Monday, April 27, 2009

Editing and SAG

It's been awhile since I'd posted. For good reason. The assistant editor has fully logged and captured the footage. That has taken some considerable time due to our high shooting ratio. Justify is fully into story editing mode.

In the meantime, SAG is taking their sweet time in returning our deposit. For those of you who don't know, the Screen Actors Guild takes a deposit before commencing production under certain contracts. This is not an insignificant amount. In fact, we won't be able to finish post production without the deposit. There is good reason for holding a deposit: namely, they want to ensure that their actors are paid on time, and all the paperwork turned in properly. However, I have to wonder about the role the guild plays. After all they are a guild, not a bank or an escrow company. While it is possible to use a third party escrow company, it gets more complicated. And who wants the hassle? However, I will have to warn other filmmakers that it would be best to use a third party escrow company.

To compound the frustrations, the deposit requirement isn't listed in their sales literature. Something THAT glaring and obvious must be put in writing, not as mouse-type in a regulatory book with a thickness of a brick. To cut a long story short, two weeks ago, we were told that the check is in the mail. This is WEEKS after we'd already fulfilled all requirements. Today, I had to send out another email to remind them that the check never arrived. I hope we just have an isolated incompetent SAG rep because I certainly wouldn't want to repeat this process again. So much grief from an organization that is supposed to protect the actors. They should realize that by holding up the deposit none of their actors will see a single frame of themselves on screen until the deposit is returned.

From repeatedly asking for documents that are already in their hands to not returning emails and phone calls, it's been simply a tooth-pulling experience (without Novacaine). I will think very carefully about how to shoot the next movie with this bloated organization.