Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Did SAG Double Dare Producers?

Finally, some news about those AMPTP-SAG negotiations! Unfortunately, the news is not pretty.

The producers organization has posted an update on its site stating that after 13 days of talks, both parties “are not yet close to an agreement.” Not surprisingly, the AMPTP blames the impasse on SAG’s refusal to take the same new-media deal accepted by the DGA, WGA, and in the AFTRA Network Code. Or rather, SAG’s negotiators said the existing new-media deal is fine, but some changes must be made—70 changes to be exact, many of which the producers say would “go a long way toward making the framework itself unworkable.”

The producers also claim SAG’s demands to double the DVD formula and make huge increases in compensation and benefits “would result in enormous cost increases that we are not willing to accept.”

“We cannot responsibly accept the unprecedented, double-digit increases in DVD residuals and conditions being sought by SAG, or wage hikes that in some cases reach 200 percent. As a result, we have made little progress in narrowing the significant differences with SAG on these critical traditional media issues.”

SAG hasn’t released a statement responding to its members’ employers yet—one is certainly on the way.

Of course, Doug Allen has been saying for months that he’s not happy with the existing new-media deal. He and SAG prez Alan Rosenberg have vowed several times that they’ll fight tooth-and-nail in the boardroom yet at the same time want to avoid a strike.

 SAG’s 2008 Contract Reports says Team SAG will—of course—seek increases in residual formulas, pay, health, and pension. But it doesn’t mention doubling the DVD formula or 70 proposed changes to the new-media deal.

 Plenty of pundits, like Ken Ziffren, say SAG should shut up and accept what the other unions got—especially since studios claim they haven’t made much green on the Internet. If you believe that, I’ve got some swampland in Burbank to sell you.

 I gotta give it up to Alan and Allen for hangin’ tough. But let’s remember that WGA supposedly sought to double DVD residuals only to drop the issue. SAG might not play hardball for long if the specter of seeking strike approval rears its ugly head. Methinks the SAG membership won’t be as keen on striking as the writers were.

--Lauren Horwitch

 

 

Tribeca Blog: Love, Pain & Vice Versa

For fans of Latino film and television looking to see Bárbara Mori in yet another salacious, stock, and vapid role, Love, Pain, & Vice Versa is an ill fit. The Mexican thriller in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival features Mori in the role of Chelo, a stalker, a liar, and a chain smoker--probably the last person you want on your bedroom poster.

Love, Pain & Vice Versa is the psychological drama of Chelo (Mori) and Dr. Marquez (Leonardo Sbaraglia), two timeless characters who suffer inexplicable nightmares -- and fantasies -- about one another. Aptly described as "moody" in the festival synopsis, the film defies chronology to unravel the mysterious, and seemingly violent connection between them.

In a roundtable discussion, director Alfonso Pineda-Ulloa described Love, Pain & Vice Versa as a "perversion of a fairy tale."

"Both of [the characters] are, in a way, horrible people," said Pineda-Ollua. "You're seeing an obsession gone bad."

Uruguay-born actor Mori welcomed the change from her typical telenovela fare. For over ten years, Mori played Spanish-language soap opera damsels, and though her 2006 debut film La Mujer de Mi Hermano was several feet deeper than a telenovela, her character Zoë was either showering, swimming, or seducing the wrong man.

"Chelo is not a sexy role," said Mori in an interview. "I'm very proud of that."

While filming, Pineda-Ulloa purposely enhanced Mori's freckles and flaws, and even went so far as to paint an artificial birthmark on her neck.

"I wanted Bárbara because she's a talented actress," said Pineda-Ulloa. "[Producers] have exploited her sexuality and looks, but this is a character who does not like herself."

In an early scene scene, Mori physically maims her own face before crying rape at a police precinct. A disturbing grin sweeps across her bloodied face, posing the question whether or not Chelo is a safe protagonist.

"I love the fact she's crazy," said Mori. "But she's crazy because of a deep loneliness, which is something that everyone feels."

On top of the unflattering and unsafe approach, Love, Pain & Vice Versa demands that nearly all the actors chain-smoke in every shot. Though certainly a successful mood enhancer, smoking was a particularly negative direction for Mori, who had been seven months smoke-free and is now back on the nicotine horse.

"I was doing so well!" she said. "But the film had me smoking so many cigarettes that now I'm trying to quit again."

Despite the health risks, Mori hopes to remain on the off-beat film track and revamp her image. In October, Mori is off to India to star in the English-language Bollywood film "Kites."

"I'm looking for new projects like Love, Pain & Vice Versa," said Mori. "The whole world knows me as the sexy soap opera actress, and I hate that."

-----Halley Bondy

Love, Pain, & Vice Versa can be seen Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at AMC Village Cinemas.

http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/filmguide/Love_Pain__Vice_Versa.html

Photo Caption: Barbara Mori in Love, Pain, & Vice Versa.

NYC Auditions at a Glance

Culled from the hundreds of casting and job notices listed daily on BackStage.com, below are this week's audition highlights for the East Coast, organized by the day the auditions are being held.

To find the full details for each of these projects -- including the audition times, locations, requirements, and alternate submission methods -- simply locate the project using the BackStage.com Casting & Jobs Search Engine, and then open the notice to view all of the info.

When searching, try any of the following: (1) Run a search for all the categories and countries you're interested in, and then sort the results based upon the date of the auditions by clicking on the triangular arrows found near the top of the "Audition Dates" column on every page of the search results; (2) Try an "exact phrase" Keyword search using one of the project titles/casting notice headlines listed below (hint: put the project title, audition headline, production company, or casting director name in "quotation marks" to get the best results); (3)  try an "exact phrase" Keyword searches using dates such as Nov. 28, Dec. 5, and so on, to discover other opportunities that have audition dates, performance dates, and deadlines for the date you specify. See the Casting FAQ for additional search hints.

NEW YORK CITY AREA AUDITIONS

Thu. May 1
'All My Sons,' B'way
'Animals Out of Paper'
Dorset Thr. Festival Season, VT
'Madison' & 'The Big Tent,' NJ
'All Shook Up,' OH
Verizon Print Campaign

Fri. May 2
'All My Sons,' B'way
Chautaqua Thr. Company
Dorset Thr. Festival Season, VT
'Hair'
Pearl Theatre Season
'Single Black Female'
'Wicked,' Singers
New York Renaissance Faire
Singers Search Fridays
Hawaiian Tropic Zone

Sat. May 3
'The Big Project'
'Teen Dream'
'All My Sons,' B'way
New York Renaissance Faire
NJ, 'Sea Story'

Sun. May 4
NV, 'Top Chef' Season 5
'Teen Dream'
'All Shook Up,' OH
'The Incredible Edible…'
FL, Florida Repertory Thr.

Mon. May 5
Cohoes Music Hall Season
'Much Ado,' CT
'Oklahoma!,' NJ
'Equus,' Male Dancer-Actors
'Hair,' NYSF
Chamber Theatre Tours
Police & Black Men Drama
'Fela Kuti Project'
'Sweeney Todd,' Nat'l Tour
'The Full Monty,' IL
Hong Kong Disneyland, Singers
Alvin Ailey American Dance Thr.
Hong Kong Disneyland, Dancers
FL, Florida Repertory Thr.
FL, 'Finding Nemo'

Tue. May 6
'Rising Water' & 'End…,' MA
'Saturn Returns'
'First Lady Suite,' CT
'Peter Pan,' NC
'Damn Yankees,' Dancers
'Peter Pan,' NC, Male Singers
Three One-Act Plays
'A Chorus Line,' Dancers
Radio City Christmas
Cohoes Music Hall Season
'The Full Monty,' IL
'In/Two'
Hong Kong Disney, Performers
'Crystal Symphony'

Wed. May 7
'Aliens'
Cohoes Music Hall Season
'Safe'
'Peter Pan,' NC, Dancers
'All Shook Up,' IL
Cohoes Music Hall Season
'Moon Over Buffalo'
The World of Disney in New York
'Rock-A-My-Soul'
Ballet Hispanico
'Rhythmopolis,' NJ

Thu. May 8
'Chicago,' B'way
'Moon Over Buffalo'
'In the Mood,' Nat'l Tour
'In the Mood,' Nat'l Tour
Interdependence Project Thr.

Fri. May 9
'Guys & Dolls,' Singers, OR
Singers Search Fridays
Two River Theater Co., NJ

Interactive Ed

Ed Fry, a SAG and Equity member who currently serves as 3rd vp of the AFTRA N.Y. Local, pointed out a few inaccuracies in my April 17 post “Look Back in Interactive." A longtime tri-union member, I thought Ed had some interesting points to make about SAG and AFTRA’s contract negotiations. So here he is as Strike Watch’s very first guest blogger.

Take it away, Ed….

“If you're looking for applicable history (if there is any), I'd say go back to the negotiation just before the advent of the Phase One Agreement (1981). If I'm not mistaken, there is history posted on SAG Watch. There is also a post--actually two, with the correction--by me in the Talkback section regarding my thoughts about the forces we face and what shape a media union should have in the century we now find ourselves. Also, there is a history of the last 10 AFTRA-SAG years by a colleague, Matt Kimbrough of L.A., posted at AftraNow that is well worth reading, written by someone who's been there and been through it all.

“I think it's less than accurate to suggest all this back and forth is about ‘two unions.’ It isn't. It's about two different sets of ideas and approaches for one set of media professionals. It's about what a media union should be, who should be in it, and what it should cover. It's very much about the power and leverage we have at any moment. It's also a contest of ideas regarding organizing: employers, members, premembers, what they do, how much, and where they live. And it's always been a contest of geography—too often East Coast versus West Coast and the work and social patterns they represent.

“One last thing. You mentioned the pressure on SAG regarding new media. If there is any, AFTRA did not put it there. The first union to reach a deal in this area put it there, in this case the DGA. And that deal was largely replicated by the WGA. That's the pressure both AFTRA and SAG face. And the real issue isn't the pressure; it's whether the DGA or the WGA were asking the right set of questions going into their respective negotiations. Because those questions created the results thus far. The DGA does not believe this is a ‘watershed’ negotiation. They counsel keeping our collective powder dry for likely the next time we sit and negotiate. But there's no question that actors are feeling squeezed by changes in production (fewer pilots, more offshore shooting) and use (fewer reruns in free TV) of scripted entertainment. And the issue of whether we are being fairly compensated in DVDs remains. So, ‘watershed’ or not, there are significant issues on the table. Too bad we come to them in such a politically poisonous atmosphere. Imagine what a consolidated union could do.”

 --Ed Fry

 

Tribeca Blog: Rossellini Catches the Digital Bug

At 56, actor Isabella Rossellini has all the youth, charm and grace that she had in Blue Velvet, but at the Tribeca Festival panel on The Future of New Media on Friday, she also demonstrated an unlikely knowledge of digital media and insect pornography.

At the 5-person panel on new media sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter, ex-L'Oréal model Rossellini discussed Green Porno, her series of short films that will appear at the Tribeca Film Festival, on the Sundance Channel website and on mobile phone screens. Green Porno will feature none other than Rossellini simulating bizarre, fully-clothed copulation with giant cartoonish critter mates.

“I found it very liberating to tell these stories,” said Rossellini. “Except the screens are so short that it can be very distracting to watch.”

The Future of New Media panel was not about mating bugs, however, but about the embryonic transition of entertainment into digital mediums. The 5 panelists included Rossellini; Gaurav Dhillon, the CEO of Jaman.com; Rick Cotton, executive vice president of NBC Universal and the chairman of the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy; and Jason Hirschhorn, president of Sling Media. The panel was moderated by Georg Szalai, New York bureau chief and business editor at The Hollywood Reporter.

The panel consensus was that although artists have global exposure at their fingertips in the world of digital entertainment, money is difficult to contain due to piracy, the popularity of small-scale productions as opposed to high paying gigs, and a general lack of business savvy. Even Rossellini, who received $75,000 from Robert Redford for the implementation of Green Porno, salvaged only $3,000 for herself after writing, directing, producing, and starring in the films. The royalties, like the phone screens, are projected to be tiny.

"It was amusing for me to make Green Porno,” she said. “But I feel sorry for people who are really trying to make a living [in new media], because it’s just not there.”

Panelist Jason Hirschhorn said the most successful new media artists have a sense of “monetizing” web products--that is, maintaining control over copyright, licensing, advertisement, subscription, and all the exhaustive things that constitute making a profit.

“Artists who use the web are starting to become entrepreneurial,” said Hirschhorn. “Or else, actors will have to be like Samuel L. Jackson and do like a thousand movies a year.”

Overall, however, the affect of new media on actors, writers and producers seems relatively unknown. Panelist Rick Cotton described the “digital ecosystem” as so spanking new that its rules are up-for-grabs.

“We are in such a transitional moment that everyone is trying to solve a puzzle and find out who’s good at this,” said Cotton. “Whether it’s the next writer or actor or producer, everyone’s looking.”

As the panelists hashed out the minutiae of legalities, moderator Szalai tried to funnel attention back to Rossellini, who, aside from being the prettiest of the male-dominated panel,  also ensured the laughs.

When asked if she would take the Green Porno series farther, she responded in her famously refined European accent: "Oh yes, I would make a whole new series where I make love to clams!”

Green Porno can be seen April 30 and May 4 at the Tribeca Film Festival. For more information visit http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno. (Photo Caption: Isabella Rossellini in Green Porno, courtesy Tribeca Film Festival)

--Halley Bondy

AFTRA to Ponder Affected Voting

Interesting news from AFTRA today. An AFTRA committee will officially begin looking what impact affected voting might have on its members.

Reardon said in a statement released today, "As both a working actor and a union president, I am thrilled that the working performers who brought forward this issue are engaged and providing input to their union.... The suggestions by these AFTRA members to apply affected member voting to other contracts, such as Primetime Dramatic/Exhibit A, were developed by performers in good faith at a grass-roots level and deserve thoughtful, timely consideration and responses from the leadership of their union. Whatever the national board's final decision on the matter, I welcome and encourage an honest and respectful discussion of this issue."

The AFTRA committee -- which will be chaired by Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) and recent Strike Watch commenter Ed Fry -- will submit its report to the AFTRA Administrative Committee no later than May 23.

Of course, affected voting has been  on SAG members' minds lately. SAG's national board recently sidelined a popular proposal to institute the practice in the guild. SAG's rank and file remain divided on the question of whether voting on contracts should be limited to only members who work a certain amount on the contract(s) in question. Erik-Anders Nilsson recently wrote a very well-put editorial for us against affected -- or "qualified" -- member voting. It's already generating some comments, and we'd love to see more.

We're hoping the SAG proposal's author, Ned Vaughn, will contribute an editorial once the TV/Theatrical Contract is settled.

An AFTRA representative, who requested anonymity, pointed out the Administrative Committee approved the committee examining affected voting on April 23--its first meeting after the March 29 national board meeting. So, the formation of the committee was reported on April 24. SAG's national board sent Vaughn's proposal to committee April 12.

Stay tuned....

--Lauren Horwitch

NYU Drops the Curtain on Provincetown Playhouse?

The Villager reports this week that "New York University proposes to demolish the four-story buildings on MacDougal St. where the Provincetown Playhouse first produced the plays of Eugene O'Neill, and redevelop them to include new space for the university’s law school as well as a new theater."

The 170-seat theatre was refurbished only a decade ago, and although the building and its neighbors are not protected as city landmarks, they have undeniable cultural significance. NYU has owned the theatre, located across from the NYU Law School, since 1984 and currently uses it for various programs for its Steinhardt School of Education.

“There’s no reason to demolish a building that is so important to the history of the Village, New York City and the history of the theater,” said Andrew Berman, director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Even though protests may seem a natural reaction to demolishing this Greenwich Village icon, NYU and New York's Community Board 2 explain that they are working together on the redevelopment to bring harmony, not destruction, to the Village.

Read the full story, including a brief history of the Provincetown Playhouse, here. Let us know what you think about the possible destruction of this nearly century-old theatre.

-- Daniel Lehman

Take the Uwe Boll Challenge!

You may recall the news a few weeks ago that German filmmaker Uwe Boll is the object of an online petition to force him stop making movies (as well as another competing petition in favor of the director). The pro-Boll petition is stagnant at about 150 signatures, while the anti-Boll petition has gained almost 223,000 signatures (still short of the one million needed to oust Boll from the director's chair).

Boll has responded with a handful of short video messages, including this one:

In response to the recent video, in which the director encourages people to make their own movies rather than simply criticize his, blogger Matthew Dessem has announced The Uwe Boll Movie Challenge.

To compete in the Uwe Boll Movie Challenge, you must create a short film that meets the following guidelines:

• It must be made at home.
• You must use ketchup.
• You must use a little brother.
• You must not use some bulls*** nickname out of the internet.
• You have until May 16th.

Post your video into the comments of Dessem's blog post. The contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Uwe Boll, and there is no prize involved (unless Uwe Boll decides to provide one).

-- Daniel Lehman

FIN Screenwriters Competition

The Film Industry Network (FIN) is seeking submissions from members only for the 2008 screenwriters competition, to include feature film scripts and original television pilots. FIN members may be credited as writer or co-writer. Submissions are limited to one film or one pilot per member. Selections from the three highest scoring scripts will be performed in October at the FIN showcase, a staged reading produced, directed, and performed by FIN members and promoted to production companies, casting directors, managers, agents, and others. For more information and all requirements and release forms, visit www.filmindustrynetwork.com.

Designing Hollywood Gala

New York Women in Film and Television will throw its annual gala and fundraising event Designing Hollywood on May 19, from 6:30-9 p.m., at the Time & Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas at 50th Street, 8th floor, NYC. Presenters are Ed Burns and Bebe Neuwirth. Host is Charla Lawhon, the managing editor of InStyle. Created in 2000, the event explores and celebrates the confluence of fashion, film, and television and honor's women's outstanding contributions in the fields of costume design, makeup artistry, and hair styling.

This year's honorees are Catherine Marie Thomas (costume design, Kill Bill, A Prairie Home Companion, 27 Dresses); Patricia Regan (makeup, Flight of the Concords, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead); and Colleen Callaghan (hair, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon). Doors open at 6 p.m.; cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will follow the ceremony. Tickets for members cost $75, non-members $125. For more information, visits www.nywift.com or call (212) 679-0870.