As reported in last week’s SHOOT e.dition, the three-month Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike against the television/feature studios exacted a heavy toll on the California economy–at a time when our country’s economy was already, and continues to be, besieged by rising fuel, food and healthcare costs.
According to a Milken Institute study, the WGA strike, which ended four months ago, will cause a net loss this year of nearly 38,000 jobs tied directly and indirectly to the entertainment industry. Though the WGA strike concluded in February, many of those crew people who lost their jobs have not yet been hired back as TV/feature studios scaled back production.
The Milken research estimates that lost wages in California will amount to some $2.3 billion in ’08 due to the strike. These losses will diminish by early ’09 as production hopefully returns to previous levels–unless there’s a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike.
At press time, SAG was in talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new features/TV contract. The current SAG features/TV pact expires on June 30.
Meanwhile the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which split from SAG to conduct its own collective bargaining sessions with the AMPTP, has reached an agreement on a new features/TV contract. However, at press time, SAG was asking those of its members who are also in AFTRA’s rank and file to vote against ratification of that AFTRA/AMPTP contract, contending that it undermines actors getting the best possible feature/TV deal.
The ad biz will has cast an interested eye on how the SAG/AFTRA relationship evolves. Keep in mind that the two-year extension to the commercials contract for actors is set to expire at the end of October. It remains to be seen what bearing, if any, AFTRA’s split from SAG on the primetime TV contract front will have on prospects for reaching an agreement with the ad industry.
The commercials contract extension was agreed upon by the advertising industry, SAG and AFTRA. The two years have and are being used to conduct a joint study exploring alternative compensation models for performers spanning traditional spots as well as nontraditional ad fare spanning a growing array of new media. The results of that study are to be used to form the basis for renegotiating the next commercials contract this year.
There’s been nary a whisper of what that joint study has yielded thus far. Whether no news is good news or if that silence is ominous depends on whether you view the proverbial glass as being half full or half empty.
While one of civilization’s failings has been to let bad history repeat itself through the ages, our sincere hope is that labor and management will learn a lesson from recent history, namely the heavy losses in jobs and revenue resulting from the WGA strike. We cannot afford any more prolonged labor unrest. So consider it our wish that cooler heads prevail, that both sides of the negotiations keep the greater good in mind and work in cooperative give-and-take fashion to arrive at fair deals.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More