By Tim Kenneally at TheWrap

The Actors’ Equity Association on Tuesday gave its blessing to the proposed merger between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

The Actors Equity Association is the labor union that represents live theater actors and stage managers, many of whom work on Broadway and Off-Broadway.

According to a statement on the AEA website, the union’s council unanimously voted to endorse the merger Tuesday.

“AEA strongly supports SAG and AFTRA in their proposal to merge their Unions,” the AEA said.

The endorsement is advisory, but some of the roughly 49,000 members of Actors Equity are also members of SAG and AFTRA

The proposed merger, which has yet to be voted on by the unions’ members, has drawn some criticism.

Last week, a statement signed by Martin Sheen, Scott Bakula and others was circulated to members of both unions asking them to vote against the merger. The statement claimed that the merger will lead to a “bloated bureaucracy” that could lead to a conflict of interest.

The statement asked the union members to “demand that our union leaders conduct the necessary due diligence to create an agreement which will not harm actors.”

For the merger to take effect, 60 percent of voting members at each union must approve the proposal. SAG has about 120,000 members and AFTRA roughly 90,000. Ballots are scheduled to go out February 27 and will be due back by March 30.

(MENAFN) Dubai Media City’s managing director, Jamal Al Sharif, said that film production pumped USD40.8 million into Dubai’s economy in 2011, reported The National.

Al Sharif, who also oversees Dubai Studio City (DSC), added that in the year, the Government of Dubai approved 877 film and photography requrests, compared with 88 in the previous year.

He also said that DSC’s Location Approval Services (LAS), which arranges permissions and other services for crews looking to film in the emirate, approved TV, film and still photography with a total budget of USD40.82 million.

It is worth noting that in 2011, 410 television adverts were made, from 366 a year earlier according to Al Sharif.

Bharati Dubey, TNN

MUMBAI: Most film associations and exhibitors have decided to withdraw from the nationwidestrike called by the Film Federation of India (FFI) on February 23 . The FFI has called for the strike to protest against the government’s plan to impose service tax on the film industry.

The decision was taken after a film delegation met information and broadcasting ministerAmbika Soni and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday. Mukesh Bhatt, who was part of the delegation, said, “We voiced our grievances and the ministers asked us to be patient till the budget. If it is not satisfactory, we will meet to take stock of the situation and act accordingly.”

FFI chief Vinod Lamba said, “We’ll continue with the strike as planned. Most associations have extended their support to us.”

Film producers from Mumbai, exhibitors and both single screen and multiplexes across the country have decided to withdraw from the strike. Suresh Naidu from South India said, multiplexes, film producers from Mumbai and most part of Andhra Pradesh have decided not to strike work on February 23 there are some who want to continue with the protest.”

Producer Ratan Jain said,”The strike is as good as being called off.

There are some places where the protest will continue like Tamil Nadu, which is already crippled by workers’ strike. The strike is not really going to affect anyone.”

Meanwhile the government’s decision to impose service tax on in the industry has got some exhibitors in certain states charging service tax on the cinegoer.An industry source said, it will eventually get passed on to the consumer by way of increasing the ticket pricing which is not good for the industry.” The industry has been hoping that the government starts taking them seriously and have been meeting up the finance and I&B minister before each budget session be it in state or centre but has not really got major support barring some like exemption of customs duty on jumbo rolles and abolition of VAT on transfer of copyrights of a film relating to exhibition in theatres.

The country’s film industry is the world’s third largest, both in terms of the number of films produced and box office takings. But many film and TV production companies in China have entered a challenging period.

Hengdian World Studio is the largest film studio in China. Ten years ago, Hengdian was only a small town in Zhejiang Province. But now, it has earned the nickname “Chinawood”. The studio consists of 13 shooting bases, which are able to serve more than 40 production teams at the same time.

But being the largest film shooting center is not enough for the people of Hengdian. They are aiming to become a major film production base. To achieve that goal, Hengdian has invited more than 400 film production companies to headquarter themselves at the studio, then problems emerged.

Liang Wenjian, deputy manager of Hongdian Film & TV Production Company, said, “We didn’t have enough equipment, so that our customers got a very bad impression of our company. They thought we were not capable.”

The tight budget is the root of the problem. In China, film production companies find it difficult to get loans from banks, since they don’t have enough fixed assets.

Ding Shanjun, Hongdian Film & TV Production Company, said, “We have computers and techniques, but no fixed assets. And banks don’t accept computers as collateral.”

Analysts say that cultural industries such as film and TV production companies, even those that have been operating for a long time, have little more than a pile of scripts and films as property. But the banks will not accept these as collateral either.

And without loans, the film production firms in Hengdian find it hard to survive. It all affects the long-term development of Hengdian World Studio.

Opposition Report disputes health, pension ramifications

By Dave McNary

Crew members from the popular cable TV show “1,000 Ways to Die” are locked in a labor dispute with the series’ producer.

About 30 crew members from the show who had been seeking to unionize were sent home last week after attempting to join Hollywood unions Teamsters Local 399 and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, said Jonathan Hanrahan, transportation captain for the Spike TV show.

He said the show’s producer, Original Productions, which makes a number of reality TV programs, including “Ice Road Truckers,” had already hired replacement workers.

“It’s gut wrenching,” said Hanrahan. “We love the show, and we hope that a TV deal is struck [so that] we can have basic health benefits.”

IATSE and the Teamsters are expected to stage a protest picket outside the show’s production offices this week. IATSE staged a successful strike against the producers of the reality series ”The Biggest Loser” in November, 2010.

Representatives of Burbank-based Original Productions, which produces the show that re-creates unusual ways in which people have died, were not immediately available for comment.

Launched in 2008, “1000 Ways to Die” films on stages in Burbank and Sun Valley.

By Mike Goodridge

An unsual collaboration to make two to three films has been created by a 12 month co-development and co-production deal between the Regional Film Centres of Norway and US independents Senza Pictures and Garnet Girl LLC.

Following their visit to the International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) earlier this month, the returning African film producers, Rwandan Joel Karekezi, and South African producers James Tayler and Noxy Mavundla are convinced that the local film industry’s market potential could be unlocked through creatively exchanging ideas with the rest of Africa.

At the IFFR, they participated in the CineMart, reportedly one of the oldest and largest co-production and finance film markets in the world. They were recipients of the CineMart Rotterdam Lab Award presented at 2011 Durban FilmMart, being awarded accreditation, accommodation and transportation to CineMart, an incubator for producers of new projects that runs concurrently during IFFR.

Durban Film Office’s Toni Monty said, “It is a positive development to see Durban FilmMart project filmmakers unite in promoting a culture of knowledge sharing with the ultimate goal of creating world-class cinema in Africa.”

The producers are particularly excited about sharing their newly acquired skills with filmmakers in their respective communities in the hopes of advancing the quality of African cinema. They believe that a united stand toward innovative and homegrown strategies aimed at marketing and distributing local films throughout the continent would put African cinema on par with global standards.

Production insights

Mavundla, who co-produced This Boy with David Max Brown, said that the experience had afforded her “top-notch” exposure and invaluable training which she would put to good use in future projects.

“The Durban FilmMart was an eye-opening experience and attending Rotterdam Lab has stretched me in terms of my knowledge and my skills. I definitely know more now than I did before attending and I can’t wait to apply my knowledge to the industry in order to make and tell better stories,” said Mavundla.

Inspired by her humble beginnings and love of classic African stories such as Sarafina and Shaka Zulu, Mavundla, who was previously unemployed, is now the CEO of Bancamile Film Productions in Richards Bay and a successful young filmmaker in her own right. She is part of several business and entrepreneurial programmes and is a mentee under Brown, who is also her business partner.

Her goal is to share her knowledge and experiences by mentoring young filmmakers, particularly those who are interested in producing. “I want my stories to have meaning and to impact, motivate and challenge people to believe in themselves and live their dreams just as I am living mine,” she said.

Pan-African collaboration

With a passion for “telling African stories,” Tayler will use his experience abroad to further drive film developmental projects aimed at African filmmakers. With a host of “pan-African collaborations” under his belt, his interests lay in developing African films with a goal of one day creating a travelling pan-African film festival and mentorship and residency program for filmmakers.

The Boda Boda Thieves, co-produced by Donald Mugisha of Uganda, is currently in pre-production and is best described by Tayler as a “melting-pot of creative influences” between South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Egypt. Tayler is also co-founder of the production collective Yes! That’s Us, a working partnership between himself and Mugisha, as SA production company Switch Media in Cape Town where he is based.

“It is my objective to try and understand other countries’ film industries with the view to understanding what makes a film production company sustainable. I think we can learn a lot from each other and take little bits to apply to each of our unique situation,” says Tayler.

Developing Rwanda film

For Rwandan producer Karekezi, founder of Karekezi Film Productions, developing quality filmmaking skills is fundamental to the success of his relatives. The film industry in Rwanda is still considered infantile and many filmmakers make the mistake of creating commercial films that lack artistic flair, said Karekezi, whose film Imbabazi (The Pardon) is already is post-production.

“We need to teach them to make good quality and professional films. We also need to work together to develop our film industry in convincing others to take us seriously,” he said.

He plays his part by teaching screenwriting at the Kwetu Film Institute and works as a film mentor at the Maisha Film Lab, an annual non-profit training initiative for emerging East African filmmakers. “African filmmakers are ambassadors of Africa – I am ready to help them tell their stories through co-production in my quest to continue to create professional African films,” said Karekezi.

“Great sense of camaraderie”

Peter Rorvik, director of the Centre for Creative Arts and the Durban International Film Festival reiterated that a “great sense of camaraderie” amongst African filmmakers would bode well for the industry. “We are taking the initiative to stimulate film production in Africa and creating opportunities for African filmmakers.”

The third edition of Durban FilmMart takes place from 20-23 July 2012 during the Durban International Film Festival and is open for documentary and fiction project submissions. The deadline for project submissions has been extended until 29 February 2012

Lisa Colagrossi

NEW YORK (WABC) – New York City is the production base for more than 20 prime time series, and city officials say TV and movie shoots pump $5 billion into the economy. But in Long Island City, Queens, residents are growing weary of lights, camera, action.

Residents want to make it clear that they are not anti-film. They support the industry that has put Long Island City on the map. But they say parking restrictions and several shoots on the same day are getting old.

The idea of a movie or TV show filming in your neighborhood may sound glamorous, but residents say it is anything but. Long Island City is home to two major production houses.

Orange cones mark parking spots that are about to be lost to production trucks for an all-day shoot. In the month of January alone, there were 14 separate shoots, and with more than 100 a year, residents are fed up.

“When we’re seeing more filming than we have just a normal life here, then that’s a little too much,” resident Kenneth Greenberg said.

“When they do film, the day of, they come very early in the morning,” resident Andrew Anzalone said. “Like 4:30, 5:30 in the morning, make a lot of noise with their trucks running, and loading and unloading equipment, and with the trucks running idle for hours at a time, the fumes are getting into people’s apartments.”

Business owners have mixed feelings. Mario’s Deli has seen it’s fair share of celebrities come in to grab a sandwich or a coffee, but the community board has filed dozens of complaints.

“The shoots, they don’t bring any money to the local community,” board member Joe Conley said. “They’re not spending money locally. They come with everything. So even as far as catering, it doesn’t trickle down to the local economy.”

The community board has been working with the mayor’s office to try and put limits on the number of permits granted at any one time. They’re also trying to give residents more advanced notice.

By Yang Jinghao (Global Times)

Movie insiders have suggested that Chinese filmmakers must improve the quality oftheir films to compete with their American rivals as more Hollywood blockbusters will airin the country under a newly-reached accord.

Beijing will permit 14 US premium format films to air, such as IMAX or 3D, which will beexempt from its annual quota of importing 20 foreign movies, as will the 2D versions ofthe films, a US trade official told reporters on Friday.

The Chinese box office revenue share of US studios will also increase from around13.5 percent to 17.5 percent, the official said.

The pact will be reviewed after five years to ensure that it is working as envisioned.

The agreement was reached Friday when Vice President Xi Jinping ended his US trip.

Xi’s US counterpart, Joe Biden, was quoted by the White House as saying that the dealmakes it ”easier than ever before for US studios and independent filmmakers to reachthe fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in andaround the film industry.”

Chinese film authorities have not responded to the news.

In 2007, the US lodged an appeal to the WTO, accusing China of not providing enoughaccess for imports of publications and audio-visual products.

The WTO’s top arbitration body ruled in 2009 that Chinese regulations failed to complywith world trade rules although Beijing strongly opposed the ruling.

The Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that ”China and the US have agreed on amemorandum of undertaking regarding the resolution of issues relating to films in theWTO’S China-audiovisual case.”

After the news broke, many Internet users expressed their excitement at being able toview more Hollywood movies, while some considered this as both an opportunity andchallenge to China’s own film industry.

Yuan Xin, vice president of Stella Mega International Group, a leading theater operatorin China, told the Global Times that more foreign movies mean wider options foraudiences, as well as increased income for theaters.

“The box office of domestic movies will definitely be impacted, which means Chinesemovie makers have to work their butts off to improve their competitiveness,” Yuan said,adding that many Chinese producers treat movies as avenues for profit, disregardingtheir artistic value.

Yuan’s words were echoed by Su Mu, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, whodescribed allowing more US movies in as putting wolves in among the sheep.

“More and more (Chinese) movies are not focusing on the story and plot but relying onbig stars or promotion stunts to ’deceive’ audience into theaters. More US movies mayforce domestic producers to take a correct attitude toward their works and learn fromothers,” Su noted.

Statistics released by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in Januaryshowed that among the total 2011 Chinese box office value of over 13.1 billion yuan($2.08 billion), over 6.08 billion yuan was earned by foreign movies.

Gao Qunshu, a Chinese director whose works include Tokyo Trial, called the move astroke of luck for China’s movie industry.

“Those to be destroyed (in the upcoming competition) are filmmakers who rely on luck,the so-called big stars, past achievements and people who can manipulate the market,”Gao wrote on his Sina microblog.

However, Yuan noted that not all Hollywood movies cater to Chinese filmgoers’ tastesdue to cultural differences, citing a number of market failures by foreign films in China.

China’s film market has been undergoing rapid expansion. A total of 803 new theaterswere established across the nation in 2011, according to the Guangming Daily.

It is predicted that at least 300 more theaters will open their doors this year.

“By promoting the growth of a legitimate marketplace for US movies in China, thisagreement will also complement efforts to fight movie piracy and help protect the jobsof workers in both countries, whose livelihoods are dependent on a healthyentertainment industry,” US Motion Picture Association boss Chris Dodd told AFP.

Alongside the movie pact, the two nations also reached a number of business dealsduring Xi’s visit in Los Angeles on Friday, including Dreamworks Animation’s venture toopen a studio in Shanghai, and Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei’s pledge toaward $6 billion in contracts over three years to Qualcomm, Broadcom and Avago.

Agencies contributed to this story