#writers want to not live on a unlivable wage

[cigarette-room]

idk who's turning the strike into "some own against fandoms", this post was criticizing people who make up those fandoms that have turned themselves against the strike because how dare these writers ask for compensation and get their favorite movie or show delayed? We all know writers love their work imo but this post is specifically targeted against fandom people who think their newest favorite media is more important than people being paid well, idk what ur getting mad about

writer's strike is amazing actually go girl get that fucking marvel show UNMADE get that fucking gay pirate show CANCELLED get these chronically online fandom bitches' obsessions on HOLD until the corporations learn to pay you your mf money that you deserve

[babbushka]

hiya z! sorry to be a bother but do you mind explaining what the iatse thing is? --🎬

Hello my dear anon! This isn't a bother at all, thank you so much for asking, I'd love to clarify where I can!

For those who may be unaware, the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) is one of the most prominent labor unions for film, television, and live entertainment crews. I want to be clear, this is a labor that represents crew workers, those who are deemed "below the line" of production hierarchy (and if you're unsure of what that means, it is everyone aside from the producers, directors, actors, writers, and in some cases editors and cinematographers. Many of these fields have their own unions!).

You might be thinking that those professions I just listed sound like all of them, but they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to set crews. Of course those people are important to a film's production, but so are the hundreds of other crew workers who are actually running the sets so that the project can get made, whether that's a tv show, a film, a play/musical, concert, etc.

People like grips, gaffers, best boys, key grips, PAs, set dressers, extras, supporting actors, stunt performers, SPFX artists, UPMs, 1st and 2nd ADs, craft services, animal services, location scouts, location managers, COVID TESTING COORDINATORS, the list goes on. The people who are actually setting up and taking down the physical logistics of running a production.

So, that's the IATSE, and that's who they represent these are the good guys. The other acronym you may have been hearing is the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers). These are the bad guys. The AMPTP is the company that negotiates contracts between producers and unioned crews.

As of about 2 weeks ago, the IATSE attempted one last time to negotiate new contract terms after nearly two years of endangering themselves during a plague to work on sets, and the AMPTP has said no. So as a result of that, the members of the IATSE (over 150,000 people nationwide) are organizing a strike against all AMPTP signed projects.

What are the IATSE asking for specifically? Here's a very quick breakdown:

An end to unsafe and harmful working hours (often crew members are expected to pull 12/14/16 hour shifts for weeks at a time)

An end to lack of reasonable rest during meal breaks, between workdays, and on weekends (several AMPTP contracts do not allow designated lunch breaks, and are expected to still report when off shift if needed)

An end to unlivable wages for the lowest-paid crafts (crew members often do not get paid overtime for these extreme hours, on top of already below minimum wage pay)

One of the key ways that the AMPTP has been allowed to get away with forcing 16-18 hour shifts with no lunch break and no overtime on already below livable wages is because many of these new AMPTP signed projects are for streaming services like Netflix, HBOMax, Hulu, and AppleTV. They claim that these projects for streaming services are too experimental, and can't conditions can't be held to the same standards as conditions in "traditional" projects like theatrically released projects.

Which, I don't know if you watched the Emmys the other night, but Netflix won 44 awards, the most by a mile. Streaming services are here to stay, and the people who work on those sets deserve to be treated like human beings.

TLDR: If you watched movies or binged your favorite shows to keep yourself sane over the pandemic, if you're going out to theaters or tuning in on Fridays for new episodes, you are consuming work that these crews have put together for you. It is an obligation to stand with them.

If you're a member of the IATSE vote YES for a strike mobilization. If you're not a member of the IATSE, be vocal in your support with the crews.

And if you're interested in keeping up with the news/showing support/reading first hand accounts of the harmful conditions that the AMPTP has put on workers, please follow @ia_stories on instagram.

[wolfjessedragon]

District 9: Reflecting The World Then and Today

Note* Hey guys I know I normally don’t write stuff like this but while looking though some old files I came across this movie review I had to do for a class assignment a few years ago and thought I’d share with y’all. Why? Well with what’s going on in today’s world I thought it would be appropriate and honestly let’s start a conversation about this. This is a one time thing, just sharing some old works, I’ll still be writing SCP stuff for Zeta 1 in the future. Be good humans, hope y’all like, and have a nice day.

Imagine a world where you risk getting shot because of one little mistake or due to appearance. While in that world, imagine your body morphing, turning to the people you trust, and in return being treated like a war-prisoner. This was the reality of the two protagonists in the movie District 9. In the world of District 9, back in 1982, a spaceship full of an alien race known as the Poleepkwa landed on Earth. A few Poleepkwa explained that they had no choice but to land on Earth, that they meant the humans no harm, and they wanted to go home. At first, people were willing to help out the aliens, but a government funded organization called MNU (Multi-National Untied) made propaganda to turn public opinion against them. Allowing the MNU to do as they pleased to the Poleepkwas for the past twenty years. These exploits included unlivable conditions, working for little to no wage, restricting access to human contact, mandatory abortions for un-licensed eggs, and violence from other humans; all stacking the system against Poleepkwas. Although District 9 is a fictional movie, it mirrors injustices in our history and present day.

There are several factors that create barriers between human and Poleepkwa. The Poleepkwas look like a mixture of anthropomorphic grasshoppers and shrimp who stand at almost seven feet tall. These creatures are incredibly strong; we see just how strong they are when an MNU officer confronts one of them and in a panic, the Poleepkwa rips his arm off. We also see they have strong bonds to their young as when an MNU worker attempts to take one’s child away, the parent gets defensive. Their diet consists mostly of raw meat, suggesting that they are carnivores. These creatures can reproduce both sexually and asexually, which is the main reason why MNU kills unlicensed eggs. Another thing that creates barriers between the Poleepkwas and humans is that the Poleepkwas are physically incapable of speaking human languages. Personally, I can understand why the humans would be terrified, can you imagine creatures like that wandering around your neighborhood?

For years, MNU had posted negative propaganda to portray the creatures as monsters. Sadly, the propaganda worked, and people started acting violently towards the Poleepkwas. In the eyes of the public, MNU portrays District 9 as a sanctuary for the Poleepkwas when in reality it is far from it, as the neighborhoods are slums. There are some commercials and scenes in the movies where interviewed humans say that they fear the Poleepkwas and do not like how their government insists on keeping them in Johannesburg. I feel this reflects our world all too well as in our own history organizations have used false info and cherry picking to gain support for their horrific actions. I would also like to note that while we don’t see many humans supporting the Poleepkwas we do get a couple of shots of a crowd of humans protesting against the mistreatment of non-humans. Which makes me believe that MNU censored the interviews going against their actions.

If this sounds familiar, that is because these connections were meant to reflect radical segregation throughout history, specifically the apartheid era in South Africa. From 1948 to 1994, these apartheid laws were extreme segregation laws that allowed the white population to have all benefits over the black population. Throughout the movie and its commercials, media of how “nonhumans” are restricted from a number of things go into certain buildings, using public transportation, and are given curfews. Laws like this existed in the Apartheid Era except instead of nonhumans, it was nonwhites. The punishment, for both the movie and real life, was severe from beatings, imprisonment, and even death.

I believe Neill Blomkamp (the director/co-writer of District 9) made District 9 because his ties to the Apartheid Era are personal as they are political. Blomkamp was born in Johannesburg in 1979, a member of the white population, meaning he was not exposed to the same discrimination as his black neighbors. Blomkamp described his hometown as “this amazing, racially charged, powder-keg city — an urban prison.” It was not until he moved to Canada that he realized what was actually happening in Johannesburg. “We were all just sheltered from what was going on,” he said, “and it was only looking back that you realized, God, that’s how it was.” (A Young Director Brings a Spaceship and a Metaphor in for a Landing)

Blomkamp is a master director; the world of District 9, which we have only scratched the surface of, comes into focus, mainly through the actions of protagonists Christopher Johnson and Wikus Van De Merwe. For the past twenty years, the Poleepkwa Christopher had gathered enough fuel to jumpstart the mothership hoping to go home and give his son a better life. When the former MNU supervisor Wikus finds the fuel canister he accidentally sprays himself and begins transforming into a Poleepkwa. Still in the early stages of transformation, he undergoes the same torture and persecution that he had supported throughout his career. On the run, Wikus takes refuge in District 9, meeting up with Christopher and his son. While helping Christopher, first out of selfishness, then out of care, Wikus reflects on his previous actions and understands the struggle of life for the Poleepkwa in District 9. He quite literally lives the quote, “You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” (Lee, Harper). This realization gives way to social progression and at the end, liberation. It encourages the breaking of racist, xenophobic, and social standards; and why District 9 is a reflection of humanity’s dark history.

While District 9 is fictional, the concept, location, and actions symbolize real-world criteria. Taking on the consequences of negative propaganda; I believe that our world needs more stories like this especially now when due to the internet negative propaganda more accessible than ever. In today’s world, the demand for this media is essential to make sure the present day does not once again mirror District 9.

[ygrittebardots]

#PayUpHollywood

FYI there’s a major movement happening on Twitter right now to bring attention to the stagnant lack of livable wages faced by assistants in Hollywood.

These people are the silent backbone of your movies, your television, your video games, all of it. Your stories. Your culture.

If we walked out of our studios, networks, agencies, etc. the entire industry would come to a standstill. Most of these execs making six-figure incomes don’t even know how to use the damn phones.

And most of us can’t live on what we’re paid. The average assistant wage hasn’t increased since 1995. Nineteen. Ninety. Five. And for the record, it’s about $500/week at most, pre-taxes. Every assistant I know, myself included, has one - if not two or three or even four - side jobs in addition to the incredibly demanding hours of our full-time assistant job. And even then we struggle to pay rent or even feed ourselves in the increasingly expensive city that is LA.

Which would maybe be okay if it was just one or two years that we had to put up with before being promoted. But there’s almost no upward mobility left, especially in writer’s rooms. Streaming services and shorter TV seasons mean that assistants are STAYING assistants for 10-15 years.

The result of that is that a lot of people end up walking away, if they even start in the first place. Which again, is fine. Except it means that the people who do stick around, who can afford to live on unlivable wages, are people who don’t rely on that salary in the first place. People who come from money anyway. 

And that’s who you’re going to get telling your stories and controlling your culture. Diversity begins at the bottom, and assistant/entry level jobs in Hollywood have become something very few can afford to take on. 

So the point of this is that you’re going to start seeing #PayUpHollywood. It started trending last night and has already been covered in several media outlets, but I hadn’t seen it anywhere here yet. So when you do start seeing it, please don’t dismiss this as a problem for a few privileged people. The film industry is one of America’s few massive export industries and there is definitely enough money in it to pay every single assistant a living wage.

I also want to note that the people who started this movement are INCREDIBLY brave. There’s a sense in this industry of ‘a million people are lined up behind you to take your spot’ that causes people - especially at the bottom of the food chain - to be fearful, and rightfully so, of speaking out. Liz Alper and the other people on Twitter who directly called out former employers by name are goddamn heroes.

[northfashionandtextiles]

T H E   B R O N T E  P A R S O N A G E

P R I M A R Y   R E S E A R C H -  T H E   I N S P I R A T I O N   F O R   M Y   P R O J E C T    

 After concerning my pre-collection and dissertation around Wuthering Heights (a novel by Emily Bronte); I had started to indulge my interest for stories, lives, history and literature.  The construction of my dissertation meant in my introduction I needed to provide some context to Emily Bronte’s life and the intentions/personal circumstances which have translated and embedded themselves in the only book she published. I had researched her early life briefly, which triggered the desire to learn more about the life of her and her family and the influence this had on their writing. Over the Christmas holiday’s I decided to visit The Bronte Parsonage; while visiting family I have in Yorkshire. I wanted to visit the house for reasons of personal interest and somewhat as a spiritual pilgrimage to the birth place and living spaces of arguably the most renowned and provoking female, British writers. However, I was also hoping to gain inspiration for my final major project; a spark to provide a starting point with the same haunting, whimsical, other-worldly history like the one I had brought me here…

Arriving at the house I was excited. As I stepped through the door it was beautifully haunting. I was aware this was the house were some of the most critically acclaimed narratives in British history were written and that this was, also, the house where almost the entire family spent their last days on earth and eventually died in. There is something inevitably consuming about standing in the place where another human passed from this world to wherever it might be that we go afterwards.

I was told by the curator that 90% of the objects and furniture in the house were the genuine belongings of the Bronte’s. I found it staggering how people that seemed so removed from me in terms of history could seem so close to me. I was walking the steps they had and experiencing the objects they used every day.

One thing I found difficult about the house was the level of restoration. I understand it is important to some, to restore and recreate the house as it was when the Bronte’s lived in it. However, it looked so sterile, clean and unlived. I was sure the dirt of the moorland would have crept into, stained and altered the house. I was also aware that wear and general aging would have had an effect on the colour of the wallpapers, doorways, floors and objects even as the family lived in it. There is something about places/things of historical influence looking old, lived in or even aged/damaged that makes me believe they are authentic. I felt this was missing.

The museum guide suggests the house was always clean in an extract from Ellen Nussey (a friend of Charlottes), however the addition of a visitor could cause the owners to provide a cleanliness that might not have been there always. Also wear and tear is a characteristic of any family home. I do not question that everything in the house probably had its place and was reasonably tidy and well cared for, I just understand that in relation to the environment the house existed in and the children it inhabited; it would have meant it was harder to keep the outside from creeping in at the time.

This is something to recognise though; the neatness and simplicity of the house as a whole reflects the relatively modest people who lived in it (considering the size and style of the house for its period). The house was owned by the parish and Patrick obtained it due to his profession as Reverend. After the death of his wife and 2 eldest daughters the house was home to Patrick and 4 children: Barnwell, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Patrick, although on a fairly generous wage, was the sole provider of the household of the family (until the girls obtained some income from writing) and he was to support at least the 3 girls and Branwell for most of their lives (the two older sisters, also, prior to their deaths). They lived in a generous house (by standards) but were not by  an means well off.

Although I found the resortation challenging in terms of historical atmosphere; it was interesting and relevant to be within an environment of historical accuracy in terms of colour and design. The pale blue/grey colour in the hallway was reinstated after research revealed it was likely to have been coloured this way. Also Allyson McDermott (historic interior design consultant) conducted an analysis of evidence of design in the house. This was a decision made by The Bronte Society in order to create a more authentic scheme. This informed the creation of bespoke wallpapers and paints used throughout the house.  

The dining room was the most significant room in the house for me. It was the room in which the three sisters: Emily, Anne and Charlotte conducted most of their writing. Where they discussed and wrote Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey. The room has been restored with contemporary style crimson wallpaper, crimson curtains and accessories as Charlotte was able to achieve after the small beginnings of literary success. This is also where Charlotte, thought, paced and wrote alone following the death of her remaining siblings.

Colour can be interpreted in the house through surfaces, wallpaper, paint, the fire in the kitchen (which the children are said to have sat around while listening to stories from servants about the moors which surrounded them) also in copper pots and stone flooring. White distemper is used in the kitchen and Mr Nicholls study when it was once a store room. Now the room is decorated with a recreation of an authentic strip recovered from the house. Grey in the servant’s room. Blue-Green in Charlottes room authenticated to early 1850s. Soft, pale, green in Mr Bronte’s room with white floral silhouettes in a matching wallpaper. All of this can be used to inform colour palettes and textile design.

Finally, artefacts like authentic lace, drawings from Branwell and Charlotte, details from clothing on show and materials used in them can all inform further areas of design/details. The thing I was most captured by, however, was the lives of the family I was beginning to learn about as a result of experiencing their surroundings, reading the captions, displays and museum guide as I walked around what was once their home. I became particularly interested in the literary sisters who experienced a challenging experience of live; with many family bereavements, a brother tormented and destroyed by alcohol and a single spiritual yet deteriorating father who sadly outlive all of his children. I purchased some books in response to this, and I intended to read further into the lives of the family to select a narrative, or timeline which I might try to represent through the final collection in my final major project.