I have nothing fundamentally against ACTRA. The union works to ensure performing talent get paid a fair wage for commercial work - nothin' wrong with that. However, if I were to say ACTRA was complicated from a producer's point of view I would REALLY be understating things. Brain surgery is complicated. Successfully landing a Mars probe is complicated. The ACTRA Commercial Agreement is really REALLY complicated. Take this little doozie of a paragraph for example...
Single Voice is a performance category applicable to Performers engaged in radio commercials, including an actor engaged to execute or interpret a role in a dramatic form of presentation when one or two actors are engaged in a commercial. When one or two Actors and an Announcer are engaged in the same commercial, they shall be categorized as Single Voice.
If you can make sense of that in less than a unionized work week, you are a better person than I am, and I'm guessing a 'wonderful' career awaits you in complicated verbiage construction. Congratulations!
Anyhow, the other thing that strikes me about the tone of the ACTRA collective agreement is the very RELIGIOUS bent of the prose they employ. With this in mind, Nolan and I wasted some time in the studio, putting together an excerpt from an ACTRA Church Service...
4 comments:
Okay, you guys have way too much free time. But, that is funny. Love the picture. It cracked me up.
LEADER: The Union be with you
PEOPLE: and also with you. Amen and Amen.
Yeah, Kevin... I actually had a whole bunch of other material to record, but we did not have time...
Including
Liturgy
(Priest)
The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall apply to persons who are members of or who are eligible for membership in the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, hereafter referred to as ACTRA with respect to commercials for television and radio produced in Canada.
(Response)
So Sayith the Commercial Agreement
(Priest)
Excepted from this agreement shall be those produced under the jurisdiction of the Union des Artistes and the American Federation of Musicians and also, subject to Article 2401 to television commercials produced in a foreign location for use in Canada that engage Performers who are permanent residents of Canada.
(Response)
I ascribe to the principles of the Commercial Agreement
(Priest)
This agreement does not apply to radio commercials engaging a staff announcer that are broadcast only on the radio station employing that announcer, not to television commercials engaging a staff announcer that are broadcast only on the television station employing that announcer.
(Response)
So Sayith the Commercial Agreement
(Priest)
... And here are the lyrics to the Hymn, in case they cannot be properly understood in our pitch-challenged-choir...
The Hymn of the Compliant Member
V1
When signatory engagers
Do proffer us spot
We give to ACTRA 6 percent
It’s really not a lot
2 percent are for member dues
and 4 for member fees
what’s left is our performers’ net
unless there’s GST
For troubled times we put our trust
In ACTRA I and R
15 percent of the whole gross
Our contributions are
If this seems somewhat daunting
I think we all agree
Our union fathers truly earn
Their contract service fee
V2
Now ACTRA is our family
The place where we belong
Unless we don’t remit our dues
Which we all know is wrong
We also frown on those who choose
To do non-union spots
You can’t disguise your transgressions
And surely will be caught
Although you may be tempted
The union rules to scorn
Reflect upon the price you’ll pay
Before you are forlorn
For once you’ve shunned the union
You’re in actors’ purgat’ry
And if you loose your ACTRA card
You can’t be Equity
Woww! That's some service. Makes the Nazerene Chruch look like Spring break. ciao
HAHAHAH!!!
AWESOME!!!
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