A newspaper ad placed by Hollywood studios touts their contract offer to the Screen Actors Guild as a groundbreaking deal that mirrors those already accepted by other industry unions.
Meanwhile, guild leaders pressed their case at a weekend SAG meeting attended by an estimated 700 people and got an enthusiastic reception, Daily Variety reported on its Web site Sunday.
SAG President Alan Rosenberg and Doug Allen, national executive director, said over the weekend that negotiations are continuing despite the studios’ insistence that they put their final offer on the table June 30.
The SAG leaders didn’t discuss strategy but Allen noted that SAG still could strike, Variety said. The union has not scheduled a strike authorization vote.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ad, to appear Monday in the Los Angeles Times, is titled “The Deal: Let’s Keep Working” and includes comments made by other union leaders about their agreements reached earlier this year.
Writers Guild of America, West, President Patric M. Verrone is quoted as calling the writers’ contract “the best the guild has bargained for in 30 years” — a comment he made in March when WGA leaders recommended the proposal to its members.
The ad repeats the studios’ contention that their three-year offer to SAG would give members $250 million in additional compensation and “the same groundbreaking new-media terms that have already served as the cornerstone” of other major industry agreements.
In explaining its rejection of the offer, SAG has disputed that figure and cited shortfalls in pay and union jurisdiction on made-for-Internet productions. It claims the deal would allow nonunion actors into almost all new-media productions for the foreseeable future.
SAG did not immediately respond Sunday night to an e-mail request seeking comment on the alliance ad.
The two sides met several times since June 30, when the current contract expired, but no progress has been reported. No new meetings were scheduled.
Producers have said if their final offer is not ratified by Aug. 15, any proposed wage increases would not be made retroactive to July 1, potentially costing actors more than $200,000 a day.
SAG represents 120,000 actors in movies, TV and other media.
Bensimon Byrne’s “Short Life Stories” For White Ribbon Wins ONE Screen Best of Show
“Short Life Stories,” created by Bensimon Byrne Toronto on behalf of White Ribbon, is the top winner in the global 2024 ONE Screen Short Film Festival, the premiere short film festival produced by The One Club for Creativity celebrating global filmmakers from both commercial advertising and film industries.
“Short Life Stories” tells a fictional story of a young trans woman as she celebrates the beginning of her new life and navigates the obstacles that ensue.
The work was selected by a global jury as 2024 ONE Screen Best of Show and Best of Region: North America, as well as winner in the Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Fiction, and Best Music Composition disciplines.
Klick Health Toronto also had a strong year with five ONE Screen wins. They include three for “47” on behalf of Café Joyeux (in Best Animation, Best Branded Entertainment Film, and Best Production Design), and two for “American Cancer Story” on behalf of Change the Ref (in Best Directing and Best Drama).
Other 2024 ONE Screen winners are as follows.
Craft winners
Best Emerging Filmmaker: Parker Schmidt Santa Monica “Bowl of Life”
Best Screenplay: Zulu Alpha Kilo Toronto “Living From Work” for Zulubot
Best Type on Poster: Lucky Together New York “Don’t F*ck With Ba”
Best Visual Effects: Candice Wu Los Angeles “Erasure”
Genre winners
Best Branded Content Film: Stink Films Berlin “The First Speech” for Reporters Without Borders
Best Comedy: FCB Chicago “The Last Barf Bag” for Dramamine
Best Experimental Film: Parker Schmidt Santa Monica “Bowl of Life”
Best Independent Film: Violeta Films Mexico City “The Mark... Read More