By JOHN HELD
Recently I had an interesting phone call that went something like this:
CALLER: Has the AICE revised its bid form?
ME: About a year ago. Are you a member of AICE ?
CALLER: No, but I always use the AICE’s bid form. Why should I join the AICE? What can you do for me?
ME: Well, the AICE negotiated for over a year with New York State, the 4A’s and AICP for direct payment by the agency to the editor, without payment going through the production company.
CALLER: Direct payment is great. It has helped our cash flow. But what can you do for me?
ME: The AICE led the way for negative insurance being carried by the editor. This insurance is billable on each editorial job. And both you and the agency are insured.
CALLER: That’s wonderful too. But what can you do for me? Excuse me, but I have to take a phone call now. Goodbye.
I just took a deep breath and moved on.
Actually, the caller should have asked not only "What can you do for me?" but "What have you done for me?"
An association creates a community which solves past, present and upcoming problems within an industry. AICE has over 120 creative editorial companies throughout the USA. Chapters are located in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Minneapolis and other cities are on the horizon.
Here are some of the latest things we’ve been doing:
NY/AICE will have its annual Editor of the Year Ball on May 18. This affair will honor David Dee and Jeff Dell, two distinguished retired editors who have done much to elevate the art of the creative commercial editor.
AICE issues bulletin news items to its members on issues that are of vital interest to them.
The AICE will issue a 2000 Directory/Guidelines that will be sent to all advertising agency heads of production in the U.S. It will be the latest and most accurate record of who and where commercial film editors are.
The AICE will set up a technology committee to keep both its members and clients knowledgeable on what’s happening in an extremely fast-changing arena. Two years ago, the AICE held symposiums on HDTV for both the 4A’s and the Association of National Advertisers. We will continue to hold symposia on technological changes.
The AICE’s Web site-www.aice.org-will be updated and improved.
The AICE is developing an advertising image campaign for its members.
The AICE is exploring a method that will allow the exchange of credit information among its members.
And for 2001, the AICE plans to have its first awards show.
I hope this has answered the "What Are You Going To Do For Me?" group.
P.S. The caller joined the AICE.
The Long and Short of The IDA Documentary Awards’ Shortlists
The lineups are set as 20 feature-length and 20 short documentaries have been shortlisted for the 40th IDA Documentary Awards.
This year, the IDA Documentary Awards shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 300 documentary makers, curators, critics, and industry experts from 40-plus countries. More than 700 total entries were submitted for all categories from 77 countries.
Additional IDA Awards will be presented in the following categories: Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Limited Series, Best TV Feature Documentary, Best Music Documentary, Best Audio Documentary, the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, the ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
All nominees in the above categories will be announced on November 19.
The 40th IDA Documentary Awards Ceremony will be held on December 5 at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.
Here’s a rundown of the feature and short film IDA Documentary Awards’ shortlists.
FEATURES SHORTLIST
Agent of Happiness
Black Box Diaries
Brisa
Dahomey
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
Hollywoodgate
Igualada
Kamay
Mediha
Motherboard
My Sweet Land
No Other Land
Queendom
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Tell Them You Love Me
The Last Journey
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Water For Life (Agua Es... Read More