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THE PEG-BOARD -- Information Superhighway Edition -- July 1994
This is a monthly posting of excerpts from THE PEG-BOARD, the newsletter
of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists and Affiliated Optical
Electronic and Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE. THE PEG-BOARD is also
published in printed format.
This file is available by anonymous ftp, along with a number of other
files about Local 839. The address is:
ftp.netcom.com:/pub/mpsc839
Local 839 IATSE is the largest local union of motion picture graphic
artists in the world. We have over 1,600 active members employed in
animation and CGI in Southern California.
In this month's issue:
* From The Business Representative, by Steve Hulett
* From The President, by Tom Sito
* Letter to the President, by Ellen C. Jensen Klugherz
* Strike Fund: The Debate Continues
* Strike Fund Q & A
* Survey Response Excerpts
* "What's The 'Going Rate'?"
* Letter To The Editor, by Ann Guenther
* "Year Of Rage" Update
* At The Water-Cooler
* In Memoriam
* Positions Available
* Animated Features On The Way
* In The News
* Masthead
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FROM THE BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE
As I write, The Lion King has exploded for a $100-million gross in
eleven days, heading toward $200 mil like a rocket.
What a difference seventeen years make.
I was a young twenty-something nincompoop working at Disney, watching
Woolie Reitherman shred animators and storypersons for lunch, listening
to the wise old Disney vet Larry Clemmons regale me with tales of the
Hyperion days ("they called it the Golden Age, Steve, but I'll tell ya,
when the production manager came into your room at five on Friday and
asked you to work on Saturday for free, it wasn't the Golden Age to
me.")
Back in those halcyon times, the era of wide lapels and bushy sideburns,
Disney animated features were pulling in big profits for the studio.
Live action was lacklustre, but The Rescuers was making $40 million
domestic and more than that overseas. CEO Card Walker buttonholed Woolie
in the second- floor hall and told him the studio would double the size
of the animation staff, would construct a whole new building for
animators ...
So here we are, more than a decade and a half later, come full circle.
Animated features are once again the profit center for the Disney
Company. Videocassettes, character merchandising, huge box office both
foreign and domestic. As in the seventies, live action is lacklustre.
Only this time, management is increasing the animation staff, and
actually putting the finishing touches on a new animation building for
the crews that create the blockbusters.
So where do we go from here? What's in it for the animation employees
who push the pencils and run the computers and turn out the product that
help furnish the upper crust with the manna for their Aspen summer
houses and their exotic cars?
From the look of things, employment opportunities are going to be
bountiful for the next few years. Time Warner, visions of Disney-sized
profits dancing in its crafty corporate head, steadily builds a Feature
Division. Amblimation, the huffing and puffing of Universal execs to the
contrary, transplants itself from London to Los Angeles piece by piece.
Don Bluth hovers over the horizon, ready to start a studio in Phoenix.
The next thirty-six months aim to be boom times in animation. What
happens after that depends on how all the new product performs with the
general public. Each of us, in our morning and evenings prayers, should
ask for The Swan Princess, PageMaster, Cats Don't Dance and the first
feature produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation to do well at the box
office. For it is not enough that Disney makes profits, others must haul
in barrelfuls of cash as well.
I have little doubt that other quality product produced in Los Angeles
can earn the same kind of money with which Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast
and The Lion King have been showered. And when that happy day arrives,
we will see movie producers dropping down from Mars and Jupiter begging
members of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists to work their magic on
technicolored extravaganzas yet undreamed of.
-- Steve Hulett
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Voltaire and his contemporaries called America a nation of tinkerers and
inventors.
Innovation and change has been an American trademark since Ben Franklin
electrocuted turkeys for his dinner guests' amusement in the 1750's.
Cinema, being by nature a technology based art form, is particularly
obsessed by newer and better tools. Hollywood has a tradition of turning
itself upside down every now and then with the latest thing. So it was
in 1928 with sound, 1948 with television, and 1994 with computers.
Yep, we've been hearing since the sixties how computers are coming any
minute and will change everything and nothing will ever be the same. It
has to be the most over-hyped revolution ever ("the Revolution will be
televised"). Well, it's not a hypothetical any more.
It's fact. It's here and we are living the revolution right now.
Tron, Jurassic Park, Rescuers Down Under, Death Becomes Her ... I don't
have to spend any more print describing their technical advances.
Hundreds of magazine articles and news spots have clued in all but the
most Neanderthal that times they are a changin'. Computer animation
companies, once a few dreamers and math nerds tinkering with army
surplus bombsights, have spawned a collateral industry next to
traditional Hollywood worth millions and growing at a dizzying pace.
If you can remember Dolphin Productions, Magi or New York Institute of
Technology, you gotta see Pacific Data Images, Digital Domain, Sidewalk
and the others: hundreds of workers, top designers and artists pulling
in mondo salaries with no end in sight. Even your prez is writing this
samizdat on a Mac Quadra 605 and will later put it on the Internet where
thousands can read it worldwide.
What no one ever wants to hear about revolutions are their human costs.
When movies went to sound, theater orchestras were obsolete and the
musicians' union roster dropped by seventy-five percent. When television
and anti-trust legislation killed the cartoon short, many abandoned
their animation careers, which is why most animators seem to be around
the same age lately.
For the human cost of our current revolution, ask an optical cameraman,
a sound engineer or a cel painter. There are no splashy articles in
Preview or on E! about how their ranks have been decimated and their
livelihoods jeopardized as they frantically piece their careers back
together. Their only sin was not seeing the tidal wave coming. Sometimes
we can be as starry-eyed about the consequences of our development as
the Manhattan Project physicists.
Folks not yet plugged in need not despair, however. Work long-lost
overseas is returning, and computer companies are desperate to get and
train people with traditional aesthetic skills (dat means you).
We welcome the new computer artists and technicians into our movement.
Not content to suffer the "computer-geek" label anymore, these men and
women are talented and proud of their role in remaking Hollywood. I once
asked several of them if they desired a special designation of computer
animator in the contract. I was told unequivocally: "I am an
**Animator!** I worked hard for that title and I'm damned proud of it!"
In the seventies, the computer industry was viewed as a nemesis bent on
eradicating our careers. Today collaboration is the norm and the AVID,
Paintbox and ANIMAC have taken their place on our desks next to our
Blackwings and Hammerill Bond.
The challenge to our union is to adapt and welcome this new industry to
the benefits of collective protection. Just like it took a while for
producers to see the computer's potential, so now union locals are
scratching their heads to see how they fit in to the new way of things.
Of course management apologists would say they are no longer needed
(surprise, surprise).
In Silicon Valley and Marin, visionary pioneer studio heads have spawned
a paternal system of small studio management that they think can
transplant nicely into mondo-Hollywood. Their light touch is reminiscent
of the romantic era of Uncle Walt and Uncle Max. Let's all have a beer
and go bowling. Even when these Mom-and-Pop operations evolve into five-
hundred-plus payrolls and are absorbed by giants like Phillips and Sony,
they still think their Whole- Earth-Catalog system is relevant.
Upon closer examination, their systems are dependent on heavy amounts of
free overtime labor. The employers speak quite openly about the fifty-
five-to- sixty-hour week being the industry norm. That's not futuristic,
that's the attitude from the thirties! A computer animator told me he
made $1,300 a week and didn't need a union. I pointed out that union
scale is based on a forty- hour week, whereas he worked on average sixty
hours. So in reality he was making $866 a week, almost $350 per week
below union scale. The companies say they pay you back with something
called "comp time", time off with pay. Remember when we read comic books
for several months between The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver &
Company on salary and still got overtime? Yeah, that's Disney -- but is
Sony any smaller?
Like typical non-union and peripheral companies, there's some people who
make beaucoup salaries and a lot of people who make dirt. Digitizers at
American Film Technologies told Steve Hulett that they were working for
scale, then quoted a rate half of what the CAPS people at Disney are
getting. Many have no idea what to charge or what the guy at the next
console is making. Right now you can work for an L. A. studio from your
personal computer in Tulsa or Reno, but you have no hope of knowing if
you're getting screwed. The employers all brag now about how they're
bringing jobs back to America (very chic these days), but must Americans
get their jobs back at Third World rates?
Through these little companies, the big boys have tasted the blood of
big profits and cheap labor and they're addicted. It's no coincidence
that their mantra lately is to cut supervisory overtime and digital
painter's salaries.
Our challenge will be to help the starry-eyed newcomer see the value of
having his or her career protected by union rights. Your union has the
mandate and the initiative to help these new studios. We are talking to
Local 16 in Northern California and Local 644 (which absorbed 841) in
New York about pooling our efforts. Casey Bernay and Hollywood Hands-On
are our voices crying in the wilderness. But remember you are the front-
line shock troops. They're always calling you and asking for your
traditional expertise. Demand union representation. Talk to the artists
about what you have as a union member. As long as someone wants to make
art while others use that artist to make money, unions will remain as
important as ever.
-- Tom Sito
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LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
In my May column I referred to Ellen Jensen as a "sweet little old lady"
who during the 1937 Fleischer strike bit a policeman on the leg. I
received this letter:
Darling: If I ever met you I'm sure I'd remember ... I didn't bite the
policeman on the leg but on the arm until blood flowed. They were
wringing both my arms and had just knocked off my hat with a nightstick.
Of course the union thought it was great but I felt awful ... I am not
sweet nor ever will be but an old lady.
-- Ellen C. Jensen Klugherz
Ellen: I met you at Shamus Culhane's house in 1979, and you'll always be
sweet to me. Thanks for the note, T.S.
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STRIKE FUND: THE DEBATE CONTINUES Survey shows 51%-46% split; more
discussion on July 26
A mail survey of the membership about the establishment of a strike fund
has proved inconclusive, although strong opinions were evident on both
sides of the issue. As a result, the Executive Board has postponed its
decision on recommending a change to the Local 839 Constitution
establishing such a fund, until members have been further educated about
the proposal and have had time to provide further input.
The strike fund proposal came as a result of strong support expressed at
recent membership meetings; a show of hands at a recent meeting showed
virtually unanimous support for such an idea. Although the mail survey
showed a much smaller margin of approval (see below), the greatest
number of comments from both "yes" and "no" respondents expressed a
desire for more information.
The July 26 membership meeting will be devoted to a full and frank
debate of the proposal. See below and on pages 6 and 7 for further
discussion on this important topic.
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STRIKE FUND SURVEY: THE RESULTS
Should Local 839 establish a strike fund?
Yes....................50.9%
No.....................46.3%
Undecided...............2.8%
If yes, how much should be charged per member per quarter?
Less than $20.00........3.8%
$20.00 ................58.5%
$30.00.................18.8%
$40.00.................11.1%
Undecided...............7.7%
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Q&A ABOUT THE STRIKE FUND
* Exactly how much would the strike fund pay me? Would it be enough?
Of course it would be great to be able to predict exactly how much the
fund would pay, but the answer to this question depends on any number of
variables, such as: if and to what degree the active membership
continues to increase in size; when or whether the membership votes to
go on strike; how many employers are struck; and, of course, how long
the membership chooses to stay on strike.
For all these reasons, obviously we cannot guarantee that the payout
from a strike fund would match any member's current or future salary.
It's more important for the member, considering whether or not to vote
for a strike, to be able to weigh the strike fund payout versus the
economic impact of giving in to management's demands.
* Why can't the strike fund be funded from the union's current reserves?
It can, and it almost certainly would be -- in part. Allocations of the
union's reserves are made by recommendation of the Trustees to the
Executive Board. If the membership approves a strike fund, the Trustees
and the Board have already indicated that they would cut costs and
attempt to put as much into the strike fund as they possibly can.
At the same time, the Trustees have good reason to be cautious. Once
money is shifted from the general fund into the strike fund it cannot be
shifted back. If too much money is shifted into the strike fund and
membership subsequently declines, in a worst-case scenario we could be
faced with having to raise the dues even higher. We don't feel a
meaningful strike fund can be paid for entirely from the current
reserves.
* How would a strike fund help the union's negotiating committee
negotiate better contracts? Wouldn't it just make a strike more likely?
We cannot emphasize too strongly that the purpose of a strike fund is to
avoid strikes. No union negotiating committee can ever make headway with
management unless it is clearly understood that the union's negotiators
are acting with the full support of the membership. Strikes are avoided
when management appreciates the union's strength.
We found it interesting that more of the "no" votes then the "yesses"
took time to complain about industry conditions: unstable employment,
runaway production, lack of residuals and a 401(k) plan. These are all
issues that have been addressed in past contract negotiations. If the
result was not what the members wanted, that's due to the fact that we
could not show that the union membership was sufficiently ready and
willing to back its demands. That's what a strike fund would accomplish.
* Everything's just fine in the industry. Why even think about having
another strike when we should just be happy with what we've got?
To judge by the survey responses, not all members think working
conditions at union shops are completely acceptable. But even assuming
that they are, that hardly means that things will always be that way.
Looking at the history of Local 839 contract negotiations over the last
ten years, it can be seen that every contentious issue that has divided
labor and management has resulted from management demands. Remember when
we used to get triple-time on Sundays? We lost that in 1988, along with
the Monday-Friday workweek. Last year, we lost automatic dismissal pay
and we started paying deductibles for prescriptions ... and supervisors
almost lost their overtime.
Even though our employment is much better than the vast majority of
unions, we've been in the same boat at negotiation time: not so much
making progress as fighting to hang on to what we have. We're much more
likely to need to strike to preserve our status quo.
* Would there be a cap on the size of the strike fund? What happens to
the money if there never is a strike?
Rather than a cap, we may propose that the Trustees be able to recommend
reductions in the strike fund dues increase, if and when the strike fund
is judged to be sufficiently healthy. To maintain the fund's credibility
with both members and employers, it should never be used for any other
purpose than strike benefits for members. In any event, we must be
prepared for the possibility of a strike or lockout every time we sit
down at the bargaining table. In labor contract negotiations there's no
such thing as "never".
* What if the strike fund doesn't have enough money to support an
industry- wide strike?
Not all strikes -- not even all Local 839 strikes -- are industry-wide.
This is especially true in cases like ours where is no "multi-employer
bargaining unit" -- in other words, each employer negotiates separate
and apart from every other employer. One employer might insist on a
contract giveback while other employers are willing to live with the
status quo. Thus, as the industry expands it seems more likely that a
strike, if and when it were to come, would affect only some employers.
One of the most effective strike strategies employed by unions in recent
years is the so-called "rolling thunder" approach where a union strikes
only at certain times in certain places, then moves on to other
employers in order to be most effective. Frequently as a part of such a
strategy, the members who remain employed pay a higher dues or
assessment to support strike fund payments to the striking members. Such
a strategy, if employed, could maximize the effectiveness of the strike
fund.
* On top of our dues, would we have to pay into the strike fund while we
are unemployed?
Absolutely not. A number of survey respondents made comments on the
presumption that they are forced to pay dues when they are unemployed.
In fact, any member has the option of honorable withdrawal or suspension
when they are not working. We have always actively encouraged unemployed
members to deactivate their memberships, allowing them to defer or
reduce their payments until they are rehired. For further information,
call the union office.
* Wouldn't it be better for members to start saving for the possibility
of a strike?
Of course it would -- and they should do so whether the strike fund is
instituted or not. As we said earlier, we can't guarantee how much the
strike fund would be able to pay out in any circumstance. Members
probably would have to dip into savings in a long-term strike situation,
just as they have to do when they're laid off.
* Doesn't the IATSE have a fund to help with strike expenses?
Yes. The IATSE Defense Fund helps local unions with all manner of
strike- related expenses, including legal fees, negotiation costs, etc.
However, IA Defense Fund monies are earmarked only for expenses incurred
by local unions. Strike benefits paid to individual members are
specifically excluded.
* How would the members know how much is in the strike fund?
We may recommend that the Trustees report on the strike fund at
membership meetings, on a quarterly or semiannual basis. Also, like all
financial information about the union, it would be available for
inspection by any member at any time upon request.
* How would the money from the strike fund be invested?
The Local 839 Constitution (Article 7, Section 4[b]) requires that local
union monies can only be invested in funds or accounts insured by the
Federal government. Most likely the Trustees would favor relatively
conservative investments that mature at the expiration of future
contracts.
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STRIKE FUND SURVEY RESPONSES
37% of the "yes" votes included a comment. Unless indicated, each member
below voted for a $20.00 increase in dues. Some excerpts:
* A difficult decision, but greed is rampant with the corporate types!
(Second only to ignorance)
* Sounds good to me, we need that weapon to protect the next contract!!
* ... or possibly a small percentage based on individual's wages as (I'm
assuming) the dues are figured.
* {$40} This sounds like a good idea. These are bad times for artists
unions because of union busting.
* {$40} Let's do it!
* {$40} I feel very strongly this fund should be established. Too many
people have extreme fiscal responsibilities destroying our ability to
use the strike option.
* Sure wish we would have had a strike fund in 1982!
* {$40} We must pass a fund of some kind! Without it we're dead in the
water!
* Only if no one touches this account. And if it gets so big, then use
it as retirement.
* The fact that we had no strike fund hurt us in both 1979 and 1982. Of
course, with many members financially strapped for repair of quake-
damaged homes, many can't afford large contributions presently.
* {$30} I support the fund because the union needs clout to move on to
the issue of residuals.
* Good idea! (five responses)
* I marked the lowest rate because, of course, I would like to pay the
lowest amount for a strike fund but ... if it is necessary to pay more
then I will. I truly believe a strike fund is essential.
* Any amount is OK with me if it provides our union with enough muscle
to stand up to the studios!
* Even the $87.00 quarterly is tough as hell for us who haven't had any
work in close to two years. 35 years in the business/union -- I'll
somehow come up with a few more bucks! You're doing a great job!
* Perhaps $20 for the first two years, then $10 after 1996.
* {$30} ... but, you know, the more I think about it, the more I
envision hordes of members lining up for strike benefits, then going
over to DIC and lining up to pick up work at the back door. We're such a
bunch of whining, amoral thugs ... I feel better now that I've beaten us
up! XOXOX
* {$30} The fund is a great idea. Whatever amount is decided on will be
fine with me.
* I may not be able to afford much but I stand by this proposal 100%!
* As some management officials increase their belligerent attitudes so
should we increase our confidence in ourselves.
* Great direction -- you guys are working hard!
* {$30} You should have thought of this a long time ago!
* {$30} I think we should have struck the last time.
* A union without collective bargaining power is a social club. I want
my prescription money reinstated! I think the new Disney animation
building is an eyesore and a public nuisance!
29% of the "no" votes made a comment. Some excerpts:
* When it's layoff season, dues are hard to pay. With added charges for
strike fund, tougher still ...
* This transfers money from my savings account into yours. I will refuse
to pay this idiotic levy under any circumstances. Does this mean that
the "membership" can just vote itself any amount for any reason any
dingbat can think of.
* What's going to happen to all of that money if there's no strike?
* I don't think it would help the members as much as if they saved the
money themselves. And the companies we'd be striking against are always
going to be looking for the lowest prices and get it wherever they can
anyway.
* To add additional payment to the present dues will be too much. Our
problem is our insecure jobs. We're always laid off, on and off, on and
off, on and off! What we need is steady secured jobs! We need to stop
jobs being sent abroad!
* If this problem occur [sic], it should be the union management that
should solve this -- that's what we've voted them there for.
* $20.00 per quarter is $60.00 per year I will never see.
* Instead of a strike fund, encourage members to start a savings
account.
* Bulls--t.
* Be grateful for jobs!
* Maybe, if we had more information.
* Haven't you got anything better to do with your time than to come up
with ideas like this?!
* I might consider if I knew more about how fund would be administered
and the guidelines relating to who would get benefits and why and how
and when, etc. etc.
* Fix your pension system first. Obtain residual payments for writers
and designers first.
* I need to know more details.
* It will never work for everyone.
* Other unions have done away with this -- the employers did not like
it!
* I don't trust my money with any of the individuals mentioned.
* I might change my mind if I had more information about strike funds.
* Think positive, please!
* Increased dues already remain increased.
* I don't believe in strikes. My job is rare and I am happy with what I
do get.
* There should be no strikes. We are paid well enough at the lowest rate
and on scale. Just try to prevent work going overseas!
* We don't make enough to survive on now without paying for more!
* I strongly oppose a strike tax. It became clearly evident during the
recent negotiations that the studios have 90% of the power.
* I find it hard to vote on this subject without knowing more about the
benefits the strike fund would offer.
* Tom Sito -- get a life!
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"WHAT'S THE 'GOING RATE'?"
That's a question we get a lot, as the labor pool becomes more of a
seller's market. Your new contract books tell you the minimums, but you
should also know the average overscale for your job category.
Going rates vary widely. There are, of course, many determining factors
including demand and merit and ability. A general rule of thumb is that
the lower the minimum rate, the more people are working at that rate.
There's an easy way to find out what the rates are at your studio: just
ask your fellow employees. And don't let management tell you you can't
do that: the California Labor Codes specifically give anyone the right
to discuss their wages with anybody without fear of retaliation.
Local 839 is currently doing a survey of pay rates in various
categories. As soon as it's complete, we'll be mailing it to active
members under separate cover.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Please let other members, particularly younger members, know how
important it is to keep copies of their check stubs. Twenty-three years
ago, I worked for an animation studio which did not report my hours to
the Pension Funds and I did not hang on to the check stubs which showed
my hours. I do have my W-2 showing the money earned; unfortunately that
is not enough.
Please don't anybody else throw away the records showing the hours you
worked. You'll regret it later.
-- Ann Guenther
You should also save, and closely study, the semiannual report you get
from the Pension Plan. Check that report thoroughly against your stubs,
and then save the stubs to make sure your hours have been properly
credited for your health insurance.
If there is ever a discrepancy, report it immediately to the funds at
(818) 769-0007 or (310) 769-0007. Arrange to send them copies of the
stubs as proof of your employment. Remember that neither W-2s nor union
records are sufficient, as the records must show the hours worked in
order to be acceptable.
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"YEAR OF RAGE" UPDATE
To date one interactive computer house and a well-known non-union
commercial studio are expressing an interest in signing union contracts,
and another has promised to sign "as his work load stabilizes" (meaning
when he can pay his bills!) We even got a feeler from a large non-union
employer (don't have a cow, man, but anything can happen!)
These shops are talking to us solely because Local 839 artists are
pressuring them so they can get their benefits. It's working!
Remember the pledge from Tom Sito's January column: say "no" to at least
one job this year only because it's non-union. Make your feelings known
to your employer! Keep up the pressure!
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AT THE WATER-COOLER
Welcome to our newest Executive Board member, EARL KRESS, who has been
appointed to the position left vacant by ENRIQUE MAY's resignation. Earl
is the first working freelance writer to serve on our board since Steve
Hulett, and only the third in the last twenty years. We look forward to
his expertise and support ... TODD KUROSAWA is honeymooning in
Switzerland, having tied the knot on June 18 ... Animation magazine
editor RITA STREET went down the aisle July 3. Congrats to one and all!
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IN MEMORIAM
* Retired layout artist and 1984 Golden Award winner DICK BICKENBACH
died on June 28 at the age of 86. From 1930 until his retirement in 1975
he worked for Universal, Ub Iwerks, Skippy, MGM, Warners, Grantray-
Lawrence and Hanna- Barbera.
* Retired inker and final checker ELLEN CHRISNEY died on May 7. From
1947 until her retirement in 1983, she worked for Larry Harmon, Format
and Disney.
* JACK HANNAH, animator, teacher and director of more than a hundred
Donald Duck cartoons, died on June 11 at the age of 81.
Hannah worked for Disney from 1933 to 1959. He directed sixty-five
shorts, eight of which were nominated for Academy Awards, as well as
fourteen hour- long TV shows, including skits with Walt Disney at his
desk talking to Donald Duck. After leaving Disney, Hannah worked in the
1960s on stories for live- action films and with Walter Lantz, directing
several Woody Woodpecker cartoons.
His retirement did not mean an end to his work. Hannah developed the
School of Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts.
He was on the CalArts staff for eight years, and also taught painting
classes.
* Retired assistant animator CLARENCE "C. K." ROBINSON died on April 15.
From 1940 until he retired in 1977, he worked for Disney, Screen Gems,
Herb Lamb, Eagle, Ed Graham and Filmation.
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POSITIONS AVAILABLE
WARNER BROS. FEATURE ANIMATION IS NOW HIRING ARTISTS
Warner Bros. Studios is now seeking professional artists with experience
in the field of animation to create and staff its new Feature Animation
division. Opportunities are now available for artists with several years
of professional experience in the following areas:
* Animation
* Background Painting
* Computer Animation
* Layout (Scenic Illustration)
* Special Effects
* Storyboard
* Visual Development & Character Design
* Animation Technologies & Engineering
If you are interested in exploring employment opportunities, please mail
or fax your resume to:
Warner Bros. Feature Animation
Attn. Director of Recruiting
15303 Ventura Blvd., Suite 500
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Fax: (818) 981-4913
Tel: (818) 954-7555 (you may call collect)
* * *
"AND EVERYTHING INBETWEEN ..."
Disney Feature Animation is currently seeking Character and Effects
Inbetweeners for immediate openings on their upcoming productions,
Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Testing opportunities for
these positions will commence during the month of July and continue into
August.
The test will be administered on-site at Walt Disney Feature Animation,
Monday through Friday starting at 9:00 am. Applicants will be asked to
arrive by 8:45 am to receive instruction. The test will be six hours in
length with an hour break for lunch. Candidates will have their choice
between two tests depending on their level of expertise.
Upon arrival to your testing appointment, artists should bring 10 to 15
Xerox samples of Life Drawings representative of your portfolio. These
will be circulated with your completed test during the evaluation
process. You will be contacted once the evaluation process is complete.
Any interested artists are encouraged to call. For those who may not be
available to work during the week, a Saturday date will be available to
you.
For scheduling test appointments or further information please call
Marina Shibuya or Philip Williams at the Feature Animation Recruitment
Center at (818) 544-2130.
* * *
Capilano College * North Vancouver, B. C. Canada
In response to the increasing demand for skilled animation artists,
Capilano College is introducing a Commercial Animation Program. Classes
will begin this fall. A regular full-time faculty position is available
immediately. Duties: To organize, develop, and implement this new
program; to teach traditional film animation skills; to liase with the
commercial animation industry. Qualifications: Required: extensive
experience in all phases of commercial film animation. Desirable:
experience in teaching film animation skills and concepts, preferable in
a post-secondary educational institution; post- secondary degree in a
related field. Salary: To $60,056 (Cdn) depending upon experience.
Comprehensive benefit plan.
Applications to: Dean, Career and Vocational Programs, Capilano College,
2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, B. C. V7J 3H5
* * *
California Institute Of The Arts * School Of Film/Video * Assistant to
Equipment Supervisor
This position reports to the Cage Supervisor and is responsible for
assisting with the film and video equipment and editing facilities
provided for use by faculty in classes and by students for their shoots.
This is a continuing, full-time, nine-month staff position for each
academic year.
Responsibilities include: Assist with reservations and checkout of
equipment; maintain inventory, general troubleshooting. Qualifications:
Knowledge of film and video equipment, computer experience, general
equipment maintenance.
Resumes to: Myrna Saltzberg, Personnel Director, California Institute of
the Arts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355
* * *
Help wanted: Free-lance character designers for children's game. Hip,
street style, humorous cartoonists, non-violent. Call Roselyn, (310)
559-4545.
* * *
Unemployed airbrusher needed to work on member's car. Deanna Spears,
(805) 298-2298.
* * *
For sale: Light table, 25" by 38". $100. Clay Burdick, (818) 761-9065.
* * *
The second annual Kids Street Fair benefitting the Samuel Goldwyn
Children's Center will be held September 11 at the Center in West Los
Angeles. They are once again asking for the support of Local 839
members. For information call Marcia Braunstein at (818) 224-3863.
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ANIMATED FEATURES ON THE WAY
There are now more animated features in production or development in Los
Angeles than ever before in entertainment history. Projects in the works
include:
AMBLIMATION -- Studio scheduled to relocate from London over next six
months. Some key personnel now in town. Several properties in
development, including Cats and a property based on Roman mythology.
DISNEY -- Pocahontas: now in animation, scheduled for a summer 1995
release.
Hunchback of Notre Dame: now in animation, scheduled for a Christmas
1995 release.
Fa Mulan: now in development, with most animation to be done in Florida.
Scheduled 1996 release.
Fantasia Continued: now in development, scheduled for a 1996 or 1997
release.
Hercules: now in development, scheduled for a 1996 or 1997 release.
HANNA-BARBERA -- The Pagemaster: animation being completed, scheduled
for a November 1994 release.
Cats Don't Dance: animation 20% completed, scheduled for a 1995 release.
Several other features, currently untitled, are in development.
RICH ENTERTAINMENT -- The Swan Princess: animation completed, cleanup
completed end of July, scheduled for a November 1994 release.
Untitled Feature -- now in development, scheduled to go into production
in three to six months.
WARNER BROS. FEATURE ANIMATION -- Numerous projects currently in
development. No directors or producers currently attached to any of
them. Division is still in the process of staffing; recently wrapped
negotiations with Local 839.
Note that all release dates are subject to change. As one source said to
the Peg-Board: "We were supposed to finish story work on Pocahontas in
June 1993, and we're still working on it."
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IN THE NEWS
DISNEY's The Lion King took in $142 million through July 10, making it
the forty-sixth biggest all-time grosser. Industry projections are for
Lion to leap the $200 million barrier with ease ...
We hear through the grapevine that Florida animation staffers are
starting to raise the issue of wage parity with animation personnel in
California. We've always been told it's much cheaper to live in Florida
... especially if you're an orange. Seriously, we wish them luck ...
Warners producer TOM RUEGGGER has signed a multi-year deal ...
Last month the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION heard testimony from
more than two dozen witnesses on the state of children's TV programming.
The hearing came as public interest groups such as ACT pressured the
agency to order broadcasters to carry an hour a day of educational
programming for children. Alternatively, ACT founder Peggy Charren has
suggested that the FCC consider dropping all regulations of children's
TV content, in exchange for collecting $100 million per year from
commercial broadcasters to be funneled into PBS programming ...
* * *
Normally, letters requesting honorable withdrawal from the union are not
exactly worthy of mass publication, but this missive from a member who's
moved out of town caught our eye:
To Whom It May Concern at Good Ol' Local 839:
Please place me amongst the illustrious ranks of those on honorable
withdrawal until some filthy rich union studio in L.A. begs me to work
for them, or I go broke and have to come back and eat all the "I-told-
you-so's" in the world.
Thanks a heap, your Brother In Labor,
* * *
We've heard horror stories about non-union conditions, but this ad for a
South Carolina company from the May/June issue of Animation magazine,
takes the cake:
"DUNGEON INK & PAINT
"WE'LL SQUEEZE THE BLOOD out of our staff to get your ink-and-paint
project done ON TIME ... and ON BUDGET! Our animators and in-betweeners
are just DYING to help with your next project. They just love to get out
of the PIT ... to work on things.
"Inmates and slaves trained to digitally computer scan, paint and frame
... Our one-armed staff still hand ink-and-paint ... The legless crew
are nailed to the Oxberrys.
"Please give us a call ... so you can experience the Dungeon.
"CHAINED TO THE WALL AND WAITING!"
Note to employers: please do not call the union office asking for these
guys' phone number ...
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MOTION PICTURE SCREEN CARTOONISTS
AND AFFILIATED OPTICAL ELECTRONIC AND GRAPHIC ARTS,
LOCAL 839 IATSE
4729 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91602-1864
phone (818) 766-7151 * fax (818) 506-4805
E-mail inquiries: mps...@netcom.com
Anonymous FTP: ftp.netcom.com:/pub/mpsc839
PRESIDENT -- Tom Sito
BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE -- Steve Hulett
VICE-PRESIDENT -- George Sukara
RECORDING SECRETARY -- Jeff Massie
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS -- David Teague
PEG-BOARD EDITOR -- Jeff Massie
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Viki Anderson * Bronwen Barry * Sheila Brown * Jan Browning
James Davis * Earl Kress * Craig Littell-Herrick * Tom Ray
Pat Sito * Ann Sullivan * Stephan Zupkas
TRUSTEES -- Pat Sito * Ann Sullivan * Stephan Zupkas
Contents (c) 1994 by MPSC Local 839 IATSE. All rights reserved.
Publications of bona fide labor organizations may reprint articles from
this newsletter so long as attribution is given. Permission is also
given to distribute this newsletter electronically so long as the ENTIRE
contents are distributed, including this notice.
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists and 4729 Lankershim Blvd.
Affiliated Optical Electronic and North Hollywood, CA 91602-1864
Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE phone (818) 766-7151 * fax (818) 506-4805
ANONYMOUS FTP: ftp.netcom.com:/pub/mpsc839 E-MAIL: mps...@netcom.com
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