Act Acting » Acting Drama » Backgrounders plan strike for 1st. July, '01

Backgrounders plan strike for 1st. July, '01

Question:

                       UNSCRIBE TO ALL ALT. ACTING    I DID’NT  WANT THIS IT IS MESSING UP MY COMPUTER          UNSCRIBE TO ALL NOW

Why does this feel like a SAG NYC member in the GreenRoom? <g Drama Queen

Response:

                       UNSCRIBE TO ALL ALT. ACTING    I DID’NT  WANT THIS IT IS MESSING UP MY COMPUTER          UNSCRIBE TO ALL NOW

Diane, try clicking your heels together three times and saying, "There’s no place like home,  there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home." Carl — I promise to change my sig lines as often as I change my underwear. – CASalonen

Response:

                       UNSCRIBE TO ALL ALT. ACTING    I DID’NT  WANT THIS IT IS MESSING UP MY COMPUTER          UNSCRIBE TO ALL NOW – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike. I’m on the SAG W&W Committee here in Los Angeles.  We spent four days discussing proposals from the Background Performers Committee that identified 26 issues of great concern to that community.  Discussion was heated and intelligent.  Were you there to add your input?  Please tell me your name so that I can check the sign-in sheets to find out how many of those four days you were present. Oh?  You weren’t there at all?  Not even one of those four days? Interesting.  That being the case, nobody gives a crap what you say. Steve Tom

Response:

Exactly! The prospect of extras going on strike hardly rings terror in the ears of any production. especially in LA

Can you imagine the fortune saved in craft service costs alone?? Any production company could then easily afford ILM <g

Response:

Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike.

I’m on the SAG W&W Committee here in Los Angeles.  We spent four days discussing proposals from the Background Performers Committee that identified 26 issues of great concern to that community.  Discussion was heated and intelligent.  Were you there to add your input?  Please tell me your name so that I can check the sign-in sheets to find out how many of those four days you were present.   Oh?  You weren’t there at all?  Not even one of those four days? Interesting.  That being the case, nobody gives a crap what you say. Steve Tom

Response:

Oh?  You weren’t there at all?  Not even one of those four days? Interesting.  That being the case, nobody gives a crap what you say. Steve Tom

Fabulous.  Just fabulous!!  Well played, sir. Lisa Chicago

Response:

Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike. While I appreciate your troubles, I believe an extras strike will be of little consequence to the industry.

One other point to be made here. Does anyone believe the theatricals strike will be over by July 1? Then the extras problem is hardly a top shelf priority… Carl — I promise to change my sig lines as often as I change my underwear. – CASalonen

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike. While I appreciate your troubles, I believe an extras strike will be of little consequence to the industry. There are a good number of union members who did not want the "merger" to occur – for good reason. From all accounts, SEG rates dropped considerably on the West Coast after the merger. I believe that a lot of SEG members thought they were getting an easy way into union credibility. However, now since any Tom Dick or Harry can join SAG, the union *stamp* on any member means a great deal less than it used to. A strike might however, "clean house" a bit. Many background players may tire of the whole thing, leave the union and allow for some *pruning* in membership. For large crowd scenes in feature films, a good humber of non-union extras are hired. I imagine that is the way that the industry would continue to work. And, if I were a background player, I would remember that thanks to today’s technology, my body in a large crowd scene is no longer necessary. Want a bunch of extras? Extras on strike? ILM will make a fortune ……

Exactly! The prospect of extras going on strike hardly rings terror in the ears of any production. especially in LA where extras are just that extra, and resented by the majjority of actors in the union. A different market however where the ranks of extras are filled by qualified actors who also act, might sit up and notice an extras strike, because those same extras are also the actors who perform in their shows. That kind of solidarity is hard to break.

Response:

Lisa S., take your meds. —  –

Response:

Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike.

While I appreciate your troubles, I believe an extras strike will be of little consequence to the industry. There are a good number of union members who did not want the "merger" to occur – for good reason. From all accounts, SEG rates dropped considerably on the West Coast after the merger. I believe that a lot of SEG members thought they were getting an easy way into union credibility. However, now since any Tom Dick or Harry can join SAG, the union *stamp* on any member means a great deal less than it used to. A strike might however, "clean house" a bit. Many background players may tire of the whole thing, leave the union and allow for some *pruning* in membership. For large crowd scenes in feature films, a good humber of non-union extras are hired. I imagine that is the way that the industry would continue to work. And, if I were a background player, I would remember that thanks to today’s technology, my body in a large crowd scene is no longer necessary. Want a bunch of extras? Extras on strike? ILM will make a fortune ……

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike. Since SAG continues to pull in new members without reguard for its current membership, knowing that there are not enough jobs to go around for present SAGstras (SAG extras), and having to pay a calling-service in order to get whatever work there is, is more than just cause to strike.   We can put the whole union on strike.  We can shut Hollywood down. There are more background in SAG now that principal actors. If backgroud can’t work, then principals won’t be able to either.   That three voucher wystem is going to backfire in a big way.  We have the numbers to have the controlling interest in SAG.  We can demand that our issues are heard in this up-coming meetings with the studios. Since Production doesn’t want to raise the numbers (of background) and since the calling services have a virtual hegemony on (SAG) background work, we should all refuse to work in such a system.   The days of free and cheap background for TV shows and movies are over.  Could you imagine "Little Nicky" or "A.I." getting made with only the 45 backgrounders they (Production) is willing to pay for?

Frankly, Invader, there’s a whole school of us who think that allowing SEG in was a bad idea from day one. I’m afriad you’ll have to give more than a rant to convince us of your points. Carl — I promise to change my sig lines as often as I change my underwear. – CASalonen

Response:

Since neither SAG, or the industry as a whole will hear pleas from backgrounders, we have no choice but to call for a strike. Since SAG continues to pull in new members without reguard for its current membership, knowing that there are not enough jobs to go around for present SAGstras (SAG extras), and having to pay a calling-service in order to get whatever work there is, is more than just cause to strike.   We can put the whole union on strike.  We can shut Hollywood down. There are more background in SAG now that principal actors. If backgroud can’t work, then principals won’t be able to either.   That three voucher wystem is going to backfire in a big way.  We have the numbers to have the controlling interest in SAG.  We can demand that our issues are heard in this up-coming meetings with the studios. Since Production doesn’t want to raise the numbers (of background) and since the calling services have a virtual hegemony on (SAG) background work, we should all refuse to work in such a system.   The days of free and cheap background for TV shows and movies are over.  Could you imagine "Little Nicky" or "A.I." getting made with only the 45 backgrounders they (Production) is willing to pay for?

Response:

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