Dolphin Talent’s Acting + Industry Guide

There will be no actors strike… As of June 10th, SAG has entered into a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers  that will be valid through June 30, 2011.   

Main changes include increases in wages and pension.  

Often times we meet talented actors in a variety of different states that want to know where we are shooting our next movie.  We reveal that though we are based out of Miami, Florida, we often do not shoot locally.  So how do we determine where the next project will take place?  Often times we must consider the actual screenplay that we going to produce and what the setting of the movie must be.  For example, it wouldn’t make much sense to shoot a surfing movie in the Midwest because there would be no ocean or waves.  The location must make sense with the time period of the film and also fit into the budget.  Most states and locations offer monetary incentives to encourage the production of movies in their area.  The state or country often feels that it will be good publicity for their state and even encourage tourism to that area.  That means producers could get tax credits and sometimes even cash rebates for shooting in a particular location.  Often the tax incentives of a specific place will factor into where exactly a producer decides to shoot.  The more money that a producer gets back or can spend elsewhere in the budget, the better off they are!  Another deciding factor is the amount of people they have who could serve as production crew on location.  There are many films that will shoot in a specific place because of the parameters of the script or if it is based on a book or actual event, but for those that are flexible, producers have a number of things to take into consideration.

-Jennifer

You are definitely in the majority if the words “SAG Strike” leave you in utter confusion.   To keep you in the loop, here are some of the main points from the past 10 months:

- SAG’s contract with AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) expired on June 30, 2008

- SAG is asking for increased rates; AMPTP  is willing to offer SAG rates they agreed with AFTRA; SAG wants better deal

- AMPTP made a “final offer” in February with the agreement ending three years from ratification (placing expiration somewhere in 2012); the offer is not the increase SAG’s been fighting for

- SAG pushing for the contract to end June 30, 2011 to coincide with the other unions’ (WGA , AFTRA, DGA) contractual expirations with AMPTP

- AMPTP is now willing to offer the contract to expire on date set by SAG

- SAG board accepted the deal on April 19 and it will now go out for a vote to the members, however, there is still unrest as the offer is not the rate increase SAG has been pushing for the past 10 months

There is MUCH, much more that occurred, however, this is the bare bones, quick fix version. For more information on the history of the SAG situation and up to date info, please visit: www.variety.com  and hollywoodreporter.com