Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16674
FOR MEMBERS The SAFETY ZONE T Déjà vu echnology. Fantastic and futuristic technology — it makes our lives easier, right? While it may help the film business by lowering the cost of shooting, it can also make things more difficult. No one knows this better than the action actor, or stunt person. Te takes are getting longer and “cut” is being called fewer times than “go again.” Tis becomes a safety concern when you have physical action in the scene. First, we have the problem of the extended take. We can all walk and talk at the same time (well, most of us anyway) but acting and doing choreographed action is a different story. While it may be simple enough to do in smaller segments, as the shots get longer, the more difficult it becomes. Te brain goes into overload, trying to remember lines, intentions and what you are supposed to be doing physically, resulting in mistakes. Tese mistakes range from mild — messing up a line or walking the wrong way — to dangerous — forgetting your choreography and crossing into the path of gunfire or pyro. Another issue concerns continuous takes. When you are asked to go again right away, sometimes without the camera even cutting, there is a sense of urgency that can cause accidents. Going again, without different direction, without time in between to reassess and rest, increases the likelihood of muscle fatigue and injury. In addition, there are long- term, wear-and-tear effects when having to do the action more times than necessary. Te key to addressing these issues is communication. Make sure that you feel safe, and communicate with the stunt coordinator or 1st A.D. if you do not. You can ask for a moment to collect yourself and make sense of any changes. If you are feeling tired and worn out, you can let the A.D., stunt coordinator or director know that you only have a few more takes in you or that you need a break. Anticipate your fatigue because if you push it too far, your chances of getting hurt go up dramatically. Finally, make sure that people are communicating with you, that you know why you are going again and what your new acting/physical direction is. Just because technology is no longer limiting us, doesn’t mean that we don’t have limits. If everyone respects those limitations, we can enjoy safe working conditions for years to come. WORKING ON YOUR BEHALF WELCOME ERIC CHAUDRON joined the Guild in May as Chicago Branch executive director, replacing Eileen Willenborg, who is now semi-retired aſter 15 years, but still serving part-time as Chicago’s senior advisor. Chaudron previously served as executive director of the California Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, director of organizing/representative for the Motion Pictures Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) and as a field representative for the Central Labor Council of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Te Chicago Branch also welcomed KATHY BYRNE, who joined the staff as director of television, theatrical and freelance contracts. Byrne spent 19 years with the Chicago Film Office. She succeeds Assistant Executive Director Kit Woods, who retired at the end of June aſter serving AFTRA and SAG members for 33 years, first in Atlanta and then in Chicago since 1991. PROMOTION BARBARA TIOMICO was promoted from director, finance to national director, finance. Tiomico joined SAG in June of 2007. She has a master’s of business administration from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Arizona State University. DANNY INUKAI was promoted from associate director, quantitative reporting and analytics to director, analytics. Inukai began working for the Guild in August of 2007 aſter spending the prior five years with the Boeing Company. He has a bachelor’s (cum laude) in business administration from the University of Arizona as well as a masters of business administration from the University of California Los Angeles. STAFF MILESTONES Congratulations to our Screen Actors Guild employees who reached a milestone in the second quarter of 2010: Margie O’Malley reached 25 years of service. Alvin Chavis, Carolyn Couch and Beverly Gruwell celebrated 20 years with the Guild. Lon Huber, Tal Emerson, Danielle Van Lier and Aaron Kemp all celebrated 10 years. And Will Marshall, Jon Brockett, Tomas Howard, David Gregoire, Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre, Julie Crane and Frank Lin reached five years of service with the Guild. WORK THE PERK: Member benefits are a terrific way to save money on everything from phone service to travel to gym memberships. Check out Member Perks on page 35 and also log in to SAG.org and look for “Deals and Discounts” under the Member Services tab for more. Show your card and save! 16 SCREEN ACTOR - Summer 2010 SAG.org