A New Threat to California Film, Television and Streaming Jobs (Opinion)
01.08.2022 - 19:49
/ variety.com
Charles Rivkin Enjoying the Golden Age of film and TV franchises? Legislation rapidly moving in Sacramento could bring it all to a crashing halt.Film, television, and streaming have never given us so much content to love. In 2021 alone, nearly 950 films entered production and 560 original scripted series were released to U.S.
audiences – an all-time high. Many were created here in California.But those projects are only possible when complex production schedules involving hundreds – or at times even thousands – of people can be synced up to the talent’s availability.
If producers can’t solve that scheduling Rubik’s Cube, audiences will lose out on captivating and continuous stories, putting California’s creative economy (which supports nearly 570,000 jobs each year) at risk. And that’s exactly what a proposal being rushed through the legislature, AB 437 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, would do.
By virtually banning the exclusive employment agreements used today as the foundation of film, television and streaming productions, this bill would jeopardize countless productions in this state. And while it is being sold as a “pro-artist” labor reform, in practice AB 437 would tie the hands of performers and studios as they work to negotiate creative deals that move exciting new projects forward.Exclusivity agreements for performers provide the certainty necessary for producers to finance, insure, plan for and complete major feature film, television and streaming projects, particularly those involving long-term story arcs.
They assure writers and showrunners that characters developed in one season can be brought back for subsequent storylines. When fans, talent and crew all clamor for a second or third season, the tailored
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