LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The final epilogue to the tumultuous writers strike has been written, but Hollywood is bracing for a possible a sequel to the costly walkout -- this one starring film and television actors.
While the TV industry has rushed to bring derailed shows back on the air since screenwriters returned to work three weeks ago, the threat of renewed labor unrest by actors in the months ahead has put movie studios in a tenuous situation.
Filmmakers are reluctant to launch any production that cannot be completed before the expiration of the Screen Actors Guild's major film and TV contract on June 30 -- a date being treated as the union's de facto strike deadline.
Assuming a typical 60-day movie shoot, plus extra time for days off, possible overruns and re-shoots that might be necessary, that means few if any big-studio movies will start filming after the end of this month, industry experts say.
"The studios for the most part are not greenlighting any movies that would have to be in production after that (June 30) deadline," said an insider at one leading talent agency who was not authorized to speak publicly about client issues.
Labor jitters have even prompted Hollywood's leading insurance carrier, Fireman's Fund Insurance Co, to offer a first-of-its-kind "strike expense" policy for studios.
The policy covers the costs of a strike-related production shutdown in the event that an actor's illness, equipment damage or other unexpected loss pushes the shooting schedule of a movie past SAG's June 30 contract deadline.
To qualify, a film must be scheduled to finish shooting by June 15 and already be covered by a so-called completion bond, which insures a movie's financial backers against the cost of failing to finish a picture on time and on budget.
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Well isn't this just lovely?... What's next, the stagehands guild? the makeup-artists guild? the coke-whores guild?
Not that I'm a big fan of the movie 'industry' to begin with, but it is kind of shitty to something so severely impacted by union bullshit.
Battlestar Season Four is already completed. I just watched Razor again last night to get myself in the mood for next month. There's really not much on TV other than BSG. They need BSG-Atlantis, BSG-Miami and BSG-NY spin-offs to round out the schedule.
Winnow wrote:Battlestar Season Four is already completed. I just watched Razor again last night to get myself in the mood for next month. There's really not much on TV other than BSG. They need BSG-Atlantis, BSG-Miami and BSG-NY spin-offs to round out the schedule.
To cut costs, they'll be BSG-Cylon-1, BSG-Cylon-2, BSG-Cylon-3, and so forth. It'll cover the collective models and how they go through their lives, there'll just be 1 person cast per spin-off, IT WOULD BE GR8.
Back on topic, I get annoyed when people who probably make more than the other 95% of America make go on strike because it isn't enough. Actors etc making more than 95% of America is a fake statistic I made up to satisfy my position -- in before someone else tells me!
Winnow wrote:Battlestar Season Four is already completed. I just watched Razor again last night to get myself in the mood for next month. There's really not much on TV other than BSG. They need BSG-Atlantis, BSG-Miami and BSG-NY spin-offs to round out the schedule.
To cut costs, they'll be BSG-Cylon-1, BSG-Cylon-2, BSG-Cylon-3, and so forth. It'll cover the collective models and how they go through their lives, there'll just be 1 person cast per spin-off, IT WOULD BE GR8.
Back on topic, I get annoyed when people who probably make more than the other 95% of America make go on strike because it isn't enough. Actors etc making more than 95% of America is a fake statistic I made up to satisfy my position -- in before someone else tells me!
Never fear, someone will jump in and debate the accuracy of your statistic through 10 posts of you explaining the meaning of the word "abitrary".
On Topic: I'm sure your Will Smiths are only striking to increase the pay of the extras and no line actors that earn next to nothing for their next to no work that they get once every 5 years because they will never make it and should have listened to their mother.
May 2003 - "Mission Accomplished"
June 2005 - "The mission isn't easy, and it will not be accomplished overnight"
-- G W Bush, freelance writer for The Daily Show.
I understand where you guys are coming from, but I think a lot of you don't really understand what the SAG is actually there for.
Yes, George Clooney (as an example) is a member of SAG, but it was probably only critical to him back before the Facts of Life or shortly after it went off the air. SAG is there to protect the lower end actors who come to Hollywood with a dream and make almost no money at all. I'd add that you are always worth whatever pay you're able to negotiate, and ANYONE here would hate it if you were doing work that people were making money off of but you weren't being compensated for (web movies/commercials/etc.).
Oh, my God; I care so little, I almost passed out.
