Why Are Filmmakers Cancelling Netflix?
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Why Are Filmmakers Cancelling Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu?
The Key Issues:
Hours/Turnarounds
The IA is seeking reduced hours and longer, standardised turnarounds. Shooting days have historically been 12.5+ hours from crew call to wrap (not including pre-calls and wrap time) but 14-16 hour shooting days are becoming increasingly common. Many positions have less than 10 hour turnarounds. Crews are asking for 10 hour days to become standard with minimum 10 hour turnarounds.
Pension and Healthcare
Union workers are eligible for health insurance and pension through the union. Historically, the pension and healthcare system is funded by matching contributions by the studios to worker’s hours and from residuals a project produces. However, as more and more productions are intended for online streaming services, which do not produce traditional residuals, contributions to the fund have decreased. Coupled with the increasing costs of healthcare in the US the fund is becoming insolvent. The IA has asked for increased contributions by the studios, and a restructure of the contracts with online streaming producers. The AMPTP has responded by suggesting the requirements for pension and healthcare be increased instead of funding - making fewer workers eligible.
Wages
The union wants to immediately boost the wages of the lowest paid members to a Los Angeles living wage. Many positions are only making $1-$2/hour above minimum wage, which is roughly $10/hour below Los Angeles living wage. Wages on streaming productions are also lower than on traditional projects of the same budget. The IA wants to restructure these contracts to be inline with productions for traditional television and theatrical release. Furthermore, LA Local 871 (script supervisors, coordinators, and accountants) has the lowest wages in the union, and is the only local that is predominantly female. Remedying the obvious inequalities there is also a goal but the studios are ambivalent.
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Thank you for sharing these stories. I hope a lot of people pay attention to it.
The Key Issues:
"Hours/Turnarounds
The IA is seeking reduced hours and longer, standardised turnarounds. Shooting days have historically been 12.5+ hours from crew call to wrap (not including pre-calls and wrap time) but 14-16 hour shooting days are becoming increasingly common. Many positions have less than 10 hour turnarounds. Crews are asking for 10 hour days to become standard with minimum 10 hour turnarounds.
Pension and Healthcare
Union workers are eligible for health insurance and pension through the union. Historically, the pension and healthcare system is funded by matching contributions by the studios to worker’s hours and from residuals a project produces. However, as more and more productions are intended for online streaming services, which do not produce traditional residuals, contributions to the fund have decreased. Coupled with the increasing costs of healthcare in the US the fund is becoming insolvent. The IA has asked for increased contributions by the studios, and a restructure of the contracts with online streaming producers. The AMPTP has responded by suggesting the requirements for pension and healthcare be increased instead of funding - making fewer workers eligible.
Wages
The union wants to immediately boost the wages of the lowest paid members to a Los Angeles living wage. Many positions are only making $1-$2/hour above minimum wage, which is roughly $10/hour below Los Angeles living wage. Wages on streaming productions are also lower than on traditional projects of the same budget. The IA wants to restructure these contracts to be inline with productions for traditional television and theatrical release. Furthermore, LA Local 871 (script supervisors, coordinators, and accountants) has the lowest wages in the union, and is the only local that is predominantly female. Remedying the obvious inequalities there is also a goal but the studios are ambivalent."
How is this legal? I know the US labor market is messed up, but it just can’t be legal everywhere… I’m frankly surprised it is in New Zealand. I hope you take care of yourself and don’t destroy your health for a job.
In New Zealand, because we're freelancers we're employed as contractors, not employees. We're considered self-employed, and because of that the legal argument/framework is that a contractor can work as many hours as they "want to." And so we could technically just walk out on the set whenever, but then we'd never get hired in the industry again.
I'm part of the Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa (New Zealand) who negotiates the standard rules of engagement for all the below the line workers in Aotearoa. But because it's a guild not a union, and because the industry as a whole took a big blow from The Hobbit Law passed in 2010, all they can really do is negotiate what the penalties are for productions who go overtime or work us 6 day weeks. So productions calculate overtime and 6 day weeks into the initial budget! They schedule overtime, and pay our OT rates, break our turnaround and pay our broken turnaround rates, and think everything is fine. It's bonkers.
As far as I know this is the case in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. I wouldn't be surprised if this is standard in the UK and Europe as well. I worked on a couple of very small shoots in Denmark and from memory those were the standard 12 hour days.
I just checked our standard rules of engagement, and it does state: "On a daily basis, unscheduled overtime shall be subject to prior agreement
with each Crew Member." But they never ever do that. They tell us, "we're doing OT tonight" and then we're just expected to do it. And if someone says no enough times, that production company just wont hire them again. It's better on shoots with crew reps, I've heard that they even sometimes say no to OT!
@@BodeRiis Yeah, the contractor thing is the way companies get around labor laws, pretty much everywhere. There were delivery companies that used that trick here, but bad press and pressure from unions made that really unpopular, so a lot of people won’t buy from them.
But sound like a hard problem to solve, because lots of people want to work in the film and TV industry, so they can basically hire someone else. Or have interns that work for free. It really does sound like you need to find a different career. You are still young, you can shift gears. This culture will take a long time to change, sometimes it’s better not to stick around.
@@nielsjansendk True. For the past three weeks I've been working on my PhD application and research proposal. Funnily enough I'm looking at doing my PhD on the philosophy, ethics, and morality of labour and employment law. Wish me luck!
@@BodeRiis Good luck Bode!
Both netflix and prime subscriptions cancelled!
Thank you! This means a lot ❤️Hopefully the AMPTP will quickly realize how much they need the crew, and will change the contracts to reflect healthier and more humane working conditions.
OMG I had no idea this was what it was like. That's absolutely awful.
Good on you for standing up and striking!
Sending love and solidarity to exploited film workers. Thanks for sharing this, Bode.
im not crying nope
if we didnt have crews there wouldnt BE movies. the fuck do they think they can get away with.
i dont have my own streaming services otherwise id go BACK to doing what i already do: YOHOHO AND A BOTTLE OF DR PEPPER
A long time since I left the industry, and it still makes me angry.
I will talk about it