Shop Talk – Page 2 – Below the Line

Awards

WGA Unveils Key Dates for 2023 Writers Guild Awards and Some Changes to Eligibility Criteria

September 7, 2022 Staff Comments Off

The Writers Guild of America has announced that the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards, which honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories, will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Before we get to the key dates, it’s important to note that the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have made some changes to the eligibility and submission […]

Rebecca Rhine to Join DGA as Western Executive Director Following Her ICG Departure This Fall

August 19, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Rebecca Rhine, who has served as the National Executive Director of the International Cinematographers Guild since 2015, announced that she will be joining the DGA as its new Western Executive Director once her ICG contract expires in September. Rhine will assume her new post in October, and she will have oversight of the DGA’s Western Region and national responsibility for the Contracts Department, Safety and Agency Relations, in addition to […]

Union Roundup: ADG’s Ongoing Controversy Begs the Question, ‘Who Watches the Watchmen?’

August 3, 2022 Mark London Williams Comments Off

So if you’ve been kind enough to be a regular reader of this space, you not only have an interest in the labor side of the film and TV biz but are doubtless already apprised of the latest union imbroglio — namely the somewhat ironic situation where workers in the Art Directors Guild office were trying to organize, only to find that the putative leader of that drive, ADG accountant […]

National Labor Relations Board Finds That ADG’s Chuck Parker “Unlawfully” Fired Former Accountant Nicole Oeuvray

August 1, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

An administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board has found that Chuck Parker, the national executive director of the Art Directors Guild, “unlawfully” fired longtime ADG accountant Nicole Oeuvray “in retaliation” for her efforts in leading the push to unionize the guild’s staff. Deadline broke the news, pointing to a 38-page decision from Judge Gerald Etchingham that came down on Friday. The judge found that Oeuvray’s firing on […]

Petition for AMPTP to Recognize Music Supervisors Union Garners Nearly 10,000 Signatures in 24 Hours

June 22, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

Earlier this month, 75 percent of film and television Music Supervisors signed union authorization cards to form a union and become part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), only for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to indicate they will not voluntarily recognize it. In an update to that developing story, a new petition for the AMPTP to recognize the Music Supervisors Union has […]

Location Managers Guild International Announces New Board of Directors, Including First Australian Member

June 6, 2022 Staff Comments Off

The Location Managers Guild International has announced the 2022 LMGI Board of Directors. Newly elected to the Board are David McKinney (CA) and Lisa Scope (Australia). This election marks the first time an Australian location professional has joined the Board, further diversifying the international composition of guild leadership. McKinney and Scope will serve alongside returning members Ken Brooker (Canada), Dan Connolly (UK), Eric Klein (NY), John Rakich (Canada), Ryan Schaetzle (GA), […]

Chuck Parker Sworn in as Returning National Executive Director of Art Directors Guild

June 1, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Chuck Parker was sworn in as returning National Executive Director of the Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) o Wednesday, while Joel Cohen began his first three-year term as Associate National Executive Director. “I am pleased to welcome back National Executive Director Chuck Parker, and look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of our 3,100 members to build an even stronger Guild,” Nelson Coates, the guild’s National […]

Animation Guild Strikes New Deal With AMPTP That Provides “Significant Gains” for Writers

May 28, 2022 Staff Comments Off

The Animation Guild has tentatively reached a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) following prolonged negotiations that prompted the guild’s first rally in decades. Announced on Friday, the deal provides “significant gains for animation writers,” including wage increases, the addition of MLK Day as a recognized holiday, and the creator of a Labor-Management Cooperative Committee that will help pave “a path forward for Union-covered remote work.” In […]

Stephen Lighthill Re-Elected President of American Society of Cinematographers for Third Time

May 23, 2022 Staff Comments Off

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Board of Governors has elected the organization’s 2022-2023 officers and Stephen Lighthill has been re-elected president for a third consecutive one-year term. Lighthill will serve alongside Vice Presidents Amy Vincent, John Simmons, and Shelly Johnson; Treasurer Steven Poster; Secretary Gregg Heschong; and Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Chomyn. The members of the ASC Board, elected by the organization’s active membership, also include Curtis Clark, Richard Crudo, Steven Fierberg, Michael […]

Union Roundup: New ICG President Baird Steptoe Sr. Will Have to Fight for Working Families Amid Larger Cultural Battles

May 17, 2022 Mark London Williams Comments Off

IA Local 600 — the International Cinematographers Guild — just had an election for new officers, as many readers here know. Camera assistant Baird B. Steptoe Sr. was elected to a three-year term to replace outgoing President John Lindley, ASC, with results expected to be certified at the local’s next board meeting in June. The certification is not expected to be met with a slew of rioters seeking to overturn […]