As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, I was relieved when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) approved a tentative new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on April 19, 2009 as the SAG national board of directors voted 53.38%-46.62% After the most recent Writers’ strike that shut down Hollywood, nobody in Los Angeles wants a strike, though many are still not happy with the terms for New media.
If you’re not an actor or writer in Hollywood, it is probably difficult for you to understand the importance of residuals, or payments made to the creator of performance art for subsequent screenings of the work, as the majority of members of the Screen Actors Guild or the Writers Guild take in middle-class incomes to support their families. As more of scripted content moves from regular TV/Cable viewing to the Internet with the powerhouse Hulu taking online viewing to the next level, it is not yet clear how performers will be compensated in the future.
Here are few highlights of the new agreement:
- New media structure that tracks those achieved by other industry unions
-Jurisdiction on all derivative, made-for new media productions on all high-budget, original, made-for-new media productions plus on low-budget original, made-for-new media productions; plus on low-budget original new media productions that employ at least 1 covered performer
- Residuals for ad- supported streaming of feature films and television programs
24 days for first season or series
17 days for second and subsequent seasons for series
SAG mailed out ratification ballots on May 19 to vote on the theatrical agreement by June 9, 2009. I just got my ballot in the mail, and with the union still divided, everyone in Tinseltown will be holding their breath.
Because let’s be real here, with the state of California and the Nation’s Economy, no one wants a strike.
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