A Busy Year for the Guild
Another mammoth year has almost finished for the Screen Industry Guild. One where we have had our voices heard around several tables. We have enjoyed our opportunity to meet with the new head of the NZ Film Commission several times, and in particular our part on the Film Industry Working Group set up by the Minister of Employment Relations, where we along with other industry group leaders were called upon to come up with solutions and possible structure that will allow freelance technicians to remain working as sole traders or contractors, and not be forced to become ‘employees’ on short, medium, or long term projects, which we see as a win not only for technicians, but also for production companies and producers. These recommendations have yet to be put on the table in front of parliament for them to either accept or not, so we are still a way off the finish line, but in the interim, the Government has assured us that we are to continue the status quo in terms of crew working under their current status (whatever that may be). For some technicians, you might still be offered ‘employment contracts’, where you mutually accept to act as an ‘employee’ and enjoy the perks that this offers, such as holiday pay and Kiwi Saver. The biggest change that the group has recommended is the ability for all craft groups to be able to ‘collectively bargain’ at the outset of negotiations in regards to working conditions, workplace bullying, hours worked, etc.
New Zealand is currently enjoying one of the busiest periods it’s experienced in several years, with freelance crew available to work at almost nil. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of it slowing down in the next six months either, so once again, I would encourage any person who is a head of department, or someone who has the ability to have someone shadow them on set or in production, that you do so. We have been unable to crew several jobs in the camera, grip, and lighting departments because the new crew coming through just haven’t had enough experience on set to know what they are doing unsupervised. Although it can be a pain when these crew are calling you up in quiet times, the quiet times are a great chance to meet them, show them what is expected of them, and even get them to shadow you on set for a half day here and there. Some productions will be more than happy to offer some form of payment in way of lunch or ‘internship’ with the knowledge that you are training new crew under you. Give it a try, and speak to your production managers and producers when you next get booked on a job.
Pilot season is upon us again, so with that said, there are a few exciting new projects that have decided to shoot here in New Zealand over our summer. We have our fingers crossed that these will run into series that will want to come back and film here longer term. Auckland Film Studios has been fully booked recently, and the Kumeu Film Studios have enjoyed the last few months working to full capacity on its large Disney production, and in the new year, Avatar will be taking over these studios. This has highlighted the fact that Auckland is still in desperate need for further infrastructure, and could do with another similar sized facility as Kumeu when the industry is hot. A new working group has been set up with the help and support of ATEED to investigate the possibilities of this becoming a reality within the city limits. It is not something that will be fixed overnight, and considerable work and investment would need to take place before another fully functioning studio complex would be up and running. The Screen Industry Guild will have several people working with this group, and will be engaging the expertise of several technicians with experience working at international studio facilities along the way. We look forward to seeing how this will progress over the next 12 months.
With the workflow being so healthy, it’s important that you know who your crew representative is on each and every job, and that if you are unhappy, feel unsafe, or are feeling that something is not quite right in regards to the conditions you are working under, you have someone who you can alert these issues to in a prompt and efficient manner. It is also important that you make time for yourself between jobs to recharge your own batteries and spend time without the constant stress of work. Get your work/life balance back into check from time to time and enjoy the little things that working so hard has enabled you to do.
Have a safe and happy holiday season.
