SAG Strike 05.02.08

Nikki Finke is reporting that "the AMPTP and SAG will keep bargaining on a day-to-day basis through at least May 6th".  That being said, she also notes that the labo(u)r uncertainty is resulting in a de facto strike position, since there is "no greenlighting because of fears of a SAG strike".  Finke notes that "Major players in this town are telling me they haven't seen the movie industry this dead since, well, they can't remember."  Which means that there is an impact north of the border as well: "If the Screen Actors Guild goes on strike over the same issue as the recent U.S. screenwriters strike—residuals from new media platforms—the B.C. film industry could experience a repeat of 2007’s drop in foreign production."  Independent producers without distribution are able to sign "guaranteed completion agreements" (meaning a SAG strike won't shut down their production so long as they agree in advance to abide by whatever terms are agreed to in the final collective agreement), but any chill on production in the US inevitably has an impact on the Canadian industry (which means lost jobs, which means lost tax revenue, etc., etc.): there was nearly $1.5 billion worth of foreign location shooting in Canada in 2006/07, as reported by the CFTPA.