[NEohioPAL]Mary's letter

[Johnny Wu]

Hello everyone, I'm also was one of the panel member at this past
Monday's discussion group, like I said during my introduction, if the
project has budget or if people are being PAID to do work (from
producers to production assistant,etc) then actors should be paid as
well.

At the same time, if everyone are doing it by volunteering their time to
help make something together, then it's an effort working together as
Mike Kraft said "intellectual property" that is valued, then when
there's an team effort, that is the intellectual property that is going
to be show to the public, not just actor, include the director, the
editor, the producer, the writer, the many people to worked made the
project an reality. If everyone doing it for free, then it should kept
that way...

We are segregating ourselves by trying to draw a line on this subject,
like many other subjects in real life, this isn't something you can put
it simple in black and white matter, except for those we all know (where
there's money made, everyone gets paid)

Have you ever meet someone and you thought he/she has a talent/skill
that you don't? would you not actually ask him/her to spend some time to
advise you? Wouldn't that also should be considered a 'chargeable'
concern? Shouldn't this person charge you for giving you tips and
pointers? 

In the entertainment world, we need everyone to work together as a group
so we can achieve the goal we set for ourselves, at the same time, just
to have an ear and eye to watch for anyone that are trying to exploit
ANY talent (either painter, web or print designer, graphic artists,
performers, actors, directors, editors, producers, photographers, etc),
they all have a specific talent that we will need from now or later, it
shouldn't be how we should segregate everyone).

Jean's goal was to aim at commercial productions that are trying to get
free actors when they are getting paid to produce (either by their
company or by their client) a commercial, that should be reconsider by
any actors if they really want to jump into that arena.

But later down the hours goes by, it seems the discussion had changed
focus, and it got personal, many times I wanted to express a comment,
but since people are getting heating discussion, I just can't say more
than "wait..." and then not being heard, so I just shruged my shoulders
and sit back and listening to people's emotion flying...

The funny thing is this: RIGHT after everything is finished, Bill and
myself were approached by many actors, they offered to both of us that
they would do work with us FREE, I find this funny and find it quite
amusing...

>From every post here, it seems that we all agree with ONE THING: If
money were made in a project, EVERYONE should get paid as well, then why
continue fighting/arguing about it, when Bill's trailer is YET To make
money and you ALREADY asking to get paid? :)

As a filmmaker, we make shorts or features to showcase our talent, to
showcase the talent of the actors, the editors, the sound engineer, the
writer, the music, the score, the director and overall our talent that
we can pool our resources together to work as a team, it is not like
just one actor sending out demo reel and can easily get spoted for work
right away, for a film director, we take times to create a finished
product that might take 3 months or 6 months or a year to get it done,
but the collective effort would pay when the general public loves what
they see and hires everyone involved (actors, writers, directors,
editors, and on).

I have discovered many talent, at the same time I've done work with pay,
I do video prodcution for a living (yes, I do make decent with it), and
I pay the people that works with me (cast, crew, etc), and when I do my
own personal project to showcase OUR talent, then it is all based
volunteers, and the result: EVERYONE enjoys it because EVERY film I've
made has been shown at film festivals around the globe. Did anyone of us
made money yet? Nope :( but have I gotten clients because they saw my
films and wanted me to create their promotinal videos, and when I get
paid by these work, I pay my cast/crew.

In ending, I do suggest EVERYONE to be diligent and be flexible, of
course, ask questions, don't shy, but don't , when there are projects
that sounds fishy, do research, but just try to remember, not everything
is black and white...

End of ranting :)

Johnny Wu
 
================================== 
Media Design Imaging 
innovates and break the molds of visual creation
http://www.mdifilm.com 
216.373.3278 
 
President (2004 & 2005) 
Organization of Chinese American of Greater Cleveland 
OCAGC 
http://www.ocagc.org 
 
Wu Jia Quan Shu (Art of Wu Family System) 
2800 years old Family Style Martial Arts 
http://www.wujiaquan.com