Closed for President's Day

Though we'll be on call for casting, the office is closed this Monday, February 15th for President's Day.

The Etiquette of Recalls

So you've been booked on a show with a possible recall. Yay! Now... what does that mean? And what are YOUR responsibilities for this situation?

First and most importantly, you MUST be available for all days required in the "possible" recall. We always say "possible", because anything can change at any time on any production. They might finish sooner than they thought, and therefore will not need the same Background Actors the next day after all. They are not obliged to have you back if they no longer need you. Conversely, if they need you, you must be prepared to go back. They have planned to have you for 2, 3, 4 or however many days, and so we have you booked on that show for all required days (another reason it is very important to keep us apprised of your availability). Matching shots are hard to do if the Background Actors are missing!

Many times, the production will inform you on set whether or not you will be recalled. Sometimes they will not. Each production handles things differently, and that is their prerogative. Some casting directors follow up with us here at A List, some do not. If it is a set where they recall you directly, the casting directors trust that you, as a responsible Background Actor, will inform your service. And you should. The minute you hear one way or another, you should call us. Immediately. We may be aware of the situation, but we might not. We don't mind having the information repeated; it is not a bother to us at all. We like to hear from you. If we have been informed that you will most likely be recalled, we will keep with that information unless and until we hear otherwise. DO NOT count on the casting director to tell us. They are very busy. They are casting other shows; and again, they are going to believe you will take the responsibility upon yourself. Also, you might get the news a few hours before they do, and those are hours we can have you open and available for another casting director.

To summarize: if you are told you are recalled, let us know immediately. That's especially important if we did not know that a recall was in the works. If you learn they will not be recalling you after all, call us immediately, so that we may have you free for other casting directors to book you. The theme here is: call us immediately!

As always, use your best judgement. If it's a possible recall, plan to be there until you hear otherwise. Of course, you may feel free to check in with us (that's what we're here for), but refrain from contacting casting directors and bugging them about it. They tend to dislike that. We understand that you want to find other work if you are not recalled, and that you want to know as soon as possible, but making a nuisance of yourself will only hurt you and your chances with that casting director in the future. We all try to work together, and sometimes that is not easy when productions are not forthcoming with information. But please trust the casting directors and us. We all want you to work!

When in doubt... call us, we're here for you. But again, use your best judgement! We trust you. Like most everything when working as background, sometimes it's just a waiting game.

In case you're curious, here are the rules straight from the SAG website:


AVAILABILITY AND BOOKINGS

Asking for availability does not obligate either the Background Actor or the Producer. Availabilities are not bookings. Example: A casting director calls you and says, “There is a two-day shoot next Monday and Tuesday, are you available?” and you reply “yes” and are told to call back on Sunday for details. When you call, you are given all of the necessary information (time, place, wardrobe) for Monday, but Tuesday is not mentioned. At this point you should ask, “Am I booked for Tuesday?” Many casting directors would like to give the impression that the Background Actor is obligated to hold the second day, but this is not true.

CALL-BACKS

If the Background Actor is established in the film so that he/she cannot be replaced, and if the Producer requires his/her services on the following workday and notifies the Background Actor of this by giving him/her a definite call-back, the Background Actor shall report for the following workday.

CANCELLATIONS

The Background Actor is entitled to a full day of pay for cancellation of an initial work call, unless such cancellation is due to illness in principal cast, fire, flood, or other similar catastrophe or national emergency. In the event of such cancellation, the Background Actor will be entitled to a half-check. If the Background Actor is notified of such cancellation before 6:00 pm of the workday previous to the work date, the Background Actor will not be entitled to the half-check.

AFTRA the deal of choice - TV producers shun SAG

An article from Variety. Also keep in mind that many of these are NOT filming in the LA area....By DAVE MCNARY

AFTRA has clearly become the deal of choice this pilot season, as producers shun SAG -- which once dominated primetime.

With the season starting to wind down and move toward casting, a total of 62 pilots shot on digital have signed with the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists thus far, according to the union's internal tracking.

Conversely, insiders believe that only few pilots have inked deals with the Screen Actors Guild -- even though minimum terms of primetime deals in the SAG and AFTRA master don't vary significantly.

SAG and AFTRA, which share jurisdiction on primetime shows shot in digital formats, had no comment Tuesday. But this pilot season appears to be a repeat of last year, when strike saber-rattling by SAG leaders sent nearly all of the studios and producers into the arms of AFTRA.

AFTRA has signed 23 ABC pilots, including "Mr. Sinshine" with Matthew Perry; "The Whole Truth," produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and "No Ordinary Family," starring Michael Chiklis. The guild has also signed 14 at NBC, including "The Rockford Files" and "Prime Suspect"; a dozen at CBS, including "Hawaii Five-O" and Chuck Lorre's "Mike and Molly"; and 10 at Fox, including Shawn Ryan's "Ridealong."

SAG appears to be paying the price for its aggressive stance during 2008 and 2009, when AFTRA split off from joint negotiations and SAG insisted on a better deal than the other Hollywood unions. That led to AFTRA concluding a deal a year before SAG in July 2008 -- despite SAG's fervent opposition to ratification on the grounds that the AFTRA deal fell short in new media compensation.

Studios and producers are able to choose between SAG and AFTRA jurisdiction now that most pilots are shot via high-definition video. SAG has exclusive jurisdiction over projects shot in film -- but that medium is no longer common in TV production.

"We shoot all of our shows in HD," one studio exec said -- adding that their decision to shoot digitally has nothing to do with the guilds. (Instead, the flexibility is a beneficial byproduct of the shift from film to digital.)

SAG dominated pilot jursidiction until last year.

Producers have continued to opt for AFTRA deals -- even though SAG members have voted in more moderate leaders who have moved toward mending fences with AFTRA.

Advocates of a SAG-AFTRA merger contend that the issue of split jurisdiction's a potential headache for working members amid tightened qualifications for the joint industry-union health and pension plans. SAG earnings aren't counted toward the AFTRA plans and vice-versa.

In a development that's troubling for SAG members, thesps were told at the guild's membership meeting on October that declines in TV work had led to producer contributions to SAG's health and pension plans sliding between 10% and 11% for 2009.

SAG's national board voted on Jan. 31 to seek a joint negotiation with AFTRA on a new primetime deal, a week after AFTRA's strategy cabinet took the first step toward joint negotiations by voting to create a committee to explore that option.

SAG has about 120,000 members, and AFTRA has 70,000, with about 45,000 thesps holding dual membership. Both primetime deals expire in June, 2011. SAG is obligated to begin talks with the companies in October for seven weeks; AFTRA's talks have not been set.

Link:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... Id=14&cs=1

Union Visiting at Central

Brandi at Central posted on facebook: will be one of the CD's tomorrow at UNION VISITING, along with KAREN and JEFF. Hope to see you all there at 9am SHARP! Remember...be on time...and be positive...and respectful!

Questions?

Do you have any? Do ya?

Mollye here. I'll answer any question, within reason, best I can. Just ask.

Pink on the Grammys

In case you missed it in the Call Sheet

A MESSAGE FROM THE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

By Anne-Marie Johnson

I hope your holidays were filled with happiness, and I’m wishing all of us good health and employment in 2010.

With regard to employment, many challenges are facing us. Most importantly, our mandated early negotiations with our employers start this October. The changing landscape of the entertainment industry has impacted all of SAG’s members, and it is becoming more difficult for most of us to make a decent living, let alone qualify for health care.

The ever-changing landscape was made even more apparent during my visit to the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I was there representing Screen Actors Guild, and what I saw and heard made it even clearer that the warm and fuzzy days of traditional broadcasting and distribution will soon be a distant memory. From IPTV to 3D televisions, all changes and innovations had to do with the delivery of content. Our content. It was all very intriguing, but none of these technical bells and whistles mean a thing for actors if we are not treated like true “partners” with our employers.

In a blog posted on January 8, columnist and screenwriter Robert J. Elisberg recounts a conversation he had with a representative from mSpot Mobile Movies, a company which provides for the streaming of rented movies directly to personal mobile devices. No downloading necessary. What I found most eye-opening about this blog was the response from the mSpot Mobile Movies representative when told that the AMPTP (our employers) stated during negotiations with the WGA that industry companies needed years to study the Internet and that there wasn’t any money in New Media yet. The mSpot rep responded, “No money? Then maybe they’ll give us back everything we pay them! Because we (mSpot Mobile) pay them (studios/companies) a lot.” Interesting.

Although much can be said about the current drama facing NBC Universal and the “late night wars,” what is most important is, hopefully, the eventual return of scripted entertainment. Placing The Jay Leno Show in primetime theoretically eliminated five hours of scripted television. Hours that could have been filled with dramatic programming, employing SAG members. My selfish wish is that those five hours of primetime television return to a more traditional format, creating more opportunities for actors. Had NBC Universal’s experiment been a success, it was feared that other networks would follow suit, eliminating more hours of scripted primetime programming. But it appears, as of the writing of this letter, that hopefully 2010 will be a better season for our members, the industry and viewers with regard to scripted pilots and/or series orders.

Song of the Day 1/20/10

Got your 3 SAG vouchers... now what?

I was talking to a client on the phone today and answered a question that I get asked from time to time and I thought it would be helpful just to have it posted here on the blog.

Got your 3 SAG vouchers... now what?

So you're non-union and you've just gotten three (or more) total vouchers, what's the next step?
(If you're a client of A List, also keep us posted along your path to becoming a SAG.)

1. Wait until you get your paycheck. The check stub is your proof that you worked and got paid under the SAG contract. I recommend keeping the work day vouchers too, but the check stub is more important.
2. Go to http://www.sag.org/content/eligibility-check and see if SAG already has some of your work history in their system. If they do not have at least 3 SAG work days in their system, you must submit the stubs to them. Follow the directions on http://www.sag.org/content/steps-join to complete the SAG registration process.
3. Initiation fees for SAG are $2335 (that's $2,277 plus the semi-annual dues payment of $58.) Payment details are listed in the second link in #2 above. (All of the initiation and first semi-annual dues must be paid in full before the SAG registration process can be continued. I believe they will let you make partial payments to your account, but nothing moves forward until you are paid in full.)
   
4. After you pay, you will get your receipt from SAG. Sometimes it takes a few days to get it, but from this point forward, you're officially SAG. The receipt is basically your temporary card.
5. Take your receipt to Central and re-register as SAG. You usually have to do the complete registration process over again, so be prepared to have ID's, money, and be ready to take new pictures.
6. Your SAG card will come in the mail in a few weeks. Always bring it to set.
   

This whole process can take a little time, so be patient especially if SAG needs to verify your SAG work days/vouchers. We would expect you to honor any bookings made while you were still non-union, but after that, it's all SAG.

Hope that helps!

Why it's not like it used to be in the industry...

Here's an article that illustrates just how we've ALL been affected by the slow-down of work and why. It's across the board.

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_14129294

Loss of film, TV production a 'crisis'

EFFORT: City Council aims to bring work back to L.A. through new commission.

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer

Updated: 01/05/2010 08:30:08 PM PST

Heeding warnings that runaway production has reached the "crisis" stage, the City Council took steps Tuesday to create a commission tasked with marketing Los Angeles to filmmakers.

With its 13-0 vote, the council directed the Chief Legislative Office to research how a film commission would operate and be financed.

"The loss of productions to other states is no longer a trickling effect; it is a crisis," said Pamm Fair, chairwoman of FilmLA, the nonprofit agency that coordinates film permits.

"We are talking about 300,000 clean, good-paying jobs that we are losing. And we are not only losing the jobs," she said. "We are losing the people, who are relocating to other states."

The film commission is the latest effort to stem runaway production, which has resulted in TV and movie work heading to Canada and overseas. Officials say local film production has dropped by more than half since 1996.

"This is intended to fill a gap," said Councilman Richard Alarc n, who proposed creating the agency.

"It is needed, because we need to market the film industry in a way that we can compete with cities that are developing their own film industry and taking production away from us."

Alarc n said he sees the commission as complementing FilmLA by working with the industry and studying efforts by other cities and states to lure filming to their locales.

Council President Eric Garcetti suggested the new panel include the hiring of a film czar, who would work as a liaison with city agencies and officials to deal with problems as they develop - whether it is with neighborhood complaints or the need for changes in city regulations.

"We need to have someone here to work with FilmLA, and to serve as an advocate for the industry," Garcetti said. "We need someone who has a powerful voice to advocate for the industry and make sure it comes back here where it started."

Councilman Tom LaBonge said the panel should also look beyond the city borders.

"This is not just in Hollywood," LaBonge said. "We have people living throughout the region who could be working in the industry if we had the jobs here."

Paul Audley, executive director of FilmLA, urged the council to enact the proposal, saying he is prepared to work with it to help market Los Angeles to the industry.

"We serve as a partner to the city and will be a partner with this new commission," Audley said. "Merely by showing the interest of the city to the industry will be a key role in helping bring production back."

Garcetti said he believes the new commission can be filled with working and retired members of the industry and the unions most directly affected by production.