For the people that have asked about how to determine the union jurisdiction of SAG and AFTRA. It is not SAG = Film and AFTRA = Video Tape. I have worked on many SAG production shot on video.
First this subject does not have anything to do with Theatrical motion pictures. Movies are SAG's exclusive jurisdiction. The fact that "film" is SAG's exclusive jurisdiction, leads people to the conclusion that jurisdiction is based on the method or format of acquisition. Its not.
In the beginning of television, various actors unions, on the east coast, got the AFL-CIO to create a actors union called the TvA. This union would cover various artist in the new field of TV. SAG was not among this group and viewed the group as usurping the Screen Actors Guilds jurisdiction in motion pictures. As TV grew the networks got tired of the same old game shows and vaudeville acts that dominated TV at that time. They wanted scripted dramas and comedies. To make this new product the big three networks hired the movie studios in Hollywood. Hollywood was SAG's domain and the studios were SAG signatories. This new product was called a Television Motion Picture. These new TV series were made under SAG's jurisdiction.
The newly created TvA union protested with the NLRB that they had jurisdiction over TV. The controversy was settled by having actors vote on which union they wanted to be their collective bargaining agent. The actors overwhelmingly chose SAG. The TvA was left with "live broadcast" jurisdiction and SAG got jurisdiction over all TV shows made like a Motion Picture, i.e. shot out of sequence with various shots ( close-ups, masters, etc,) and edited and shown at a later date.
After this NLRB vote, the TvA union merged with AFRA (a radio artist union) and the TvA's charter for "live" TV was how AFRA got into TV. The only NLRB chartered TV jurisdiction, that AFTRA has, comes from the defunct union known as the TvA.
AFTRA technically only has jurisdiction over live TV. That's why until recently AFTRA only had jurisdiction over sitcoms shot in front of a live audience and Soaps, which were originally made live. AFTRA has been raiding SAG's jurisdiction which has caused a huge uproar among actors. The reason AFTRA gives is "digital acquisition" is a new technology and jurisdiction is not defined, in other words, up for grabs.
First this subject does not have anything to do with Theatrical motion pictures. Movies are SAG's exclusive jurisdiction. The fact that "film" is SAG's exclusive jurisdiction, leads people to the conclusion that jurisdiction is based on the method or format of acquisition. Its not.
In the beginning of television, various actors unions, on the east coast, got the AFL-CIO to create a actors union called the TvA. This union would cover various artist in the new field of TV. SAG was not among this group and viewed the group as usurping the Screen Actors Guilds jurisdiction in motion pictures. As TV grew the networks got tired of the same old game shows and vaudeville acts that dominated TV at that time. They wanted scripted dramas and comedies. To make this new product the big three networks hired the movie studios in Hollywood. Hollywood was SAG's domain and the studios were SAG signatories. This new product was called a Television Motion Picture. These new TV series were made under SAG's jurisdiction.
The newly created TvA union protested with the NLRB that they had jurisdiction over TV. The controversy was settled by having actors vote on which union they wanted to be their collective bargaining agent. The actors overwhelmingly chose SAG. The TvA was left with "live broadcast" jurisdiction and SAG got jurisdiction over all TV shows made like a Motion Picture, i.e. shot out of sequence with various shots ( close-ups, masters, etc,) and edited and shown at a later date.
After this NLRB vote, the TvA union merged with AFRA (a radio artist union) and the TvA's charter for "live" TV was how AFRA got into TV. The only NLRB chartered TV jurisdiction, that AFTRA has, comes from the defunct union known as the TvA.
AFTRA technically only has jurisdiction over live TV. That's why until recently AFTRA only had jurisdiction over sitcoms shot in front of a live audience and Soaps, which were originally made live. AFTRA has been raiding SAG's jurisdiction which has caused a huge uproar among actors. The reason AFTRA gives is "digital acquisition" is a new technology and jurisdiction is not defined, in other words, up for grabs.
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