Has the witer's strike affected you yet?

[robert duke]

I am finishing a large feature and am about to be thrusted back at looking for a job again. I have a place in LA but know that with the writers stike there are a lot of people suddenly available for work.

 

I was wondering How everyone here was percieving the writers strike?

[David Mullen ASC]

I was supposed to start shooting Season Three of "Big Love" next month but that appears to be on hold now. I've heard that one equipment house has already asked its employees to work 4 days instead of 5 days per week.

[Paul Maibaum ASC]

Finished last episode on "Samantha Who?" for ABC last Friday. We have 10 shows to do, but no more scripts. More episodic tv shows are shutting down every week for the same reason.

WGA and AMPTP should be locked in a room and not allowed out until they have a deal.

[Jayson Crothers]

I just lost a feature due to the strike. I'd done 2 interviews and had been told by the director and then the producers that I was their guy and we were working out a deal memo for a feature in January.

 

I was called yesterday by the director who was very upset because the Producers said they wanted to go with another person despite the directors objections.

 

The only reason I lost the job? The DP the Producers are now hiring usually works in the 10+ million range of films (he has a few wide-releases to his name), but since the strike is on his newest film was put on hold and now he's available for this film (with a budget of about 1.5 million). If it weren't for the strike, he'd never even consider taking a film of this size (this is apparently what he told the Producers, but they're so eager to have someone of his caliber on board that they're willing to overlook the attitude).

 

I don't take it personally (well, I'm not thrilled with those Producers, but I certainly don't hold it against the other DP); it's just the way of things. People have bills to pay, food to put on the table, mortgages, etc. The market gets flooded with people willing to jump down in pay-scale just so they can work and those of us who are currently living in that pay-scale have to compete with more experienced folks.

 

I agree with the Writers, but I really hope it gets resolved soon so we can all get back to work.

[Jayson Crothers]

"Heroes" shut down last week and "24" has their last day on December 3rd.

 

I was at Technicolor last week and they were telling me that within the next week or so they were going to start cutting back on shifts and running at about half the man power. It was odd to see all the bins for the various TV shows they do completely empty......

[David Mullen ASC]

The only reason I lost the job? The DP the Producers are now hiring usually works in the 10+ million range of films

 

It wasn't me... ;) I'm sure it's a trickle-down effect, for all you know, that 10-mil DP got bumped from his 10-mil movie by a 100-mil DP who was now available for work.

[Brad Grimmett]

I'm sure it's a trickle-down effect

The trikle-down effect....that's what worries me the most. I don't really do that much TV, which is where the strike is hitting the hardest, but all of those operators who are normally on TV shows are now available. Less people working means the bigger name people in all departments will start taking the work that the rest of us normally do.

[John Sprung]

Word is we'll probably be laid off around the holidays, when we run out of shows to post. For me it'll be the first time in 22 years that I'll be out of work (they carried us through the '88 strike). It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't in the middle of this litigation over the sale of our old house. I'm stuck with a massive interest payment on a bridge loan, and just barely making it without the layoff. So, we're looking at possibly losing the new house.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Chris Keth]

Word is we'll probably be laid off around the holidays, when we run out of shows to post. For me it'll be the first time in 22 years that I'll be out of work (they carried us through the '88 strike). It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't in the middle of this litigation over the sale of our old house. I'm stuck with a massive interest payment on a bridge loan, and just barely making it without the layoff. So, we're looking at possibly losing the new house.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

 

Sorry to hear that. :unsure: Good luck.

[Paul Maibaum ASC]

If you have been laid off work due to the WGA strike or if you believe that it is critical for both sides in this issue to get back to the barginning table, without backing either the WGA or the AMPTP, log onto:

http://getbackinthatroom.blogspot.com/

[Alessandro Machi]

One thing that makes the producers and studio side look silly right now are the ads they run immediately after a television show, or ironically enough, during the end credits (they kind of drown out the credits, that's the irony) in which they remind everyone they can view the television show they just saw "for free" on the internet. However, ad revenue is still generated based on the amount of hits the show gets and that probably will turn into additional revenue opportunites down the road.

[Andrew Rawson]

We go in tomorrow and have 2 more days left of shooting for our 7'th season of "Scrubs". Then we're done until this gets resolved. Gonna be a lean Christmas....

Edited November 26, 2007 by andrew rawson

[Steven P. Denny]

I've been shooting 2nd Unit on NBC's Friday Night Lights for two years...our production in Austin went dark on December 4th.....and we were planning to shoot through February.

 

I do have many clients outside of the union which helps very much to move through this strike. So yes, I am affected in some manner, but have more than enough options outside of the strike.

[Annie Wengenroth]

I never thought that low-budget indie jobs and reality TV would save my sorry [union] ass, but this time, they really have. I almost took off for LA back in October and I can't even begin to imagine how much I would be panicking right now. I mean, I'm still panicking, (has anybody else considered a Xanax prescription as a direct result of the strike? :huh: ) but not as much. Needless to say, I ain't going nowhere until this blows over. It would be very self-destructive. I have a few checks from Top Model to deposit, I just paid my rent with my money from Apprentice, I'm limping through to January 15th on an NYU thesis and an indie feature...and after that....???? :( Unknown territory...

 

Sometimes I really do wish that I were still scrubbing cases for 8 bucks an hour.

 

And then I think of everybody who has it even worse and my heart goes out to them. I hope we all make it through.

[David Shawl]

Hey Annie, small world.

 

The strike doesn't seem to be resolving anytime soon. I'm going to be relying on those low budget indie jobs come January when I persue my freelance work. I wish everyone luck in their work.

 

-Dave

 

I never thought that low-budget indie jobs and reality TV would save my sorry [union] ass, but this time, they really have. I almost took off for LA back in October and I can't even begin to imagine how much I would be panicking right now. I mean, I'm still panicking, (has anybody else considered a Xanax prescription as a direct result of the strike? :huh: ) but not as much. Needless to say, I ain't going nowhere until this blows over. It would be very self-destructive. I have a few checks from Top Model to deposit, I just paid my rent with my money from Apprentice, I'm limping through to January 15th on an NYU thesis and an indie feature...and after that....???? :( Unknown territory...

 

Sometimes I really do wish that I were still scrubbing cases for 8 bucks an hour.

 

And then I think of everybody who has it even worse and my heart goes out to them. I hope we all make it through.

[Annie Wengenroth]

Oh god, January?! Hey listen, I have a futon if you feel the need to flee back to New York. :P

 

This is all very surreal to me. Today I lost out on half of the feature I thought I had nailed down? :shrug: I don't get it either. They said they had Found Someone until New Year's and then after that, wondered if I was still available. Clearly there is no logic to anything anymore. Of course I said yes and began making plans to go snowboarding later this month. Hey...strike or no strike, last winter was bad enough for me, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna spend this one whining about how slow things are and living off watered-down vegetable soup. It's bad enough just watching everybody else suffer. At any rate, I wonder who the hell took part of my next job....I have a sneaking suspicion that here in NYC, the big fish are gonna be taking over the little [non-union] ponds. Hopefully we can all share.

[Gunnar Mortensen]

My income has dropped 2/3 since the strike and missed my goal of joining the local 600 by the end of the year. Since I was working non union I wasn't sure how it was going to effect me; but that damn trickle effect is oozing my off of jobs. All the idle union camera assistants are "slumming it" with my indie features and bumping me down to making nickels and dimes. Hopefully my presence is presents enough because I am buying 0 Christmas gifts this year.:(

 

Erik Gunnar Mortensen

Camera Assistant

Hollywood CA

[Guest]

Well all of this has confirmed to me that any thing "touched" by a union in any way should be avoided.

 

Before I do business with a new supplier my first question is, "are you a union shop?" If they say, yes, I just hang up the phone and find a non-union business to deal with.

 

There is no way I would ever let any union put my income in jeopardy. What if a key supplier of mine decides to go on strike and I can't ship my product to my customers? Then I'm screwed.

 

Caught in the crossfire of a dispute between a union and its management, just like so many people here are.

 

R,

[Brad Grimmett]

There is no way I would ever let any union put my income in jeopardy.

 

R,

The difference is that you have the choice. Anyone who wants to make a decent living working on films as a crew member in the U.S. has to be in the union. You have to take the good with the bad. Anyone who feels the way you do probably needs to get out of the business (at least in the U.S.).

[Guest]

Anyone who feels the way you do probably needs to get out of the business (at least in the U.S.).

 

Not necassarily, George Lucas has no time for the unions or guilds, and he keeps going. In the US.

 

There are plenty of others. My upcoming project is being shot in the USA, non-union, in a right to work state far from Hollywood.

 

There are a hundred ways to get around those "pesky" unions.

 

R,

[Brad Grimmett]

There are exceptions to every rule. I still stand by what I said and believe it to be true.

George Lucas isn't a crew member. He's a producer/director/billionaire, so of course he can do what he likes. He's so rich he'll never have to worry about making a living. If he loses $100 million making a film it won't affect his life one bit. Also, I would be willing to bet that any film Lucas produces in the US is a union picture (even though he isn't a member of any unions). Indiana Jones 4 is probably a good example (not sure where they're shooting).

You may be doing a non union film, which is fine, but your crew members won't all be non union. Many, if not most, will probably be union. Now, if you constantly shot non union movies back to back to back every year and kept your crew constantly working and paid your crew enough to make a decent living and always used the same crew, then you could argue that those crew members don't need to be members of a union. But the fact is, you probably won't make another movie in that state for a while, if ever. So your crew members need to be able to work on union movies that come to town as well.

I know from your point of view unions are a headache, but for most of the rest of us they're a necessity.

[Annie Wengenroth]

Well yeah, but George Lucas is George Lucas...

 

It's definitely trickling downward though, today I got a call from a pretty well-known NYC union 1st, to load on a low-budget film...$100 for the day. I'm already working so I passed it on, and reminded myself that I'm lucky to have anything going on these days. It definitely puts things in perspective.

 

Heck, I read in Below The Line that Panavision Woodland Hills will be closing for 2 weeks starting Monday, I think? Yikes...

[Hal Smith]

I fear this strike is all about the big media corporations trying to break the Unions, starting with WGA. Until ratings drop through the floor on network and cable TV and there aren't any features in the pipeline the strike is apt to continue. If I was in NY or LA right now I'd be kissing up to anyone who regularly made commercials, reality, and indies. They may be the only work around for a long while.

[robert duke]

Not necassarily, George Lucas has no time for the unions or guilds, and he keeps going. In the US.

 

There are plenty of others. My upcoming project is being shot in the USA, non-union, in a right to work state far from Hollywood.

 

There are a hundred ways to get around those "pesky" unions.

 

R,

 

Richard,

 

I work both non union and union. If you watch the credits on lucas productions you will notice the IATSE bug. Yes he may not be DGA or SAG but he uses IATSE UNION.

 

I live and work in Right to work states. The farther you go from hollywood the more likely it is for you to come across union workers, Esp in Right to work states. We are the talent pool. We are the skilled labor. If you hire non union outside of LA, you will not get the best workers. I had worked Union shows in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. If your show is Non Union outside of LA you will have Union workers on it. There is really no way around that.

 

Unions do not want to strike, it is not in our best interest. We work hard for our employer. We want our productions to succeed and be a success. We want our producers to make money and hire us again. It is hard for us to strike. It destroys our lives and the lives of our friends.

[Guest]

"If your show is Non Union outside of LA you will have Union workers on it. There is really no way around that."

 

Yes that's fine I expect that, but it will be a non-union show.

 

R,