Bollywood West

I'm working on a presentation for my Entertainment Law class. Despite my years of avoiding labour law - a subject I find confusing and frightening - here I am writing an outline for "Labour Relations in the Film Industry."

Currently, the union representing Canadian actors and performers is on strike, protesting a lack of "new media" residuals and low wages, meaning that American producers might just have to film that New York-based film in, gulp, New York. Foreign film productions are, of course, the major meal ticket for much of the local film industry. Case in point: offices for the law firm where I'll be working next year appear in the opening scenes of the new Fantastic Four trailer, ostensibly set in NYC.

However, research for this presentation has actually been pretty cool. Collective agreements for film production give a wealth of insights on topics such as: arrangements surrounding butt-doubles, child actors' per diems, and how Andy Millman, infamous background performer, would have earned $19.77 an hour for this.