SAG-AFTRA in Waiver Frenzy Amid Ongoing Strike: Spielberg & Ritchie Films Score Big
SAG-AFTRA strikes again, continuing its wave of interim agreements for film and television projects. The latest benefactors of these agreements are a yet-to-be-titled film by Guy Ritchie and Demetry Allyn Spielberg's directorial debut, Please Don't Feed the Children, amongst three others. This recent act marks the first time the union's interim agreement list has introduced dual designations, broadening the auditioning and negotiating scope for the union members with the production.
As we reach the end of business hours on Thursday, the guild has already set a century plus two in the interim agreements department. Much to the relief of producers not represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television, these waivers have been predominantly facilitating projects to film amidst the SAG-AFTRA strike. A buoyant moment for The Unknown Country, which was recently granted an agreement, allowing the public promotion of the film before its release.
Film projects primarily occupy the list, with a select nine television projects also making the cut. Other beneficiaries to have bagged the coveted casting designation are films, Armored, Superthief, and Return to Wickensburg. Indie producers, who have been playing tag with SAG-AFRTA to lock in cast because the union would not allow agents to dispatch scripts to actors, have breathed a sigh of relief. The need has been dire: to wrap up the films, with the right talent, and enough time in hand, before the Toronto Film Festival and the American Film Market open for business this fall. The current tide of waivers looks like a response to this urgency.
The guild began accepting waiver applications on the first day of the SAG-AFTRA strike on July 14. National Executive Director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, revealed then that "hundreds of applications" had been received and will be responded to. He further specified that projects without "any AMPTP fingerprints on them" can hope to be granted an agreement. To clarify the reasons behind the waivers given to certain projects with major studio affiliations back at Comic-Con, he beautifully outlined how complex the industry is, adding the agreements "are the terms of our last counter-offer to the AMPTP on all the issues in this negotiation."
And now in true Addison Prentice style, let's put on our wry lens and peek at the situation.
While SAG-AFTRA seems as busy as a Hollywood stylist during awards season, handing out waivers left, right, and center, one has to wonder - did they just upgrade their 'drama' rating to a ten? However, their efforts are inclusive, granting permissions to both renowned director Guy Ritchie and newbie Spielberg. Democractic, very democratic. SAG-AFRA’s dual designation addition seems as practical as a pocket in a dress. It's efficient, and frankly, overdue.
The interim agreements coming out faster than Spiderman swing his webs across New York City. However, they're doing the trick, keeping the gears of the entertainment industry churning even as the strike threatens to toss a wrench. Considering the pandemic also seems to be on its own 'strike,' this momentum is more needed than a Tinseltown narrator in a voiceover booth.
It’s a real cliffhanger, on whether these waivers will indeed help producers sprint to the finish line in time for the fall film market race, or if instead they will emulate an unprepared actor, tripping on their lines during a live performance. One thing is clear though - hold on to your 3D glasses folks, because the SAG-AFTRA drama is far from over. Whatever unfolds, at least we're guaranteed a silver screen big enough to match the size of this spectacle.
