Contract for Hollywood actors includes $40m yearly in streaming bonuses

Streaming services like Netflix will pay actors bonuses amounting to roughly $40m a year as part of the tentative labor agreement reached between the Sag-Aftra actors union and major Hollywood studios, union leaders said on Friday after their board backed the deal.

The proposed three-year contract, which the union said was valued at more than $1bn over three years, was endorsed by 86% of Sag-Aftra’s national board.

The contract includes creation of a new fund to pay performers for future viewings of their work on streaming services, in addition to traditional residuals paid for the showing of movies or series.

Union leaders touted immediate 11% wage increases for background actors, as well as immediate 7% wage increases for others.

They also highlighted hard-fought wins on AI. “For the first time, informed consent and fair compensation guardrails will be in place around the use of artificial intelligence in our industry,” the chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said.

For Black actors and other actors of color, who have long highlighted racist practices in Hollywood hair and makeup departments, the contract includes “new terms to ensure that sets have proper hair and makeup for all performers, including those who have diverse and textured hair and complexions”, Crabtree-Ireland said.

Many Black actors have previously described being told that productions “didn’t have the budget” for styling their type of hair, or encountering stylists who seemed to have no experience working with their hair type or skin tone.

The contract would also institute a “requirement to have intimacy coordinators for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex”, Crabtree-Ireland said.

Union members now must vote on whether to ratify the agreement with Netflix, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and other members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Voting is expected to end in early December, Crabtree-Ireland said.

The Sag-Aftra president, Fran Drescher, said the union had only partly achieved its goal of getting streaming services to share more revenue with actors. While companies rejected earlier proposals including a per-subscriber fee, they agreed to new bonus payments.

“We opened a new revenue stream,” Drescher said at a press conference. “We got into another pocket.”

Under terms of the deal, 75% of the $40m pool will go to actors on the most popular streaming shows. The remaining 25% will go to a fund that will be distributed to actors on other streaming shows.

The AMPTP said it was pleased that the Sag-Aftra board had endorsed the deal.

“We are also grateful that the entire industry has enthusiastically returned to work,” the group said in a statement.

The successful vote from the board, whose members include actors Billy Porter, Jennifer Beals, Sean Astin and Sharon Stone, was expected, as many of the same people were on the committee that negotiated the deal. It was in some ways drained of its drama by union leaders declaring the strike over as soon as the tentative deal was reached with the AMPTP on Wednesday, rather than waiting for the board’s approval.

AI was one of the issues resolved in the final hours of negotiations, Crabtree-Ireland said.

Studios must obtain an actor’s consent before using their image to create a digital replica, and provide a specific description, he said. The actor would receive payment equivalent to the type of work the digital replica performs on-screen.

The contract also protects background performers from the use of their digital replicas without consent, Crabtree-Ireland said.

The use of generative AI to create “synthetic, fake performers” provoked a “very serious fight”, he said.

Under the contract, companies must obtain the consent of performers whose facial features are used to create a synthetic performer, even if it is more than one performer.

The studios must give the union notice anytime they plan to use generative AI to create a synthetic performer, and the union won the right to negotiate for compensation on behalf of the actor whose features were used in the creation of that digital performer.

The deal was reached on Wednesday, ending the second of two overlapping strikes in the US entertainment industry that cost the California economy more than $6bn.

The first, by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), began in May and lasted 148 days. Sag-Aftra walked off the job in July and ended its strike this week after 118 days.

PASTED FROM THE GUARDIAN

HOW TO SURVIVE THIS CRISIS

The strikes in the USA have come at a time when we were already suffering from a downturn in production followed by the cost-of-living-crisis. This triple whammy has meant that about three quarters of the workforce is not earning at a time of rapidly rising prices. Indeed, a number have already left the industry as the only way to survive. Those who are staying and holding out for better times are finding their resources running out very rapidly. While there is lobbying going on to improve the way intermittent workers in our industry are cared for during times of low production, it is unlikely that this or the next government will be minded to do anything.

Such provisions as are common in France for Intermittent Workers are a long way off in the UK as our politicians are of the small businessman attitude that they don’t want to pay for anything that does not appear to be directly related to productivity. We will not soon persuade them that if they want the convenience of the freelance system, they will have to pay for it.

In the short term, which is what is facing us right now, the guild and institutions around the industry must step up to the mark. The Film and TV Charity (FTC) and Back-up Tech Charity (www.backuptech.uk) are there for workers in our industry. If any member is finding themselves in real difficulty, they should contact these organisations. The Guild has received the following message from the FTC:

This summer, hard-working people in our industry are facing real uncertainty. Adding to existing worries about the cost of living and other pressures on their mental health, your friends and colleagues need support!

That’s why it’s more important than ever that we highlight the important work from the Film and TV Charity. From grants and financial guidance to its 24/7 free and confidential Support Line, their services are here to help through the tough times.

Spread the word to your communities and networks by:

• Sharing their social posts

• Giving them a follow and signing up to their newsletter

• And if you can, make a donation to support your industry through the tough times.
  

So spread the word, and if you can, donate today. Together, we can make sure no one struggles alone.

Together #WeAreFilmandTV

filmtvcharity.org.uk

Vittorio Omodei Zorini - "BANG BANG BABY" - Alexa Mini LF

DP Vittorio Zorini on the explosion of colors in “Bang Bang Baby” with ARRI equipment

Cinematographer Vittorio Omodei Zorini talks about creating the psychedelic atmosphere of

Amazon’s crime series “Bang Bang Baby” with the ALEXA Mini LF and ARRI lighting on set in Italy.

Produced by Amazon Studios, Italian series “Bang Bang Baby” tells the story of a teenage girl who discovers the truth about her criminal father and becomes fascinated by evil. In collaboration with DPs Daria D´Antonio and Timoty Aliprandi, Vittorio Omodei Zorini, cinematographer of films like “Gliequilibristi” and “Brutti e cattivi” and series such as “Diavoli,” creates a mesmerizing world of newlight and colors in 1980s Milan. In the interview, he talks about illuminating the set with ARRI lights and shooting in wide format with the ALEXA Mini LF.

Into which world does “Bang Bang Baby” take us?

The series is told from the point of view of Alice Giammatteo, a fatherless teenager who suddenly discovers that her father is alive and belongs to a prominent ‘Ndrangheta family. From that moment on, her identity and her life change profoundly. Visually we tried to create a world of new light and colors seen through Alice’s virgin eyes.

Where did you shoot and for how long?

We had about 15 set days per episode for ten episodes. Six episodes were directed by Michele Alhaique, two by Margherita Ferri and two by Giuseppe Bonito. I photographed the first four episodes all directed by Michele Alhaique, four episodes were photographed by Daria D'Antonio and two by Timoty Aliprandi. There was great collaboration and teamwork that allowed us to give “Bang Bang Baby” a strong identity and visual coherence. The first phase of Alice’s story takes place in Bussolengo, in the provincial areas of Lombardy, and then proceeds to 1980s Milan, which we recreated mainly in Rome. The locations include Calabria, which was also shot mainly in Lazio, the

region around Rome. Unfortunately, we shot in the toughest period of COVID-19 and it was not easy to move from region to region.

What guidance did you get from director Michele Alhaique?

We did a lot of preparation work because we wanted the series to have a very strong identity. It is a period story of a particular era, namely the 1980s, seen through the eyes of a young girl who comes from the provinces and finds herself catapulted into a glittering, colorful, and, in its own way, intrusive Milan. That world needed to be perceived as modern–not to evoke the past but the future.

Alice finds herself looking at her new identity, new places, and new stories, witnessing an explosion of color and brilliance contrasted by areas of uncertainty and darkness. We tried to be excessive in our choices, unafraid to step on the gas. As references we took directors and films that describe reality, but with a borderline look: the Coen brothers, Paolo Sorrentino, Paul Thomas Anderson, certain things from “Euphoria,” looking for our own way that was a bit excessive but still anchored in realism. The camera was always very close to the face of the protagonist because we wanted to look at the world through her eyes and interpret what she sees, rather than observe it as a spectator.

How was your experience with the ALEXA Mini LF?

We are very satisfied and proud that we made this choice. The wide format gave us a lot: It allowed us to shoot with wide-angle lenses but with depth of field closer to medium lenses, providing great cleanliness and quality. We were always with 21 or 29, very close to the characters, to render a somewhat distorted idea of reality.

Were there any special situations to handle during the shoot?

Michele is a director with clear ideas regarding storytelling through images: He always knows exactly which shot determines that precise moment of a scene. He doesn't shoot and then leave the choice to editing. This translated into a constant search for the right shot with the right light management.

From time to time, this led to somewhat complex situations that felt challenging.

Do you remember particularly challenging scenes?

In the beginning we shot in Civitavecchia, in a large abandoned prison, where we were dealing with significant spaces. We were starting from scratch with set design and lighting. Set designer Tamara Marini and decorator Alessandra Querzola did a great job. In Civitavecchia we shot the scene where Adriano Giannini meets his daughter in prison for the first time. An important moment that we wanted to emphasize with light, as well as Alice’s introduction into the ‘Ndrangheta family. There were also many scenes shot on location, such as those in Alice’s and Grandma Lina’s house. We wanted the latter to be a place frozen in time; a Milan of color and excess, a kind of cave, an old house where light and color were elements that only came from the outside. Alice's house, on the

other hand, is characterized by pastel colors: pink, orange, brown. Initially it is the only warm place for her. Then the girl changes, and with her, on an almost unconscious level, so does her gaze and the contrast becomes more obvious. In some of Alice’s mental journeys we tried to recreate visual atmospheres of 1980s American series such as “Family Ties” or “The Bionic Woman.”

How did the ALEXA Mini LF handle the various lighting situations?

Very well. The series has a lot of dark areas and prominent blacks, but at the same time strong lighting. The interiors are always lit from the outside. The camera, which is very versatile, responded extremely well, with a great reading of the blacks and the ability to contain the highlights. It was definitely the right medium. We tended to work at 800 ASA, the camera’s native ASA, which also offers the great convenience of having internal ND filters.

How did you control the camera movements?

We tried to have a form of classicism: very little handheld camera shots and many dollies with sometimes very complex movements. The camera was always in motion, with movements that allowed us to get close to Alice’s eyes and then follow her gaze with continuity.

Did you tend to work at a particular T-stop or did it vary a lot?

I almost always work at very open apertures and exploit the lens to its maximum brightness. With Supreme, I worked a lot at 1.5, an aperture I particularly like because it allows me to have little depth of field. Working with the camera so close to the actors and with open apertures allowed us to be very selective with focus. We almost never used the zoom, precisely because we were so closeto the actors.

What was your lighting system?

I always use ARRI lights, I'm a big fan of them. The M-Series is very convenient, I often use the ARRI M90 and M40, and the ARRI SkyPanel LEDs which are now irreplaceable. I really enjoy working with the console and making light variations during the take. The ability to control the brightness and color of the LEDs with apps and the phone has become very important to me. I would have a hard time having to do without these tools.

To what extent did you use monitoring on set?

Together with DIT Andrea Curiazi, I work a lot with LUTs on set. With the digital medium you can have a creative discussion with the director thinking about the final result already on set. This is a crucial step for me, because I tend to make the choices on set and not in postproduction. We did a lot of preparation work to build an LUT with colorist Claudio Del Bravo to deliver a job as complete is possible on the shoot.

How did you watch the footage?

I work a lot with stills, more than with dailies. The guys working with me would sort them by episode and scene, and I would reconstruct, as we shot, the episode in the form of a still.

Do you have any other projects ahead?

I recently finished shooting the first three episodes of “The Good Mothers” directed by Julian Jarrold. On this project, I worked with ALEXA Mini LF and the ARRI lighting kit as well. I really appreciate ALEXA’s color separation in a somewhat pastel world. I tend to work very softly with light, so I need precision in color separation and clean images. On this, the ALEXA comes to my aid by simplifying my work.

Copyright © Andrea Pirrello/Prime Video & Amazon Studios

Fascinated by evil: protagonist Alice in “Bang Bang Baby”