Comments (7)

• If merging S.A.G. with Aftra is such a good idea then why hasn’t anyone described what that would look like or a plan on how to accomplish it? Would the treasuries be combined? Would the Actors have the Broadcasters support them in a strike or vice versa? What happens to S.A.G.’s Pension & Health and Aftra’s Health & Retirement? Does your S.A.G. Pension accrual rate diminish because you’re now funding Aftra’s Retirement plan also? What about Phase One where Aftra has 50% of the say in the Negotiating Room? How do we have more “leverage” if that continues? So many questions and so far no answers.

  Phase One is the agreement between the two unions to bargain jointly since 1988. This year Aftra took advantage of an alleged “raiding” by S.A.G. of “The Bold &The Beautiful” to “suspend” Phase One and go it alone. Unfortunately for Aftra, Susan Flannery, the Matriarch of B&B, wrote a letter refuting Aftra’s allegation. Please go to:

  http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/bold-beautiful-actress-susan-flannery-wants-to-set-the-aftra-sag-record-straight/

  FYI: Aftra has not only never apologized to S.A.G. for the accusation but never referred to Flannery’s letter.

  Because of multiple failed Merger referendums Aftra decided that in order to survive they would kick into panic mode and secure as much jurisdiction as possible even if it was at the expense of the middle class actor. Because of Aftra’s shameless behavior actors are now enjoying a $509 minimum with free exhibition windows (No residuals) on Comedy Central as opposed to S.A.G.’s scale rate of $759 minimum for any cable show with residuals starting from the first re-run. Aftra is not only offering cut rate contracts to sign hour scripted dramas that have been traditionally S.A.G.’s jurisdiction (Damages. Rescue Me. etc) but has actually started an Indie outreach for feature films in New York. The current Aftra Exhibit A Theatrical Contract that was voted up by a majority of Broadcasters and DJ’s recently, per Aftra’s aggressive campaign for them to do so, has no residuals for product in Made For New Media (The Internet and beyond…). It’s been made crystal clear to the S.A.G. Negotiating Committee by Management that they intend to experiment with “non-union” talent for most if not all the Made For New Media product they intend to produce in the future. The grand punchline to all this is… It’s okay with Aftra. They’re calling it a “groundbreaking” deal.

  So, at this point you’re probably thinking, “What’s the problem? We’ll just merge with Aftra then S.A.G. can control the contracts and P&H.” In a perfect world, yes. But, Phase One is clear that each Union has 50% of the vote in Negotiations even though Aftra only has 5% of Prime Time and 0% of Feature Films. Obviously Aftra has gotten really used to that arrangement and has become religious about it even to the point of rebuffing S.A.G.’s suggestion to have proportional representation in Negotiations so that the Union with the most at stake theatrically can guide the bargaining.

  Aftra has never demonstrated a willingness to fight for any meaningful gains whatsoever. We believe, for instance, that the reason the DVD residual formula hasn’t changed in 27 years is that with Aftra’s 50% vote, along with a few go along get along NY S.A.G. Negotiating Committee Members making up the majority, the DVD proposal is taken off the table the second Aftra senses any resistance from Management. Aftra’s Leadership has proven over and over again that they are not Unionists. It’s all about the institution rather than the members. It’s a myopic Federation of bureaucrats who’s sole purpose is to maintain its offices and six figure executive salaries… The Aftra acting category be damned.

  Since it’s impossible to combine two opposite philosophies then combining S.A.G. with Aftra will never happen.

  Jeff Austin
  Screen Actors Guild Member

  Comment by Jeff Austin — August 27, 2008 @ 12:33 pm  Reply to this post

• I think there’s a certain amount of schizophrenia in the mind of the consortium that owns MGM/UA. Part of them wants MGM to work, not only for the profit potential, but also because healthy competition creates a healthy industry, but another part of them can’t really stand having a real potential competitor on the loose.

  MGM has a lot of history behind it, but that history is weighing it down in just about everything but their DVD library.

  Something that might attract capital investment would be a new business plan where equity investors get paid first, ahead of the “stars.” It’s so crazy, it just might work.

  Comment by Furious D — August 27, 2008 @ 12:36 pm  Reply to this post

• There’s Paramount people heading to MGM and Paramount people also heading to Lionsgate, and both companies perpetually rumored to be for sale or in merger discussions. I think that’s the marriage that will most likely happen.

  Comment by Erika — August 27, 2008 @ 1:38 pm  Reply to this post

• There’s Paramount people heading to MGM and Paramount people also heading to Lionsgate, and both companies perpetually rumored to be for sale or in merger discussions. I think that’s the marriage that will most likely happen.

  ——————————————————

  Oh please no. MGM has been shredding other people’s money for years and years but I still hope that Lionsgate can remain ‘independent’ and not get swallowed by one of the majors. Especially Viacom.

  But, in saying that, you have to admire Brad Gray’s ethos as a studio head. He knows that he isn’t able to make hit films himself so he simply gets out the cheque book and buys other smaller studio units that can. When they are hits. He takes the credit. When they are failures. He blames the unit that made them.
  Genius.

  Comment by Warner Borg — August 28, 2008 @ 2:23 am  Reply to this post

• Five years ago at Script Expo, several speakers talked about the demise of the film industry. Back then a producer told us. How you could have the talent the script, and the facilities, the money and the major studios would not allow you to make a film.

  Film has always started, well with a script. Recently I purchased a history of director George Stevens films. He loved film. It was a journey. I believe that, for the past nine years I wrote nine scripts none read or sold. No buyers, well, because like GM, Ford, and Chrysler the studios are not open to new ideas. They have a factory system started by mega guys from another century. They don’t take unsolicited ideas ( hydrogen cars, electric cars, solar cars) They prefer a formula based on stars adopted by Thalberg to draw a crowd. The public will hopefully love an advertisement read on their local TV station on a edited video with movie “stars.” That’s why the summer was profitable even though the audience numbers are still in decline.

  Sale MGM, keep MGM, umh. Numbers don’t lie. As it said in the Business week article DVD sales are declining. Jay Epstein wrote an interesting article on that a few years ago. http://www.slate.com/id/2122000/

  Ticket prices in MI 4.75 for a major release. 9 at night and that’s on the weekend. While its still cheap entertainment, with expanding critics ( the thousands on rotten tomatoes most folks wont pay for a stinker. When will the majors realize its time to revamp. How about shorts? How about a new life thought, open the doors, expand the product line, think outside the box and not use the 200 writers, twenty major actors and well of course the same locations over and over again.

  Dr. Zhivago was expensive to make but plays well forty years later. People still watch Cleopatra, Platoon and the Matrix. These movies started with a story; love, life, power and destiny.

  To take a quote from the guys from Return to Forever. This aint no boy band and we play what we want to. Maybe if MGM opens its doors, tries new ideas, focuses on film and profit, not profit and loss. Perhaps, the studio would be revamped and not another electronic blip on Wall Street owned by Murdoch and Fox.

  Comment by writerdjb — August 28, 2008 @ 3:54 am  Reply to this post

• @ Furious D

  The “stars” are of minor concern to the equity. It’s generating enough revenue from the slate to pay back the large tranches of senior and mezzanine debt that keep them up at night. Until that happens, equity won’t see a cent.

  Comment by $ — August 28, 2008 @ 6:40 am  Reply to this post

• Goldwyn started his company with 15k and risked it all on a film in AZ per this Goldwyn book I’m reading.

  Tonight on the local PBS station they showed That’s Entertainment hosted by the late great Frank Sinatra. Work hard, and they knew what they were doing said Frank.

  Maybe that’s the ticket, have a musical starring Madonna, Lolo and maybe Chaka Khan, something set in the seventies or present day. Madonna can dance. Musicals yeah baby, that’s worth spending five billion dollars on and while we are at it throw in Michael and Janet J. A sure hit and something to make the kids go ooooooh.

  Comment by writerdjb — August 29, 2008 @ 6:24 pm  Reply to this post