Indie Filmmaking During SAGs Ongoing Saga

Per yesterday’s rant on my FB page, I want to actually discuss how SAGs Guaranteed Completion Contracts (or waivers) are helpful to indie filmmakers (or rather how halting the waivers is not helpful). After reading yesterday’s post on Nikki Finke’s DHD blog, it is incomprehensible to fathom why SAG thinks this position helps them against AMPTP. Everyone understands that SAG wants the best contract possible, but was it fully realized that by halting waivers to indie filmmakers would not hurt AMPTP.

The point of obtaining the waiver is indie filmmakers can feel certain that if SAG strikes before the end of production the film gets completed. In this economic environment, SAG will not find the votes to strike. But who knows! If we are lucky to raise funds, the last thing we can handle is a walk out for a strike. So the security of a waiver ensures SAG actors will not walk off set, and we don’t lose money and time. And yes, I am a bit more sensitive, because I have a film being packaged to film this summer.