jacefivesound

I've heard of this happening, but it seems under most normal circumstances the LA hires get their hollywood rates (as you should, it's the contract you've earned) Clearly things are not always as they should be, though. Regardless, it's certainly a double edged sword for me. Without the ASA allowing productions to get $31/hour utilities locally I wouldn't have been able to break into features by returning to Boston. But, I'll continue to fight for fair pay knowing that the money they COULD pay me is being used for silly things like flying in PAs, and padding the pockets of the 20 VIPs on their cell phones talking over takes. Sorry if this post makes no sense. It's 4:45AM and I'm about to get back at it.

I haven't heard or voted on anything yet, but I've been working 70 hour weeks so I'm a bit out of the loop at the moment.

Let's say for the sake of example they are shooting in Boston, since that's where I am. If they pull crew from LA they pay their Hollywood rate, plus housing, per diem, and all the compensation required by their contracts for working away from home. When they hire local they deal with the local ASA contract and treat us accordingly. As far as I know there is no area that isn't covered by either the hollywood basic or an ASA contract, so it depends where you're from. Same work, lower pay. Feel free to tell me cost of living applies, and I'll tell you it cost me less to live in LA than it does here, but hey, what do I know. I have no doubt studios are aiming for the ASA to be the ONLY contract, and as I've said before, having multiple contracts in what has become a national industry only hurts the employee.

That's certainly not how it works out here. The 'set' rate is the 2nds rate, 'per negotiation' has helped our keys get closer to what they feel they are worth, since we're a studio mechanics local and can't set individual key rates. (for example, if we set key rates, the mixer, video assist, key grip, gaffer etc would simply get the same rate) This is untrue for Low budget one offs, 'Tier' movies and the commercial agreement, obviously, where all rates are set.

I think it should be pointed out the ASA is different depending upon which area you're in. For example, in New England keys under the ASA are "per negotiation" with no rate given. The 2nd and 3rd rates are roughly $15/hour less than the Hollywood basic.

Must have outboard gear in a rack. I don't care what it does. Doesn't even have to work.

I've said it before, and I've been shot down before, but if we don't all (hollywood basic and ASA) ask for the same treatment, producers are going to go where the contract asks for the least. You can say "we in Cali deserve to get paid the best" but what's the best when they take all the work away, and force you to work under ASA or not work at all? One union, one contract.

I know you all want to produce, and that's fine, but know that your crew will respect you more if you know - and care - what they do all day.

Where are you located, where did you go to school (or did you have any formal training), and (i assume this is a no) are you in the union? EDIT Disregard, found the answers...

mc35s and mc40s are not affected by the servo bias because they don't utilize the power pins. they are completely backwards compatible, at least to 400 series stuff.

+1 for Mr. Turrett! I am also in Boston, but unavailable until, it seems, the end of time.

Nothing worse than going 6 months between using a piece of gear and then finding a corroded battery stuck firmly in there. Not saying you'd go that long without using the nomad, but it's just good practice.

I can't say enough good things about New Endian's iphone apps. Plus people love to pretend to be robots when you dweedle their mic on and off from your phone.

Their budget restriction on power cables just got screwed by their need to hire a sound editor. now a $100 stinger looks pretty appealing.

So what happened there, the rack drawer can't support the O1v and you use your thirds head as a table? Does he get a little bowl of water or something??? No, in all seriousness, looks like a hard working utility! I see headphones and not even any crack showing. Impressive.

I use the manfrotto pole that learned about from Jan M. I mount one on top and the other just a little lower using an ultraclamp - to get good space between them. When I get my hands on the K-TEK shark that's where I'll be going...

Well, that depends on content and your personal preference, etc, but if someone rolled it back to -17, which is a possible setting, then it would kick in at much lower levels than normal. Describe the noise in more detail if possible.

Is it possible someone changed your limiter threshold, or some other limiter setting?

If you work before call enough you will get a "talking to" by someone sooner or later. 5 minutes is one thing but don't give the work away, ask for a precall so you get paid! The teamsters will keep the trucks closed here in Boston if they have to as well. I consider myself both a mixer and a utility, which is funny I know, but I mix small shows, reality, second unit and I utility on the big shows when I can. I work with a regular team and I think the mixer I work under tends to like that I "Think like a mixer" and can (usually) plan ahead the way he would. Of course it helps that we've done several shows together now and so much can go unspoken. Something I wanted to note, Jan, your list is great. You're always able to articulate things very nicely, a gift I don't always have when delegating responsibility... The only issue I have is here. Most of the time a third, when working for a new boss, asks these questions fully well knowing that the answer is yes, but we've all had the "don't touch anything without telling me" talk, and I think that's why thirds will timidly ask questions when they know the answer is yes. They don't want to rifle through your things without letting you know they are going to go through your things. The mixer/boom/utility relationship is a unique one to every set. I like Jan's standards very much, but people taking hard notes, remember the rules will slightly change from mixer to mixer, and you'll do best to make yourself versatile and fit into the way the mixer and boom work. Even if it's that perfectly timed bottle of water for your boom op, the little things you do can make their day a thousand times easier.

Well said Whitney!

When I started I was an A2 on big reality tv (32 + talent, mic fixes constant, all I had time to do) It was a normal position, but nothing like what you've described. Yes I learned to mix, but it wasn't expected of me, and the lowest I made was $300/10 This is attitude going the way of "jr camera operator" as in: "accept the shit rate to be a part of the department or enjoy never advancing your career!" Another thing companies are doing is calling the 2nd mixer position A2 which is incorrect and misleading, if you're mixing, you're a sound mixer. at least that's the way I see it.

Rates are dependent on the budget of the film, to a point. Each local will decide a contract based on size of show, and that will determine how much the crew makes. The larger the show the more parties are involved with this negotiation. There are a few different 'tiers' of films below the typical big budget blockbuster. Reality would have to run under its own unique contract, and there does not yet exist, that I'm aware of, any standard contract for reality TV. What you say about reality rates is sort of correct from what I've seen. A nicer unscripted show will pay a little bit more, although gear is really where I've found the money to be made once you get to the $500-$550/day mark, for 10 or 12 hours depending on where you are in the country. The good companies are aware what gear costs and are willing to pay it, the bad companies just ask for it all to be thrown in. Many things in contractual situations are set on precedent, so while you may see several tiers of reality show contracts, with slightly different pay structures, one would expect between $450 and $600 to continue to be a norm for a mixer rate for 10-12 hours. Another thing to keep in mind is contracts are written in terms of hourly pay, not minimums (minimums are actually 8 or 9 hours usually, depending on contract). So you'd expect to see something around $40/hour (as you pointed out, (40x8)+((40x1.5)x4) = $560 (for a 12 hour day) as a decent reality mixer rate. The shows you have worked on where they gave meal penalties, calculated OT correctly, ETC, they do based on union rules even though no union is there looking over their shoulders. I like to believe these companies actually respect their employees, but their motivation is likely so the union doesn't bother to come knocking. Either way, you're seeing union rules followed in a non union environment, which is the precedent being set of how a union reality show should work.

JohnPaul, it seems to me, from discussions that I've had, that your reality mixer rates wouldn't change, and you'd probably still be able to negotiate yourself a better rate (if you're able to now) - the difference would be payments into a benefit/retirement fund, and attention paid to a contractual way to treat employees when it comes to job classification, overtime, meal breaks, wrongful termination, etc... Also FYI, "reality" mixer rates are roughly equal to union utility or boom rates for features. It's not as easy as that but it gives an idea...

Richard, 481 has a flat contribution per day from the employer to our health fund. If we have enough in our fund to qualify we get the option for insurance. We can pay toward the fund if the amount in our accounts is too low to cover the cost of one quarter of insurance (it is done by the quarter) - I believe there is a stipulation to how much or often you can pay in your own money, but I don't know the finer details. It sucks to realize part of the reason we get hired and the work comes here (to new england) is because their residuals don't have to go back into your health care, therefor perpetuating a problem that we wish didn't exist. But you know the crap politics of this business better than anyone else, it would seem. They continue to chase pennies around the country.

Richard is right, and I often forget how hard it is to have a union conversation on this forum. Hollywood locals are facing different problems than other locals, and most of us don't identify where we are from. I am in 481, and I realize our H&W structure is not the same as the Hollywood locals' plans. This, it seems, is why people here feel that all union organization is done for money into the health plan, as Hollywood's health plan is in a bit of financial trouble right now,. Regardless, maybe it is the idealist in me, but I see much good in the push to unionize our work. I also see good in using the union to train and better our membes, and that is why I like to see the trend of turning the work. The show that I'm about to start is about unions, so I think the content got us the contract, so to speak...