November 25, 2011
Camera Guild Offers Scholarships
Los Angeles – The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) has issued a call to submit applications for the Guild’s scholarship grants. They offer 10 education grants to the children and grandchildren of ICG members. One of these grants will be awarded to a student studying filmmaking or an industry-related subject. The Guild has been offering these grants for 10 years.
DGA Membership Ratifies New Commercial Contract
New York – The Directors Guild of America said that the DGA membership ratified the new collective bargaining agreement between the DGA and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP).
Negotiations were led by Associate National Executive Director/Eastern Executive Director Russ Hollander and a negotiations committee made up of DGA members. “We negotiated with the AICP to find solutions that would ensure the health of this business and keep our members working,” said Hollander. “The new agreement achieves those goals while establishing important additional provisions addressing safety guidelines, low budget agreements and producer flexibility.”
The National Commercial Agreement addresses wage increases for all members in each year of the contract including a 15.8% increase for 2nd 2nd assistant directors in the first year of the contract; increased contributions to the DGA Health Plan including a 17.65% increase in the employer contribution rate for all members plus additional contributions for directors; and a number of additional provisions addressing limits on non-disclosure agreements, extension of canceled call provisions to cover 2nd assistant directors and the establishment of several working committees that will meet during the term of the agreement, including a safety committee to develop a single set of recommended set safety guidelines. The Agreement also addresses a number of Producer concerns pertaining to low budget and foreign commercials including increasing low-budget thresholds from $250,000 to $300,000.
The DGA’s National Board of Directors unanimously approved the contract during the National Board Meeting on October 15, 2011, and ratifications materials were sent to the membership shortly thereafter.
The new contract covers a three-year term from December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2014.
ANA Urges court Permanently Enjoin Enforcement of FDA’S Tobacco Graphics Warnings Rule
Washington, D.C. — The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has filed a “friend of the court” brief with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, urging the court to permanently enjoin enforcement of the FDA Rule requiring graphic new warnings on all tobacco products and advertising.
The new FDA Graphic Warnings Rule was mandated by Congress under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. The FDA issued its final rule on June 21. Six tobacco companies filed a lawsuit in federal court in DC challenging the new rules and seeking a preliminary injunction. ANA filed a “friend of the court” brief in the case on September 16, arguing that “these gruesome, graphic warnings for all tobacco ads and packages are so excessive that they clearly violate the First Amendment.”
In an opinion released on November 7, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon granted the companies’ request for a preliminary injunction, holding that “Plaintiffs have demonstrated a substantial likelihood that they will prevail on the merits of their position that these mandatory graphic images unconstitutionally compel speech.” The brief filed today urges the court to convert the preliminary injunction against the Graphic Warnings Rule into a permanent injunction.
Dan Jaffe, ANA’s Executive Vice President of Government Relations, stated: “We are very pleased that the District Court granted the preliminary injunction. For all of the reasons expressed by Judge Leon in that decision, we are very hopeful that the court will now grant the motion for a permanent injunction against the Rule. The new text and graphics required by the FDA Rule would convert product packages and ads into platforms for the government’s viewpoint. The government can require neutral and factual disclosures, but it cannot turn packaging and advertising into graphic billboards for the government’s messages.”
The new warnings adopted by the FDA in June include highly disturbing graphics of cadavers, smoke coming out of a hole in a throat and a lung filled with cigarette butts. In his opinion, Judge Leon wrote: “characterizing these graphic images as ‘warnings’ strikes me as inaccurate and unfair. At first blush, they appear to be more about shocking and repelling than warning.”
The brief argued that the Rule is an illegitimate effort to deputize advertisers to promote the government’s message: “Clearly, the intent of the HHS and FDA was to choose graphic warnings that are provocative, visually confrontational and propagandistic, rather than to seek factual and neutral information. Whether or not such tactics are effective, regulating speech and forcing companies to highlight the government’s message in order to scare people into ‘improving’ their behavior is antithetical to the First Amendment.”
Jaffe stated: “While the FDA’s rule relates to tobacco advertising, the underlying premise would set a very dangerous precedent for other products that become controversial. Indeed, Judge Leon specifically acknowledged that danger in his November 7th opinion, noting the possibility of future government efforts to impose graphic warnings for food or alcohol beverage ads. History shows that there is a wide range of products about which some believe the government knows ‘best’ and should have the power to regulate advertising in order to tilt public debate in a preferred direction. This is precisely the kind of paternalism that the First Amendment does not permit.”
ANA was joined by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in filing the industry brief. The brief was written by Robert Corn-Revere, noted First Amendment attorney with the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. A copy of the brief is available here.
Top directors miss out on Oscar doc prospects
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Acclaimed documentaries from Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Morgan Spurlock and Steve James have missed out on a shot at the Academy Awards.
Herzog’s “Into the Abyss,” Morris’ “Tabloid,” Spurlock’s “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” and James’ “The Interrupters” did not make the short list of 15 documentaries eligible for the feature-length prize at the Feb. 26 Oscars.
Among the films that made the list, released Friday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”; Wim Wenders’ “Pina”; the Harry Belafonte profile “Sing Your Song”; and “Project Nim,” directed by Oscar winner James Marsh (“Man on Wire”).
Oscar nominations come out Jan. 24.
‘Breaking Dawn’ rises to $283.5M worldwide debutDavid Germain, Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – “The Twilight Saga” has staked out another huge opening with a $139.5 million first weekend domestically and a worldwide launch of $283.5 million.
The domestic total gives “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” the second-best debut weekend for the franchise, after the $142.8 million launch for 2009’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” ”Breaking Dawn” did more than half of its business, $72 million, on opening day Friday, while the movie’s debut weekend was the fifth-best on record.
Opening in 54 overseas markets, “Breaking Dawn” pulled in $144 million internationally, according to studio estimates Sunday.
In an industry whose main audience is young males, “Twilight” is a rare blockbuster franchise driven by female viewers. Distributor Summit Entertainment reported that women and girls made up 80 percent of the audience for “Breaking Dawn.”
The popularity of “Twilight” has left many men scratching their heads, even those involved in releasing the movies.
“I’m 53 years old, and I haven’t figured it out yet,” said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit. “It relates really to young girls and things that are important to them, their romantic ideas of love and relationships, without getting so physical, at least on screen, that it becomes a worry for their parents.”
The movie’s big start points to even better business for next year’s “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” the finale in the five-film series based on Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novels.
“Breaking Dawn” was a windfall for Hollywood in general, whose domestic revenues continue to trail 2010’s despite rosy projections last spring of a record box-office year.
Domestic business totaled $222 million, up 14 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” led with $125 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
Son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen a Rhodes scholarNEW YORK (AP) – The son of actress and activist Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen has been chosen as a Rhodes Scholar.
Ronan Farrow is among 32 American students who will be awarded scholarships to study at Oxford University. It’s not the first academic distinction for Farrow, who is a special adviser to the Secretary of State for global youth issues.
He had started college as a child, graduating from Bard College in 2004 when he was 15. He started Yale Law School when he was 17 and graduated in 2009.
He’s also worked as special adviser for humanitarian and NGO affairs in the State Department’s Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Rhodes scholarships provide all expenses for study at the prestigious university in England.
