Joe Orlandino's Lounge Discussions

interesting development, we'll have to keep our eyes out on that

As a script writer, I have always wanted the power to create and see my own stories. Well, I guess that time is here now!

Good question. It seems not, as they "must join" at some point. Unclear if you need to taft-hartly them. Call SAG.

Phillip Wade I have two very important points to make: (1) you would not pay to or on behalf of non-sag people something due to sag people, unless your sag agreement says you must. (2) More importantly - you, as a producer, actually signed the SAG agreement without reading the SAG agreement and understanding what it requires you to do? No, no no, no no..... Literally no opinion expressed by anyone here is pertinent or informed about your situation without reference to your specific SAG agreement and situation.

Phillip Wade to Shadow's point...READ EVERYTHING - twice...and the fine print three times. You're entering (or have entered) into a binding agreement with a large and powerful trade union. Also, when and if you get a distributor, do your best to get them to commit to a detailed Distribution Assumption Agreement whereby they, the distributor, is responsible for all the payouts due to your SAG actors and all others before you in the revenue waterfall.

Contact SAG directly. I've found them to be super helpful.

Agree with the advice here - always good to call the union directly. They are there to help and guide and SAG is great with sharing information like this.

You and William Goldman are right, Joe Orlandino. There are different ways to find success in the industry, and there are different ways to produce/direct/write a movie or show. That's why I ignore people who say "you can't do it this way" or "you have to write a script this way."

I love that quote Joe Orlandino . I think it's a good one to keep in mind for life in general. Although I prefer to surround myself with people that know more than me, no one knows everything. That includes me. Best to keep our hearts and minds open. Thanks for sharing this.

This is true, at least true-ish, so long as it isn't taken as refusing the value of actual experience. I note everyone these days is encouraged to pay to learn how to pitch, to pay to learn how to format, to pay for "coverage" on their work, to pay to create budgets, etc.... instead of learning it themselves.

Isn't everything an actor does sort of a cultural appropriation? I mean, they're always pretending to be someone else

"Culture" is simply a set of ideas and therefore Cultural appropriation is not a real thing. It is a whacky concept pushed by people who love to keep society divided against itself. It's an academic political concept used by people who specifically want to control a group they ostensibly belong to , in an effort to make people in that group feel bad that others find their ideas valuable. That's it. I am Romanian, which is to say, culturally Roman (that's a simplification of course). If cultural appropriate were a thing, I should be offended and claim injury at everyone's use of the alphabet itself, the Julian Calendar, the basis of much of the globe's legal systems, and in fact much of the language we speak and political concepts we practice - on and on and on. But it's not a thing, it's just a a whacky concept.

Nikolas John and Shadow, yes, agreed...it's called playing a role. We either embrace it or eschew it completely.

Kiril Maksimoski That is cool. At AFM last year they talked about Lodz, Poland. Been there a few times and was surprised to see how the city changed. They shot a British film completely there and mimicked London.

Maybe in Romania too...

Or just in Uk altogether - people use Liverpool to look like Early New York and we have plenty of colonial and other style mansions. From Jan 2924 film tax credit rising to 34%, Ireland is 40%.

2024!

Chicago just keeps getting more and more dangerous

https://cwbchicago.com/2023/09/chicago-univision-tv-news-reporter-assaul...

Joe Orlandino, time has already shown. The Raven movie with Brandon Lee failed, digital Paul Walker did not help the Fast and Furious movie. Digital Arnold Schwarzenegger Didn't Help The Terminator Genisys Movie.

the idea of digital actors is absolutely a failure. The viewer wants to watch live popular stars.

Arthur Charpentier most current marketing studies on the viewing habits of Millennials and GenZ indicate that audience is not triggered by big name film actors or popular Hollywood celebrities. A 2021 study by Deloitte of 2000 consumers revealed that twenty six percent of GenZ'ers in the survey cited playing video games as their favorite entertainment activity, compared to 14% for listening to music, 12% for browsing the internet and 11% for engaging on social media. Only 10% said they would rather watch a movie or TV show. That gaming imagery is a key takeaway. The research found that GenZ would much rather spend time gaming. Marketers are busy trying to determine how GenZ will impact the film industry longer term.

Joe Orlandino, In modern conditions, the PR of movie stars is ineffective and does not fall into the sphere of interests of young people.

you are mistaken if you are targeting a young audience, streaming is used by more adult viewers of movies and TV series.

Personally Joe & Arthur... I will have to say that I MUCH PREFER MYSELF to see "real live" HUMAN actors & actresses continue performing in this EARTH PLANE... to bring great human experiences on the BIG SCREEN...

THE WHOLE BUSINESS that has been stirred around "AI" for many decades NOW I ~ if not even a century ago(?) ... issues pertaining to MONEY & MAKING PRODUCTIONS GO MORE SMOOTHLY etc. IS AS JOE says... will be more clear as time moves forward... we are seeing a GRAND SHIFT NOW in the world's needs & desires.... SOME THINGS when it comes to humans are predictable, and much more is NOT. Appreciate this conversation here...

AI FOR ME... is NOT a viable alternative in the BIGGER PICTURE.... it WILL HAVE ITS OWN PROBLEMS - when it comes to utilizing it on a grand scale worldwide.

Geoff, they're called RMA's (revenue monitoring agreements).

In distribution and sales agreements this is usually in the payments section under Reporting, detailing when you should receive revenue reports and statements.

Joe Orlandino Ewan Dunbar thank you, both? So when I come to sign a contract as Director, there should be an RMA/Reporting clause?

Once the revenue is calculated what the equity holders received can also be calculated through CAM agreements. Here is a Stage 32 webinar on them that explains a POV on it: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Understanding-and-Managing-Residuals

Sam Sokolow thank you Sam!

Hope everyone has an incredible time at the Venice Film Festival! Sounds like it'll be a great place to network.

Very exciting! Thanks for sharing and hope anyone who is attending Venice can make it!

This is going to be awesome!

e stupefacente!! This is going to be an amazing event and such a cool panel!

Great panel. I will be attending it! I already know a few of the panelists! Amazing women!

Joe Orlandino Hi Joe, it’s good to see you on the IYW. How are you doing?

Geoff Hall All good.

Thanks for sharing, Joe Orlandino! Making movies is cool. Italy is cool. Making movies in Italy is incredibly cool!!

Nice to see some italian producers here! Great

Tripp Mills , check this out https://www.stage32.com/media/3341581835107836916

Saw it with my own eyes. Heard it with my own ears. This is actually real!!

The problem with AI generated content is the IP , who owns it? No one. Therefore as creatives our IP ( intellectual property) is what gives value and worth. Disney is worth $360billion through IP, all those characters created and made into films, cartoons, stickers, books, even printed on duvet covers all generate revenue. So who makes the money out of AI ?

Well, I am animating a screenplay that I wrote, and I voice acted in, and hired other voice actors to act in. I have no artistic ability, so I used AI to draw the characters and animation backgrounds (so it looked like the movie in my head when I was writing the screenplay). I read the decision handed down by the court, and they said that if the art was arranged in a way that showed creativity on the part of the human, it was copyrightable. I think animation would count as "arrangement.". Besides, if a movie producer can own a movie that other people (directors/writers/actors/film crew) worked on for years, I don't know why a screenwriter/producer couldn't own/copyright a film that he/she wrote and produced him or herself. Especially if we were the ones who directed the AI to create AI characters and AI "sets" to look and sound like what we were thinking when we wrote the screenplay.

Dive in is my perspective. It ain't going away. We must embrace it, deal with it, or get left behind by that 10-year old.

Well contrary to the article, it seems that SAGAftra is still doing interim agreements, publishing the latest approved productions yesterday, some of which were approved after this article was published. There is no solidarity between SAGAftra and WGA - nor should there be. They represent different groups whose functions and collective bargaining interests are not in any real way connected. As well, SAGAftra represents over 171,000 members who have among them between 20k-30k jobs on any given day. The WGA has ~11000 members who in aggregate cover about 1000 jobs on any given day. So in no actual world is SAGAftra going to bend over for WGA when it can get its members working again (nor is it - the interim agreements are de facto proof, and they are on official record saying they don't care about the positions of other unions). Now WGA is back at the table apparently, and if they back off the SVOD numbers issue, they might get a deal. If they don't - then hell will be in it's third ice age before they get to work again and the rest of the industry will simply move on.

Safety is and always should be the number 1 priority on a set. The producers should do everything they can to make sure that everyone is trained, careful, and taking the necessary steps to accomplish tasks responsibly. However, as someone who went to film school in downtown Chicago and spent years running around with expensive equipment and filming projects all over the city, the biggest step to safety is using common sense. If you're going to be out filming at odd hours or in areas that you're less familiar with, make smart choices such as always traveling in groups, designating more than one person to guard supplies, seeking out city filming permits, letting the local police station know that you'll be filming in their area (when and where), keep the equipment packed away and stowed mostly out of sight when traveling back and forth or while it's not in use, research the area thoroughly when location scouting, etc. If something seems sketchy or you're advised to avoid a certain location, take that seriously. Trust your instincts and do your due diligence. I lived and created in Chicago for nearly 5 years without any dangerous incidents. I had all sorts of ups and downs with those projects, awkward run-ins with people in public areas, locals angry that we shut down an alleyway (with permits and permission from the city), long public transportation rides loaded up with Pelican cases, etc. But there are ways to mitigate risk and still accomplish your goals. Bad things happen everywhere, all we can do is avoid obvious problems to the best of our ability and try to help protect each other.

I agree with Ashley, the best thing to use is common sense. Additionally, news crews are very different than film crew. The equipment, presence and numbers of people are not the same. Comparing internal film production tragedies to this event above is a bit unfair. Producers absolutely are responsible for everyone's safety. I don't think trying to make people afraid is very helpful.

Dan MaxXx I'd like to believe you meant Producers and Production companies have a responsibility to keep a close eye on the bottom line.

An off-duty Chicago cop would run about $350 per day. That's slightly more than the day rate (all in) for an actor on a ULB shoot. With the current out-of-control crime situation in Chicago I would say that security measure would be money well spent.

My intention with this post was not to argue the merits of legislation in Illinois or Chicago's current safety initiatives, but to allow Producers who plan to use Chicago as a location to make wise choices in their production plans.

https://cwbchicago.com/2022/09/shots-fired-steps-away-from-chicago-fire-...

https://cwbchicago.com/2018/08/downtown-update-sexual-assault-reported.html

https://cwbchicago.com/2022/04/crew-that-beat-robbed-director-of-chicago...

And you could've very easily informed producers of such risks without disparaging legislation that can literally end up saving someone's life.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/08/412842780/kalief-brow...

In the years of experience, before officially getting into filmmaking, whilst pursuing my career, I ventured into the field of security, for experience and practical. An attacker studies the victim's body language, structure, appearance etc., before launching attacks. You can be a crew member, but body language alone can be a deterrence. However if producers can be trained, if needed, to observe their crew members and see the obvious, this can most certainly also be helpful, with sensitivities and better application.

Nice press release to keep indie producers feeling okay, but entirely unworkable. SagAftra and indie producers know that talent of any marketable level won't commit to any project unless it's VERY quick and very limited at this time. Also... no completion bonds available to anyone, no institutional finance available. So it's possible but unlikely.

Thanks for sharing, Joe Orlandino! While it may require some specific work to thread this needle, as Shadow points out, it is positive that the guild is trying to support artists in this specific lane. Obviously every step should be discussed with, and approved by, the guild if anyone tries this. Always good to work with the guilds directly and especially during this time.

I believe Shadow's earlier comment rings true. As streamlined, secure payment systems continue to develop and disintermediation spreads we'll be hearing more and more about guild/union members going financial core. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/01/19/union-membership-2022/

Smaller budget indie productions aren’t likely to finance through lenders, so they likely won’t need to be bonded. Also, they’re probably not casting A-listers. This strike isn’t ending soon IMO. Once it does, studio content budgets will be lower than ever as they recover from the economic toll. It may give indie producers a chance to find financiers and distributors for a market that will be eager for content.

Like many others, we postponed production on films we were going to shoot. HOWEVER as independents, we are using this time to get ahead of others in our development and our early prep. Anything that doesn't require a SAG actor and those that do, we suggest that if they want to work with us, they go financial core and problem solved.

Unreal engine is truly unreal. Blurring the lines between CG and Live Action..

My goodness. It really is unreal. Incredibly lifelike.