Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015 - 9

Like the grip, the cameraman also identifies scheduling as
a big problem: "Some will shoot for five days instead of seven
because they can't afford seven. If you have to work 14-hour
days you will because that's what they've got. People who are
not necessarily working all the time will be in a take-it-orleave-it situation. The economic reality is that you may take
these substandard jobs."
There are similer reports from the lighting department. "I'm
not aware of productions unable to find sparks," says a highly
experienced lighting technician. "There are lots of names cropping up now that I didn't know five years ago. I think the biggest
problem is not the number of crew - the question is whether
they can do the job. If they are saying there aren't enough crew
they need to find out whether they are paying enough."
He says the biggest problem they have as a department is
that no-one bothers to check what qualifications people have,
and there is no pressure to enforce safety regulations. He
argues strongly that all sparks should be trained in working
to the BS 7909 regulations that deal with temporary power
supplies and that they are enforced [See page 24]. "There are
standard tests you do to prove it's safe and then produce
a certificate. But because of the way the schedules are
written there's rarely time to test. It's almost as if the industry
is waiting for someone to be electrocuted and killed on set."
He adds: "So we've got the bodies but not necessarily with
the skills. The people to lift and carry things around are there.
but the ones with the skills to make the system safe are limited. We need to get to the point where if a producer doesn't
ask for a BS7909 person that needs to go back."
SUPPORT THE WORKFORCE

sound. So there's less work around because there's so many
self-shooting directors or researchers or cameramen who
can edit. In the television sector that's definitely a factor.
"Lots of sound people and camera people are angry about
this because it cheapens the whole quality of the production,"
he says. "Now even cameramen are getting less camera
work because productions may employ a director who will
shoot the majority of the programme and then they may
employ the 'professional' camera crew to do the important
interviews. Then the rest of it would be cut into the footage,
into the professional crew's work."
December/January 2015 Stage Screen & Radio

UK production:
clockwise from
the top: Outlander,
Time for School, Boj

The argument coming from BECTU freelances therefore is
that the priority for training should be the existing workforce:
ensuring that their skills and qualifications are of the standard
required and giving them assistance to progress up the the
career ladder to step into the shoes of those retiring. While
it is clearly important to bring in trainees at the bottom as
people retire at the top, what the union is not prepared to do
is acquiesce to employer demands to grow the labour force
to such a degree that they undermine pay rates.
It is the determination to improve the lot of the current
workforce, as well as make it a better industry for tomorrow's
workers to enter, that is driving the union's negotiations with
PACT over the draft Freelance Film Production Agreement.
The draft met with widespread opposition from members
when discussed at a meeting on 12 October at which PACT
was present. The union then consulted members and was
due to have another meeting with PACT on 18 December to
discuss proposed changes. Some of the BECTU proposals
include adopting going rates; a basic guaranteed day of 10
hours, not eight hours for the purposes of calculating pay
and for scheduling; overtime paid after 10 hours; parity for
sound dept members with their camera dept colleagues;
rectifying the absence of costume dept job titles and the
incorrect art and props dept senior rankings in the draft
grades ladder.
BECTU assistant General Secretary Spencer MacDonald
comments: "We currently have almost 50,000 people who
freelance in the creative media industry covering film, TV,
animation and vfx. We should therefore aspire to support
and develop the existing workforce through training and
decent pay and conditions rather than change the size of the
market. This is the way we can help improve the quality and
efficiency of productions and open up opportunities for all." l
9

Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Stage, Screen & Radio - December/January 2015