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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
Back on January 9th, I posted a “No Strike” video featuring actors James Cromwell, Kaley Cuoco and former SAG Foundation president Mitch Ryan that was made by David Pringle and Eric Golden, owners of lighting manufacturer Luminys Systems Corp. Now a group calling itself “Keep SAG Relevant” has taken the same video and given it a very different audio to “look into the future three years after the SAG Membership votes up Management’s June 30, 2008 deal”. It sure isn’t a pretty picture. Conjecture is that a Membership First contingent is responsible:
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Ha ha maybe now James Cromwell Kaley Cuoco and Mitch Ryan understand why SAG “hardliners” are fighting against blanket clip consent.
Whatever SAG does, let’s hope they don’t get ‘Nick’rolled…i.e. cut out of residuals by Nick Counter in new media.
Funny, the clowns running this circus completely failed to mention that in 2012, 75% of the people that USED to work in the business are now living under bridges because of a prolonged work stoppage by SAG. They allowed the studios to stop all production and go directly to NON-union productions of all kinds and now all feature films are done motion capture or CGI. This clever little film fails to recognize the work by the DGA, WGA, IA, AFTRA, Teamsters etc … and STEALS footage. Are you paying for that footage? Are you including credits and residuals for that footage? I can’t wait till 2012 to work again, my mortgage broker can’t wait and our new president can’t wait …
More propaganda and another “spin”…..Blah, blah, blah.
Vote the contract in or out and move on from there.
This is not a difficult concept to grasp. I’m on the outside and can see clearly that the onus is not on SAG but Management. Why would SAG stay out so long? Because the last, best and final offered by the Studios is not acceptable, that the future of the Membership is at stake and that it’s just basic Union behavior to fend off rollbacks. And the fact that there’s actual SAG Members not supporting that is beyond me.
The vitriol I see on this thread smacks of personal emotion built up over time. If this Membership First faction is indeed so evil then vote them out at the next election. But, heed who you have in the wings. If the next group doesn’t fight for the Membership to be able to make a living then your Union WILL become irrelevant.
This video is just bad. Not worth a full paragraph of rebuttal. Maybe the people involved with this should be out of the biz.
They took a dynamic video that had pace and synergy and pulled it apart and came up with pedantic stale corporate video. It’s a good thing MF does produce anything. They don’t have the talent. Its quite obvious. This has all the creativity of drawing a moustache on a poster.
Oh and you have to love the Passive Aggressive Voice Over that really has been the mantra and tone of SAG MF’rs.
The most clever aspect of this redux is that we can assume they reused savethebiz video on the internet with no compensation and no opportunity to those who did the work to refuse its use. This is exactly what Savethebiz is promoting by condemning actors for not accepting the AMPTPs offer. My guess is Eric and his cronies will make a lot of noise now that the shoe is properly on the other foot–or more correctly in their AMPTP controlled mouths.
“CONJECTURE”????!!!!! Nikki, you are so overcome by the dolts who run Membership First, I don’t know whether to take you seriously on this topic anymore. Is DHD the House Organ for Membership First? In the earliest days of our nation’s history, each major party made a point of bringing in its own well-connected, articulate journalists to present the “facts” and the “news” as their leadership saw fit to print. I really hop you’re not going in that direction. While “alleged” and “presumed” and “conjecture” are really great ways to CYA, do you actually imagine it’s anyone else who would spin another group or individual’s “work product” to their own advantage (with very little out of their own pocket I might add). If this was MF, touche. But, c’mon Nikki, enough with the “conjecture” when you know all.
Judging by their so-called strategies of the last 7 months or so, the leadership of SAG is doing a pretty good job of making their union irrelevant all by themselves. After the last 30.5 hour board meeting – which accomplished what? – I can’t imagine what it’s going to take for them to earn anyone’s respect and get their membership a better deal. This retooled fear-mongering video is not gonna get it done.
You guys might have gotten some constructive criticism before going live with this thing. It’s way too long. And the tone of your narrator is patronizing, not ominous, as one’s voice should be when telling a story such as this one. The idea is to scare people, not to irritate them with a condescending lecture.
At any rate, you’re talking about SAG being gone in this video thanks to the acceptance of the “last best final offer”. But what say you “Vote Yes” folks about the fact that TV work — nearly ALL future TV work — is being made under the AFTRA banner?
Right now. As we speak. AFTRA. Pilots are being made under an AFTRA contract. Because there is no SAG contract in place. What is SAG going to do when it no longer has jurisdiction over TV because it’s all AFTRA?
What do you think is going to happen in the next month or two? That you’re going to hold out, force them to accept your terms with a strike when you have no leverage to begin with because they can just turn to AFTRA?
This is insane.
Folks, you’re speculating in this video that SAG will be done in by taking the “last best final offer”. But I’m afraid that SAG is already done because it hasn’t.
To me, it’s very unfortunate. I know you may think I’m some studio shill for saying all this, but the fact is, I believe SAG has been important to the overall protections of workers in the business. You make up one of the many resounding voices for labor protections. At least you did, until you got into this breath-holding contest over a fight already lost, instead of living to fight another day. This could have been dealt with later. But now, with all TV work going to AFTRA instead, what are your members going to do? Video game voices? What if those go to AFTRA now because AFTRA is cheaper? Features? What are there, maybe 25 or 30 features a year at the most? And how many parts are there in each of those movies that your middle class actors can work? And what if the studios decide to shoot those digital so they can produce them under an AFTRA contract because it’s cheaper?
I’m nearly speechless. I just don’t even know what to say anymore. This is tragic. You’ve listened to a group of people with good intentions, but who had absolutely no idea whatsoever just what the hell they were doing. People who had no business sitting across the table from Nick Counter in the first place. You gave them room to maneuver and they screwed you because they didn’t know what they were doing. And now, SAG may be finished because of it.
I hope something can come together for you folks. I hope it’s not the end of SAG. Because it looks to me like this stalling for 6 months IS exactly what the studios wanted. That waiting, that refusal to sign WAS how they would break the union. It’s what they were counting on so they could turn to AFTRA instead of SAG and change the business permanently.
the comment above by “IA member” should be required reading for every member of SAG. he/she has summed it all up.
a few years back, MF was swept into power because the membership
was sick and tired of leadership who went along to get along and did nothing to improve our collective lot, especially concerning DVD’s.
MF vowed to fight for better contracts. well, that’s what they’re doing.
now, if the membership decides to vote them all out at election time,
so be it.
but the coalition that’s poised to take over HAS NO PLAN.
FOR ANYTHING.
even concerning merger, which they claim is their reason for being.
when asked what the new structure will be, and how the merger
will enacted and how it will function, they either say, honestly,
“We don’t know.”, or “We’ll figure it out as we go along.”
both statements are troubling, but at least the former is truthful.
the latter is arrogant and flippant.
let’s send out the AMPTP offer to the membership
and vote it up or vote it down.
i’ll be voting no.
but whatever the membership decides, i’ll live with that.
then, as we approach the inevitable attempt to merge,
as a member of both SAG and AFTRA, i would like to see a fully outlined proposal that benefits both unions, that strengthens the coffers of both unions
and that contains language clearly outlining jurisdiction.
a detailed pre-nup, if you will
i suggest that the people pushing for a quick merge start doing their
homework.
Actually, the video is quite good. Reminds me of the film “Hollywoodland” where different perspectives on the same event (death/suicide of George Reeves) were presented and meant for the audience to think about.
Anyone upset by this is just NOT wanting to hear any other viewpoint but their own.
Why is that?
Why would any group be afraid to let the membership simply vote and live with the results? Are they clammy with dread at the mere thought that they can’t swing a dinky 25%? So much for being big and powerful.
I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
GOOD WORK!
This is nothing more than a mirror being held up to “save the biz.”
I would ask STB, how do you enjoy having your work reused for free–shown on the internet for free?
Next maybe someone will make their video an ad for CocaCola.
And all just as the AMPTP has offered SAG: no consent, no compensation, unlimited internet reuse. It’s the perfect world as envisioned by Luminys.
Two Thumbs Up!
Thank you for the information. Unless the offer we get is a good one that addresses the
issues that are important to the membership….I think the guild should strike.
This Guild was established during the depression….and now our “employers” want
to essentially do away with the safeguards and rules that were created back then.
On top of this, they want to take away more of our earnings!
If this bad contract is passed….there really wouldn’t be much reason to be a member
of the Guild any more. A person might just as well go “financial core”…it sounds
as though it would be the same as what our “employers” want….no residuals….no
protection for minors…no protection for actors…..the list goes on.
Nothing for actors! That is the main message here!
And every thing for them! If this guild wants to remain in existence….the board members
better really think about it! For a change….demand what is right for the majority! Not
just what the “rich and famous” want!
And the actors who are more of a producer than actor….they obviously have other
interests than just the guild! They are making more money producing! And selling their films!
Of course a lot of them want this new contract to not give us more of any thing….it
would cut right into their profits! And if they can take away any of the things we have
now….they make even more! Didn’t they do that during the last time we had to sign a new
contract too? How much more of our time and talent do they want for free?
It is time for the board to have a conscience and become “human” and really consider
what is good for the continued existence of this guild! It is time to take stock of who the
members are….the majority of members….and what they need to be able to continue surviving
in this, and future, times, so that they can continue to act! Do our employers really think that
their companies can continue to exist if there are no actors to work for them? I guess they just
expect us to all do it for “free”? Or for a fee so low that it might just as well be free. With all
the money they make from all the sources they have to distribute and sell their product….
we are already working for “free” when it comes to some of the areas we want addressed
in this new contract!
IT IS TIME FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS TO STOP PLAYING CHILDISH GAMES AND
GROW UP! IF YOU WANT THE GUILD TO CONTINUE….THEN START ACTING LIKE
IT! THIS IS THE TIME…IF YOU DON’T DO IT NOW THE GUILD WILL DIE….IT IS TIME
FOR SOME OF THE BIG NAME MEMBERS WHO ARE MAKING SO MUCH THAT THEY
DON’T THINK ANY OF THIS WILL AFFECT THEM TO START DOING SOMETHING
THAT WILL HELP KEEP THIS GUILD ALIVE! TALK IS REAL CHEAP…AND WHEN
THE TALK IS CRAP IT IS EVEN WORSE! SAVE OUR GUILD AND HELP TO SAVE
OUR MEMBERSHIP! THIS MEANS PUTTING ASIDE Y0UR OWN SELF-SERVING
INTERESTS AND PETTY DIVISIONS….BECOME ADULTS AND FIGHT FOR WHAT
IS RIGHT! THERE IS ALWAYS A RIGHT WAY…WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM
THE EASY WAY! FOR A CHANGE…DO WHAT IS RIGHT…WHICH IS THE REASON
THIS GUILD WAS CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE ORIGINATORS OF THIS
GUILD KNEW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “RIGHT” AND “EASY”. IT IS TIME THAT
OUR CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS EITHER REMEMBERED THIS, OR LEARNED IT!
PAM BLACKWELL
Isn’t that hilarious… James Cronwell, et al., don’t like someone re-using their work online without permission!! What a bunch of hypocrites.
Well, the folks at AdAge.com have captured and reposted the video satire on their own server, in spite of the removal from YouTube due to “copyright claims”.
http://adage.com/brightcove/single.php?title=8675266001