The Screen Actors Guild has modified certain of its low-budget theatrical agreements. The changes include establishing SAG's standard residual structure in the experimental, limited exhibition and modified low-budget contracts, which the guild said will permit greater revenues downstream from distributors to producers.
SAG's low-budget task force, chaired by Richard Herd, recommended the modifications after lengthy research by SAG committee and staff, on-site festival meetings, and comments from both the production community and performers.
The guild also has added new language to the modified low-budget agreement--applicable to films with budgets less than $500,000--which permits a budget up to $750,000 if the project meets new diversity casting requirements. The same language incentive has gone into the $2 million low-budget pact, now permitting new diversity casting criteria budgets up to $3 million.
SAG has consistently pushed to bring public visibility to the diversity issue, including meeting last year for discussions with U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman; a 1999 advertising campaign to convince key industry decision-makers that diverse casting makes good business sense; and various studies.
"The catalyst for these changes was feedback SAG received from the hundreds of producers and SAG members who have worked under our agreements," said SAG's Herd of the contract amendments. "It is our hope that these modifications will encourage even greater numbers of filmmakers to use SAG contracts and draw upon the SAG talent pool."
Producers needing specifics on low- budget agreements should visit the SAG indie website, www.sagindie.org, or contact SAG's theatrical department in Los Angeles at (323) 549-6828, in New York at (212) 827-1427, or their local SAG branch office.
The guild formed the SAG indie outreach committee in 1997 to educate filmmakers about the low-budget agreements. The SAG-Producers Industry Advancement and Cooperative Fund (IACF) has granted funds to the committee for a producer-education campaign under the direction of industry consultant/producer Shawna Brakefield. SAG members Tom Bower and Herd co-chair the committee.