Comments on A Hollywood Republican: SAG and The Independent

This is a brilliantly worded and argued piece, Fra...

2010-03-30T10:39:41.643-07:00

This is a brilliantly worded and argued piece, Frank. I've been reading your blog for a while, but this is the first time I've felt compelled to put pen to paper.

It is sad to read how counterproductive SAG has become; their sense of entitlement is mind-boggling. Without companies like Nu Image, SAG's members would not even have jobs. It's disheartening to see how far the pendulum has swung in the union's favor; there is no middle ground.

A producer friend of mine spends too much of his life trying to wrestle bonds back from SAG after a production has been completed and has moved into post-.

Thanks so much for highlighting the folly of SAG's current practices -- practices that will, ultimately, harm their members.

Great job Frank!!! To anonymous, how about UAW ...

2009-11-01T07:18:31.574-08:00

Great job Frank!!! To anonymous, how about UAW for a acromym. United Auto Workers, they have destroyed an industry. It's true, my father worked for General Motors for 30 years and retired in 1989. He got what the unions promised, or did he? He has so far. The demands the UAW made on the auto makers were not sustainable. All the liberals want is sustainability. My father talked about the UAW and their political ties and how politics became more important than the workers. How they where out to destroy the companies, they did it!!! Now the us Auto makers are done!!!

Frank your piece can be applied to a broader view of the country. Now all we need is for the Unions and the Government to get together and we are all finished, oh wait, that's already happen!!!

This article seems to be about unions... I have no...

2009-10-31T06:17:50.668-07:00

This article seems to be about unions... I have no idea since you don't explain all your acronyms... Wish I could have read it! All your other blogs seem so succinct and relevant...

If this keeps up it will cost $100 for a movie tic...

2009-10-28T20:45:44.089-07:00

If this keeps up it will cost $100 for a movie ticket and the producers will be lucky to still break even. I am in two unions and I can't stand unions. And by the way...SAG is one of the only unions out here that does not and will not get you a job of any type. I was in the carpenter's union for years and they have a list of out of work people to employ and most other unions do too but SAG has nothing to do with that. I know it's a specialty business but still. And the insurance they offer is a joke! They will let about anyone in the union now days but don't want anything to do with covering them!

And, George this is why people do not do business ...

2009-10-28T07:16:27.141-07:00

And, George this is why people do not do business in the United States any more. The more regulations, the less business. I and other people in the movie business leave because it is easier to do business elsewhere. We are not voluntarily leaving, we are being pushed away.

Frank, You act like the use of performance guaran...

2009-10-28T03:52:30.979-07:00

Frank,

You act like the use of performance guarantees between two parties isn't a well know part of doing business. As a lawyer, you should know this isn't true. In fact, the use of "Letters of Credit" and "Performance Bonds" are a wide spread part of doing business across industries. This is nothing new.

Arbitration is the same thing Frank. When you agree to binding arbitration, you have to agree to abide by the terms of the Arbitor. Take it or leave it....

Now, you can argue that you don't like these circumstances....okay....but don't act like they caused because a union is involved. They are all part of doing business.

Agreed! A great article for those in the biz. I to...

2009-10-28T00:05:23.058-07:00

Agreed! A great article for those in the biz. I too investigated going financial core with my IATSE union.

Question: Why do I pay substantial union dues (dues are reduced very slightly by going F.C.) but am barred from having a vote in the union that controls everything in my chosen field of endeavor?

I did not consider F.C. because of the political doings within my union, but rather I object to being treated like a schoolboy or comrade in local and national elections. I am capable of those elective decisions on my own. Thank you.

Well Franky, I must say for me…this is one of you...

2009-10-27T18:23:46.710-07:00

Well Franky,

I must say for me…this is one of your best pieces. As you know I have been a member of SAG for 30 years now. And in that 30 years I have watched it go from a good working union that appreciated it’s members and worked with producers to make it happen to…a basically useless organization that is extravagant in its spending and answerable to no one! ( I stole that line from Mel Brookes).
As I may have told you I have had several grievances with SAG through the years and they offered not one ounce of help in any way to the problems.
One of which was the fact that when I was a young stuntman I went out hustling shows and even though I had a great reputation as an upcoming stuntman I could not get hired because the shows were being run by “Stuntmen’s Association”. So I went into SAG and asked them why they were allowing a sub union to dictate the business. Their rep laughed and asked what I was talking about. He told me that they were just a group…not a union of any type. So I told them “when a group of stuntmen all work under the same banner, are required to pay dues to the group and have a list of bylaws that members must sign to join and are penalized by the group for not following those laws that it sounds like a union a lot more than a group of good ol’ boys to me. And by the way…one of those laws was that they have to work only the guys in their group first before they hire anyone else from the outside or there will be penalties! In other words…the fact that I had a current and good standing SAG card meant nothing to them!
When I said this I got an appointment to talk to Richard Masur the sitting President of SAG. When we spoke by phone he told me he had talked this over with his staff and that they had told him that he can’t get involved because some of the current members of the board at SAG were in Stuntmen’s Association. He finished by saying “Besides, I don’t like what a subject like that would do to my popularity”. I ended the conversation by saying “thanks for nothing and does the word collusion mean anything to you?”
I also said “Oh, one more thing…if a group of actors tried that they would be run out of Hollywood and you know it!”
Anyway back to the chase…I totally agree that SAG has been more of an obstacle than a help to filmmakers for many years. I have tried to put together investment groups for years to make films but the ever growing SAG package scares them completely out of the business. I think SAG needs to wake up and go back to basics. I just recently worked on a pilot under AFTRA because SAG was threatening still another strike and they did not want to prep the show only to have SAG throw a wrench in the gear box. By the way AFTRA was a dream to work with!
And as for financial Core. I know a ton of Stuntmen and women that work under financial core. A lot of SAG members like myself that could not get any help from them unless it put money in their pockets but would be tracked down like a dog if they worked one day non-union to feed their family have moved over to financial core and I feel a huge amount more would if they knew how it works.
I am tired of talking now but I could go on and on. I will end by saying you are absolutely right Franky and SAG should listen a bit more and try to work with companies that spent a huge amount of money in this business like Nu Image Films and others rather than trying to bite the hand that feeds them…and often!

Great article! A refreshing perspective that effe...

2009-10-27T15:13:31.510-07:00

Great article! A refreshing perspective that effectively lays out a viewpoint and provides some real examples. I hope SAG doesn't try to put you on some kind of "most wanted list"!

And does this mean that SHARK IN VENICE 2 wont' be filmed in Michigan?