BULLETINTHE

Local 728 studio electrical lighting techniciansthe only iatse local dedicated to set lighting

Full color version available at www.iatse728.org

CharteredMay 15, 1939

Vol. 24; No. 42014

hollywoodC A L I F O R N I A

Everything is HOT IN CLEVELAND

... The Scripts, The Ratings, and Especially The Ladies ...But Definitely Not The Lights

Photo Courtesy of Mike Doto

Local 728 Brothers (L-R) Director of Photography Gary Palmer, Lamp Operator Claudio Rodriguez, CLT Chris Elizondo, Lamp Operator Travis Phung, Dimmer Board Operator Daniel Hofstad and

CBS ACLT Joshua Jenkins flank the talented, gracious and lovely ladies of HOT in Cleveland actresses Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, Betty White and Valerie Bertinelli.

I.A.T.S.E.Local 728

Hollywood, California

PresidentGreg Reeves

Vice PresidentKaren Weilacher

Business Rep-SecretaryPatric J. Abaravich

Treasurer-Call StewardPascal M. Guillemard

Executive BoardBranch Brunson

Joseph GalloDarryl HerzonJim Krattiger

Roger L. LattinIain O’Higgins

R. Bruce ProchalDavid Watson

Sergeant-At-ArmsRichard McConihayParliamentarians

Alan M. Rowe

Safety & TrainingAlan M. Rowe, Director

Shop StewardsCBS - John L. Murray

Fox - Gina M. IsaacsParamount - Frank Valdez

Sony - John JacobsUniversal - John Kennedy

Warner Bros. - Chris Hathaway

CLC DelegatesPatric J. Abaravich

Dennis k. GrowPascal M. Guillemard

Rick KelleyIain O’Higgins

S. Cricket PetersGreg ReevesAlan M. RoweOffice StaffSean Harkess

Julianna BesseyClaudia Smith

The BulletinPublisher

Margie StitesEditor

Greg Reeves

by Greg Reeves, President

PAGE 2

IATSE LOCAL 7281-800-551-21581-818-954-0728

What better way to celebrate our union’s Diamond anni-versary than with some old

fashioned progress? Soon we will begin a signature drive in an effort to institute long-in-the-works changes to our Lo-cal’s antiquated Constitution and Bylaws (C&BLs). Much of our constitution has not been amended for 30 years due to a clause that requires proposed amend-ments to be posted on the hall’s bulletin board for 90 days, and for 10% of our members to sign it. This was a reasonable request in the days when the hall had much more foot traffic, as many members would pay their dues, or be dispatched to work calls at the hall. Nowadays, we pay our dues by mail, or electronically, only coming by to get sworn in. Frankly, we don’t even have a bulletin board. So, the Executive Board is drafting a Resolu-tion that would enable Local leadership to bring future resolutions to members for review using 21st century technolo-gy. That is all. We want modernize the process and make it possible to come to you with the union’s business directly. Many people are uncomfortable with change, or see some nefarious plot in this proposal. I don’t. Many changes to the C&BLs that have been suggested by members – such as, increasing Board alternates, modernizing the antiquated dues process, and updating old-fash-ioned language – require an amendment to the C&BLs. To make those changes, however, we must first amend our cur-

Calling for SignatureS!Join the ConStitution and

By-lawS Signature drive

rent procedures. To be clear, your signature on this proposed amendment will make it possible to bring the Resolution to the membership for voting at the first General Membership meeting after the 90 days have elapsed. In fact, your sig-nature is not a vote of support for the Resolution. It is simply a confirmation that you agree that it can be brought to the General Membership meeting. To pass at that meeting, a two-thirds majority must vote to approve. Meanwhile, I ask you to please con-sider supporting the proposed amend-ment. Talk about the procedural change with your 728 brothers and sisters, and – here comes the hard part – if you agree, PLEASE COME DOWN TO THE LOCAL AND SIGN IT. Sorry about the caps. I do that only to drive the point home, and also to help those who may only read that much of my column. We need 240 signatures to get it to the floor of our General Member-ship meeting for ratification. Once that happens, we can add more alternates to the Executive Board, fix the typos, and whatever else you think we need to do to streamline our governing document in the future. Happy 75th anniversary Local 728!!

“... Our Bill has traveleda long way over the last five months, but we are

far from over ...”

by Patric J. Abaravich, Business Representative, Secretary

PAGE 3

UnionSpotlight

DeceasedJames Michael Weathers, 68 years old, a member since December 13, 1965, passed away on April 14, 2014.

Blaise R. Dahlquist, 61 years old, a member since September 25, 1976, passed away on May 20, 2014.

Jason Wotherspoon, 45 years old, a member since March 10, 2001, passed away on May 22, 2014.

Donald E. Dahlquist, 84 years old, a member since November 8, 1954, passed away on July 5, 2014.

First NoticeJames M. Beaghan, II, Todd Brown, Darin Chisholm, Matt Clifford, Michael Cruz, Jon. W. McGinty, Edward Q. Motts, II, Lee A. Ramsey, Henry Santiago Rodriguez, Theordore Rysz, III and Mathew R. Young.

Second NoticeMatthew H. Benson, Jason Booth, Dylan Buck, Jorge A. Garcia, Eduardo J. Gon-zalez, Fernando Morales, Jr., and Dean A. Peluso.

New membersCongratulations to the following new members who were sworn in: on May 10, Victoria Chenoweth, Joshua Coffman, Mitchell Ebert, Payton Ewing, Adam Kemble, Kyle Robertson, Alex Tamayo and Ryan Tank-er; on May 15, James Boyer;on May 16, Jamey Dunford; on May 20, Eric Fleetwood on May 21, Andrew Joseph Munie; on May 30, Don Ab-ernathy; on June 9, Paul Monroe; on June 16, Sonoko Shimoyama; and on June 18, Julio Cesar Lopez.

roCk StarS:an update on SB1839

The NexTGeNeral MeMbership MeeTiNG

will be held oN July 19, 2014; 9:00 a.M. sharp

iaTse local 7281001 w. MaGNolia, burbaNk

If there’s anybody who doesn’t know what AB1839 is, please wake up and join the party. Over the last

several months, our Bill has successfully moved its way through the Statehouse. Here’s a brief history and summary of where our is Bill today: Feb 18: Our Bill was introduced to the Assembly and then passed onto Assembly Committees; Feb 22: Our massive “Kick-Off ” Rally at Pickwick Gardens; March 25: Our Bill passed the Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, Entertainment and Media Com-mittee with a 7-0 vote and then was referred to the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation; On May 13 our Bill then moved to the Revenue and Taxation Committee and passed with an 8-0 vote moving it to the Assembly Appropriations Com-mittee, which met May 23 and voted 16-0 to move it forward. After leaving the Appropriations Committee it went immediately to the full Assembly, which voted on May 28. The bill passed 76-0. That vote moved our Bill to the State Senate floor; The same day it was sent directly to the Senate floor and read, the Senate moved to pass it on to the Senate Com-mittees. On June 25, the Senate Com-mittee of Governance and Finance passed our Bill with a 6-0 vote. That’s where we are today. It’s been a long time from mid-February to the end of June but we are moving steadily ahead. What are the next steps? Some-time in August, our Bill will go before

the Senate Appropriations Committee and at that point, the price tag will be put on it. I know that will be an interesting set of meetings between Assemblyman Mike Gatto, Assembly-man Raul Bocanegra, State Senator Kevin DeLeon (the chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee), the State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, the State Controller John Chiang, and Governor Brown’s office. This is where they will hash out how much money is going to

be attached to the Bill. At that point, it’s anybody’s guess how much that will be. But I am hoping it will be something comparable to New York’s in-centive program.

Once a number is attached to it, it will go before the Sen-ate Appropriations Committee and vot-ed on. If it succeeds there, it will move back to the Senate floor for a vote. If it’s successful there – since it is now been amended with a price tag on it – it will have to go back to the Assembly floor for a full Assembly vote again. If successful there, it will be directed to Governor Brown’s desk along with a fully inked pen. Our Bill has traveled a long way in the last five months but we are far from over. This is where all the work that we all have done so far will matter the most. A few weeks ago, I asked for letters to the two Committees and the Governor’s office and you guys turned out to be rock stars. Our Local turned in about 1,000 letters. Our biggest push needs to be not just from people that work in the industry, but all concerned

Continued on Page 8

PAGE 4

Everything isHOT IN CLEVELAND

CBS Radford Studios is home to TVLand’s megahit Hot in Cleveland. The show stars television icons Betty

White, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves. From August until late Spring, the production keeps a busy pace. Taped in front of roughly 150 live audience members in a jam-packed Stage One, the production has one permanent set, a semi-permanent swing, and a small swing set area off to the side of the audience. Depending on the episode, produc-tion tends to pre-shoot scenes in that area. The remainder of the show is shot in front of the audience via a swing set that fits inside the living room permanent set. Hot in Cleveland’s weekly schedule is about as tight as the stage they film on. Monday is set aside for production meetings and rigging of sets; Tuesday includes rehearsal – a run through with lights, tweaks and adding some highlights. Wednesday is another rehearsal day with a network run-through and final tweaking. Thursday camera and sound work their magic and the crew will pre-shoot any necessary scenes. Show day is Friday. There’s a camera refresh, break for lunch, then the audi-ence load in. The show starts shooting at 5:00 p.m.; it usually takes three to four hours to complete the 30-minute episode. Set lighting will then strike the swing sets and get ready to roll all over again the next week. Shot with four cameras in HD, the set lighting crew includes lamp operators Claudio Rodriguez and Travis Phung, Dimmer Board Operator Daniel Hofstad, ACLT Josh Jenkins and CLT Chris Elizondo. The show rarely brings in day players.

Lights, Camera, Action! Going Live for the Season Premiere The show’s season opener was the second time the production went live for the premiere. “The difference this year is that we went live then right af-ter us Soul Man went live. Cedric the Entertainer came over and did a scene with us then 15 minutes later he was on his set and Betty White went over to his show and did a cameo,” ACLT Josh Jenkins explained. Production shot the show only once

for both coasts. “We are regularly in front of a live audience which is pretty demanding but going live … the actors don’t have the luxury of messing up and there has to be 100 percent fluidity,” CLT Chris Elizondo said. “We rehearsed and rehearsed and everything was calculated and not overlooked. Literally everything in the script was precisely done until we got it right and we pulled it off and it was one of the most fun things I’ve done in my career. It was my first time being the gaffer and going live on a half-hour sitcom. It was challenging but as a gaffer you draw on all of your expe-rience to pull it off and it really was absolutely one of the funnest things I’ve done.” “For the live show, the actors are flying without a safety net,” Jenkins noted. “For us, we just keep doing our jobs. We’ll be the anchor and keep do-ing what we do.” Moreover, he says there’s a lot of preplanning. “You ask many ques-tions. Frankly, you can’t ask enough. You think about the big picture and outside of what just your department needs; you think about what everyone needs.” “The live show is its own animal. It exists outside the normal structure of the show,” Jenkins said.

“We scraped out the house and put in the cabin set. That was a challenge for us logisti-cally. It was like rigging a pilot; lots of work had to be done. If we would have used our regular set it would have been a bit easier to light because it’s lit every way. Additionally, the depth of the log cabin was challenging but we pulled it off beautifully,” Elizondo said. “From script to going live we had a week and a half,” Elizondo said. “In the end, I

think everybody out there in TV Land got their money’s worth.” Not only did the premiere go live, but it also featured a live commercial in the middle of the show. “It was a big swing set and it was a challenging one with the car and reflections,” Elizondo said. “We only had one time to get it right. We were very detailed in our ap-proach and rehearsed it many times. We were on our toes up until the live feed.” Keeping it simple is key. “I’ve done live before. For me,

Photos Courtesy of Mike Yarish

Back row (L-R): Claudio Rodriguez, Gary Palmer and Travis Phung. Seated (L-R) Daniel Hofstad,

Chris Elizondo and Josh Jenkins.

Dimmer Board Operator Daniel Hofstad

PAGE 5Continued on Page 8

it’s exciting and fast moving, and just so much fun,” DP and 40-year Local 728 member Gary Palmer explained. “As far as the prep, it’s the same. You just keep it simple so it doesn’t get complicated.” “That element of the show of doing it in front of a live audience is pretty cool. The cast and the crew get electricity off of the crowd. As a kid I grew up watching Happy Days and all of those done in front of a live audience. To be able to do it now - work a multi-camera show in front of an audience – is pretty cool. It’s been a fun, fun thing,” Elizondo added.

Lighting the Ladies “I came onto the show this season,” Palmer noted, “and coming from a fash-ion background we did a lighting change about halfway through. We morphed into a softer look with a more comfortable glow and feel. Before, the show was lit really hard and you could feel the harsh-ness. The women love this new lighting and they look fantastic. They can feel the difference.” “It’s a privilege to work with all of the women,” Jenkins pointed out. “There’s not an ego in the bunch. They’ve all had lengthy careers in the TV industry and they’re just absolute sweethearts.” He also points out there aren’t any more issues than any other women shot on film and everybody wants to look younger. Now, you have to be more artis-tic with digital. “There’s no wrong way to light, just different,” Jenkins said. “We tend to go a little bit softer for our ladies. The concept is that they’re ‘Hot in Cleveland’ so we want them to look that way. The softer light helps everybody out. We get the wonderful sharpness but their faces are softer and warmer … makes the women beautiful and the men hand-some.” “The main focus is to make them look good. They absolutely care about their appearance and that’s the utmost sensitivity to us as well as keeping the overall look of the show,” Elizondo ex-plained. “Because we’ve adapted into the soft lighting for the actors, we do try to throw in as much contrast into the show as possible. The sunlight coming through the windows is still hot.” “Our girls trust us,” Jenkins said, “and I get very protective of how they are lit when outside crews come in for interviews and

promos ,” Jenkins said.

Working with a TV Icon “She’s just the cherry on top of the sun-dae,” Elizondo said describing 92-year-old television icon Betty White. “Betty? Oh, she’s the Energizer Bunny,” Jenkins said. “We all wish we had her energy.” “Betty White is just getting started,” Palmer was quick to point out. “You just can’t take your eyes off of her. And you never know what she’s going to say. No matter how many times you watch a scene, it’s always funny.” “Betty is one in a million,” Elizondo said. “I have the utmost respect for her. Her comedic timing is perfect. The way she approaches her job is like no other. She’s very cordial on the set and she gives everything you ask of her technically from opening up her shoulder or leaning a certain way. It’s a fantastic thing. She really is a sweet woman, and a kidder … and a professional. She’s just a gem.”

The Production It’s an ambitious show,” Elizondo said. “We definitely like to have different looks and different sets. It’s been a tough season; slammed with swing sets and ensemble casts. With all that said, we laugh our butts off. The writing is fantastic, and the girls have such a rapport. You can tell they really like and respect each other.” Top to bottom, it’s a great group of folks. I can’t speak highly enough of everybody in production. They really respect the crew,” Jenkins said. “The executive produc-er said everyone is an artist at what they do. That’s a wonderful respect to have for people and it makes them work that much harder.” Elizondo emphasized: “The joys of

working on a sketch comedy permeates throughout the crew. From the lamp ops to the second grip, it’s a very nice atmosphere to be in but we are constantly busy. We have publici-ty like crazy. We are constantly checking the schedule every week to see who’s coming in. It’s never a dull moment.” “Every day on the set is amazing … an ad-venture,” Palmer said. “Our biggest challenge? How do you come up with a show that can beat this one? There is really no big challenge.”

The Crew “We are a pretty well-oiled machine and a lot of that has to do with Josh,” Elizondo said.

“The rapport he has with produc-tion is like I’ve never seen. He’s a working best boy and that made the transition for me that much easier because of his knowledge and know how. He’s definitely the glue of the Set Lighting Depart-ment.” “It’s a team effort. You take the talent that everyone has and allow them to apply their spin on it so they can stay engaged and active in the lighting and in doing that you get the best out of everyone,” Palmer said. “My philosophy is you keep everyone interested and engaged in the process then you

Photos Courtesy of Mike Yarish

ACLT Josh Jenkins

CLT Chris Elizondo

PAGE 6

Farewell,Our Brother

On Saturday, June 15, family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Brother Frank Sontag. Frank was a dynamic member of Local 728 for over 40 years. In that time, he worked as a rigger, lamp opertor, rigging gaffer, ACLT and

CLT. Moreoever, he was an active member serving as Sergeant-At-Arms, Lot Steward, Convention Delegate, Parlia-mentarian, Executive Board Member and President. Frank was also a recipient of the Local’s highest honor, the Gold Card.

Local 728 Business Representative Patric Abaravich welcomed the gathering and introduced Brother Ronadlis Tandy who provided the Invocation and podium ceremonial duties. In addition to a very moving tribute by the United States Military Honor Guard, the musical selection “Hallelujah” was song by member Jane Krueger and Marley Chung. Close friend and Local 728 member Karen Weilacher performed the traditional “Cherokee Morning Song” and delivered a touching Eulo-gy. The service also include a slide presentation and individual rememberances that were both humorous and heartfelt, giving

everyone in attendance a glimpseinto Frank’s remarkable life and a chance

to celebrate one of Local 728’s finest.

FraNk a. soNTaGJuly 6, 1932 - March 30, 2014

”“

PAGE 7

by Alan M. Rowe, Safety & Training Director

Since the tragic events of February 20, all eyes have been on Safety in the Motion Picture/Television

Industry. I have talked with and/or been interviewed by safety officials, the press, lawyers, Business Agents, and crew people all across the country. The general impression from what I have learned is that those who have done their research or know our industry are less inclined to believe the hype. The others who often have little regard for the reality of our industry and are either looking for a dra-matic headline or more time in the spot-light are quick to claim that our industry is incredibly unsafe. The truth is we have experienced a tragedy that has affected all of us and will continue to influence our industry for years to come. It is essential that we move forward together as a stronger safer industry. Our industry is under scrutiny, not just from OSHA, but everyone from the Local AHJ to the national news. The problem lying just below the surface is that if this scrutiny is perceived as a weakness or another accident happens, then there are other forces who will try to exploit it for their gain. Some of these are politicians who see unions as evil, or-ganizations who would like to claim our jurisdictions, manufacturers who would like to exploit an apparent weakness to sell more products, and employers who would rather have wage slaves than quali-fied employees. How do we defend against this and protect ourselves, our sisters and broth-ers, and our very way of life? The answer to this is something that we have heard before but rarely in regards to safety: solidarity.

For those of you who attended the Your Rights Under OSHA seminar we had on May 4, I would like to say thank you. We had a great turnout, not only of Local 728 members but also members of other unions including Teamsters, DGA, and SAG. The discussions on that day really pinpointed where I think we can improve on-set safety. We have the train-ing, the knowledge, and the experience to ensure that our employers to provide a safe environment free from hazards but what we need to improve is a sense of solidarity in a safety culture.

Anyone who has looked at the histo-ry of labor in the United States will see the effects of a long campaign designed to pit workers against each other and weaken the labor movement. Unions exist to protect workers but many of us have forgotten the true strength of a union. It is not a building, war chest, or even a dy-namic leadership. The union is each and every one of us and unity is what gives us strength. It is up to us to stand together

in the face of whatever challenge con-fronts us be it an unacceptable contract or a rogue employer who threatens our livelihood if we don’t risk our health and safety for his or her project. We may be separate departments and different unions or locals but we are one crew. When one of us is put in a tough spot, it is important that all of us rally together to support our brother or sister. This makes us, as individuals, unions, and as an industry, stronger. The other part of this is your con-tinuing education. Not just skills training but training on other topics like what rights you have as an employee and all of the benefits that are afforded you by the union. Do you know how to refuse dangerous work? (You can’t just walk away.) Do you know that employers are supposed to take other actions before requiring the use of PPE? (A respirator should rarely be the first choice.) Do you know who to talk to when there is a safety issue on your set and the 1st AD won’t listen? (You have more options that you think.) Safety issues may not be the most exciting topics in the world but at some point, they could become the most important. The bottom line is that as the scru-tiny gets more intense, and it will, we must pull together with the brothers and sisters of other departments. We have to watch each others’ backs in order to protect ourselves, our crews, our fami-lies, and our industry. If we don’t and a senseless tragedy happens, not only will a family and crew be devastated, the pred-ators will swoop in and try to take away what we and so many before us have worked so hard to create.

We have experienced a tragedy that hasaffected all of us &

will continue to influence our industry for years to come

... The Union is each and every one of us and

unity is what gives us strength. It is up to us

to stand together in the face of whatever chal-lenge confronts us ...

I.A.T.S.E. Local 7281001 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, California 91506

Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians

Visit Your Local at

www.iatse728.org

NONPROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDHUNT. BCH CA

PERMIT #438

ELECTION NOTICE

UpcomingElection of Officers

Please be aware thatNominations for

Election of Officerswill take place at the

September Membership Meetingon

Saturday, September 13, 2014at 9 a.m.

IATSE Local 7281001 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, CA 91506

FOR THE FOLLOWINGOFFICES:

1 - Business Rep/Secretary4 - Executive Board Seats2 - Alternate Executive

Board seats23 - Convention Delegates

8 - CLC Delegates

citizens affected by the loss of film and television jobs. What we need are friends, family, local businesses, churches – any-where you go outside of work – to encourage anybody you know to continue to get letters signed – especially to Gov-ernor Brown. Check out our web site, and if you’ve already signed the Governor Brown letter, thank you. If your spouse and in-laws, neighbors and friends have not signed the letter, please encourage them to do so. Please go to our website and find the letter. As we are coming down towards the end of this race, everybody’s hard work and attention is highly appreci-ated, but at this point we need a burst of energy directed especially to the Gover-nor. I also want to thank everyone for at-tending our 75th anniversary party and for those who participated and took the time to come out and share the time together. A great time was had by all. Now that it’s over, somebody else can start planning the 100th. I wish I had 25 years to plan it out; whoever’s going to do it should start planning it now.

Biz Rep’s ColumnContinued from Page 3

get the best.” “Dan Hofstad our dimmer board oper-ator is a dear friend, a seasoned guy and a fantastic board operator who is always do-ing things on the fly. Sometimes there are huge changes, and all of his plots are per-fect and blueprinted out to the T,” Elizondo said. “He’s also quick and efficient, and he’s always looking to improve his craft.” “The set lighting team works so well together, and they all respect each other,” Palmer said. “They’re open to new ideas on how to improve things.

_______

Season five production wrapped to fantastic ratings just as we were interview-ing the crew. Word quickly came from TVLand that the show has indeed been picked up for a sixth season. Cast and crew return to work in mid-August to begin taping another 24 episodes. Season six is scheduled to wrap the end of March 2015.

Hot in ClevelandContinued from Page 5