Comments on: A SAG Primer For Indie Producers

By: johnt55

johnt55 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:28:21 +0000

Be VERY CAREFUL if you’re considering signing the SAG Low Budget Agreement. You’ll find extensive information on this subject at:

http://www.easy-budget.com/articles/articles.asp?article=ultralow

Treat your actors with respect, pay them well and always go Financial Core.

By: jay

jay — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:23:59 +0000

you wrote:
“Why should a producer care if their production SAG or not? Because SAG actors are not allowed to work in non-SAG productions. Working with SAG gives producers access to the Guild’s pool of talent, which will ideally improve the quality of a web show because SAG actors have experience working on other professional productions.”
Are there any other reasons? cause I have to disagree with that one; there are many talented actors that have never become SAG eligible because of the rigorous rules of SAG, and the lack of an good agent that gets them auditions. I have used some excellent, professional, non SAG actors in my films. Being from a ‘right to work’ state (you don’t have to be in a union to work), I think it is fiendish that SAG is trying to get their fingers into the internet. Keep them in Hollywood, and keep them out of the creativity of the indies and the internet.

By: Writers Guild Swears Off New Media « NewTeeVee

Writers Guild Swears Off New Media « NewTeeVee — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:18:30 +0000

[...] include work in new media and animation features. Animation Guild aside, the online talent should be careful with the Guilds, following SAG’s inclusion of the online series quarterlife in its contracts. [...]

By: Dave LIndsay

Dave LIndsay — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:52:21 +0000

We used SAG actors in Bus Pirates and the internet contract was pretty easy. When/if any revenue from the project is generated, we just need to tell SAG and ‘figure things out from there’

By: Chris Albrecht

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:47:04 +0000

Hi Justin,

Those are good questions for SAG. You should call them up. They gave me the phone numbers to share with people who have questions.

They did specifically say when I talked with them that having one SAG actor is not an immediate qualification for all actors in the production to become SAG.

By: Justin Kownacki

Justin Kownacki — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:01:01 +0000

Hmm… So, an AFTRA or SAG actor working on a web production doesn’t automatically mean that all talent associated with the production automatically becomes SAG / AFTRA-eligible — and, therefore, that the production isn’t required to pay all talent the AFTRA / SAG rates?

At what point DOES an “independent” production become a union-qualifying production? (Or, at what point does it NEED to?)

By: John Hinrichs

John Hinrichs — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:44:16 +0000

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists also covers professional performers in online productions – and has been working since 2000 with large and small producers. Last year, AFTRA created an Electronic Media Agreement tailored to new and independent producers.

With AFTRA members in cities around the country, producers for web, cell phone, and other new media productions have access to top-notch professional talent. Joan Halpern Weise, Assistant National Executive Director, can answer questions and help producers employ union performers – email her at JWeise@aftra.com or call 323-634-8174.

By: Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo

Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:18:46 +0000

The West Side, which NewTeeVee covered here, is produced under the SAG Special Internet/Online Agreement. About half of our cast is SAG talent; so far the union's been very helpful and we couldn't have gotten actors of such caliber without a union agreement.

By: Chris Albrecht

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:43:23 +0000

Hi Tim,

I’ll check into the Fi-Core. SAG is extraordinarily complex. There’s also SAGIndie, and a host of different contracts. I’ll see what I can find out and follow up.

By: Tim Street

Tim Street — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:43:58 +0000

Hey Chris, Would love it if you could follow up with more info about SAG and Financial Core.

It’s my understanding that “Financial Core” or “fi-core” was handed down by the Supreme Court and the National Labor Relations Board allowing any worker, not just an actors to “NOT join the union”, and still work union jobs. With Fi-core Actors become “dues paying non-members” and are allowed to work both union and non-union jobs. As a non-member you don’t get to vote.

I have hired Fi-core actors in the past and they were working actors that worked all the time. That may not mean much to you but there are a lot of SAG actors that never work. I’m not sure on the percentage of working SAG actors but my guess would be that it’s pretty low.

I’ve also heard that there are big name actors who are Fi-core.