Stumble it!Union Blues! (0 for 2)
Well, this is sad! I sent an email to the people at Legion Films just to let them know that the paper work for SAG needs to be in 3 or 4 weeks before the shoot. I always do this now because some producers don’t know and send it in late, and then the shoot is delayed. Well this is the email I got back.
Thank you for making us aware of your SAG status and the need to file paperwork with the union. In our excitement to cast you in this film, we overlooked your contractual obligations to SAG. The producers elected to make this film a non-union project. We have not had good experiences with SAG and made the decision in August that this film would be non-union.
We apologize for you having to clear your schedule for that weekend. We were excited to have you in the film and if you had auditioned for us, we would have recognized that you were part of the union on your cast application. When the decision was made to go non-union, we pulled all of the SAG actors from the pile and filed them for future consideration. We did not consider one SAG actor for this film.
Sorry about this. We wish we recognized your SAG status before we offered the role.
If and when we do a SAG film, we will most certainly contact you again. We apologize for this inconvenience to you.
Oh well, another SAG causality. I have lost many gigs due to my union affiliation. If it was not for the fact that I got some major gigs this year with ‘Chatham‘ and ‘Brotherhood‘ I would be wondering if it was a good idea to join. In the end I still think it is, by my resolve is shaken some. I still have two gigs coming up in October/November so all is not lost. Plus I am very curious and optimistic to see what fate has in store for me behind door 3, the next to open.
‘Tis all for now!
All righty. Let me speak my mind here… Shame on that production company first and foremost. To claim that they have had bad relations with SAG is a joke. SAG has been bending over backwards with lower cost contracts to allow films of all budgets to be able to use union actors. They, the producers, are being cheap and lazy to say the least. I don’t know their situation, but to blame it on poor relations? Please.
And do not count it against yourself for being union. You’ve worked hard to attain this status. Stand by your choice. It may mean losing out on a few low paying jobs for a while, but soon the work will catch up to you and you won’t look back. We all go through this.
It’s the adjustment period, if you think about it.
I gave up so many opportunities for work when I first became SAG and really doubted whether I had joined too soon. But then I looked back at the quality of those projects, the lack of professional crew or worse NO CREW (you are the crew!), extremely long hours, unsafe conditions, poor quality scripts, poor quality sound and cameras, and then failure to provide me even with a copy of the finished product… Good riddance. Don’t need the headaches. I realized it became a waste of my time and effort to be involved in such productions.
Not to say that all non-union projects fail to produce quality work. But I believe that if you have striven to take yourself to the next level in your quality of work, you deserve to work on projects that respect you and your work and do not ask you to lower yourself. So don’t feel bad about losing out. You aren’t.
There will be something bigger and better around the corner (you’ve been on a roll lately, too!)
I give this production props in at least drafting a letter to you, and apologizing for the inconvenience. I am sure they are doing everything they can to serve the needs of their project. Just a shame that they couldn’t work out their “differences” with SAG. But to use that as an excuse for not going union… SAG has been working towards the goal of making it easier than ever for any producer to go union with their acting talent. www.sagindie.org for more details.
I’ll stand by my opinion in this. Cheers!
Comment by jonathan — October 1, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Thanks for the comment and support. These guys seem really cool and professional so I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I agree with most of what you say about the union/non-union situation. I am hoping this adjustment period end soon, I think it will.
Thanks,
Don
Comment by Don — October 1, 2007 @ 9:20 pm