Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

ktdmoviemaker

ktdmoviemaker

Well-known member
OK. I have kind of a dilemma. A well known actor has agreed to act in my short film I am directing. One problem... He is SAG. They have a branch called SAG indie for low budget productions, but they require workers comp for their SAG Performers. The actor is cool, but I don't want to get him in trouble. When the film is released it will get noticed because he is in it. How do I get workers comp for cheap as our budget is like $250. :o Anyone know anyway to beat the system and keep the actor OK?

Any help is appreciated

Kris
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

you cant... you either need to use the actor but he cant have a credit, or you gotta adhere to the rules. Sag is one company you dont want to **** around.
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

The way to get around something like this is to use a payroll service, someplace like CrewStar. Effectively you don't hire the actor, the payroll company does, and you enter a contract with the payroll company to pay the actor. The payroll company has the worker's comp policy, plus they handle filing FICA and FUTA and all that other wonderful nonsense, and they file the 941 forms. And you pay the payroll company the actor's wages, plus all the employer's share of the taxes, plus an 8% fee.

If you come to terms with the actor where he rebates you his paycheck, well, that's between you & the actor. But the payroll company will only be interested in helping out if their 8% amounts to something. You can ask CrewStar, they're great people and they may assist, or you can consider asking a local staffing company or local payroll service if they can work with you on this.

But you've got to supply worker's comp, you don't want to get SAG on your back. And you also need to form a separate company that will sign the SAG contract! If you sign it as an individual, you will be binding yourself to always be a SAG signatory, from now on and forever. So set up an LLC (costs about $85 to set up a Nevada LLC) and use that as the legal entity that signs the SAG contract. Otherwise you could some day find yourself on the wrong side of the most powerful union in the entertainment industry.
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

the SAG, pfft.... so lame.

i guess my dream of having Todd Louiso play a role in my project must fall by the wayside now! hehe

it was a pipe dream anyway  ;)


i have a question actually... what's to stop a 'friend' to just work in your project if they are a part of SAG. does the redtape take place if/when things get bought and distributed? does this also apply to some of the larger film festivals?

i guess it's just hard for me to understand (i have really no idea how SAG works, and i'm really not that interested in it, even though i really need to be) ... i guess a union is a union, the whole point is to provide protection so people don't get exploited or in this case, prolly something a little more self-serving. bleh.
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

The unions are a joke.

I belong to one and they do nothing for me. I have to find my own work and if I ever got into any kind of trouble they sure as **** wouldn't help me out.

Back in the days when the unions were first started, they sounded like they did some good. But now they're just greedy bastards that sit back and collect my dues.

Maybe SAG is different...but I really doubt it.

My whole thing is I don't like someone telling me that I can't do something because of some red tape. They're out of their minds if they think that's going to stop me.

Nothing is ever a pipe dream...if you really want it.
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

[quote author=Kyle Doris link=board=Offtopic;num=1075499669;start=0#3 date=02/03/04 at 12:01:17]
i have a question actually... what's to stop a 'friend' to just work in your project if they are a part of SAG.
[/quote]

As part of joining the union, they vow to abide by Global Rule 1, which is "thou shalt not work in any non-SAG-signatory production."

So, as far as you're concerned, there's nothing stopping you or them. It's a free country, and you're free to hire anyone you want. If they choose to work for you, any penalties or fines or whatever will come down on THEIR head, not yours.

Well, that's how it's supposed to work. And for 99.95% of indies, that probably is how it actually works. But let's say you got lucky and hit it big, and now all of a sudden SAG has egg on its face -- a hit film with SAG actors, that scabbed? They may very well try to "influence" you to sign with the union after-the-fact. Or "ask" theaters to not show it. Or whatever they want to do. Legal is legal, sure, but what happens is what happens.

If the actor really wants to do it, basically it's not your problem, it's his/hers and how they want to face the union.

There is a way around this, which is called "financial core" -- SAG actors can choose to declare "financial core" status, which is a protected class created by the Supreme Court of the US, which basically says that a union does not have the right to prevent someone from earning a living. So if the actor can demonstrate that they HAVE to take non-union jobs in order to stay alive, they can declare "financial core" status, and what that means is -- they get to do both. They technically resign from the union, but remain eligible for all SAG shoots just as if they were still in the union. And they're also perfectly free to work in any non-union shoot they want (because, technically, they're NOT in the union). I don't know whether they get to collect residuals through the union, I guess they do...

A lot of actors in smaller markets are declaring "financial core", but you're not going to see it happening much in NY or LA, I bet. SAG HATES IT, because it undermines all their influence, but hey -- when you have a union where 95% of the members are making less than $5,000 a year, something's got to give, right?
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

"95% of the members are making less than $5,000 a year"

Exactly the reason you'll never see this pretty face "in front" of a camera ;D

<---- Rodger
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

Barry's right, you can hire whoever you want. If it's a non-SAG shoot it's up to the actor to decide if they want to thumb their nose at the union or not. I really wouldn't worry too much about the SAG nazi's showing up at your house after the fact.  And, distributors couldn't care less about whether the shoot was union or not. They'd be more interested in who was in it.
 
Re: Help!!! Well known Actor + SAG = Trouble!!!

Hey,

I just thought I'd throw my two cents into this. I do a lot of short films with a friend of mine who's in SAG, he's one of those 'under 9500 dollars a year guys', but a good actor.

ANYWAY... all you should have to do is call up sag (you can get a number off of sag.org) and let them know who the actor is, and let them know the payment situation (or rather, the non-payment ;) ) and they can get a voucher for your actor. You two sign it and agree to whatever the details of the voucher are between you two, and send it back. That should be it. I've done it before, no big deal.

Hopefully that'll help you live your dream to have your buddy play a part in your film!

James
 
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