· Web viewTALIA PURA, ACTRA MANITOBA PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL COUNCILLOR, PRESENTS HER YEARLY...
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IN THIS ISSUE
ACTRA MANITOBA’S 2014 AGM JUNE 10
President and National Councillor’s report
Treasurer’s report
Political Action report
Training Activities report
PAL Winnipeg report
Women’s Committee report
Jump wins the MIP Golden Boy Award
What is the Victor Cowie Award?
Introducing Fred Penner
Rhonda Barker, Guest Speaker
Why should you sign up for Casting Workbook
The Fairness Works campaign
Outstanding Performance Awards 2014
Stephen Waddell interview
The Quebec industry tax credit cuts
California film tax credits
Congratulations to our Members
Manitoba Members @ Work
AGM Photo Album
TALIA PURA, ACTRA MANITOBA PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL COUNCILLOR, PRESENTS HER YEARLY REPORT ON LOCAL AND NATIONAL HAPPENINGS.
I have been most honoured to represent you at the National Council and work for you, as the President of our local Branch Council, for another year. Thank you to all members who came out to our AGM on June 10. I was pleased to see so many Members in attendance. We presented the Vic Cowie Lifetime Achievement Award to the
Welcome to Tim Nhlazane, joining the Council as Member-at-Large
TREASURER TI HALLAS GIVES US ANOTHER ENCOURAGING
fabulous Fred Penner, who greeted us, cheered on by his daughter Danika and Fred Penner’s Place producer, Lesley Oswald.
We also revised several by-laws, most notably combining the roles of President and National Councillor, and placing a three-term limit on the position (six years), with a four-term (eight years) limit set for all other positions.
Rhonda Baker, of Buffalo Gals, was our guest speaker, giving us a welcome glimpse into some ‘behind-the-scene’ practices within our industry.
Congratulations to Andrew Cecon, for his MIP, Jump, winner of the Golden Boy award, as selected by jury from our seventh annual MIP Showcase.
For next year’s festival, we are again offering grants to our filmmakers – up to $1000 for up to 7 filmmakers. Ask Rob for details. And -- outside of the granting program, we are again encouraging the making of iMIPs-- one-shot, two-minute films made on a personal-recording device. This is within everyone’s grasp, and I would very much encourage all of you to think about making one.
The next festival will again be held in March. That’s plenty of time for you to complete your projects, so, I hope that we will have a lot of them to view. MIP shorts will soon be available for viewing on our YouTube channel.
After a very long and barren winter, I am sorry to acknowledge that this summer is off to a rather slow start. While there is one project currently in prep, there are no others in the pipeline. Hopefully, that is something that will change
FINANCIAL REPORT
ACTRA Manitoba Treasurer, Ti Hallas, reported that we have had another year of very close budgetary projections. She noted that our membership seems to really like percentages. In fact, she went on to say, that ACTRA AGM attendees have been know to “Ooooo” and “Ahhhh” at hearing percentages which are particularly high.
Ti reported that we have unaudited financial reports as at the end of February, 2014 which is the end of our last financial year. For the 2013-2014 fiscal year expenses came in at $241,817 which is 93.09% of projected expenses. At that point, several Members said, “Ooooo”.
Ti reported that revenues came in at $249,144 which is 92.84% of projected revenues. More Members said, “Ahhh”.
soon.
Remember that it is important for each of us to understand and react to what we hear coming out of Ottawa these days that affects us. The current government is doing everything it can to undermine unions. We all know how important our union is in keeping our working conditions and contracts strong. You may have seen the second Canadian Labour Congress’s TV commercials on the theme of ‘Fairness Works’, reminding the public that unions are good for everyone. It is thanks to unions that all workers have safer working conditions, maternity benefits and reasonable wages. In fact, five-day workweeks wouldn’t exist without unions who fought for them. Check out Kevin’s report on political action, and look out for the Fairness Bus in a neighbourhood near you this summer. (See, further, Kevin Longfield’s article.) We are also very cognizant of the civic elections taking place soon and support the Winnipeg Labour Federation’s efforts to elect labour-friendly candidates. With provincial elections being held in 2015, we are setting up meetings, together with other players in the film industry, with all parties and their leaders, to ensure that our needs are acknowledged and our industry funding remains strong.
Please mark Friday, September 19. on your calendar for our next fabulous Gala Awards night. It will be held at the Met Centre this year, and if you missed the last one, be sure to attend this year. Anyone who was there can tell you what a great party it was. (The nominees are listed further.)
Let’s talk about the Performers' Rights Society
Ti continued with the final numbers for the year which are a modest surplus of$7,327, but she emphasized that at least it was a surplus. At the end of February, our total branch surplus was $511,000. Many Members said, “Yay!”
Ti concluded her report by saying that Council has approved a budget for the current fiscal year of 2014-2015 with a similar modest surplus. She added that, hopefully, we will be cheering again, this time next year.
POLITICAL ACTION CHAIR, KEVIN LONGFIELD , GIVES US A HEADS UP ON
(PRS) the department that chases down your old projects and collects your residuals. As of this September, all payments will be made by direct deposit. If you haven’t signed up, you will only get your residual cheques once per year. Even if you aren’t sure that you’ll ever get a residual cheque, please sign up for direct deposit anyway. It will make Manitoba look good to have all of our members on-board.
And after you’ve gone on-line to sign up for direct deposit, please consider visiting the site of Casting Workbook, and exploring what a great tool that is. It’s easy and inexpensive, and will allow you to effortlessly submit your name for projects that are being cast locally, as well as projects in other cities that are open to Winnipeg actors; projects that you won’t even hear about otherwise.
I wish you all a happy summer, filled with family and sunshine, and satisfying days on set!
VICE-PRESIDENT JAN SKENE REVIEWS THE YEAR'S TRAINING ACTIVITIES
ACTRA’s training commitment to our Members is administered and funded through a partnership with Film Training Manitoba (FTM). It is a unique program in Canada and one that offers our Members access to some of the best instructors and professionals in the nation for an extremely reasonable (subsidized) fee to the performer. How the program works (in short) is, through consultation with the Manitoba Membership and FTM, we make a list of instructors/programs we would like to pursue at the beginning of each fiscal year (March). FTM then takes that list,
THINGS POLITICAL ON THE MUNICIPAL AND PROVINCIAL SCENES
This past year could be described as the calm before the storm. In the next twellve months we will see both a municipal and a provincial election, with the strong likelihood of a change in government at the provincial level and a new mayor at the municipal level.
ACTRA and organized labour
Your ACTRA Branch Council for the past few years has tried to create stronger lines with organized labour. This makes sense both at the philosophical level, since we are part of organized labour, and a practical level. The current federal governing party has declared war on organized labour, and ACTRA is as threatened as every Canadian is by this declaration. National President Ferne Downey is on the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) executive and ACTRA
makes inquiries as to availability, fees, etc. and takes over the administrative and operational aspects of booking instructors and running the workshops (within the budget they have allocated for actor training).
With that in mind, it is my hope that Members take full advantage of the opportunities for training through FTM’s ongoing program and, that Members keep in constant communication with ACTRA with suggestions for programming.
In the 2013-2014 year, the following workshops were offered:
Advance Scene Study with Bret Ratner
Working as a Professional Actor with Paul Christie (part of FTM’s Symposium)
Audition Hell with Peter Skagen
Scene Study with Gary Yates
Intro to Voice Work – DaCapo
Electronic Casting Workshop with Carmen Kostyk and Glen Hall (Casting Workbook)
In addition, ACTRA’s in-house Actors’ Gyms were extremely successful and well attended. The instructors were Carmen Kostyk, Gary Yates, Nicholas Rick, Aaron Merke, Tamara Gorski, Darren Wall, Mike O’Brien and John Barnard.
In the upcoming year, we have approved funding for eleven ACTRA Gyms, we have completed one very successful workshop with Tamara Gorsky and have one coming up on July 5 and 6 with Brent Fidler—Stillness on the Camera, The Art of Non-Acting. We will be programming probably three more before the end of March.
has been busy lobbying Parliament on labour issues. Our Branch President Talia Pura made quite an impression at the CLC Annual General Meeting for both her performance on the silks and in the boardroom.
At the local level, Brian Richardson, Rob Macklin and I have attended Winnipeg Labour Council meetings where candidates for the municipal elections have been endorsed. I have also attended Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) Affiliate Caucus meetings. Dave Sauer, Winnipeg Labour Council (WLC) President, attended our last AGM and reported favourably to the next WLC meeting about the enthusiasm evident in our Council.
It is important that we keep strong ties to organized labour. As mentioned earlier, there is a good chance that we might have a change in government at the provincial level, and, if
TI HALLAS, ACTRA'S EX-OFICIO TO THE PAL WINNIPEG BOARD, BRINGS US UP-TO-DATE ON PLANS FOR OUR PERFORMING ARTS LODGE
Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) Winnipeg has been working with the Gas Station Arts Centre and the Old Grace Hospital Housing Co-op to redevelop the River Avenue and Osborne Street site into a multi-faceted project that includes a theatre, commercial space and a housing component. PAL Winnipeg is dedicated to providing affordable multi-age housing for those who need it in the performing and broader arts community in Winnipeg so they can continue to be highly productive contributors to the vibrancy of our neighbourhoods for years to come. It is the arts community “taking care of our own”.
According to PAL Winnipeg President and ACTRA Member Rea Kavanagh, June 10 was a very important day. PAL was making a joint application to the Province for their Request for Proposals for Affordable Seniors Housing. On
Saskatchewan is any example, that might put in jeopardy the tax credits that make filming in Manitoba as vibrant as it is. (See further the article concerning the possible cuts to the Quebec film tax credit.) As the saying goes, the union makes us strong.
At a time when unions and the benefits that flow from the union movement are under attack, it is important to remember what the labour movement has brought to Canadian lives. If you’ve watched the Stanley Cup, you have probably seen ads that make this case. Keep an eye out also for the Fairness Bus, a big green reminder of the need for tax fairness. It is coming to a community near you this summer, and the folks on the bus would love to talk to you.
Other local activities
For the past two years or so, we have been pursuing the idea of Status of the Artist Legislation. The
the same evening, PAL made a presentation to the Fort Rouge Community Committee for rezoning of the site. It was accepted. It now goes on to the Executive Committee.
Already PAL has received significant interest in the housing development and expects to be making firm commitments for their units by fall. If you are interested in affordable housing at this site, we strongly encourage you to become a member of PAL (only $20!), fill out the Housing Survey and express an interest in becoming a resident. Because of the location, the general public will be very interested in these units and we want to ensure that all artists in need as well as any artists in a position to opt for Market Rate apartments are given first consideration.
TI HALLAS REPORTS ON ACTRA MANITOBA'S WOMEN'S COMMITTEE
The ACTRA Manitoba Women’s Committee selected Tina Keeper as its 2013-2014 honoree to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. On March 10, at the MIP Festival, Ti Hallas spoke about Tina and praised her for her achievements in our industry and thanked her for her contributions to our community. “Tina Keeper is an advocate for women, for youth, for the arts and for all Manitobans. She is a Gemini-winning actor, an activist, a producer and a strong role model. She has served on the ACTRA Manitoba Council. She is a former member of the House of Commons, and is a recipient of the Order of Manitoba and an Aboriginal Achievement Award.”
provincial government expressed some interest in the idea at a consultation. Discussions continue.
JUMP WON THE MOST OUTSTANDING MIP, 2014
ACTRA Manitoba’s Golden Goy Award for the 2014 Most Outstanding Member-Initiated Project (MIP) was presented to the cast and crew of Jump.
Congratulations go to the cast:
Glen Thompson – Randy
Michelle Boulet – Clara
Daria Puttaert – Waitress
Andrew Cecon – Tad the IT Guy
WHAT IS THE VICTOR COWIE AWARD?
In 2006, the ACTRA Manitoba Council decided to set up an award to honour certain Members. That year, Doreen Brownstone was given the Life Achievement Award.
The following year, in memory of Victor Cowie, it was renamed the Victor Cowie Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Performing Arts.
Victor Cowie was a long-time Member of ACTRA and was closely associated with the performing arts scene in Winnipeg. Professor of literature at the University of Manitoba, he wrote and produced a well-received film about university life, And No Birds Sing, one of the early feature films produced in Manitoba. He appeared in a great number of Winnipeg films in an impressive variety of roles. Actor, writer, director, producer, he was held in highest regards as a lecturer on Shakespeare and Milton.
and the crew:
Sarah Constable – Writer, Director and Editor
Andrew Cecon and Nicholas Palinka – Producers
Nicholas Palinka – Director of Photography
Andrew Cecon – Props
Michelle Boulet – Costumes
Gislain Kibaga, Rob McLaughlan, Andrew Cecon, Claire Friesen – Sound and Crew
Other recipients of the Victor Cowie Award are Daphne Korol, Evelyn Anderson, Marilyn Boyle, Lionel Moore, Olie Alto and Lou Kliman.
JAN SKENE PRESENTS FRED PENNER, RECIPIENT, VICTOR COWIE AWARD
I am extremely honoured to be presenting our friend and colleague, Fred Penner, with ACTRA Manitoba’s Victor Cowie Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Performing Arts.
Many of you will remember the song Fred sang when he appeared from the log at the beginning of every Fred Penner’s Place show. I will sing you a bit…
What a day, what a day, Filled with surprises What a day, what a day, Friends by your side,
Actually the theme of our presentation is,
What a life, what a life, Filled with achievements, What a life, what a life, Friends by your side.
When introducing Fred on his show recently,
BRIAN RICHARDSON SHARES REMINICES ABOUT HIS FRIEND FRED PENNER
I first encountered Fred at one of the Sunday Cabaret evenings at the Manitoba Theatre Workshop in the old Exchange Building which is now part of the Red River College campus on Princess Street. He was performing with his pal, Al Simmons. What struck me was that here was a fellow with a fine musical talent and a touch of lunacy, a wonderful combination. The two of them joined with several similarly
George Stroumboulopoulos called him a “giant” in the family entertainment world—and he truly is! Fred is a Canadian icon and we are so proud to claim him as our own here in Manitoba.
Fred has composed and written the lyrics for hundreds of songs, produced twelve children’s albums for which he has been recognized throughout North America with numerous awards including eight Juno nominations and two Juno awards and as a four-time recipient of the US Parents’ Choice Award. Fred has performed for literally millions of children over the years. He has also “treaded the boards” throughout his career—most recently starring in MTYP’s cross-country tour of The Cat Came Back. Fred will reprise his role of Captain Hook in Peter Pan this winter at MTYP. And these are just two of many.
Fred is a humanitarian of the highest order having travelled to Zambia in 2005 with World Vision and working with Unesco, Unicef and performing for almost every charity event that ever was. He has been honoured with the Order or Canada and the Order of Manitoba. And through all of this he and Odette raised four wonderful children—Kendra, Danica, Haley and Damian—and now he is a Grandpa as well.
We, the Members of ACTRA Manitoba, are honouring Fred tonight specifically for the incredible body of work he created under ACTRA’s jurisdiction. His national television series, Fred Penner’s Place, was seen on CBC for 12 seasons—close to 900 shows in the can. Many of our Members and other local musicians were featured on Fred Penner’s Place—Al Simmons, Stan Lesk, Judy Cook, Heidi Hunter, Tracy Dahl, Jake Chenier to name a few. But I doubt there is anyone
inclined musical chaps and formed the group Kornstock. When CBC was to produce a series of shows featuring their band we (meaning Confidential Exchange, the comedy troupe of which I was a member) were invited to join the show. When asked, Fred was immediately able to sing the title song of the show, Buffalo Chips. I could not help commenting that Fred is always willing to sing at any excuse.
Fred and Al were longtime pals and both are tall fellows, they both take an unusual size of shoe, 13. So, whenever either came upon a pair of shoes in that size that he liked he would buy two pairs so they could each have a decent pair. Over the years Fred and I had occasion to perform together, sometimes in work I had written. He always brought a lively spirit, his musicality, and his touch of lunacy to bear
in our province who can claim to have had anywhere near 900 television gigs, never mind being the star, the composer, the singer and a hero to a decade of Fred Heads, and now, through his live performance to the adult versions of all his formerly young fans and to their children.
I was privileged to work side by side with Fred for the last five seasons of his amazing run on Fred Penner’s Place (well really up and down—I was down here—he was up there). I skipped the peach velour sweat suit era, and the psychedelic button up shirt era and started in during the signature vest stage. (Do some you-tubing, you’’ll see what I mean.)
Fashion anomalies aside, watching Fred work was truly inspiring. Although it may have looked like a smooth little show (thanks to Lesley Oswald, the producer), the schedule and production side of putting the show together was gruelling. Fred would arrive early each morning with the songs of the episode written, or re-worked and ready to rehearse with the band and often a guest performer; he had his lines down pat and set off to do most shoots in one or two takes—with three to four cameras live switching, and a live band. This was not an easy task. There were forest dust, prickly trees, out-of-control bark chips, nasty little puppets (and puppeteers—me), props hell, thinning hair lines, and many last-minute crisis that had to be sorted out while remaining still calm, on schedule, on task and in tune.
Fred always remained true to his ideals and drew on his incredible talent and generous personality to give the very best of himself. He focused solely on the integrity of the show knowing that his child audiences always came first. He never lost site of
on whatever we did.
After Kornstock disbanded Fred went looking for a new avenue for his talents. He started by singing to old folks, (they were probably about the age we are now), and then decided to perform for the very young folks. It was there he found the perfect niche for his talent and interest. He has followed his ethics and principles and brought them to bear on his work. The youngsters he once sang to are grown up now and, curiously, he still performs for them, only on university campuses and bars where they still sing along.
A few years ago Fred was in Saskatoon at the same time I was. He was performing at a Green Festival. I was there with Green Kids and our veggie oil powered bus. In the evening we got together for a beer at the Bessborough Hotel, the
the positive influence he was able to have on children and their families and regarded that as a huge responsibility, which he has done with grace and humility and which he continues to do with each new challenge he takes on. He is the most authentic, and genuine person I have ever met.
Fred ended each and every one of his television shows with his song “Take Good Care Of Each Other”.
Take good care of each other, That’s what friends like to do, Let your sister and brother, Help you learn that it’s true, We all need to feel wanted for the people who we are, So take good care, take good care, Take good care of each other.
Fred, tonight this gathering of your ACTRA brothers and sisters are here to pay tribute to you and to take care of you by presenting you with the Victor Cowie Award. We are so proud to be able to say you are a Manitoban, we are proud to be able to count ourselves amongst your legion of fans and we are so proud to be able to call you our friend and our brother.
old, grand, railway hotel that’s a first cousin to the Hotel Fort Garry. A group of young women, close to their thirties I would guess, were sitting together nearby in evening wear. They recognized Fred and asked him to have his picture taken with them. He graciously did, so much to their delight. Fred is always gracious with the public, a quality I admire. A short time after, Stéphane Dion entered the room. He too sought out Fred, only it was to ask him to accompany the—at that time—Liberal leader on a walkabout at the Green Festival next morning. Again, Fred graciously accepted the invitation.
He remains gracious and very much the entertainer. Just ask him to sing and you’ll see how much!
KEVIN LONGFIELD EXPLAINS THE FAIRNESS EXPRESS VISIT TO MANITOBA—THE BIG GREEN BUS
Until August 15, Manitobans might notice a large green bus at public events. It is part of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) Fairness Works campaign. This campaign arose from the economic crisis of 2008. After a acceding to pressure for a stimulus program, the federal government initiated an austerity campaign that targeted unions and public employees. In response to this scapegoating,
RHONDA BAKER, GUEST SPEAKER, AGM
I am Rhonda Baker, Producer, Line Producer, Supervising Producer, Production Manager and, since January, 2013, Vice-President of Production for Buffalo Gal Pictures
I moved to Winnipeg from Regina where I spent most of my career producing under my own company. With the elimination in Saskatchewan of our Film Employment Tax Credit, it meant relocating to a new territory and for me that was Manitoba. And I am happy to be here. My past includes producing several big features such as Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, The Messengers, that opened #1 in the U.S. box office in 2007, Faces In The Crowd, a Canada-France treaty co-production filmed in Winnipeg, and Aloft, a Canada-Spain treaty co-production that was in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014, as well as television series. My Winnipeg career started with The Diviners, then on to The Stone Angel, Strings and Siberia.
NUPGE launched its Fairness Works campaign to attack spending cuts, privatization, and targeting of public sector pensions. Part of this campaign is the Income Inequality Bus. This bus promotes the All Together Now! and Together Fairness Works campaigns. The bus will arrive at a number of events and public gatherings, including the Winnipeg Fringe. If you see the bus, don’t be shy. The campaign workers’ goal is outreach. They want to hear your stories about income inequality and how austerity is affecting you. They want your input and advice, and they want your enthusiasm and support. For more information, and to learn when the bus might be coming to a place near you, go to www.nupge.ca
Now that I have shared with you that I have earned my white and grey hair, I want to tell you about the wonders of casting in Winnipeg, or, for that matter, casting in general.
When we are putting together a project, there are many times when we have partners that call the shots on the preliminary casting of the movie. Usually, this is because of our investors and the potential sales that cast names bring to the project. I would love to argue that outside talent trumps all, but it is more about “stars” or “A-listers” or “B-listers”. This assists a distributor in recouping the investment and sometimes determines who is cast in a movie. It isn’t always a level playing field.
Having done several movies in Manitoba, I can speak from experience that the talent base here is quite outstanding and we don’t have to stray far outside of Manitoba for many of the roles in our movies.
I’d like to address why we sometimes cast outside Winnipeg before casting in Winnipeg. It isn’t because we lack confidence in your talent, it is because we are not always the lead producer of a project. But we do have the ability to encourage our partners to cast locally, to make them understand we have talent here and that we support that talent. It is easier to convince producers of a movie like Steel and Stilettos, a Canadian-content movie with a budget under two million dollars than one like Heaven Is For Real, a Sony production of twenty-five million dollars.
Local casting is so important to our sales pitch for the cast available in Manitoba. There has to be a belief that we can cast the movie from here for
Stephen Waddell, National Executive Director of ACTRA discusses recent wins, losses and challenges that lie ahead for our organization
PLAYBACK Magazine, June 26, 2014
by Playback Staff
While the Canadian production sector is thriving, new media continues to put pressure on Canada's unions, guilds and professional associations. Digital production and distribution are disrupting known business models and, as a result, the agreements that bind parties within those models are under stress. However, periods of change are when unions and guilds
our partners to believe it is true. I’m not going to pretend that every male actor in Winnipeg can be Bruce Greenwood or Ryan Reynolds or Ryan Gosling and every female can be Sarah Polley or Ellen Page or Rachel McAdams but most times we can’t afford those names so why don’t we turn to Manitoba talent before we look for other Canadian choices? The reason I would have to repeat is that our decisions on casting are usually impacted by our partners.
I believe that Winnipeg has the talent of the likes of the stars I named but we just don’t always have the opportunity to prove it.
Recently I line-produced a dance movie in Winnipeg. Not only did we “star cast” from outside of Canada, we also hired Canadians living in LA; but these were dancers. Casting in Winnipeg was extensive and we had several sessions. But the producers take their lead from the Casting Director on which roles would be easy to cast in the province and roles where we might have to cast a broader net. Having the Winnipeg casting directors believe in our talent is also the best chance of landing a role.
There are times when we have all the right pieces in place and we still cast elsewhere; but in fairness it can be for reasons outside our control. It can be because the director is familiar with cast from elsewhere, or the director is from elsewhere in Canada and they know the talent available in that province, or it can be a friend- relative-favour… All of those do come into play at certain times.
But casting a movie filmed in Manitoba with Manitoba cast gives us the best return on
thrive, forcing discussion, compromise and, optimally, agreement between working parties.
Canadian organizations representing screen industry professionals discuss recent wins, losses and challenges ahead. We feature an interview with Stephen Waddell, national executive director of ACTRA.
At present, what is/are the biggest challenge(s) facing your membership?
As always, increasing work opportunities for Canada's professional performers is our biggest challenge.
How are you working to address that challenge?
Organizing our jurisdiction. Making it simpler to engage professional performers under our contracts. Pushing for more Canadian-scripted programming on all our screens.
investment because we get provincial and federal tax credits on our own talent. This is a sales tool that I use repeatedly and that is why we sign residency declarations and pay our taxes here. I don’t want you to think you are hired just because you come from here. But you are a marketing tool when producers are selling filming in Manitoba and we are not embarrassed to say that we have a lot of talent and it returns us a very nice tax incentive.
ACTRA has long been known for their IPA and producers know the terms and conditions the talent works under. But there are incentives for filming outside of Toronto and Vancouver and these are in place to help us sell filming in parts of the country where we don’t produce over one billion dollars of production yearly. Giving us some perks helps us sell the regions like Manitoba.
Cast and crew are at the mercy of production and in many cases unaware of what is brewing and waiting to be green-lit and spring into action. It is a tough position but I can only imagine that landing a role is so exciting and delivering a great performance a highlight for the individual involved. I appreciate and applaud your talent because I’m aware of how hard your job is. Given that I have no acting talent whatsoever, I can appreciate the difficult role you play.
I can honestly say that my boss, Phyllis Lang of Buffalo Gal Pictures, and our in-house producer, Liz Jarvis, have been supporters of this community for a couple of decades. They believe in the talent that exists here and they are the first to offer up local talent for our projects. As a company we work very hard trying to develop or
What were some of your wins in the last year?
We negotiated an excellent collective agreement with Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame developers and publishers. And we assisted our B.C. Local UBCP/ACTRA to secure a good settlement in their B.C. Animation Agreement negotiations.
What will be the issue that has the greatest impact on your membership in the next five years?
Given that the new technologies give practically anyone the opportunity to create recorded product, the challenge will be to ensure that high-quality, distinctive Canadian programming finds platforms for audiences to enjoy. Cutting through the formulaic and amateur product with unique Canadian-scripted production will become increasingly challenging with the
partner on projects that can film in Manitoba. We have a good relationship with Rob Maclin and ACTRA and we endeavour to produce quality productions with your talent in our pictures.
Why should you sign up for Casting Workbook - Bradley Sawatzky tells you why...
For the cost of a latte a month (which is tax deductible) the first ten reasons that come to mind:
- You receive email notices for when a project is casting in Winnipeg. You must click this option.
- You get to see breakdowns/sides/directors/producers.
proliferation of distribution platforms.
- You get to submit for the character(s) you wish.
- When an audition is confirmed you are sent everything in one email. Sides, script (when available) location, times, etc.
- When producers call a Casting Director about what actors are available in Winnipeg, CW showcases actors that’re here.
- When your taped audition is put forward by casting your headshot and resume are tagged onto it by the site. If you’re not on CW a blank bubble appears.
- Their helpline is awesome, and they encourage you to call.
- This is the industry norm for casting directors nationally.
- It buys you time. If a notice goes up and you read that a project takes place in Texarkana, you can begin prepping that accent sometimes days before the audition notices are sent out.
- Local Casting Directors Carmen Kotyk and Jim Heber both utilize it.
California lawmakers could soon take action to stem the flight of television and movie productions to other states and foreign countries by renewing and possibly expanding their film tax credits.
By Mike Gatto, LA Time June 26, 2014
California lawmakers could soon take action to stem the flight of television and movie productions to other states and foreign countries.
Legislation to renew and possibly expand a 5-year-old state income-tax break for shooting in the Golden State cleared a key state Senate panel… and is only a few more votes away from landing on the governor's desk.
The bill, AB 1839… has enjoyed a smooth ride. It hasn't received a single "no" vote in two Assembly committees, the full Assembly and, most recently, the Senate
The Quebec industry is concerned about proposed film tax credit cuts—will Manitoba face similar threats?
Playback Magazine 19 June, 2014 By Etan Vlesing
[Should the Manitoba film industry have to face a similar situation in the future, defenders of our film tax credit will most likely be using these same arguments against weakening it.]
The cash-strapped Quebec government cutting its labour-based film tax credits by 20% has unleashed a wave of industry criticism.
“English-language production is very mobile and risks disappearing altogether if Quebec’s tax credits aren’t competitive enough with those of other jurisdictions such as Ontario, British Columbia or the state of New York,” Janis
Governance and Finance Committee.
But a big question mark remains: How much money in tax breaks will the state provide?
The proposal's authors want to extend - and possibly expand - a program that began in 2009 that has provided $100 million annually in tax credits for certain feature films, made-for-television movies and new television series.
Some supporters of the bill want to increase the total amount authorized to $400 million. But, so far, no dollar figure has been included in the bill.
The aim is to increase financial incentives available to the state film commission to encourage producers to film in California and not be lured away by better deals offered by New York, Louisiana, New Mexico and Canada.
So-called runaway film production has reduced California feature shoots by nearly half in the last 15 years and become a serious threat to the legendary movie industry…
The loss of high-paying jobs and local tax revenue motivated movie studios, Southern
Ludman, producer and co-president of the Quebec English-Language Production Council said Thursday in a statement.
On June 4, Quebec finance minister Carlos Leitao trimmed the province’s refundable tax credit for film and TV production by one-fifth in value, from a 35% tax rebate to 28% when unveiling his latest provincial budget.
And the refundable tax credit for film production services went from 25% to 20%, again reduced by one-fifth in value.
These refundable tax credits, available beyond Quebec’s 25% all-spend tax credit base for certain unrestricted categories, offset labour costs for multimedia and film content produced by a Quebec company, and may be increased when certain conditions are met by producers for bonuses.
But Quebec’s newly-elected government cutting corporate tax credits across the board by 20% has alarm bells ringing in the provincial film, TV and digital sectors.
“The trust relationship is at risk of being broken not only with the province’s investors, but also with
California governments, economic development offices and service companies, such as caterers and payroll firms, to press for the bigger incentive program.
The need for a new tax credit became even more evident Tuesday when FilmL.A. released an annual survey that showed local TV-pilot shoots in Los Angeles had hit a record low. Only 44% of the 203 pilots filmed nationally were made in the L.A. area, down from 52% in the previous 12 months ending in May, FilmL.A. said.
Most of the others were shot in New York, Atlanta and the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto.
The loss of pilots' business is particularly frustrating to Southern California officials because studios spend millions of dollars on them and employ large crews. Each pilot costs between $6 million and $8 million to make.
The cost of the proposed film tax credits in the Gatto-Bocanegra bill has been left blank while California lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown finished crafting a state budget for the spending year that begins July 1.
foreign investors, especially regarding the long-term sustainability of the programmes that draw them to Quebec,” said Jean Ducharme, VP, operations at Technicolor in Montreal, in his own statement.
In Quebec, as elsewhere, film tax credits grease the wheels of local and foreign production, even as governments everywhere look to cut costs where possible to balance budgets.
Héléne David, minister of culture and communications in Quebec, has asked industry players to submit briefs to a parliamentary commission on Quebec’s tax system in September.
Quebec producers, urging that film tax credits have a multiplier effect in bolstering economic activity, urged the provincial government to abandon short-term thinking to achieve a zero deficit.
“Cutting back on tax credits in cinema and television won’t reduce Quebec’s deficit; it’ll increase it!” producer Nicole Robert said in a statement.
“English-language production is very mobile and risks disappearing altogether if
Now that Brown has signed the budget, backers of the bill can negotiate the size of a renewed California film tax credit program. An agreement is expected in time for an upcoming hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Brown has remained noncommittal about whether he'd support a boost in the film tax credit of any size.
"We have to be careful because the desires are endless and they become needs very quickly," the governor said in January. "There is a bit of an arms race between one state and another state. But I feel very loyal to the movie industry, and it's part of California.... We certainly want to keep as much production as we possibly can"
Quebec’s tax credits aren't competitive enough with those of other jurisdictions such as Ontario, British Columbia or the state of New York,”
Our sincere thanks to Mandeep Sodhi for designing our new SCREEN DOOR
Local Winnipeg filmmakers Natalia Longley, Ali Tataryn and Antosia Fiedur claimed the Audience Choice Award for their ACTRA short film Bloody Mary at this year’s Crankyfest, a film festival about periods. The award was announced on May
28th in Toronto on Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Ti Hallas’s iMIP The Swimming Lesson won this year’s ACTRA Manitoba Crocus Award, was shortlisted for the NSI Online Short Film Festival as well as the Gimli Film Festival Manitoba Shorts Program. It is being broadcast on CBC Manitoba’s Short Shots Program through the summer.
Euphoria brought home the top award for Best of Show at the Female Eye Film Festival, a competitive Toronto festival showcasing works from around the world.
Brenda Gorlick was shortlisted for a Winnipeg Arts Council Award in the Investors Group "Making a Difference" category.
MANITOBA MEMBERS @ WORKDarcy Fehr, Heaven is for Real, principal; Cashing In, principal; Dark Rainbow, principal; Daina Leitold, Excorcism of Mary Harley, principal; Intersection, principal; Mel Marginet, Nurses Union, Stilletoes, principal; Brian Richardson, MPI, voice; Manitoba Builder Bonds, voice, Mandeep Sodhi, Cashing In, principal; The Plan, Writer, Cinematographer, Director.
ACTRA MANITOBA, 203-245 McDermot Avenue ● Winnipeg ● MB ● R3B 0S6
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ACTRA AGM 2014 Photo Album
