Gotham indie strikes union deal

IATSE needs now negotiable per picture

By JONATHAN BING

In an effort to shore up its relationship with the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Gotham’s GreeneStreet Films has inked an unusual, overall deal with the union.

Traditional labor requirements have often led indie producers to use nonunion crews and renegotiate contracts picture by picture. The agreement with IATSE allows the indie production and finance shingle to adapt union requirements to suit the needs of each project. Deal is especially valuable for GreeneStreet’s new digital film division in its efforts to retain the top union craftsmen for pics that can’t necessarily meet the costs of large union productions.

“Because of the amount of digital filmmaking we’re doing,” said GreeneStreet prexy John Penotti, “we could help (IATSE) define what staffing requirements are and what would need to change from their standard 35mm contract.”

For the first pic covered under the contract, Fisher Stevens’ “Still a Kiss,” which is being shot both in beta and 35mm formats, there’s a crew of 15 instead of 35 or 40, Penotti said.

Pact covers GreeneStreet’s entire 35mm and digital slate. But it reflects the ways that traditional labor standards have shifted with the advent of digital technology, explained Matt Loeb, IATSE director of motion picture and television production. “All the rules are changing,” he said. “We want our members to be gainfully employed in the digital world. Ignoring it or trying to impose artificial standards will put us out of the game.”