Producers Shut Actors Down

Tue., May. 6, 2008 6:38 PM PDT

SAG

The studios have heard enough for now.

After going into extra innings, talks between the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which reps major studios and networks, and the Screen Actors Guild shut down Tuesday afternoon, with the alliance calling the union's demand for higher residuals from DVDs and Internet content (sound familiar?) "unreasonable."

SAG's current deal expires June 30 and the two sides have been toiling away for 18 days, looking to avoid a repeat of the all-too-recent writers' strike.

"Unfortunate," was how SAG referred to the breakdown in a brief statement.

"In the end, this round of SAG negotiations ended without an agreement because SAG simply refused to recognize the fundamental business and labor principles that have already been accepted by directors, writers and producers," the AMPTP said in a statement.

"Under these circumstances, with SAG's continued adherence to unreasonable demands in both new and traditional media, continuing negotiations at this time does not make sense."

The alliance will instead begin talks tomorrow with the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists, which postponed its own negotiations twice to give SAG more time at the table.

The AMPTP has offered to continue talks after it has hammered out a new contract with AFTRA, which opted this year to enter negotiations separate from the bigger and more influential SAG, despite the fact that they share about 44,000 members.

SAG is reportedly requesting even larger cuts of new-media profits than the directors and writers received, while reps for AFTRA sound primed to get in and get out.

"We're very realistic about what's on the table, what's in the business, what we're after and how we're going to get it," AFTRA President Roberta Reardon told the L.A. Times earlier today.

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14 Comments

1.

Cam Tue, May 6, 2008 9:09 PM

Actors get paid enough ..get over yourselves ****
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2.

Sirbossman Tue, May 6, 2008 10:47 PM

The actors union is a disgrace,they make enough money as is.
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3.

Liz Wed, May 7, 2008 2:57 AM

SAG better get their act together since the public will not show the support they did for the writers.
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4.

henry Wed, May 7, 2008 3:46 AM

Um, Liz, obviously you're a writer, based on that vapidly pretentious statement about how 'you writers' were supported by the 'public' and how actors will not be... Reminder: a great majority of those people marching the picket lines for you writers were actors. How about some reciprocity and a piece of humble pie, hmm? Get over yourself, dimwit, and don't plan on making any big purchases soon, it's gonna get nasty. And Cam, actors who make the big bucks comprise about 1 percent of SAG. The remaining 99 percent are just trying to make it on the pittance they're getting paid. This includes day players, character actors, stand-ins/photo doubles, background actors, etc. Hence, negotiations are needed more for those actors than the marquee names to whom you're referring. At any rate, the onus is on the AMPTP to get things in order and agree to most of SAG's demands, which really aren't that unreasonable after all. In fact, almost identical to what writers wanted earlier this year, no?
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5.

Sigmanu311 Wed, May 7, 2008 5:36 AM

Actors don't deserve any more than the writers or directors. You have to be intelligent to be a writer or director. Any idiot can act. And besides these actors already make way more than they're worth. They're just a bunch of over paid cry babies.
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6.

Bobb Wed, May 7, 2008 5:52 AM

Actors chose their vocation, if you don't like it. quit! kwitchyercrien.
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7.

agreeable Wed, May 7, 2008 5:59 AM

henry's right. at any given moment, over 85% of SAG members are unemployed, or dayjobbing at pizza delivery or retail until the next acting job comes along. the actors who make millions per film are actually LESS than 1% of the membership of SAG. if an actor plays a bit part in one episode of a popular tv show, and then is able to recieve a piece of the dvd and internet pie, it will be much more beneficial to him than getting nothing at all...
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8.

Monica Wed, May 7, 2008 6:09 AM

Well said Henry.
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9.

Kana Wed, May 7, 2008 6:36 AM

Are you kidding me?? People can't afford gas or groceries and these guys are complaining, because they aren't making enough money. Gimme me a break!!
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10.

juan Wed, May 7, 2008 6:48 AM

"the actors want a bigger piece of the pie." that's because the pie is getting smaller. no other union has done more to encourage jobs to go to canada and overseas. SAG is the most self-centered greedy union in the industry. Why don't they look at the big picture, and sign a deal that would help keep jobs in hollywood (and america), that way there would be more work for SAG members and everybody would win. Henry says that SAG only want's what the WGA wanted. In the end that's not what the WGA got. There's just not enough pie left.
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11.

Dominique Wed, May 7, 2008 7:01 AM

sigmanu311- Not every idiot can act. Any idiot can act POORLY. But it takes a lot of work to do what most people see as easy. If you watch a show or a movie and it looks easy, its because the actors are doing their job. And yes, actors make lots and lots of money. kudos to Henry---about less than 1% of SAG ARE the actors that are making millions. Every one else gets a job here and there. The argument of "choosing your vocation" applies to writers as well. That comment is ignorant and bogus.
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12.

Melissa Wed, May 7, 2008 7:56 AM

We're still feeling the effects of the writer's strike. I'm going to be pretty annoyed if the same thing happens again. At least the writer's deserved more money. I'm not so sure about the actors.
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13.

Zaz Wed, May 7, 2008 8:20 AM

You reap what you sow. The previous strike had the studios scrambling and created the vacuum for such shows as Millionaire, American Idol, Survivor, Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars and other reality TV or game shows that don't require "real actors". The profits and popularity of these TV show should be a wake-up call for these "real actors". Our prime-time TV landscape is littered with these reality shows and they are bringing in ratings as strong as the much more expensive to produce comedies, dramas, etc. This trend will only get worse as "real actors" continue to back the studios into a negotiations corner. Sponsors care about viewers and not content. Studios care about profits. The big screen mega-funded pictures face the same fate, With the continuing improvement of CGI, fewer and fewer actors will need to be employed. The studios will push for more movies like Shrek, Beowulf, Narnia, etc., which will have a minimal human cast, no extras and will be much more pr
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14.

emma Wed, May 7, 2008 5:22 PM

to all: for every multimillion dollar making hollywood star, there are THOUSANDS more talented actors scraping by with every theatre role, bit part, guest appearance on law & order they can get. we don't all get paid to wake up and put on clothes every day. so please don't call us overpaid whiners, because the vast majority of us are barely getting by doing what we love, even though it beats us up daily. and no, any idiot cannot act.
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