2007-2008 TV season rate increase reminder.

[Michael Stumpf]

I'm already starting to get called for TV shows that begin filming soon (just turned one down today), I figured it was a good time to remind everyone one important thing:

August 1st the IA 600 rates go up 3%

 

So, PLEASE remember that just because we get paid over "regular" operator scale, that WE also deserve a 3% (or more) pay increase too!!

 

So, if the show you were on last year paid the standard "lowish" rate of $60 an hour, this year they should be paying AT LEAST $61.80, but since it got picked up for another season they should be willing to come up even more!

 

If it's a new TV show, be sure to remind them that 06-07 most TV shows paid AT LEAST $60 an hour, and many were higher than that, but this season everybody else's rate is going up 3% so the Steadicam Operators rate should too.

Therefore, the LOW end of the TV show scale should be $61.80 an hour rate, otherwise the gap between the regular camera operator and us Steadicam operators is going to close even more and one day soon be the same rate!!

 

 

Let's stick together on this guys, we deserve more than $10 an hour more than the regular camera operator gets for all the extra skill and hard work we do, even moreso if you are doing "A" camera and working on every single shot.

 

Have a good summer all!

[WillArnot]

Very good point guys. Do pay attention here. We work way harder physically, and that means harder mentally as well. I would love to just operate w/out the physical burden of schlepping the rig, but I've got close to a small house invested in my gear. And for that small mortgage, you think a $10 difference is OK? It's not.

 

Absolutely we must maintain the gap between non-Steadicam ops and ourselves. TAKE PRIDE in that difference and DON'T under-cut. Stick together, do your homework by talking to your fellow ops. You will be amazed at what a little solidarity in our brother/sisiterhood will bring.

 

All the best.

 

W

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Very good point guys. Do pay attention here. We work way harder physically, and that means harder mentally as well. I would love to just operate w/out the physical burden of schlepping the rig, but I've got close to a small house invested in my gear. And for that small mortgage, you think a $10 difference is OK? It's not.

 

Absolutely we must maintain the gap between non-Steadicam ops and ourselves. TAKE PRIDE in that difference and DON'T under-cut. Stick together, do your homework by talking to your fellow ops. You will be amazed at what a little solidarity in our brother/sisiterhood will bring.

 

All the best.

 

W

 

 

Good On Ya Will !!

[David Allen Grove]

Is there even going to be a 2008 season?

 

The union mentinoed a WGA? de facto strike and something about the need for everyone to start saving

their money. :o This will absolutely effect non-union members as well.

 

Sounds like it's up in the air.

 

I found this through google.

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...aec7ecc39a9d506

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Is there even going to be a 2008 season?

 

There is. Most of the networks are stockpiling shows and fast tracking new pickups. "IF" the strike happens it will be in late october so says the WGA. BUT I've heard from several good sources that they would wait until after the holidays and do something in January or February so they don't piss everyone off before the holidays and loose any sympathy.

[Chris Haarhoff]

Nobody wants to be specific about rates but as we go into the 2008 TV season, maybe we can get things back to where they were in the mid nineties. For those of you newer operators, the old picture used to look something like this. Day playing at a low of $100 with rental at $ 1000. A good day rate at $ 120. If an operator is carried the whole time, it would be between $ 70 and $ 80 with a weekly rental of between 2400 and 3000.

 

I don't know if by standing together we can turn back the tide, but it truly sucks to watch our earning power eroded so badly in less than a decade.

 

Oh and an insurance Certificate should never be an option. I've found that the best way to address this is once the production confirms you for a gig, I fire off a quick fax confirmation for their signature. In it I reiterate the dates and the rates, but I include the insurance requirement as an item and usually they sign and send it back without much thought. If the insurance thing comes up the day before you shoot you can shove the memo in their faces and threaten to get the Reverand Al Sharpton involved

[Dan Coplan]

Seems to me the better option would be to ask for the cert directly and if they say no, leave the show. If producers think they're getting away with not providing a cert, even if they're unknowingly obligated to do so, that's the attitude they'll develop.

 

Not to mention, I've read some pretty scary stuff on this forum recently regarding certs that don't protect us like we imagine they do.

 

Dan