Barry_Green
Moderator
Fringes are the contributions to the SAG health & welfare & pension fund. They are due only if you are a signatory to the SAG agreement and have contractually obligated that you will make such payments.
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casting noob.. SAG and other union actors.
- Thread starter astigmatic
- Start date
http://bhplayhouse.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/my-day-at-sag/
A first hand story of a SAG hearing for doing a non-union short.
I also just want to say Barry has been right all along. The worst a producer that isn't a SAG signatory faces is harassment. Which sadly can be pretty damaging. I know SAG members did everything they could to kill commercial non-union shoots back during the last strike(can't find the links but their are blog postings describing what some of them did). If you are big enough and they find out soon enough you could expect noise complaints to the local police, complaints to the city/state over licenses, etc. But they have no legal teeth. The actor however may face a showdown with Elliott Gould. And could face fines and expulsion from the union. I'm not certain but SAG might also make it impossible for the producer to become a SAG signatory in the future. Though that may be limited to them not allowing you to use their one-sided special low-budget agreements. They may not be able to refuse anyone the primary contract. You'd need a team of lawyers to sort that out.
As for using any of the SAG low budget agreements, read it. Pretty much you agree to not show the work to anyone except for a narrow list of events (film festivals). Anything outside of that and you have to make a deal with SAG(and SAG doesn't make deals). Plus you must have unemployement insurance and make every actor an employee. I suspect most small film makers without a company will find this near impossible. Though a payroll company may be able to do it for you, for a fee.
The only good reason not to hire SAG members who aren't FI-core for a non-union shoot is because you don't want to hurt them. They may be willing to work for you, but you might not be doing them a favor. If you do proceed, make sure you have them sign a contract, one that clearly spells out everything including the work-for-hire terms.
A first hand story of a SAG hearing for doing a non-union short.
I also just want to say Barry has been right all along. The worst a producer that isn't a SAG signatory faces is harassment. Which sadly can be pretty damaging. I know SAG members did everything they could to kill commercial non-union shoots back during the last strike(can't find the links but their are blog postings describing what some of them did). If you are big enough and they find out soon enough you could expect noise complaints to the local police, complaints to the city/state over licenses, etc. But they have no legal teeth. The actor however may face a showdown with Elliott Gould. And could face fines and expulsion from the union. I'm not certain but SAG might also make it impossible for the producer to become a SAG signatory in the future. Though that may be limited to them not allowing you to use their one-sided special low-budget agreements. They may not be able to refuse anyone the primary contract. You'd need a team of lawyers to sort that out.
As for using any of the SAG low budget agreements, read it. Pretty much you agree to not show the work to anyone except for a narrow list of events (film festivals). Anything outside of that and you have to make a deal with SAG(and SAG doesn't make deals). Plus you must have unemployement insurance and make every actor an employee. I suspect most small film makers without a company will find this near impossible. Though a payroll company may be able to do it for you, for a fee.
The only good reason not to hire SAG members who aren't FI-core for a non-union shoot is because you don't want to hurt them. They may be willing to work for you, but you might not be doing them a favor. If you do proceed, make sure you have them sign a contract, one that clearly spells out everything including the work-for-hire terms.
astigmatic
Well-known member
Cool read, they picked the wrong Joe Smith to try to make an example of.
Barry_Green
Moderator
But it doesn't work that way. On a union gig the actor has to sign their time sheet every day. There is NO WAY that any SAG member, who's ever been on any SAG shoot, wouldn't know that a non-union production is non-union.