I.A.T.S.E - what are your thoughs as shooters?

[schteevie]

I just had an offer for a shooting job that required me to be an I.A.T.S.E. member.

In over 8 years of shooting film - inde music videos, commercials, short films
and a few TV shows on my DVX100, it has never come up.

So now I am faced with thinking :

- Should I join?
- Can I join?
- Will it be an advantage or a liability to join?

What are your thoughts?
I don't even know how to go about it, what is required and what the limitations/implications are for my future work...

 

[Erik Olson]

Depending on what craft and jurisdictions you're talking about, you can largely straddle union and non-union work to your own level of comfort and satisfaction.

When I work non-union without employer contributions to Health, Welfare, Pension and Dues, I can elect to pay in on my own to maintain proper levels within the funds. Regardless of what jurisdiction or local you work under, your health, welfare and pension is administered by the International.

IA600 Cinematographers / Camera Operators is an international association comprised of local guilds in many markets.

Having your card does not get you work - you'll most often find yourself on your own to build relationships. I've never found the IA to be a hindrance, in fact, I've always felt that I received an incomparable education the crafts through my original local in San Francisco.

e

 

[24pshooter]

I'm not union yet, but have friends who are.

You might want to look into the requirements for joining before anything else. In LA at least, joining any of the unions is not a simple process at all. Maybe it's different in Canada.

Beyond that, if you have the possibility of working union shoots/shows then go for it and don't look back. Look at it as an opportunity. It's a different world than low-budget with small crews--but the money, benefits and protections are great things. Get ready for some politics, BTW.

But the real deal with unions is that they don't really help you get the work. You have to know people on good shows who will hire you before being in a union will really pay off for you.

 

[schteevie]

I understand the basic fundalmentals.
I've been around shooting for a long time and have friends that are assistants and what not in the union.

But I am looking for peoples thoughts about joining as a Shooter...

What do you need to do if you wanted to apply?
and how much does being a member impact working non-union shoots?

 

[GenJerDan]

I had to join IATSE.

To work at Sam Goody's, stocking shelves.

Yeah...gotta love those unions.

 

[Erik Olson]

I don't really understand what your question is. You've been told that you can get your card (assume IA600 through a local jurisdiction), but then you ask what you need to do to apply?

If that isn't the case, and you simply want to work on an existing union show, but haven't yet approached (or been approached by) the IA, then you'll have to go to the local and see what their requirements are.

In most cases, if the show is organized, they'll want a cardholder in that slot, not some new guy who hasn't had time assisting and in their permit or apprentice programs. I'd recommend contacting the local and expressing your interest in how their permit program works.

As I said in my first post, you cannot (not anywhere in the freelance or private sector, IME) beat IA health, welfare and pension benefits. If this is important to you, then I'd jump. Health care and retirement issues represent major challenges for craftspeople, so I would endorse joining for that reason.

If you think you'll get any work for having joined, then I would just say that networking plays just as big a role in the organized world as in the independent one.

There are myriad opportunities for politicking if that's something that interests you - I find it to be a major distraction. I apply collective bargaining / IA labor management principles to my standard non-union contracts. For the most part, the IA does almost everything within reason to protect their members. If you hate negotiation or direct involvement in the collective bargaining process, then I would suggest that the IA might be a good place for you.

On learning the craft of filmmaking, I would just say that you can learn and implement technique on both independent and organized sets alike. Further honing your understanding and implementation of the crafts is more a function of your willingness to learn than where you do it. Documentaries, sports and small features teach a somewhat different and varied skillset, while IA shows might limit direct access across departments.

Does that make sense?

e

 

[schteevie]

Thanks for the info.
So I take it each local "jurisdiction" has it's own set of requirements for membership?

As for the specific situation, the offer came from the director, but when he heard I wasn't a memberr, his reaction was "oh, the shooter needs to be I.A...." type of thing.

So it sounds like I am on my own to get membership...?
I don't think I'll be able to do it in time.

The job is essentially an EPK (that would be shot on the DVX) for a feature film, so it isn't a big deal.

 

[endmarks]

There are many locals within the Iatse. I have been a member in local 600, which is the national local for the International cinematographers Guild, for over 15 years. I came in as a 2nd assistant cameraman. The catergories in local 600 for camera positions are Loader, Camera Assistant(1st and 2nd), Camera Operator, Director of Photography, DIT(digital imaging technicians), and Still photographers.

So to answer your question as regards to shooting. I suspect if you wish to apply as a shooter in local 600, then you would enter as a DOP. However, there are other categories within the IATSE that may apply to your genre of shooting ie..eng, behind the scenes, EFP, etc that are different locals within the IATSE.

Go to the Iatse website and the ICG website and get some contact numbers and call for your specific situation.

hth,

 

[Greggl]

So to answer your question as regards to shooting. I suspect if you wish to apply as a shooter in local 600, then you would enter as a DOP. However, there are other categories within the IATSE that may apply to your genre of shooting ie..eng, behind the scenes, EFP, etc that are different locals within the IATSE.

DOP can also be pricey. I was local 600 when working in LA.. one of the few guys
with a CGI classification. I agree with the above statement that the health benefits
while living in california were spectacular.

Getting enough 'hours' on union jobs to stay eligible can be an issue if you're not
on a career track thats going to have your hat in the ring with the guys putting
union shows together.

Just to complicate things, 600 just rejected the basic agreement, the first time
thats ever happened. Things are getting really interesting in hollywood

 

[CharlesPapert]

The points made here are all great. I joined the IA when it merged with NABET but at the time was doing almost all non-union work, so I was just paying dues without seeing any benefit for years. Then suddenly an opportunity came up and I got two multi-month gigs in a row, and it all became worth it. It's probably as simple as, if you think you will be working enough signatory jobs to justify the dues, then it's a no-brainer (especially if you can work enough to qualify for health insurance). As far as continuing to work non-union jobs, it's not really an issue.

This all said, be prepared for a serious hit when you join--the initiation fees are very steep. I haven't checked in a while, but it's somewhere close to $10K to join as a DP, with about $1K a year in dues whether you work or not (and an additional assessment if you do). FYI, there is "free flow" between the operator and DP position (that is, while there still is such a thing as an operator--groan--won't go into that here) so you can classify as an operator (about $2K less for initiation) but still work as a DP.