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Showing posts from February, 2014

PRODUCTION TIPS: Use Interns in Your Productions the RIGHT Way... Or Else

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The Black Swan case and the Casting Society of America's recent announcement to cease internship job postings  reflects a new world when it comes to using interns in the entertainment industry.   The federal and state labor laws are pretty straightforward when it comes to interns,  “If the employer would have hired additional employees or required existing staff to work additional hours had the interns not performed the work, then the interns will be viewed as employees and entitled to compensation under the  Fair Labor Standards Act  (FLSA).”    Although it might seem unfair and a break from tradition to producers who remember the good ol' days(?!) when they were the interns themselves or who mean no harm because they are just trying to save as much money as possible for the benefit of the production, it really isn't. Using interns is not an excuse to save money or an opportunity to use free labor, it is an opportunity to teach and hone new talent while giving them

PRODUCTION JOURNAL: Midweek Morning Mixer - 2.5.14 (United Artists edition)

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My apologies for the temporary disappearance of the Monday and Midweek Mixers, I have been busy working with clients and developing projects for 2014 that rendered me unable to blog.  Although I love searching for informative and fun stuff to add to the mixers, it's time-consuming so I can only squeeze them in whenever I can.  Still, as busy as I get, I will do my best to continue to do so. And now without further adieu... Today in film history let's remember... 1919  –  Charlie Chaplin ,  Mary Pickford ,  Douglas Fairbanks , and  D.W. Griffith  launch  United Artists . 1933  – the birth of  Jörn Donner , Finnish director and screenwriter 1943 – the birth of  Michael Mann , American director, screenwriter, and producer 1948 – the birth of  Christopher Guest , American actor and director 1948 – the birth of  Errol Morris , American director Taking a cue from the formation of United Artists is a good reminder of the good work that can result when talented filmmak