rejected every proposal we’ve made,” the union said on its website. It says the companies’ proposals “are completely without precedent in the entertainment industry, and we believe they are reckless and ill-advised.”

These proposals, the union says, would allow the companies to hire their own employees to play characters in video games without having to join the union, reductions in fees that would “roll back the gains we’ve made in previous contracts” and $2,500 fines against actors who are not “attentive to the services for which they have been engaged.” The guild told its members that “this means you could be fined for almost anything: checking an incoming text, posting to your Twitter feed, even zoning out for a second.”

The companies — which include EA Games, Activision, Disney and Warner Bros as well as smaller recording studios such as Blindlight and Formosa — also are seeking onerous sanctions against agents who refuse to send their clients to certain auditions.

“Our employers propose to fine your agent $50,000-$100,000 if they don’t send you out on certain auditions, like Atmospheric Voices or One Hour-One Voice sessions,” the union told its members. “And if your agent chooses not to submit you for certain auditions, the employers want it put into contract language that SAG-AFTRA will revoke the agent’s union franchise. This would mean your agency would not be able to send you or anyone else they represent out on any union jobs, including those in animation, TV/Film, Commercials, etc.”

The union’s chief demand is for backend bonuses for voice actors that would be triggered once a game sells 2 million s.

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As usual those running our union won’t tell us how many voted on this.  And even more scurrilous they won’t tell us how many members were denied the right to even recieve a ballot.  Way to go Ken!!! 

Arl 

The Ol’ SAG Watchdog

*Photo selected by Watchdog

Milla Jovovich Takes To Facebook About Stuntwoman Injury On ‘Resident Evil’ Set!

by and September 16, 2015 8:35am

2ND UPDATE, WEDNESDAY, 8:35 AM: Milla Jovovich, the actress who stars in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, has taken to Facebook to ask that her fans pray for her stunt double Olivia Jackson and talked about the on-set accident that left the stuntwoman in a medically induced coma. The actress said that she had never experienced anything like it on a set before, called it “a harrowing week” and that it was “a miracle that she (Jackson) survived.” Jackson’s husband David Grant last wrote on Facebook that “she has been making steady progress” and that “I whisper to her everyday telling her about the support she’s getting world wide!” This is one of several on-set accidents that have occurred in the past few weeks, with two confirmed fatalities abroad on the set of the Tom Cruise film Mena after a plane crash. Here is Jovovich’s post in its entirety:

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“I sit down to write this post with a heavy heart, because a terrible accident rocked our set on Saturday the 5th of September. My incredibly talented stunt double, Olivia Jackson, collided with a camera crane while performing a motorcycle stunt and it put her in the hospital with severe, multiple injuries. The cast and crew of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter have been totally devastated and are waiting with bated breath for news on her recovery – we now understand she is stable and being carefully monitored by very experienced South African doctors.

“I wasn’t personally there to witness it, but from the reports I got, it was awful. None of us have experienced anything like this in our careers making action films and hope we never do again, but the production reacted very quickly to ensure she received the best care and also in reaching out to her family and making sure they were informed and looked after during this overwhelmingly difficult time. Thank God, they have been by her side through out this harrowing week.

“Its a miracle that she survived. I didn’t know her very well, as we were all just getting going with the film, but the few times we rehearsed together, I really looked up to her because she danced through the choreography, beautiful and graceful. It’s a testament to Olivia’s strength that she managed to survive and also the quick reaction of our on set safety officer and his team that she has finally been pronounced stable.

“All of us here have been praying every single day for her and her family and sending our thoughts out hoping some of the positive energy reaches her, because she truly needs it… I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment out of your busy days ahead and pray for Olivia’s full recovery too. She needs all the help she can get right now and every bit of the good energy we can send.”

UPDATE, FRIDAY, 7:02 AM: The unit publicist for the Constantin Film production Resident Evil: The Final Chapter just released a statement to Deadline about injuries sustained by 32 year-old British stuntwoman Olivia Jackson. She was seriously injured over the weekend on the set of the film, now shooting in South Africa.

“Olivia Jackson, a stunt performer on Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, was injured during a stunt motorbike action sequence on Saturday just outside Johannesburg. Jackson, who is an experienced and accomplished stunt performer, sustained injury to her left hand and arm, head, face, and shoulder; she is now stable and under medical care. Our thoughts and prayers are with Olivia and her family during her recovery process.”

PREVIOUS, THURSDAY PM: British stuntwoman Olivia Jackson has been seriously injured while filming a stunt in South Africa for the latest installment of the Resident Evil franchise. According to the latest reports, she’s been placed in a medically induced coma with head injuries and a punctured lung. Jackson, 32, was riding a motorcycle at high speed when she crashed into a piece of camera equipment that was filming the chase scene on Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, starring Milla Jovovich

Her husband, stuntman David Grant, wrote on Facebook that “she’s fighting hard.”

Jackson recently completed work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her other recent credits include Guardians Of The Galaxy, Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is being directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who has helmed three other film in the franchise, and produced by Anderson, Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer. The film’s unit publicist did not return inquiries.

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Is it just me?  Or is our industry not doing enough to protect these brave souls?

Arl

The Ol’ SAG Watchdog

*Photo selected by Watchdog

 

DGA To Producers: Try Hiring New Directors, Not Actors And Writers, For Open Helming Spots!

 

by September 10, 2015 11:00am

The DGA is calling on the industry to make a “revolutionary” move to increase employment for first-time women and minority TV directors: Hire more directors and fewer actors and writer/producers to direct the shows.

According to a new, six-year study of hiring practices, 46% of all the first-time episodic TV directors were actors or writer/producers. The report found that writer/producers made up 26% of the first-time episodic director pool, while actors made up 20%. Cinematographers/camera operators were 8%; editors totaled 5%; and other crew made up 6%.

Surprisingly, only 27% of first-time hires were individuals who had previously directed in other genres including independent film, new media, commercials, music videos, student films and documentaries. The remaining 8% were members of the directing team – assistant directors, unit production managers and second unit directors.

“As it stands now,” said DGA president Paris Barclay, “nearly half of the new hires are writer/producers or actors. It may sound revolutionary, but those with the power to hire may want to consider bringing in more directors – people who are committed to directing as a career – instead of approaching the assignment as a perk. There are many willing, able, and experienced women and diverse directors out there – we encourage the employers to reach out and hire them.”

The latest data suggests that despite all the recent talk about diversity in the television industry, nothing is changing for first-time women and minority TV directors. The DGA’s latest six-year survey is nearly identical to the guild’s five-year study released in January.

Of the 611 first-time directors hired in the six years between the 2009-10 season and the 2014-15 season, only 110 (18%) were females and only 83 (14%) were minorities. For women, that’s the same percentage hired during the five-year period between 2009-10 and 2013-14, and 1% higher for minorities.

“You can’t increase diversity in the long term without focusing on entry into the business,” Barclay said. “We challenge the networks, studios and executive producers who make all the hiring decisions in episodic television to set diversity hiring goals. It shouldn’t be that hard, because we’ve found that when women and minorities do actually get their first breaks, they’re even more likely to continue on in television directing than the rest of the pool.”

The report also found that women and minorities who are given a first shot at directing are more likely to continue directing TV shows than their male and Caucasian counterparts. The latest data shows that 51% of the females and 42% of the minority first-timers went on to direct other shows, compared to only 33% of the first-time male directors and 36% of the Caucasian first-timers.

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Translation to Actors:  Shut up and learn your lines!  Dummies!!!!

Arl

The Ol’ SAG Watchdog

*Photo selected by Watchdog

 

 

SAG-AFTRA: Amy Aquino’s Falling Out With President Ken Howard!

2013 Wild Card Entry!

by August 2, 2015 4:46pm

SAG-AFTRA secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino is turning out to be a major wildcard in the union’s upcoming elections. A co-founder of Ken Howard’s Unite for Strength slate, she had been his top running mate in the union’s last election, and before the merger, had been his top running mate in the last two SAG elections. But now she’s not endorsing him for president and doesn’t even think he should be elected to serve on the SAG-AFTRA national board of directors. It would appear that they’ve had a serious falling out.

And while she’s not endorsing Membership First’s Patricia Richardson for president, either, she is endorsing her for a seat on the national board. Howard is running for reelection to the national board too, but Aquino is not endorsing him.

Aquino, who isn’t seeking reelection as secretary-treasurer – she’s running as an independent for the national board and as a delegate to the upcoming convention – isn’t endorsing either presidential candidate – Howard or Richardson, or either candidate for secretary-treasurer – Jane Austin (Membership First) or Jenny O’Hara (Unite for Strength).

“There are two opposing slates in the national and LA elections – Unite for Strength and Membership First,” she said today in an email to the union’s members. “I don’t recommend a straight slate vote for either one.”

Union observers were surprised on June 1 when Aquino’s name wasn’t listed among the candidates running on the Unite for Strength slate, but until now, she’s remained mum about who she is, and isn’t, supporting.

“As for national president and secretary-treasurer, I believe that all four candidates are equally capable of serving, and all should be seriously considered,” she wrote, but then took a not-so-veiled swing at the current leadership’s group-think. “What is critical for the union now is diversity of thought and leadership,” she wrote. “We need respect for the democratic process, and a board that welcomes dissenting opinions, fosters debate and nurtures the collectivism that defines a healthy labor organization.” All of that, she suggests, is now missing.

True to her word, she’s supporting an eclectic mix of board candidates and convention delegates, including several who, like her, are running as independents. She’s recommending 12 Unite for Strength candidates for the national board – but not Howard – and four from Membership First, including Richardson and David Jolliffe, one of the leaders of Membership First. For the local board, she’s endorsing 24 candidates from Unite for Strength, and nine from Membership First, including Richardson and Jolliffe.

“This is the board that will oversee our next two big contract negotiations, and nothing could be more important,” she wrote. “As for myself, I have accomplished what I hoped to as secretary-treasurer, first of SAG and now SAG-AFTRA. I would still like to be of service, though, and would appreciate your LA vote for National Board and (convention) delegate.”

 

 

 

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How does the old song go?  “Once in love with Amy, always in love with…”  Ah, actually that doesn’t apply here does it!

Arl

The Ol’ SAG Watchdog

*Photo selected by Watchdog

IATSE and AMPTP Reach Three-Year Area Standards Deal!

 IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ...

by

Deadline: May 5, 2015 10:28pm

A tentative three-year area standards agreement has been reached between The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE), and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), IATSE announced May 5. The agreement will last from August 1, 2015, through July 31, 2018. Full details are not being publicly disclosed at this time.

The contract, which “addresses a number of matters and provides stability and certainty for the producers, as well as important terms and conditions for IATSE members” will cover most of the United States outside of LA and New York. Of note, the agreement includes the first ever contributions to the IATSE Entertainment and Exhibition Industries Training Trust Fund. All of the more than 100,000 workers covered by the contract will receive safety training funded by the trust.

This agreement follows a recent deal reached between IATSE and AMPTP governing pay standards for Hollywood locals. That agreement was reported to be roughly in line with deals negotiated earlier with the DGA, WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

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Arl

The Ol’ SAG Watchdog

*Photo selected by Watchdog.

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