Rank: PB Member
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SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT?
In the wake of the recent London Dreams case, which retrospectively awarded an unpaid intern the National Minimum Wage for the hours she worked on a feature film, there has been much debate within the industry about the effect this decision will have. Does the verdict represent the long-overdue protection desperately needed by the industry's most vulnerable workers, or the death of creativity and collaboration which often provides a stepping stone for those who are new to the industry? Should it be viewed as a victory or a disaster..?
In order to discuss both sides of the argument, BECTU’s Writers Producers and Directors' branch brings you:
A DEBATE ABOUT LOW BUDGET COLLABORATIONS AND THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE
Please join us on Thursday 18th March at 7pm, at The University of London Union, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY (nearest tube stations: Goodge Street & Russell Square), and make your voice heard!
The proposition:
Working for free is the only way for new entrants to get a foot in the door of the film and television industry but... are you shooting yourself in the foot?
The meeting will be Chaired by STEVE OVERELL of The Work Foundation. JESS SEARCH from Shooting People; MARTIN SPENCE, Assistant General Secretary of BECTU; CHRIS JONES, author of 'The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook'; and BENETTA ADAMSON of the TV Wrap campaign, will be among the key speakers to address these issues. The event will take the form of a parliamentary-style debate with prearranged speakers setting out their point of view in support of, or opposition to, the motion. The audience is invited to actively participate throughout the debate.
The aim:
We hope that this event will kick off a process leading to an industry wide charter endorsed by BECTU, Shooting People and other interested parties setting out how microbudget films can flourish while staying on the right side of the law. We really hope this will be the beginning of an end to the confusion and misunderstandings surrounding what does and does not constitute a collaboration.
THIS IS AN OPEN DEBATE AND EVERYONE IS VERY WELCOME TO ATTEND
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Rank: PB Member
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Hi all, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who came along last night. We had over 120 people turn up, including representatives from Shooting People, PACT, Broadcast, and the TUC, among others. It was a really lively debate, and reflected how much common ground is shared between the two, supposedly, 'opposing sides'. To read a write up of the debate go to http://www.bectu.org.uk/news/697Whether you managed to make it to the event or not, if you would like to contribute to the debate, and make suggestions for the guidelines being drawn up, please go to the forum that's been set up specifically to discuss these issues ( http://indiefilm.proboards.com). All the best, Hannah
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