INDUSTRY NEWS

Are you interested in Job Sharing, or encouraging Job Share in the Industry? you are an HoD on HETV and would like to support a job share role on your current production, please get in touch withMichelle at Share My Telly Job, who is running the scheme.

Share My Telly Job, in association with Screenskills is running a Job Share scheme. With the current skills shortage, particularly in more senior roles, job share can be a way for experienced crew, who may have other commitments, to achieve a manageable work life balance. 

Who are they looking for?

Share my Telly Job are looking for experienced crew members who are interested in working in a job share. Applicants will be guided through the process of matching up with a job share partner and will be offered on-going support throughout the job. There will also be guidance and support in place for the HoDs who employ the job share roles. 

How is it funded?

Productions will receive funding to cover any handover days / hours as part of the scheme. Placements will be found on productions that currently pay into the HETV skills fund. You can see a list of productions who are currently contributing to the scheme here. 

How do I get involved?

If you would like to apply as a job share applicant, click this link The deadline has been extended to the 24th September.

If you are an HoD on HETV and would like to support a job share role on your current production, please get in touch with Michelle at Share My Telly Job, who is running the scheme. 

You may have seen articles in the media about the IATSE union negotiations in the States and rumours of a strike. There has also been a huge amount of social media content recently, describing the effects of long hours on crew. On Instagram, @ia_stories has been highlighted by the international media.

What is happening?

• 13 Hollywood union branches (known as the Hollywood Locals) are uniting to negotiate better terms with the studios.
• This includes the Locals representing Art Department members, which are strong union branches in LA.
• There is a possibility that a strike will be voted on as a tool of last resort in these negotiations.

What are the 13 IATSE Locals asking for?

The main points that the branches are negotiating on are living wages for the lowest paid crew, humane and sustainable working hours, reasonable rest and meal breaks and equitable compensation from streaming projects now that those Studios are profitable.

Why is this happening now?

The negotiated terms of the contracts for the crew members of these 13 Locals expire on the 10th September. The Locals was to improve the terms of the new contracts. There are further negotiations today, in an attempt to reach an agreement before the contracts expire. The pandemic demonstrated to many crew members in the states that productions could be made on 10 hour days rather than 14+/16+. Now the Covid restrictions have been removed, productions have increased overtime to meet their scheduling criteria and crew are being stretched even more than before. This level of unification between Locals has not been seen in living memory.  

What will happen if there is a Strike?

A strike will mean that all 13 union branches will be called to stand down on productions, wherever they are in the world.

What does this mean for us in the UK?

If the IATSE branches do manage to negotiate a decrease in hours and better pay for the lowest paid workers, we can look to this as an example of what can be negotiated with the studios. The pandemic has shown us that productions have been able to find 20%+ of standard budgets to spend on Covid precautions, AND still maintain profits for the larger studios in the last year.

If a strike IS implemented in the states, is will mean that any crew working on UK productions who are members of the 13 branches, will also be asked to strike. However, it must be stressed, that IATSE considers a strike the very last resort in contract negotiations.

The 13 branches are:

IATSE Local 600 International Cinematographers Guild

IATSE Local 700 Motion Picture Editors Guild

IATSE Local 729 Motion Picture Set Painters & Sign Writers

IATSE Local 80 Motion Picture Studio Grips

IATSE Local 706 Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild

IATSE Local 44 Affiliated Property Craftspersons

IATSE Local 800 Art Directors Guild

IATSE Local 892 Costume Designers Guild

IATSE Local 705 Motion Picture Costumers

IATSE Local 695 Production Sound Technicians, Television Engineers, Video Assist Technicians and Studio Projectionists

IATSE Local 728 Motion Picture Studio Electrical Lighting Techs.

IATSE Local 871 Script Supv/Continuity Coord, Accountants, & Allied Prod Spec Guild

IATSE Local 884 Motion Picture Studio Teachers and Welfare Workers

Bectu has reported that Pact are delaying talks regarding a review of the TV Drama agreement, that was due in 2019. Pact have also issued their own guidance document that Bectu believes misrepresents the agreement, to the disadvantage of crew.

What does that mean for me?

This has resulted in longer contracted hours for crew. (Including up to 45mins of prep and also of wrap)

It's very simple, but very important for the future of the TV Drama agreement and your contracted hours. In order to show PACT that the Art Department is as strong and unified as the other departments, Bectu are asking for all Art Department crew to sign the open letter. Bectu members are also asked to vote in the ballot, alongside the other branches. 

You can find further information and links to the letter and ballot on the Bectu Art Department Website.

Sign the open letter

Vote in the ballot

The Bectu Department Branch would like to remind you that the 

The Bectu Art Department AGM

is tonight at 7.30pm!

Both Bectu members and non members are invited to attend. 

The Bectu Art Department committee has worked incredibly hard this past year on many campaigns, including the 2021 rate card, the MMP agreement, the TV Drama Agreement and IR35. Join the Zoom tonight to hear more about the issues that affect the Art Department right now.

We've heard from lots of members recently who are working even longer hours that normal! In some cases, this is because productions have been enforcing an additional 1.5 hours per day for Prep and Wrap on TV series that are using the TV Agreement guidelines. If you've been wondering why this is happening, and what can be done about it, read on....

What is the TV Agreement?

and

Does the Art Department do Prep and Wrap?

Many Art Department and Set Decoration members who have worked on feature films throughout their career, are now finding work on high-end TV series, which have ever increasing budgets, production values and expectations. And with that, comes a different contract, with different terms.

What does this mean?

• Contracts for feature films with budgets over £30m are based on the PACT-Bectu MMP (Major Motion Picture) Agreement.
• Contracts for TV series are covered by the Pact-Bectu TV agreement, which has a different set of terms to the MMP agreement. 
• For films that have budgets of less that £30m, there is no agreement and the contract terms will have been set independently by the production companies. 

So what are the terms of the TV Agreement?

If you'd like to read about the terms in detail, you can find out more about it on the Art Department and Set Decoration guidance pages. But the major difference, and the one that is causing issues for Art Department crew at the moment, is the terms for prep and wrap. 

What is prep and wrap?

Prep and wrap is intended for crew members who need to set up their equipment in advance of the shooting day. Traditionally (and as per the MMP Agreement) it is a 30 minute period at the beginning, and also at the end, of each working day that is not paid for. We're hearing from many Art Department members, who are being asked to do extended periods of Prep and Wrap, on top of their standard working day. The current TV agreement is not specific about how much Prep and Wrap should be done by any of the departments. The MMP agreement has a list of departments that do Prep and Wrap. This list does not include Art Department. 

So should Art Department do Prep and Wrap on TV series?

An Art Department or Set Decoration member who has to walk into an office and turn on a computer, or walk onto a set, does NOT need 30 mins of prep for setting up equipment. Dressing the set, is not Prep and Wrap. Guidance from Bectu is that the 'Art Department does not do prep and wrap'. PACT has also issued separate guidance to their members that states that Prep and Wrap is “customary to that department and in accordance with current working practice.” and that "Prep and Wrap times should always reflect normal industry practice." 

The Bectu Art Department Committee is working on a campaign to include a clause in the TV agreement that will exclude Art Department from prep and wrap. This would bring the agreement in line with the Major Motion Picture agreement. A major budget TV series is comparable to the big budget films, and should have similar terms. 

What can I do?

If you are asked to sign a contract that includes a stated period of prep and wrap, you should make your HoD aware of the PACT guidelines and remind them that Art Department has never customarily done Prep and Wrap. If Production are unable to amend the contract, then you should clarify in writing  that you will not be working the prep and wrap hours without pay, and that if you are required to work these hours, you will be requesting overtime approval. The most important step in this process is ensuring that if you do have to work additional hours beyond the standard working hours specified in the contract, you must let your HoD / production know that you will be going into overtime, in advance of it happening. Keep an eye on the Bectu Art Department website for updates on this. We will also publish any further information on the guidance pages.

The Forum

If you'd like any help with these issues, do post any questions you have on the forum and we can give you some advice on how best to handle things. And similarly, if you've got a positive outcome to share, please do let other members know about it.