Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/832212
87 Q2 2017 / CINEMONTAGE LABOR MAT TERS State Senator Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) offered his new bill at a Capitol news conference in mid-March. He said the legislation would reduce the "arms race of profit generation" by the pharmaceutical industry by requiring manufacturers to give 90 days' notice to purchasers before significantly increasing a drug's price. The proposal, SB 17, also would require health plans to release data on drug purchasing trends, especially the most prescribed and most expensive medications. Since introducing a similar bill last year, "over 20 states across the nation have been following suit, and the industry has started to restrain [itself ] to avoid public scorn," Hernandez said. "Transparency works, and that's why drugmakers will fight this bill." Caitlin Vega of the California Labor Federation, a bill co-sponsor, said the group's members "will fill the halls of the Capitol to tell their stories and to explain why this bill is so important." 'MIDNIGHT RIDER' LOSES SAFETY VIOLATIONS APPEAL Production company Film Allman LLC lost a third appeal to remove a "willful safety violation" and a fine imposed by the Occupational Health and Safety Commission for the company's actions on the set of Midnight Rider, writes Anita Busch in Deadline Hollywood. The actions led to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones and the serious injury of several others. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in March that the "willful safety violation" against Film Allman will stand, and that it must pay a $70,000 fine. Film Allman LLC was set up by writer/producer/ director Randall Miller and his wife/producer Jody Savin to film the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider. Jones was killed and others injured on the set during the first day of shooting on February 20, 2014. The set consisted of a railroad bridge over the Altamaha River in Jesup, Georgia. Injured crewmembers were struck by a freight train. In March, the court wrote, "Film Allman and its supervisors on the set that day failed at every opportunity to ensure the safety of its employees: Film Allman knew the railroad tracks were live tracks, in active use by CSX and that CSX had refused permission to film on the tracks… In short, Film Allman put its employees in harm's way, and the results were catastrophic." Miller, executive producer/unit production manager Jay Sedrish and first assistant director Hillary Schwartz all pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing in Georgia two years ago. Miller served time in jail in Georgia. Sedrish and Schwartz received 10 years probation. and an ending piece. And by the user's actions in the game we switch from one to the other. That works on a basic level. There have been other attempts, like when Microsoft, in the early days, developed something called Direct Music, which created a sound engine, like a palette of instruments, that itself was created by the composer. So it wasn't a general MIDI thing, more like a sound engine with the instruments designed by the composer. Then sequences, kind of like MIDI sequences, would play in the game and trigger this instrument palette. That was a lot of granularity. The idea was that you could trigger just a few instruments, almost like the video game was being scored on the spot by the user's actions instead of cutting off a piece and starting up a new one. You would have pieces woven and dovetailed into each other. But it just became too ambitious and too complex to really work well. The last video game I scored was a couple of years ago, but I think it is definitely something where the unpredictable and nonlinear approach always plays a role and is always talked about, whereas in a film or television narrative, you know how you want it to evolve over time. CM: Finally, there's the practical matter of just maintaining a career and keeping work flowing into the studio. What's good practice? MS: The creative relationships and doing good work while being in them; and really giving everything you have and then an extra 10 percent on top of that. Also, thinking about the project, even when you're not sitting in front of your computer, but before you go to bed or before you get out of bed or whatever. And maintaining those relationships. Then, saying "yes" to a lot; trying to take as much work as possible. I think it's also important to grow in my own artistic journey; to do things outside, to play music myself. I'm the choir leader for the Swedish Choir here in LA. I also do what I'd call "audio compositions" for video artist Bill Viola, who's one of the great artists of our time. Just to do stuff that keeps me growing and changing on my own so that I don't stagnate, because when I come back to the table with all these great people, they've been working on themselves as well. That doesn't really get you the work, but it's definitely something that keeps you in there while you have it. f Sonic Fingerprint CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35