Hiring SAG actors

[Vdawg]

I am an Orlando film producer who lives in a right to work state. How
exactly does making my production a SAG production benefit me in the
long run?

[Rick Rey]

You'll get access to the SAG talent pool. SAG actors aren't permitted to work on non-union projects. The current version of their new media contract is very negotiable in terms of rate and residuals. If you don't want or need SAG talent, you can absolutely go non-union.

Rick

[Valensky Sylvain]

I would like SAG actors but the residuals looks iffy to me. Do I have
to use union crew on a non-union project with SAG actors?

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[Chris McCaleb]

You do not have to use an IATSE crew if you use SAG actors. The
unions don't have any sort of agreement with each other.

The residuals policy recently changed, to make it much easier for SAG
actors to work in New Media projects. As long as your project is
under $25,000 per minute (and I can't think of a single new media
project that isn't), no residuals are due for New Media exhibition.
Residuals do come into play if you make the transition to other media
(like TV or DVD), but those are good problems to have, right?

If you want more detailed info, you should contact Mark Friedlander
(mfried...@sag.org) or Steve Graham (sgr...@sag.org) at SAG. Hope
that was helpful.

cmc.

[David Nett]

As a SAG New Media producer (and SAG member), I'd like to add a little
bit about producing under SAG. By working under one of the SAG Indie
or New Media contracts, you get access to a fantastic talent pool
which cannot work on your film if you do not produce under the
agreements, and union actors get a chance to exercise their talent in
cool and rewarding projects. That's the bottom line.

There is one downside: paperwork.I hate paperwork, and I'm guessing
you do, too. It's not a lot, but when you're a small shop (I'm
basically a 1-man shop), it is sometimes intimidating. But, especially
when you're working in a city filled with SAG actors, the access to
that talent pool is well worth the extra elbow grease. You'll also
have to be disciplined about your shooting schedule and make certain
you treat your actors (and by extension your whole cast & crew) with
respect and don't take advantage of them, but I assume you're already
doing that.

And, yes, you will have to pay residuals if you move your webseries
into a traditional media venue. But, like Chris said, that's a high-
class problem to have. Talk to the your SAG rep or one of the folks
Chris mentioned above. It's a good deal, and we should all take
advantage of it if we can, IMHO.

-David
Creator, GOLD
http://www.goldtheseries.com

[Valensky Sylvain]

Thank you David. May I ask how are you doing with getting
sponsorships and advertisements for your series?

[David Nett]

Sigh. You may ask, but the news isn't good. One of the great things
about GOLD is that it's been warmly welcomed by its niche audience
(the tabletop role playing community). The bad thing from an
advertiser/sponsor standpoint is the niche-ness of the audience. It's
a target group not normally salivated-over.

Anyway, we're still plugging away. I remain optimistic. And we're
working on other stuff as well. Diversification - it's not just for
investments ;-)

-D

[Valensky Sylvain]

amen on that. Starting a new zombie web series called Viva Humanity
and trying to find sponsors to offset the cost. Will keep trying
until I find a winning formula.