A motion picture buyout for Los Angeles? Please read and reply!
Greetings fellow local 47 colleagues!,
Everyone we talk to has said their recording work is drying up, there is less and less work and fewer and fewer musicians playing it.
Either something will be done to stem the outflow of work soon, or the little recording work that is left may not be here long. TV isn’t going anywhere (though very few shows use live orchestras), nor are jingles, since the turn around is typically too short, but film work is leaving and has no reason to stay.
Composers have told us that you can now record in Seattle, London, Eastern Europe, Australia, Salt Lake City or even Mexico and save money. Don’t fool yourselves into thinking there are no groups outside LA capable of recording. The former barrier to going to Eastern Europe, namely recording facilities and compatability of equipment are now gone.
Check out this website and see how far they’ve come. http://www.pragueorchestras.com/
With Eastern Europe charging $15 per musician per hour, there is no logical way of competing there. London offers buyouts at $96 per hour per musician all in.
Seattle records non-union and reports are that even the PHILIDELPHIA orchestra is recording off contract. New York film recording work is virtually gone as is film recording in San Francisco and Nashville.
Either we will make our Union do something for the benefit of ALL members’ livelihoods or the work will simply be gone.
Below is a proposal from RMA San Francisco for recording motion pictures The international RMA and RMALA rejected it within hours, even though a majority of THEIR members are suffering the same troubles as everyone else. Many locals around the country are in full support. We at the Committee for a Responsible 47 want YOU to read it and give us and the LOCAL your feedback!
Some of your Local 47 colleagues are working on other alternatives, but this is a start.
RMA SAN FRANCISCO
P.O. Box 194• Sausalito, CA• 94966• 415-265-0334• www.rmasf.org
Theatrical Motion Picture and Television Film Agreements and Low Budget Agreement Proposal
May 2,2005
Submitted by Recording Musicians Association San Francisco (RMASF)
Janet Ketchum-President, Miriam Perkoff Greene-Vice President, Nina Flyer-Secretary
Dawn Dover-Treasurer, Teresa Adams-Director, Ken Miller Director, Wieslaw Pogorzelski-Director, David Ridge-Director, Arthur Storch-Director
PURPOSE
To recapture and reinvent recording opportunities for all AFM recording musicians.
PROPOSAL
RMASF’s Theatrical Motion Picture and Television Agreements and Low Budget Agreement proposal consists of two co-existing separate options:
1. Maintain Conditions of the Current 2002 Agreement
a. Current wage scale
• Lower up-front payments
b. Soundtrack provision
c. Secondary markets
• Back-end payments
2. An Optional Buyout Agreement
a. Double the current motion picture scale
• Higher up-front payment
b. Buyout for soundtrack and secondary markets
• No back-end payments
• Pre-existing motion pictures with secondary markets to be grandfathered in
c. Pension raised to 15%
• Long-term, back-end payment
d. All other working conditions (i.e. doubles, overdubs, cartage, working hours, health and welfare, overtime) remain the same as current 2002 agreement.
Benefits of the Optional Buyout Agreement for:
The Musician
• Increase in volume of work-outsourced work returns and comes under contract
• Increase in up-front wages to double scale
• Increase of pension to 15%-long term. “back-end” payment
The Industry
• Many producers can close their books upon completion of their film productions
• Composers confined with “package deals”-where they are unable to commit to future back-end payments-can now record on union contracts.
• A simple and concise agreement for the Industry to work with and understand.
The AFM and Locals
• Financial and labor burden to police soundtrack and secondary market compliance is eliminate.
• More time and money available to lobby for more work through federal and state tax incentive legislation
•Increase in local union work dues from additional work
• ”Phono to motion picture” inequities eliminated.
To give your anonymous feedback to Local 47, please go here:
http://www.promusic47.org/suggestbox/default.asp
Please send us your comments as well! We want to keep track of what the RANK AND FILE think and want for their union dues.
We will be keeping track of this for you and update you regularly on this subject. MAKE OUR LOCAL ACCOUNTABLE!, MAKE OUR LOCAL WORK FOR ALL OF US! Let them and us know what you think!
Thank you for your time and please send this to all your colleagues!
The Committee for a More Responsible 47