tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post4392724351043934146..comments2023-11-14T11:44:10.396-05:00Comments on The Legion of Decency: The $130,000 Bananajimhenshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-33668723487452631802010-02-18T23:00:05.642-05:002010-02-18T23:00:05.642-05:00Oddly, there was never any real feedback from CTF/...Oddly, there was never any real feedback from CTF/CMF on this '08 study on how CTF could measure audience success. The CRTC submitted it to the government but that was the last word heard:<br />http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/cmri080605.htm<br /><br />Almost like there was a desire to bury talk of real targets. Probably just too complicated.<br /><br />Barry KieflAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-79155478659355176022010-02-10T10:14:21.644-05:002010-02-10T10:14:21.644-05:00A system? You're looking for a system, Jim. ...A system? You're looking for a system, Jim. The trouble with the government committing to a system when it comes to arts funding is they'd have to come up with a plan. Coming up with a plan requires vision. If they adopt a vision they run the risk of making an actual sustained commitment to the arts. By creating sub-ministries and arm's-length funding bodies and then supporting or abandoning them according to prevailing voter mood they never have to fully commit. The CBC is just there. It's twisting in the wind without any long term vision supporting it. The Stursbergian race toward commercialism, while marginally increasing audience share in the short term, feeds right into what I believe may be a hope in some circles: that eventually it will eat itself to death.<br /><br />A system requires that a politician give in somewhat. Leverage is the currency of career politicians. Without leverage none of them believe they have any purchase come the next election. By holding power and money and vision in abeyance governments can then dispense their collective largesse with maximum voter impact. And that's the only thing that matters: impact come election time.<br /><br />Vision in this country probably died with Tommy Douglas and to a lesser extent with Pierre Trudeau. <br /><br />A politician who really wants to leave a legacy must be willing to piss some people off along the way. And in the climate of simultaneous polarization and apathy that is Canada right now nobody's going to risk pissing anybody off.<br /><br />The only viable alternative for the arts in Canada is to sew the seeds of separation; I mean Canada should separate from Quebec and then let itself be annexed by Quebec. Then we'd get stable arts funding.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12991100804331232199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-58564317606212178312010-02-09T19:40:35.643-05:002010-02-09T19:40:35.643-05:00Writers left to negotiating their own fees seems t...Writers left to negotiating their own fees seems to be the going trend under the IPA. I refer again to the lost "created by" credit and monies, nonexistent in the IPA. Now digital content. And this is all to benefit producers and broadcasters. Not us. I heard too that the CMF will now encompass not only television, but Telefilm and possibly the CBC. One finite pot for the entire industry. <br /><br />Already networks would rather be involved in co-pros or 6/10 series that cost them only 10-20% of the budget rather than the 27% of the budget they pay for a 10/10 show. <br /><br />Perhaps the majority of writers need to wake up to what is happening. What is protected under the IPA and what is not. What they want to do about that. <br /><br />The Guild operates at our behest. It is our money that pays the salaries of the employees of the Guild. <br /><br />So why shouldn't they undertake to get what we want - and not take the Producers' "no" for an answer. <br /><br />No one cares about your career but you. And that's the truth.deborah Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01660139014725973469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-1878843514957696902010-02-09T12:06:21.562-05:002010-02-09T12:06:21.562-05:00Ah, I remember something like this way back at She...Ah, I remember something like this way back at Sheridan (I was a student, Jim a teacher).<br /><br />For one project (not for Jim's class), I signed out a Polaroid camera and some film and got to work. "Work" was:<br /><br />a) taking a photo of a blank wall<br />b) pasting that photo on the wall<br />c) taking a photo of that wall<br />d) pasting that photo on the wall<br />e) you get the picture. Heh.<br /><br />I called it "Progression", meant to signify the artist as change mechanic. Or something, the pot was good back then and I just made things up as I went along anyway.<br /><br />Anyway, I didn't get to finish my masterpiece, as the college, the cheap fascistic art hating bastards that they were, made me pay for my own film after the initial pack. <br /><br />I can only feel that my entire career as an artist was stilted by ugly commerce. <br /><br />Now, if I had taped a banana up...yeah...I'm feeling the created juices flowing again. Where's the number for Really Dumb Grants again?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-29597944616730181202010-02-09T10:32:20.762-05:002010-02-09T10:32:20.762-05:00I agree that there should be some kind of Pay or P...I agree that there should be some kind of Pay or Play (except there's NO pay) deal in place at the funding agencies. <br /><br />If you support this script (this writer) don't just throw Grant money at a fifteen page treatment, first draft, second draft, etc... <br /><br />Push the g'dang thing up the totem pole to a Producer who's willing to support the story. <br /><br />If not enough productions are greenlit to support the amount of TAXPAYERS MONEY (Telefilm, admin staff, grants) then buh-bye Telefilm. Buh-bye writer's loft reno's...<br /><br />And for the emerging creators out there, I recommend playing the field for whatever writing gigs you can get: video games (intern at a developer), web content (frequent your favourite online creators - get them to like you), film and tv (watch it! get in touch with the performers and/or creators; prove to them you're reading from the same book). And if comedy is your thing, or even if it's not (visit local comedy clubs - everyone wants to be on TV - and bang something hilarious out, cause c'mon, not all of us think Corner Gas is funny!).<br /><br />But yeah, the system's broke and those that have gone and broked it, SHOULDN'T still be in the picture.Rusty Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143817211151177797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-2264487516869476822010-02-08T23:52:06.566-05:002010-02-08T23:52:06.566-05:00What I would do is detailed at the end of the post...What I would do is detailed at the end of the post, DMc. <br /><br />And while I'm sorry you've been driven to anger, I look forward to your responses.jimhenshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-73536215217047880152010-02-08T22:47:39.631-05:002010-02-08T22:47:39.631-05:00Jim, I gotta feeling that what I want to say is lo...Jim, I gotta feeling that what I want to say is long enough, and I'm exercised about it enough, that it's probably better as a post on my own blog. So that's where I'll leave this for now.<br /><br />You and I have had many wonderful, friendly, jovial and combative back and forths both in blog-public and mail-private over the last few years, and I can honestly and truly say that through all your points of view, I've never been driven to be angry with you.<br /><br />But honest to God, having just sat through seven hours today of doing your business, and business on the behalf of all Canadian writers, the cavalier and cynical way you link these things together is a little beyond the pale. <br /><br />You're shitting on the real efforts I pursue everyday to work through the system, and you're intimating a sleazy moral equivalency that is unconscionable.<br /><br />Too far, and not fair. I think a long time ago on another subject entirely I said it is very easy to throw bombs; but what would you do instead? A pox on both your houses thinking has poisoned you. And I find that ineffably sad.DMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105351826851407562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-60763731366595695252010-02-08T18:55:21.692-05:002010-02-08T18:55:21.692-05:00DMc,
My reference had nothing to do with the I&am...DMc,<br /><br />My reference had nothing to do with the I&R contributions writers earn from their work.<br /><br />I know you are aware of the following, but for those who aren't:<br /><br />Under clause A1201 of the Guild Agreement, producer members of CFTPA remit 2-2.5% of our gross writing fees (depending on the type of production) directly to the Guild as an administration fee. <br /><br />There is a cap on this which is reached by a significant portion of production.<br /><br />Non-CFTPA producers remit 7% of Gross fees with no cap in place.<br /><br />These fees are split between the Guild and the CFTPA.<br /><br />Therefore, while writers must now negotiate additional digital fees on their own, those funds are added to the gross calculation of the Administration fee.<br /><br />Additionally, a producer deducts 2% of your gross fees, remitting it to the Guild as Dues payments.<br /><br />Whatever you negotiate privately for digital fees is still subject to that 2% deduction.<br /><br />Non-Guild Writers must pay 5% of their gross fees as Dues, while the Producer remits 11% of the gross fees paid to non-Guild writers "for such purposes as may be determined in the absolute and unfettered discretion of the Guild".<br /><br />The good part about that is it helps to discourage a producer from hiring non-Guild writers.<br /><br />The bad part is that if the producer doesn't want to pay you what is you feel is fair for creating digital content, he can hire somebody far cheaper who isn't a member of the Guild, pay the Dues and Equalization fees and still come out ahead.<br /><br />You have lost income. The Guild still gets paid. Maybe less than you would have negotiated on their behalf. Maybe more.<br /><br />As for your second point, I'm not sure I get it...<br /><br />Are you saying that a writer who can write a series episode in less time than another should be paid more? <br /><br />Or are you suggesting we set an hourly rate for writing digital content?<br /><br />Because neither those concepts make any sense to me. <br /><br />The basis for most of our fees is the value of the completed material in the overall marketplace. <br /><br />And even then, we don't pay writers depennding on whether or not their show gets higher ratings than some competing show, or how many international sales it garners. <br /><br />I know determining the value of new media is difficult right now. Perhaps a good reason why some kind of agreed standard should be established in negotiations rather than writer and producer dealing one on one when one or both may have no clue how to fully exploit the finished product. <br /><br />Isn't that one of the things we pay our staff to do and should expect in return?<br /><br />Or do they just keep getting paid while somebody else figures it out?jimhenshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-23589833278778707862010-02-08T17:20:00.050-05:002010-02-08T17:20:00.050-05:00“…all fees for digital writing are negotiable. (Th...<i>“…all fees for digital writing are negotiable. (The other general terms of the IPA still apply, however, i.e. payment on delivery, I&R, copyright, grievance, etc.)”</i><br /><br />Ok Jim. I think I've got this now... you're saying that insurance and RRSP contributions from an employer, & industrial protections are nothing.<br /><br />Got it. So, uh, can I have yours please? I mean, it's nothing, right? Oh, and while we're at it, the two digital contracts I worked in 2008 were $2000 (plus I&R) and for $500 (plus I&R.) The one I got paid 2K for me took me about four hours. The one I got paid 500 for took me a week.<br /><br />Now figure out the scale payments. Go. You have ten minutes.<br /><br />It's when you're at your most simplistic & populist that you taint all the good stuff you usually write. A plague on all their houses is never the solution. <br /><br />But I'm really looking forward to your digital minimums.DMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105351826851407562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-38641322544973647422010-02-08T15:51:00.827-05:002010-02-08T15:51:00.827-05:00It's like being hogtied and having a key place...It's like being hogtied and having a key placed in your mouth... <br /><br />Try and get out of that one!Rusty Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143817211151177797noreply@blogger.com