this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2024
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Yeah, I have studied all aspects of production, from writing all the way through to the audience watching it. There are strong laws on the production side because SAG and WGA exist and have pushed hard for legal protections against the studios and production companies prioritizing money over safety. Unfortunately on the distribution side the theaters actually have some very good anti-corporate laws working against them. What needs to happen is essentially a unionization of theaters so they can collectively bargain against the distributors and be able to say "good luck with getting your movie our there, because it won't be on a single silver screen with those terms." Unfortunately that behavior falls under the collusion and price fixing laws, which are spectacular and need to be there, but probably should be amended for situations like this.
@Adalast
This is the kind of thing I came in to talk about too. Here in New Zealand we don't have guilds that can stand against Hollywood industry and a right-wing government actually changed our labour law in favour of Warners and Peter Jackson so that they could call production crew and cast "independent contractors" (with no security or benefits) instead of employees.
The Actors guild protested but someone working at Weta at the time told me animators were "encouraged" to counter protest in support of the law change "if you want to keep your jobs".
That is appalling. I knew some of that, but not the full extent. It is disgusting. The on-set unions in the states are extremely strong, and I am so thankful for that. The whole post production industry needs a global set of unions. I would like to see the same for on-set. Someone needs to keep these jackasses in check.
Yeah, they really do.
I really lost respect for Peter Jackson over that whole fiasco. New Zealand was already giving Hollywood production companies massive tax breaks so there was no need for it, but he actively helped them stiff the local crew.
Weta's a bit toxic anyway but it's a widespread problem.
Same. I was really disheartened when I heard all of the negative stuff for living in NZ from a past coworker. It had been on my short list of "gtfo my dystipian nightmare" countries, but it sounds to me like it is nearly as bad, just in different ways.