...-

[Dimitrios Koukas]

I remembered back in 1992 where I was replacing one D.P. that couldn't match with the production's demands so he resigned,

And I really had one weekend to put everything back in order, but I have asked from the production the first week to be more ''light'' in terms of demands, so I would blend with the director and the production, It went really well and I have done the 2/3 of the final release.

Also asked to see some dailies before I even started and I have discused with the director where I should change things or not.

Dimitrios Koukas

[Guest madison]

You really should get your facts straight before posting,Andrew Lesnie was not fired off MI2 for being slow,It was politically driven and lets not forget he won the Oscar the next year

[John Brawley]

You really should get your facts straight before posting,Andrew Lesnie was not fired off MI2 for being slow,It was politically driven and lets not forget he won the Oscar the next year

 

Hey we should keep it civil...

 

And you have to change your user name to your real first and last name.

 

My recollection of the gossip at the time is the same. Apparently Cruise didn't *do* rehearsals so there a few soft shots and they wanted to fire the focus puller. Most of the camera team left instead.

 

jb

[Serge Teulon]

ICG (International Camera Guild) is the IASTE Local 600 Camera Union. The ASC is not a union but an honorary society. Other honorary societies in Hollywood include SOC (operators), ACE (editors), CSA (casting), MPSE (sound), etc.

 

Anything shot in Hollywood above a certain budget (like 3 million) will probably be a union production, so it would be near impossible to shoot major films without being in the union. Outside of California, non-union budgets can get a little higher. For example, "Dances with Wolves" was a somewhat famous example of a 15-million dollar non-union production (however, the majority of the crew people involved were union members, which tends to happen because experienced crew people tend to be in the union anyway.)

 

The camera-grip-electric union -- IASTE -- allows members to work on non-union films, but other unions like the DGA and SAG tend to not allow their members to work on non-union films. Almost all films made, for example, are done under SAG rules with SAG actors even if the crew is non-union.

 

Does the above apply just to US citizens or does it also apply to foreigners?

 

S

[Max Jacoby]

Okay so what does politically driven mean exactly?

[Will Earl]

Okay so now instead of an interview given by John Woo in an printed article, we have an unidentified person called 'Madison' with no stated connection to the production of Mission Impossible II claiming that it was politically-motivated.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Caleb Deschanel has been replaced quite a few times, I think. Titanic being one of them.

 

Also, you will often notice that the B- and C-camera crew on big movies often get replaced more frequently. Reason obviously being that they end up with all the long lens stuff and the possibilities for errors increases exponentially. And often when the focus puller goes, they replace the whole lot in the unit.

[Saul Rodgar]

Does the above apply just to US citizens or does it also apply to foreigners?

 

S

 

Technically, the International Alliance (IA) union does not verify citizenship of members. However, to become a local member you need to provide proof of employment in the either the US or Canada (they both have IA and depending which one you live in). And to get employed in either one of these countries you need at least to be somewhat legit, so if you have a work permit you are not required to be a citizen to join the IA, or to even disclose your nationality. BUT if you just got to these shores and can get a work permit and have verifiable work experience anywhere in the world, you would be OK too, so it just depends.

 

Really it all comes down to who is willing to hire you, and at what level of employment you are looking at. Lazlo Kovaks and Vilmos Zigismond recount horror tales after getting here from Eastern Europe, trying to get a union card barely speaking English and with no one to hire them. I am sure someone like Emmanuel Luzbeki had a much easier time, having already established a great reputation in Mexico as a DP, which would open doors with studios, which would in turn strongly lobby for a work permit for him with the authorities, if he hadn't one already . . .

 

Also, one DOES NOT need necessarily to be ICG or ASC to be a feature film DP in the US, at least initially. Again, it all depends who is willing to hire you, if the producers want you bad enough they will get you on and figure something out later with the union if needed, and get you a work permit to boot. I have worked in movies where that has happened, either at the DP or director level. Almost exclusively higher ups get this treatment. Never heard of a set painter from Cambodia getting on that way . . .

 

As far as Canada and the US citizenship rules, IA movie productions have some crazy things going on. I am not sure, but I think few Americans are allowed to work in Canada in any given production under stringent government/ IA standards, but a lot of Canadians work in the US, often (Oh, my!) not completely legally. That is what I have heard, some one else may correct me here . . .

 

Foreign celebrities in every field routinely get this fast track to work permits in the US and Canada, -everywhere really I guess, never the poor and downtrodden: Gotta love politics!

Edited April 3, 2008 by Saul Rodgar