#Bectu

[phonemantra-blog]

In a groundbreaking move, prominent British actresses, including Keira Knightley, Cara Delevingne, and Carey Mulligan, have joined forces to address the pervasive issue of harassment and bullying within the U.K.'s entertainment industry. Their efforts, outlined in an open letter, underscore the urgent need for systemic change and the establishment of an independent watchdog to ensure accountability and promote a safe working environment for all professionals. British Stars Advocate The Call for Action Uniting Against Harassment Knightley, Delevingne, Mulligan, along with Rebecca Ferguson, Naomie Harris, and Emerald Fennell, are among the vocal advocates demanding a crackdown on bullying and sexual harassment in the entertainment sector. Their collective call for action highlights the widespread nature of these issues and the pressing need for decisive measures to address them. Demands for Accountability The group, representing a larger coalition of 25 industry figures, has urged creative organizations to support the funding of a new watchdog, the Creative Industry Independent Standards Authority (Ciisa). This independent body would be tasked with investigating complaints across various entertainment sectors, including music, film, TV, and theater. The Importance of Ciisa Ensuring Fairness and Transparency The open letter emphasizes the necessity of an external body, such as Ciisa, to provide impartial mediation and accountability for misconduct within the industry. It highlights the lack of existing mechanisms for addressing grievances and underscores the critical role Ciisa would play in promoting fairness and transparency. A Collective Effort for Change Time's Up U.K., a leading advocacy group, has championed the establishment of Ciisa since 2021, rallying support from industry stakeholders and government officials. Despite challenges in securing funding, the initiative has garnered backing from major broadcasters, including ITV, the BBC, and Sky, signaling a collective commitment to driving meaningful change. Voices of Support Acknowledging the Need for Reform Actress Ruth Wilson, known for her roles in "The Affair" and "Luther," has voiced strong support for Ciisa, describing it as "invaluable" in addressing misconduct and promoting accountability. Her sentiments echo those of BBC boss Tim Davie, who views Ciisa as a transformative force for creating a safer and more inclusive industry. Highlighting Ongoing Challenges Recent research by Bectu has shed light on the prevalence of harassment within the entertainment sector, with 92 percent of surveyed professionals reporting firsthand experiences of bullying or harassment. Despite high-profile allegations, such as those against Russell Brand, efforts to address these issues have yielded limited results, underscoring the need for comprehensive reform. The Path Forward Building a Safer Environment The establishment of Ciisa represents a significant step toward fostering a culture of respect and accountability within the entertainment industry. By providing avenues for reporting and addressing misconduct, Ciisa aims to create a safer and more supportive environment for all professionals. Continued Advocacy and Collaboration Moving forward, sustained advocacy and collaboration will be essential in driving meaningful change and ensuring the effective implementation of Ciisa. As industry stakeholders unite in support of this initiative, the path toward a more equitable and inclusive entertainment sector becomes increasingly attainable.

[middaydolomite]

Lights, Camera, Industrial Action

New blog post: Lights, Camera, Industrial Action.

Last week, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) trade union began industrial action, shutting down production on many high-profile TV shows. The union leaders’ demands are complex, but they revolve around issues such as contract lengths, payments from streaming media, and the use of artificial intelligence software. Here’s a background of what’s happened so far. This strike is particularly…

[riddle-me-bitch]

Rant about my job under cut

Ok I love bectu, and thank fuck for the new bectu/pact agreement but fuck me the deal is flawed. They were campaigning for scripted tv work days to not be longer than 10 hours (aka, 10+1 hr unpaid for lunch HA), but some departments get 10+1+1 which is BULLSHIT. We’re still having to work 12 hr days, we’re just given one extra hour’s wage for the +1. Literal bullshit.

Yeah I get it, it pays well and the fact that we actually get overtime is great, but it pisses me off to no end that 12 hour days (not including the drive) is the norm. I don’t have a life except on the weekends when I’m catching up on sleep.

I left the house at 5:15 this morning and got home at 21:40. That’s does include actually somehow making it to the polling station on time and returning something at tescos, but fuck me. I was literally thinking “I need to eat and go to bed in an hour” and now it’s 23:20 and I should’ve gone to sleep at least 20 mins ago so I can get 5hrs sleep. I’m fucked, and the job literally just started. I have to do this until the middle of July

Just adding: it’s also the fact that I work in locations, which is the most thankless job in this industry. I’m not entirely sure people know what we do bc they only see us when they turn up to set. If we don’t prepare a site, nobody can do their job. Our job literally affects everyone else. We supply power, water, heat, aircon, shelter, the permissions for using a location and parking the tech trucks up plus whatever else and then production always gets on our arses about spending too much damn money on things like water pumps when they’ll pay sparks £400 to sit around and do fuck all.

[getthatmoodindigo]

Guess who was up till midnight writing a email to my union because the production company decided they weren't going to spend money on finishing my visa process even though I'M ALREADY IN SPAIN

Fuck you Disney

[devouringyourson]

slowly realising if i want to jump ship job wise it may have to be way earlier than i anticipated so I better get my driving licence asap, put notice in SOON and get prepared to lose all paid holiday, evenings, weekends, pension, working from home, private dental and healthcare, free streaming, hotel discounts, avios points, basic workers rights etc all the nice cushy stuff I took for granted but I gotta let it go if I ever wanna advance but god idk if I can go back to freelance

[xenadd]

Our inability to sympathy strike is thanks to Thatcher. Everyone say thanks, Thatcher.

I’m just going to say this here so people aren’t concerned.

I am a writer and actor. I am based in the UK and Ireland.

We are not currently striking.

We are being affected by the strikes, there’s certainly not as many jobs around, but we aren’t striking.

If I take a UK-production company job, I am not scabbing.

We have different unions. There are actors represented by both Equity and SAG-AFTRA, but I am not one of them.

(I’m actually not even in Equity yet, I’ve only just earned enough to be accepted and I can’t afford the membership fee at this moment)

We are not allowed to strike in the UK. We have terrible anti-strike laws. We are also being screwed over a lot, but I’m hoping if WGA and SAG-AFTRA succeed we might get some trickle down help.

It’d be totally different if I took an American based job, which I won’t because I want the writers and actors to break the big studios.

Support the strikes, but please remember not everyone is American.

[theabigailthorn]

Just frustrated by the media industry rn and I hope you're doing OK. I think it'd be nice if people could afford to be working actors or actresses and sometimes I think that was a luxury for people born before whatever stupid year it doesn't matter.

Mm, the British media industry is in a very difficult spot. Between the COVID and strike backlogs and a general lack of resources commissioners are commissioning less, which means producers are selling less, which means producers don't meet with new writers, which means fewer things get developed and made, which means agents aren't booking actors, which means agents aren't signing new actors, so drama school graduates are graduating into a void, actors aren't working, editors, HMUs, and crew aren't working - I think something like 70% of BECTU members (creative freelancers) are out of work at the moment?

I've had two auditions this year in total so far, both tiny roles. Everything else has been stuff I've arranged myself or direct offers. Everybody I speak to says "Survive Till '25!" Anyone who can get work abroad is doing it, myself included.

[sgiandubh]

OMG, that photo!!!! https://deadline.com/2024/03/channel-4-bonuses-bectu-slammed-alex-mahon-ian-katz-1235862074/

Dear OMG Photo Anon,

You do realize, I hope, that's really what acting is about, right?

I mean, it's not even mildly arousing. And, to be honest, it translated very poorly/clumsily on screen. Could also be me, after all, because threesomes were never my jam. There, I hope I shocked you enough for today.

On this particular pic, S is elsewhere, de Gouw is ok with it (and that's only natural for her) and Tomlinson is perfectly wooden.

That being said, the Deadline article really piqued my interest. Particularly this:

Again, I hate to quote myself, but I remember having predicted this very early ahead, as a ripple effect of the US strikes. Along with a couple of other particularly relevant things, as far as OL is concerned (https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/731010968623120384/the-ripple-effect?source=share):

In the meanwhile, please continue to play dumb with meaningless promo pics, meaningless Instagram follows & drama and meaningless timelines. You make me cynically 🤣🤣🤣, Anon.

Yeah. The nutcase. Sorry, but I was right again. I know people lie a lot on Tumblr, but I somehow found it charmless and unnecessary. And when I told you I knew what I was talking about, for professional reasons, well... I knew what I was talking about, for professional reasons.

[Edit, for the people in the back]: BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union) is the UK equivalent of IATSE.

[iww-gnv]

“It’s like The Hunger Games, the AMPTP thinks they can starve us back to work,” said Bectu National Secretary Spencer MacDonald, as around 200 below-the-line workers gathered in London’s Leicester Square this afternoon to urge a swift end to the actors strike. MacDonald was bullish, however, in the face of a possible resolution in the coming days, telling studio bosses across the pond: “Every single time, we win these disputes.” “We need to remind employers that by dragging their heels and digging themselves in all they are doing is digging a bigger hole for themselves,” he added. “And we want to talk about the impact on our membership.” Although unions in the UK are forbidden to join foreign strikes by tight labor laws, a recent Bectu survey found that an incredible 80% of UK crew felt they had been impacted by what is happening in the States, and Bectu has been calling for financial support from the government and AMPTP.

[luminofilmsofficial]

Getting Profile Actors for your Film

So we all know that having a profile actor on your film increases the number of people who will watch it, increases its chances of being featured at film festival, increases its saleability if it’s a feature film.

It’s a psychological feel good factor….if x star is in it then it must be good. At least people will watch it and indeed could still pan if if the rest of the production and script is awful but on a general level the public associate profile actors with good productions.

So how do you get them involved?

1. You personally know them

2. You are working on another film in which they star and in break times you can briefly ask them to consider your work. Subtlety is required here, no actor wants to be cornered or bombarded with pitches and offers.

3. You can build up a relationship with them on social media (remember many high profile actors do not run their own social media) but I have a few who follow me, so might you.

4.Have a good script and approach their agent. Some agents are lovely, some very spikey and the main things they want to know are who is the director and DOP and what have they done before.

Then you must have an idea of the actor’s worth. The agent will ask you to make an offer. This is of course negotiable but don’t go in at say £150 a day - you’ll be turned away with derision. From my experience I have found £600 a day is the lowest I have offered and upwards from there to £1,500 a day. Some actors want an all in flat rate offer let’s say £100,000 for the film. A sales agent will help guide you on these figures which fluctuate with the actor’s IMDb rating.

Remember this is just the start- most will want a car and driver to pick them up and take them home. They will want their own nice room at unit base, possibly their own PA, own makeup person, certain requests, intimacy coordinator for any sex or part nudity scenes if their agent has agreed to it. They may require a per diem for food and incidentals.

If the location is far from their home they will require their own room and en-suite bathroom in a 4-5 star hotel.

So this can add 150 - 350 plus a day.

An intimacy coordinator usually requires to be involved in the whole film and won’t just choreograph your stars scene and ignore the rest, but will want 1 rehearsal day and 1 shoot day at least at BECTU rates of £780 a day.

Who is a star actor? They have a household known face. Ie people recognise them. The biggest stars A listers have an IMDb of less than 1,000. The next level is actors who have a rating of 1-5,000 and so on from there.

If you are being canny, look for actors who may have ratings of 70-150,000 that may have taken time off for family or other things, had a lull in their career and are looking for work, and still have known faces.

Below just a few of the profile actors I have worked with:

You are unlikely to get A listers on a short film. You are unlikely to get them on a low budget film or if you have no track record, are just starting out.

[theborderlessworld]

UK Creative Industries’ Union Rings Alarm on Fashion Sector Work

Nearly 80 percent of creatives working in the UK’s fashion sector have felt pressure to work for free, while only 14 percent say they get paid on time for the work that they do, according to a new survey by the country’s creative industries’ union Bectu and its fashion branch, Fashion UK.

The survey highlighted long-standing issues in fashion’s creative sector, whose glamorous veneer rests on the graft of a host of overworked and underpaid stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers, fashion assistants, as well as many others.

“I’ve had shoes thrown at me, been told certain expenses will be covered and then had the client refuse to pay them. [I’ve worked] 16-hour days during London Fashion Week for as little as £100,” one freelance fashion assistant said in their survey comments.

“The issues uncovered in our survey should ring alarm bells for the industry, with many fashion creatives telling us they don’t see themselves in the industry in five years’ time,” Bectu head Philippa Childs said in a statement.

Source: https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/sustainability/fashion-creatives-union-pay-work/

[rfo-ona]

Британская организация по борьбе с буллингом и харассментом в индустрии развлечений готовится к запуску — её поддержали знаменитости

Речь идёт о CIISA — Управлении по независимым стандартам в творческих индустриях. Концепция родилась ещё в 2021 году после череды серьёзных обвинений в отношении деятелей из сферы искусства. Как сообщает профсоюз Bectu, 92% работниц/ков творческих профессий переживали на личном опыте или видели со стороны проявления буллинга и харассмента на работе. 20% креативных работниц/ков в Британии сталкивались с серьёзными сексуализированными нападениями. Всё это оказывает негативное влияние на ментальное здоровье и ухудшает условия труда.

Сейчас CIISA нужно финансирование для полноценного запуска. Организация будет помогать пострадавшим советами, заниматься медиацией конфликтов, проводить расследования и привлекать к ответственности за плохое поведение на съёмочных площадках, сценах и за кулисами. CIISA охватывает разные индустрии: кино, телевизионн��ю, театральную и музыкальную. Многие уже признали острую необходимость в подобном независимом органе, пишет журналистка Нур Нанджи.

CIISA выпустило открытое письмо с просьбой поддержать проект, чтобы положить конец буллингу и домогательствам. К настоящему моменту его подписали в том числе актрисы Кира Найтли, Кара Делевинь, Рут Уилсон, Кэри Маллиган, Ребекка Фергюсон, Наоми Харрис, Эмиральд Феннелл, Джемма Чан, актёры Гай Реммерс, Джонни Свит, Джошуа МакГуайр, Роб Коузи. Финансовую поддержу организации уже оказали медиакомпании Sky, BBC, ITV, Viacom и Channel 4. Призывает помочь проекту и профсоюз Bectu.

Они пишут на своём сайте, что если всё пойдёт хорошо, то начнут предоставлять услуги уже в конце 2024 года. В случае успеха проект станет образцом для построения в будущем аналогичных организаций и охвата всей мировой индустрии развлечений.

Авторство коллажа и фотографий: Variety/Getty Images (Gareth Cattermole, Dia Dipasupil, Lia Toby)

[petnews2day]

Equity, Bectu Take Late Pay Legal Action Against Mad Dog 2020 Casting

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/lPcbn

Equity, Bectu Take Late Pay Legal Action Against Mad Dog 2020 Casting

BBC EXCLUSIVE: Mad Dog 2020 Casting, a 25-year-old British agency that supplies background actors to major productions, is facing legal action after failing to pay scores of clients. Equity and Bectu, two of the most prominent UK creative industry unions, are pursuing legal claims on behalf of members who are owed thousands of pounds from […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/lPcbn #DogNews

[thecarrieonokay]

This makes me so mad.

So. Here’s the thing. Out in the real world, I work in film and HETV. In the UK.

The UK film industry is (was) booming. The major US studios (Disney, Warners, Amazon, Netflix etc.) have contracted exclusive use of many of our producing hubs (Pinewood, Leavesden, Shepperton etc.). And they’re so busy that the studios can’t expand at a quick enough rate to keep up with demand.

Since covid, the demand for crew has been so high that people are being employed faster than they can develop the skills they need to do the job. This is creating a lot of- let’s just say- ‘difficult’ new stresses on these major productions.

Not that I’m complaining. Being able to work consistently has been A-mazing. Despite the obstacles of inexperienced production and accounting crew!

Then at the beginning of this year, things started to slow down. New deals were being negotiated here in the UK and the major productions wanted to wait until they knew what was what before going into prep. Then it was time for the writers in the US… by May there were only a handful of productions moving forward- only those who had a locked-in script or were so ahead in prep, they figured any changes could be made closer to shoot (when the strike would presumably be over).

Then it was SAG-AFTRA’s turn and everything ground to a halt.

Here’s the thing. Everyone I know is out of work. Literally everyone. We support the strikes because of course we do. They’re fighting for what we would be fighting for if we could (we can’t btw- our union laws are draconian and not everyone is a union member here like they are in the US… mainly because we have healthcare and pensions regardless). But we’ve been months without work. People are loosing their homes. And because we’re in the UK WE WONT BENEFIT FROM THE STRIKES.

And to be clear. We are legally not allowed to strike in solidarity with the US unions. The strike is legal in the US by US law and on US soil only. That’s it. Anyone in film working on a UK equity or bectu contract can be sued for breach of that contract if they stop work. Equity has been hosting sister rallies… that’s all we can do.

We can’t help. We can’t win. We only lose.

I’ve also been reading a lot of articles over here about how great this is for independent films to finally get a foot in to be able to shoot in aaall the free stages that have suddenly become available. But here’s the thing- they can’t because the studios have dominion over all those stages and they’re holding them for alllll the productions currently on ‘hiatus’. I heard last week that there is a backlog of 15 films waiting to move into Leavesden. No indie film is gonna get a foot in anywhere.

Not to mention, even if they did, indie films only employ about a third the workforce of a major U.S. production. That’s still a shit load of crew out of work.

And I’m not sure it’s clear in any media how much of a global problem this is. I read an article from a U.S. publication last week that listed four major films that had shut down. Nowhere did it mention that ALL FOUR were shooting in the UK.

So when I read something like the above, it makes me want to hit things. The studios could end this. This is a WORLDWIDE shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work. They could end it but they won’t. Because this could set the precedent for decent working conditions for all of us?

Sorry for the rant but… yeah. I’m mad.

[iww-gnv]

SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has acknowledged “significant economic consequences” impacting workers around the world due to the strikes, while the boss of British Equity said his union is prepared to enter disputes if U.S. producers try to recast roles with UK actors. Speaking on a webinar alongside Equity boss Paul Fleming and broadcasting union Bectu chiefs, Crabtree-Ireland said he recognizes that AMPTP members are “global businesses that have global presences around the world,” and that “members are hurting” outside the U.S. But Crabtree-Ireland, SAG’s National Executive Director and chief negotiator, laid the blame squarely at the AMPTP’s feet. “The only reason these strikes are happening is these companies refuse to make fair and respectful deals with our members,” he declared. “There was no need for a strike, and I have been told that by members of the public when they see what our proposals are and really understand what we are fighting for.”

[Read the rest]