Posts by Jonathan King
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“It is most disappointing that the meeting – and tonight’s Auckland meeting as well – have had to be cancelled due to safety concerns,” she said.
I think it is VERY important that we head off – and put to bed – this suggestion that there was last night (and may have been tonight) some threat or danger in groups of crew getting together where actors are meeting. I was there last night – and I saw an exuberant, passionate group of people – almost all of whom had smiles on their faces, as serious as they were about these issues. No-one was there to do harm to anyone else.
Here’s some thing I don’t believe you know, Helen Kelly, (because you may have an idea about how to run industrial conflict, but you – it is now obvious – know nothing about how film crews work) but, by god Jennifer Ward-Lealand should: film crews aren’t like that. Like, I imagine, going to war, you have to have experienced it to understand it. But when a crew comes together (and that includes actors) to make something they watch out for each other, they know what theyre all going through, what they’ve all been through.
And here’s the most important thing: actors are safe amongst crew. In fact, actors depend every day on crews for their safety. They’re driven safely to set (on time and in one piece); the make up chair is a hugely important place where actors are safely nurtured into a day of performing and being looked at; they’re led onto set by ADs who get them where they need to be when they need to be there; they’re put in potentially dangerous situations with cars, heights, water, fire, temperatures – and safety officers and stunt people ensure that they are 100% safe; and they have – they have to – a relationship based on safety with the director and the camera, so that they are safe to go to intimate places in their performance, without feeling silly or exposed. And the entire crew respects and understands that and is committed to maintaining that safety – because they know that that makes the films that they are working.
So, Helen and Jennifer, YOU MUST STOP implying that actors’ safety is compromised by groups of crew getting together to express their passion and concern.
But I do believe that this kind of talk – and indeed this whole woefully unnecessary conflict – is in danger of doing real damage to that that fabric of trust that makes making movies possible. Are actors going to feel safe (in all those important ways I’ve talked about) if they are held responsible for the loss of untold jobs as projects evaporate? And I believe that the union agitators amongst this – like Helen Kelly and Simon Whipp – are responsible for some of that damage. Don’t come into our industry – our artform -- and run your ‘standard’ industrial dispute play book. Because it’s not applicable here.
And I hope, if nothing else, the dismal failure of your tactics have shown you that.
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And, you know something, would anyone have been any the better off if Whale Rider director Nikki Caro or Boy producer Ainsley Gardner got slapped with a fine for mucking in with the dishes after kai at the end of the day?
Funnily enough, my co-producer on Under the Mountain got 'told off' by the production staff for washing the coffee cups when he found himself with five minutes on his hands during pre-production ...
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sensible I think as it turned out. Cheap hit on unions re confrontation.
A big part of the problem here is that you see this as about 'cheap hits on unions' ... none of the people that came down there were thinking about those things -- they were concerned about their job that was due to start this month (or started two months ago, but were stood down from).
Seriously, this old-school, workers vs management thinking is so counter productive (and out of step from how films are made) it would be funny ... if it weren't so serious.
EDIT: As Rob alludes to above:
Yes, that's very unhelpful. Some people will take the role of producer on one project, help catering for another, and be an orc in the next. Continuity of work in NZ screen production, outside the major TV channels, is very much the exception.
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Apologies, have edited above comment quoted above.
But it is upsetting to have the honest actions of 1000+ people with VERY real things at stake being characterised as tools of "the production".
Simple facts: Equity were invited to talk to SPADA 18+ months ago; they declined.
When they first applied No Work order and demanded to talk to Hobbit they were advised to talk to SPADA; they refused.
Now, with much damage done they're proudly trumpeting that they've been ... talking to SPADA.
This is not an outcome for them to be proud of and it makes me very cross.
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In light of the information above known to the production we cannot understand the motives of those behind the rally which caused a peaceful meeting of performers to discuss their working conditions to be cancelled.
I believe you are being disingenuous to say you "cannot understand the motives" behind the 1000+ people who gathered to express their concern about how they will feed their families and pay their mortgages in the coming few years.
EDITED to remove OTT phrase. Apologies.
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Today's release:
The union has always been prepared to agree those conditions as an industry standard rather than a collective agreement.
The No Work order that's still up on SAG etc websites:
no member of any FIA affiliate will agree to act in the theatrical film The Hobbit until such time as the producer has entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for production in New Zealand
Seriously: What. The. Fuck?
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say that to Sparty producer Rob Tappert? I understand his wife is a way hard bitch who could kick Cheryl West's arse. :)
Jenifer Ward-Leland isn't -- her husband, Michael Hurst, is gainfully employed directing Spartacus at present.
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OK, sorry, I take it back -- I don't think the actors are that dumb. But I'm amazed that that seems to be some people's attitude to Peter Jackson et al ... Having a plane seems to be the big bugbear.
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Well fuck them. New Zealand workers are fine as long as they are compliant and grateful? Fran and Philla, why don't you fuck off and turn your screen
"Fuck off you rich pricks and take your $700 million with you" is pretty much the elusive central tenant of the union's argument here, isn't it?
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Helen Kelly for one, on morning report. Not a good idea to treat every issue as a battle in the class war.
The class war aspect (brought up by The Standard, too, at the beginning of all this) makes me laugh: for the hundreds of technicians who marched last night -- the hard-bitten, hard-working foot soldiers that lug lights, fire up generators, move trucks, cook hot food and get the set going hours before the actors arrive each day -- to be lumped in with 'management' aligning against the 'workers', the actors -- actors! -- is risible.