dasher
Well-known member
Unless a reasonable agreement comes within the next few weeks (which most media reporters have not presumed there will be) we're going to have our second strike of the year with the Actors that are part of the Screen Actors Guild.
The main problems that i see with this strike are
1) AFTRA (a rival union) has agreed to terms with the studios for their new contract. The deal is very very favorable for producers who are concerned about internet residuals.
For years AFTRA has been the unwanted stepchild to most feature film / tv producers, but by offering this better deal it could really be the child they never had. The one thing that I like about AFTRA is that you don't have to pull an arm and a leg to be a member. No crazy voucher system.
2) The second problem with SAG is internally. There are probably a lot of actors who don't mind that there will be a strike. Many of their members are not working full time and make a living off of residuals, so they want to make sure that they can make an honest living off of what new media has in store them.
What does this mean for us? Well it could mean everything or nothing. If you're a filmmaker who is starting out, expect for some of your films to be viewable for free or for pay in the internet .
The downside is organization of this.
The price per CPM (thousand views with an ad ) is $7 and that might be going down more than it would be going up.
Now if you're a mastermind and can get 1,000,000 views on your feature. You'll only be getting $7,000 for a feature film. Granted, there is the prospect of additional product placement and you'll hopefully use the million views to build upon a fanbase that might go to see your next film theatrically but imagine making 7k and then having unions (that really didn't help you at all with the process) strip away 15% of that.
This is going to be a long, long process to solve and both sides will likely drag it out. My advice to you is try to find jobs out of the country or non-scripted / union to get you through the summer.
The main problems that i see with this strike are
1) AFTRA (a rival union) has agreed to terms with the studios for their new contract. The deal is very very favorable for producers who are concerned about internet residuals.
For years AFTRA has been the unwanted stepchild to most feature film / tv producers, but by offering this better deal it could really be the child they never had. The one thing that I like about AFTRA is that you don't have to pull an arm and a leg to be a member. No crazy voucher system.
2) The second problem with SAG is internally. There are probably a lot of actors who don't mind that there will be a strike. Many of their members are not working full time and make a living off of residuals, so they want to make sure that they can make an honest living off of what new media has in store them.
What does this mean for us? Well it could mean everything or nothing. If you're a filmmaker who is starting out, expect for some of your films to be viewable for free or for pay in the internet .
The downside is organization of this.
The price per CPM (thousand views with an ad ) is $7 and that might be going down more than it would be going up.
Now if you're a mastermind and can get 1,000,000 views on your feature. You'll only be getting $7,000 for a feature film. Granted, there is the prospect of additional product placement and you'll hopefully use the million views to build upon a fanbase that might go to see your next film theatrically but imagine making 7k and then having unions (that really didn't help you at all with the process) strip away 15% of that.
This is going to be a long, long process to solve and both sides will likely drag it out. My advice to you is try to find jobs out of the country or non-scripted / union to get you through the summer.
