The Audacity of us peons in Hollywood

Keywords: SAG screen actors guild socialism hollywood elite

Have you ever noticed how many award shows dentists give themselves?  What about those mechanics? No, just the Hollywood crowd, which I'm not proud to be called a part of.  Seriously how many movie and TV awards are there?  The Academys, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Critic's Choice, MTV Movie awards for starters. There's also shows disguised as though they were given by outsiders - the Peoples Choice Awards, but really this is just still Hollywood throwing themselves another party.

 What does it say about these people that have everything... money, sports cars, multi-million dollar mansion?  Apparently they feel like what they are doing is not worth anything. They are typified by Al Franken's Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley. Yes, actors do stand looking into the mirror for hours on end, day after day giving themselves the pep talk on how fabulous they are. In all fairness though I do have a lot of actor friends, famous and not that are not out to be worshiped.

 This morning I'm watching Alan Rosenberg, head of the Screen Actors Guild being interviewed on the morning news show complaining about how SAG actors are only going to get "$23 for 7 months of internet downloads when a SAG actor gets $2,300 an episode on television."  Never mind the FACT that we Producers still haven't found a way to generate more than 2 or 3 digits a month at most of web streamed programs. Meanwhile, cut to network television. It is quickly dying because audiences are Tivo'ing through commercials that pay for the production. Advertisers are not happy about this and are taking their money and putting it more towards print and radio.  So we Producers can't help but look at SAG's leadership as whiny little victims - hey sounds like democrats huh? It's no wonder as Hollywood is almost entirely responsible for producing the new messiah, our President elect. But that's a different blog.  

We producers on the other hand often reach into our own pockets and fund our visions on Mastercharge, hoping that we'll find a way to make money off it. So many do not. EVER.  In fact there are sometimes thousands of indie pictures that get produced a year.  Did you see thousands of new titles show up your video store shelves this last year?

The Internet is quickly becoming the next distribution model as hi-def video is now downloadable and the audience can be reached without much advertising cost via blogging, forums, Myspace etc. This is great for filmmakers that don't have the blessing of major studios and beg, barrow and steal to get their visions made.  

As a Producer I'm constantly told I have to hire SAG  actors for the features, TV shows and web series I produce.  Why do HAVE TO hire SAG actors?  Is it written somewhere in a penal code or Federal law?  No.  Here's the answer. You're gonna love this.  We as producers are suppose to voluntarily give control to the intermediary SAG, allowing them to place a legal lien on the film which means you can never release it until they feel your literal 4 inch stack of paperwork is filled out correctly.  Then, depending on which agreement you've voluntarily signed, you are limited to how you can show the picture. You might only have the rights to show it on the internet or a limited amount of film festivals. You'd think that with the 500+ films that are signatory every year, they'd have to have at least 2 or 3 hundred agents handling all the legalese. Not so. There's a handful of administrators.  In return, SAG gives you an actor that has had to pass zero qualifications besides paying the dues. I don't know what the exact number is, but I've heard there is over 100,000 members and most of them can't act their way out of a paper bag. The actors that are great or at least good, can make 6 to 8 FIGURES a year having negotiated the fee apart from SAG.  I wonder if the nobody actors realize that by limiting their exposure, they're actually hurting their chances of being seen by a larger audience who might otherwise help propel them to stardom status. People come to Hollywood to dig for gold. Most of them need ego stroking and lots of therapy and becoming a celebrity fills this prescription like nothing else can.

I was on one sound stage a few months ago wrapping on a TV pilot as another production company started to shoot.  I loaned them one of my Production Assistants who was brand new to working in the industry.  He tells me that celebrity actress Rena Sofer has thrown about 5 hissy fits in the few days that she's been there.  Yeah, I don't know her by name either, but you'd recognize her if you saw her.  Apparently she had 4 different makeup artists fired and insisted that another production assistant be fired because he or she had the audacity to let her know the crew was ready to shoot her scene.  Typical day in Hollywood.

SAG is a microcosm example of liberal leftist of America. The notion of "I'm entitled to" is a dangerous one and commands no respect. But those that vote Democrat see that they can force their religion of secularism upon you through the government.   And let me say ahead of time, if SAG votes to strike, they are screwing themselves and screwing EVERYBODY that is helping them live their dreams of being loved.  If you want to learn about where the country is headed and who is causing that, just keep watch the behavior of the "talent" in Hollywood and you'll have your answer multiplied by the millions that voted for transforming America.