General Hobbit Movie Info (AVOID IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The issue of who are employees and who are independent contractors is one of the most complicated and unsure issues in employment law, and is not always solely dependent on what the parties say the worker/contractor is.

[Holbytla]

There are also unions and then there are unions as well.
MLB has a union, but the players also sign individual contracts.
Same with entertainment.
There are pay scales and benefits that affect all members, but at the end of the day, it is the individual contract that has the real teeth in those fields as opposed to labor unions where one contract encompasses everyone.

[Alatar]

It gets worse...

Cate Blanchett and Sir Ian McKellen may decline Hobbit roles in pay row

Seven global actors’ unions have instructed their members to walk away from roles in the two big-budget Lord of the Rings prequels because producers have allegedly refused to negotiate a deal guaranteeing wages and working conditions for performers in New Zealand.

Unions in the US, Australia, the UK and Canada, acting under the umbrella of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), said Kiwi performers had "struggled on non-union contracts" for some years during filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

They said the contracts "provide no minimum guarantees of wages or working conditions", no payment for future broadcasts and no cancellation payments.

Keen not to repeat the experience while filming the forthcoming Hobbit features, the actors had attempted to negotiate a deal through their unions. But producers have allegedly refused, claiming that such a deal would break New Zealand’s competition laws.

"The International Federation of Actors... resolved that the time had come for performers around the world to support their colleagues in New Zealand and seek a union contract for all performers on The Hobbit," a statement said.

Cate Blanchett, Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis, all of whom starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, have been tipped for big roles in the Hobbit films.

The row is the latest in a string of setbacks to hit the project, which has been in the pipeline for several years.

The films have yet to receive the financial go-ahead from its financers, New Line and MGM studios, due to ongoing financial difficulties.

Filming was originally scheduled to start last year, but has now been put back to 2011. Guillermo Del Toro was signed to direct the films, but pulled out in June blaming the delays.

New Line declined to comment on the row and no-one was available at MGM

[Elentári]

I wonder whether the actors themselves will make any statements.

I hope these sorts of headlines are just scaremongering...

After all the good the Trilogy did for the Kiwi film industry, and the numerous Antipodean actors employed on the films, it seems rather sad that the unions see fit to target Jackson, even though I appreciate how juicy an opportunity it is.

[Elentári]

A welcome response from the PTB...

An official statement from Warner Brothers, New LIne and MGM

New Line, Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures are concerned by the recent allegations of unfair treatment of actors in New Zealand and instructions from the performers’ guilds to their membership to withhold services from the producers of “The Hobbit” in New Zealand.

We are proud to have good relations with all of those performers’ guilds and value their contribution to the motion pictures produced in their respective jurisdictions throughout the world. But we believe that in this case the allegations are baseless and unfair to Peter Jackson and his team in Wellington who have been tireless supporters of the New Zealand motion picture community.

To classify the production as "non-union" is inaccurate. The cast and crew are being engaged under collective bargaining agreements where applicable and we are mindful of the rights of those individuals pursuant to those agreements. And while we have previously worked with MEAA, an Australian union now seeking to represent actors in New Zealand, the fact remains that there cannot be any collective bargaining with MEAA on this New Zealand production, for to do so would expose the production to liability and sanctions under New Zealand law. This legal prohibition has been explained to MEAA. We are disappointed that MEAA has nonetheless continued to pursue this course of action.

Motion picture production requires the certainty that a production can reasonably proceed without disruption and it is our general policy to avoid filming in locations where there is potential for work force uncertainty or other forms of instability. As such, we are exploring all alternative options in order to protect our business interests.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

In other words, say goodbye to The Hobbit, New Zealand. And maybe all of us.

[Elentári]

Not necessarily...will the NZ unions really want to be blamed for the loss of revenue, employment and prestige that this project would bring to their country?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The problem is that it is not "New Zealand unions". It is international unions, in support of an Australian union trying to bust into New Zealand. That's a whole different ballgame, particularly since what the MPAA is trying to do is actually against the law in New Zealand.

[Elentári]

Yes, but it is supposed to be for the benefit of NZ actors:

The IFA and New Zealand Actors guild solicited the help of the Aussie organization in 2006 to help the unionization process of New Zealand actors...

So if Warners, etc., pull the production out of NZ the result will be epic fail for the Kiwi actors.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yes, I agree. Sadly, though, I could easily see that happening.

[vison]

[N.E. Brigand]

...what the MPAA is trying to do is actually against the law in New Zealand.

Well, it could be a bad law.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It certainly could be a bad law, but the way they are going about challenging seems to me be very unfair.

[Dave_LF]

Is it really such a horrible thing if they wind up filiming somewhere other than New Zealand? I don't know how far east is east, but a primeval Old-World forest seems like just the sort of place for this story to be told...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Except that they have already spent two years doing pre-production work in New Zealand. The Hobbiton set has required a huge amount of work. And WETA has all of its offices and equipment in New Zealand. Are they going to relocate to Eastern Europe? At the very least, it would cause an additional year delay, which in turn would almost certainly cause them to lose Sir Ian. I just don't see it happening.

[Elentári]

That's why I am hoping this turns out to be brinkmanship on both sides...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Me too. It's a lose/lose situation.

[Dave_LF]

Unless the government blinks and changes the law, which may be Australian union's whole objective.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It's the only objective that they can have. But that won't help the Hobbit films. It's not like the government can just change the law on the spot. Those types of things are always a long process.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is just surreal:

And in an odd twist, Jackson has revealed that as a union member he would have to blacklist himself from the two-part prequel to the Lord of the Rings.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/fi ... -The-Hobbi