Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles
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Man, that Cocteau drawing is magnificent.
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Wonder if they paid any royalties to use it...
#ObCopyright -
Actor's Equity UK still has the old message
Thanks Mark. That backs up what Barnett was relaying from Jackson on Q&A yesterday. What counts as "settled" seems to vary between the two sides.
Kelly and other local unionists are saying it was their Brownlee-mediated agreement between the local players including that they would *recommend* foreign unions withdraw the boycott. Perhaps in their regular negotiations in other local industries that's a fair expectation. But this is not just local as has been clear right from the start.
Warners have said they want to see withdrawal of the ban in writing by *all* the unions who promoted it. We have evidence that this has not happened yet.
Given the studio's previous experience with Mr Whipp, reluctance to take the word of associated parties seems anything but surprising. Jackson's statement that the damage to confidence was already done seems plausible too.
Of course the producers are probably taking advantage of the situation now, and there may even be an element of revenge in there. Brinksmanship has costs.
No surprise either to see opportunism from our government along with just doing their job given the situation. They probably can't believe just what a gift these naive, inept unions have handed them just as the tide was turning. But they were going to fight that anyway and there is a broader battle to be won.
Mass public support often hinges on an emotional reality informed by carefully shaped television and other media.
Jackson seems to have been at least partially the meat in the sandwich, and on telly last week he hardly looked like a confident arch-manipulator of global big business as some old-left ninnies have been painting him. And I doubt Sue Bradford will find many who agree with her assertion that the public think Robyn Malcolm is a "hero".
Jackson's palpable distress and the passion of Richard Taylor would compare favourably for most viewers with the disorganised evasiveness of the union representatives, whether they were right about being shafted or not.
And that's a shame for all of us.
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@jonathan
Technically, MEAA(NZ)I (let's call the spade what it actually is) did not threaten a boycott.They just asked their friends around the world to threaten a boycott...
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Respectful letter requesting a conversation:
http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/letter1.pdfOn a closer reading, the letter doesn't even allude to any earlier contact with 3'7 on the matter - not even some failure to respond to an email or something.
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There may have been earlier communication. No doubt the union can advise.
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They may, but I shall refrain suspending respiration until that occurs...
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Jackson seems to have been at least partially the meat in the sandwich, and on telly last week he hardly looked like a confident arch-manipulator of global big business as some old-left ninnies have been painting him.
I doubt he even knew for certain what WB were thinking - after all, it might be in their interests to play up the 'gonna move offshore' angle to PJ, if what they really wanted was to force a rapid union backdown and film it here. Impossible to know.
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As I was reading Simon Whipp's latest spin on this boycott being a success in the Hollywood Reporter, and thinking about Helen trying to make positive of the situation (which, to be fair, is what she needed to do), it made me realise what a black eye this could be, not just for the NZ Film Industry/NZ Unions, but the Global Union Movement, particularly for the film industry.
If the Hobbit moves overseas, and assuming it's something that makes it into the world public consciousness (which it seems to be), then it's going to be the perfect argument for every right wing politician who wants to suggest global unions want to wreck local industry. In particular the film industry.
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Timing wise - at theatreview there is a post with the Canadian statement, which includes: "at the spring meeting of the Executive of the International Federation of Actors (FIA) in Copenhagen, a motion was passed supporting our colleagues".
That meeting was presumably FIA Executive Meeting Copenhagen, June 26-27
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Yup, that's always been my reading too.
I've gotten this all from the original MEAA factsheet btw.
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If the Hobbit moves overseas, and assuming it's something that makes it into the world public consciousness (which it seems to be), then it's going to be the perfect argument for every right wing politician who wants to suggest global unions want to wreck local industry. In particular the film industry.
That would be a pretty hard argument to make stick if the film shifts out of New Zealand and gets made in a unionised country. If anything, it would be easier to argue that a unionised workforce makes it easier to attract high paying jobs to a country.
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It's just been pointed out to me that the document posted by Russell as the one read out a the Weta meeting last week which I thought was the same as the one read out by Jed Brophy at the original Equity meeting all those weeks ago is, in fact, a rewritten version of that original document. (If someone can explain the complexities of posting the file I'm happy to upload it for your reading pleasure.) This original one contains the statement that 'Peter Jackson is a very proud and loyal member of six unions - The Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, the New Zealand Writers Guild and the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand and has acknowledged that these organisations do terrific work on behalf of their members.'
Having revisited this original document I'm struggling to understand how, amongst other things, he can be a proud and loyal member of SAG at the same time as undermining them and both NZ Equity and MEAA.
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@ David, I don't disagree. But I'm just saying that the same simple version argument we've get here is going to be the one carried by anti-unionists overseas.
@ Graham, and I'm struggling to understand how attacking Peter Jackson is helping AE.
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Wikipedia page for 'Australian Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance' -- is worth a read. Seems to have been that way since 21st Oct.
;-)
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I'm struggling to understand how, amongst other things, he can be a proud and loyal member of SAG at the same time as undermining them and both NZ Equity and MEAA.
Unless this is spin, it would appear to be only the Australian Union.
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It is easier, cheaper, more efficient and productive to fix problems before they become too big. This is a mantra for business. The drama production industry has known for years of actors' dissatisfaction with the way that they perceive they are treated. This dissatisfaction is why NZ Equity opted to join the MEAA. It is why there were recent requests for discussions on contracts for actors working on Outrageous Fortune 6, The Cult, This Is Not My Life. It is why there has been a long standing request to meet with SPADA to mutually agree minimum terms and conditions for drama actors.
The current situation is a direct result of decisions taken not to engage with Equity over the past years. The request to meet with the producers of The Hobbit was simply the latest in a series of chances for the industry to sit down with Equity and discuss the situation. Instead of dialogue, cant and vitriol were heaped on the actors, at first collectively and now individually.
There have been mutually agreed minimum terms and conditions for actors working on television commercials for decades, which has created an ongoing positive working environment for all parties.
Now that SPADA has finally agreed to talk to Equity over how to replace the existing unenforceable 'Pink Book' guidelines, perhaps we can move forward, accepting that at long last the producer/actor problem will be addressed in a constructive way and become an inclusive section of the entertainment industry.
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(If someone can explain the complexities of posting the file I'm happy to upload it for your reading pleasure.)
Can you just copy and paste it, Graham? Or is it a bit more complex than that? I haven't unravelled how to link, so can't help you there. But there are some folk who do, who I'm sure will help you.
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This dissatisfaction is why NZ Equity opted to join the MEAA.
Not how I remember it. IIRC NZAE was bouncing around in the no man's land of industrial relations because they couldn't muster enough members to be registered as a union, so the CTU initiated discussions with MEAA (not sure about that, but Peter Cranney's participation indicates CTU involvement at that point)
The way it was portrayed to me at the time, by someone trying to recruit me, was that the MEAA had offered NZAE the option of becoming a part of them. I never heard that NZAE had initiated the contact.
Mind you, I'd also heard that one of the reasons actors were pissed off is that what little there was of NZAE activities was dominated by actors' agents, so there you go.
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OTOH, I saw a Young Nats branch sending out invites on Facebook, and Kiwiblog was carrying ads for it ...
Oh, FFS, Russell... perhaps things have changed a lot since my day, but scary levels of geekosity transcend party lines. Hope they still do.
I'd be interested to hear what someone like Conor Roberts would advise. Seems to know what he's doing.
Don't think Conor Roberts has time for anything but the day job this week -- and the hundred and fifty odd to follow.
Jackson pretty much addressed this point on Campbell however. It's possible he doesn't know they wanted to relocate, but unlikely.
I'm not sure that's quite it -- in the end, Peter Jackson call follow Del Toro out the door, but he doesn't own the rights to The Hobbit. And ultimately, his influence over Warners is as limited as Martin Campbell's over Green Lantern or Sam Mendes who can't do a damn thing on the next Bond film until MGM gets sorted.
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I have a photocopy of the original document which I've scanned as a pdf file. I don't have the high end software or knowledge to enable me to copy and paste from a pdf.
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While you tea-bagger wannabes are getting the tar and feathers ready for Robyn, Helen, Simon and that other chick whose name escapes me,
Our government is gearing up to evict thousands of state housing tenants, and flog their houses off. I do not consider that the government chose this weekend to make this accouncement very co-incidental.
So, translated, that means that private landlords (in RWC year) AND the international film barons are doing to be getting a big fat windfall.
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The current situation is a direct result of decisions taken not to engage with Equity over the past years. The request to meet with the producers of The Hobbit was simply the latest in a series of chances for the industry to sit down with Equity and discuss the situation. Instead of dialogue, cant and vitriol were heaped on the actors, at first collectively and now individually.
Graham, where do you suggest is the best place for us to read more about that? I don't recall too much public coverage other than a bit around the Outrageous Fortune saga.
tea-bagger wannabes
Brendon, do try to resist being part of the problem.
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While you tea-bagger wannabes....,
Same shit, different day Brendon. Perhaps you are just coming to terms with what the National M Act government is but even before this cosy trio was formed there was nothing new to be discovered.It's the same shit! different day.
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copy and paste from a pdf.
Graham, most PDF reader software just has a text selecting tool that lets you copy and paste, but the original might be better. I'm sure if you email Russell (envelope icon next to any of his posts) he'd be happy to help load it here.
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