Industry Struggles and Successes
What a lot going on leading up to this issue!
Line producers got a bit of a hearing in the latest On Film. Claims that “crew keep raising their rates” and “just keep shifting their rates randomly” dumbfounded me. Equally the inference that crew rates contribute to a quoted 20% increase in costs since 2004 left me scratching my head. How on earth, I want to know, does this match consistent reports that crew rates have remained unchanged for over ten years? What’s going on here? Survey time, would be an obvious rejoinder. Alas, survey response rates are famously low…
…Segue to agreement with one point (made by Iris from Batch film): crew need to be more proactive. By the same token the nature and level of responsibility reasonably asked of crew will always be markedly different from that asked of producers who elect to lead the show. Not least in the post-Hobbit Law landscape. Many producers – particularly those supporting wholesale ‘opening up’ of immigration and removal of other levellers – need a dramatic rethink to genuinely engage in good-faith with independent contractors. Under-quoting, then levelling blame at altered contractor-rates is naïve and betrays an ‘employee-in-contractor’s-clothing’ attitude that is the dirty little industry secret. How about seeking independent contractors’ agreement on rates for a fixed period of time so jobs can be accurately quoted in the fast-turnaround world of international TVCs? Yes, you have to do it individually. Unless you fancy collective bargaining…
Ah the old chestnut, $NZD value is the primary driver for levels of international production. It’s oft said because it’s true. To say we should adjust our immigration policy to avoid inaccurate whisperings overseas is farcical. There’s not much we can do about business decisions based on hearsay. Our industry can only be so big, and we gain recognition for what we do well. Total revenue will never tell the story of screen industry success. Aiming for all screen workers to ‘make a living making films’ (TV, TVCs, etc) – with emphasis on living – that’s a goal for our niche-market nation. South East Asian countries might be putting up a good fight for pieces of the same sandpit as NZ line companies, but god forbid we ever use countries devoid of basic human labour protections as yardsticks of our success! There’s a reason NZ shoe manufacture is limited… and doesn’t include manufacture of running shoes for Nike or Adidas.
Some reading in this issue (Fine print, page 4; Point-of-view, page 17) might be a bit uncomfortable. Why? There are many possible reasons not to explore, in conversation, or your own mind, the issue of bullying at work. Maybe it feels like branding yourself a victim, or a moaner. Better to continue day in, day out, as a target? Or allowing the bullying of others? Sounds a bit dramatic. Well all I can say is: it bloody well is! I came to the Guild precisely because my former work place at Auckland University was a breeding ground for successive (management) generations of bullies. If you have any doubts, consider this: despite a 50% pay drop, and living pay-to-pay with no other income or assets, I’ve been infinitely happier here, and wouldn’t change my decision for anyone. It’s not always about the money.
How come then, I can say crew do not so much as have their rights wrested off them, but rather ‘pop them in a box, wrap a ribbon around it and hand it over with a smile’ (or is that a tug of the forelock?). Is ‘cultural cringe’ still a big part of the way we operate? The inability to stand by ourselves, our work and say ‘hell yes it’s good!’ and ‘hell yes it’s worth sticking up for!’ I don’t know the answer, and I don’t work out there with you, but I know you need to consider what the answer might be.
It’s a bloody big puzzle. How do we make our industry successful? Finding the answer means asking: How do we measure success in our industry? This is a powerful key to unlocking other answers that drive future directions – e.g. do we value public broadcasting (does success mean telling our stories?), what should our policies for immigration be (is success volume of work, or quality of jobs on visiting international shoots?), how much safety are we willing to gamble with to get the job done (is success everyone going home safe at the end of a shoot?).
The other puzzler is this: why is an inherently collaborative industry beset by apparent disagreements between departments, those below-the-line, and those above? I suspect there’s a small matter of mutual understanding to use our collective smarts to find the best ways of ‘getting the job done’.
