April 30th, 2009 The Committee
I. NO APRIL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
II. PHILHARMONIC PRINCIPAL TROMBONIST STEVEN WITZER PASSES AWAY
III. MESSAGE FROM LOS ANGELES FMA PRESIDENT LISA HALEY
VI. TWO QOUTES FROM LOCAL #300, Merrimack Valley Musicians Newsletter
V. COMMENTS
VI. CONCERTS
Remember that you can always read new and past
COMMITTEE mailings at www.responsible47.com,
and even search previous mailings by word or phrase.
======================
I. NO APRIL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Attendance levels usually reserved for the July meeting
occurred last Monday, April 27.
There were about as many rank and file members as
their were board members.
From the board we observed: President Trombetta; VP
John Acosta; Secretary Lashinsky; Boards members: Gary
Lasley, Paul Castillo, Greg Huckins and Don Muggeridge;
as well as Local 47 Counsel Lewis Levy.
There were no members of the trial board in attendance,
nor board members Bonnie Janofsky, Lisa Terry, Pam
Gates or Judy Chilnik.
The number of Rank and FIle members there was
approximately six.
The membership has for the most part lost faith in our
Local and those who run it. It was that loss of faith (And
the need to pay their mortgages without fear of fines)
that caused a number of our members to select Fi-Core
Status.
The Studio has been long delayed, the referral service
website seems to be back-sliding, with members of
the Referral Service website committee complaining
that unless they stay on top of the Local, the work on
the website seems to stop.
We need a proactive membership to make or keep our
Local moving in the right direction.
THE COMMITTEE
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Newsletters | No Comments »
April 21st, 2009 The Committee
I. NEXT GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
II. FEATURED MEMBERS COMMENT RE: ROTTER
III. ORCHESTRA NEWS and others quick news
IV. ROOM MONITORS GONE WILD/SETTING UP THEIR EXCUSES
V. COMMENTS
VI. CONCERTS
Remember that you can always read new and past
COMMITTEE mailings at www.responsible47.com,
and even search previous mailings by word or phrase.
======================
I. NEXT GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Colleagues,
The next Local 47 General Membership meeting
will take place on April 27, 2009 at 7 pm.
The meeting will take place at the Local.
Please use your voice, be there!
THE COMMITTEE
====================
II. FEATURED MEMBER COMMENT
The comments below represent the uncensored views
of the readers and not necessarily those of the
COMMITTEE.
Re: ROTTER
Obviously many of the RMA insiders and the people
on his most favored list have no intention of making
Peter live up to the AFM rules with regard to canceled
or changed sessions. I don’t know the man but, I know
he’s taking over where Sandy left off… MONOPOLIZING
the film contracting in Local 47. She still controls the
work. One of your readers suggested that Sandy
wouldn’t let the produces get away with this sort of
thing. Perhaps that because her previous boss Bobby
Helfer had integrity ad respected the rules. However,
SHE now makes the rules and the RMA goes along.
Many of the members don’t know the history of how
she rose to power to corner & control the film recording
industry in LA. She also had much to do with creating
the RMA.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Newsletters | No Comments »
April 13th, 2009 The Committee
I. FILM/MOTION PICTURE DUES DOWN 11.84 PERCENT IN 2008
II. FEATURED MEMBER COMMENT
III. ASMAC LUNCHEON FEATURES CLARE AND BRENT FISCHER
IV. ROGER EDWARD BURN PASSES
V. COMMENTS
VI. CONCERTS
Remember that you can always read new and past
COMMITTEE mailings at www.responsible47.com,
and even search previous mailings by word or phrase.
======================
I. FILM/MOTION PICTURE DUES DOWN 11.84 PERCENT IN 2008
The work dues collections for the year 2008 from TV and Motion
Picture films was down a whopping 11.83 percent last year. While
the RMA tries to paint pretty pictures with powerpoint presentations
to the gullable and indoctrinated, the facts and cold hard numbers
are to be found in the final Local 47 2008 auditor’s report. The numbers
speak for themselves.
You can easily get a copy of the Local 47 report to check for yourself.
Simply call the office of Secretary Lashinsky and request it. They must
give you a copy without hassle if you are a Local 47 member.
If you try and they refuse, let us know.
In general recording is down and live performance is up:
WORK DUES COLLECTIONS IN 2008
1) TV and MP Film: Down 11.83 percent
2) Sound Recording: Down 3.43 percent
3) Commercials: Down 13.64 percent
4) Video Tape: Up 25.58 percent
5) Phil/Hollywood Bowl: Up 28.22 percent
6) Symphonies: Up 7 percent
7) Limited Pressing: No number for comparison.
Theater: Up 43 percent
9) Casuals (Live): Down 10.83 percent
10) Music Perf Trust: Down 61.36 percent
You may hear the defense of, “We’re doing more sessions!”, but as we
pointed out last year, they aren’t the sessions they used to be and fewer
musicians are playing them. Read it for yourself in the comments section.
The “A” listers are finding themselves doing more and more demos.
Whose work did that take away?
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Newsletters | No Comments »
April 5th, 2009 The Committee
I. ANONYMOUS LETTER CONCERNING CONTRACTOR MISCONDUCT
II. MEMBER COMMENTARY
III. COMMENTS
IV. CONCERTS
Remember that you can always read new and past
COMMITTEE mailings at www.responsible47.com,
and even search previous mailings by word or phrase.
======================
I. ANONYMOUS LETTER CONCERNING CONTRACTOR MISCONDUCT
We were forwarded the following anonymous email, which was sent to the
Presidents and Officers of Local #47, AFM, RMA, CEO and Music VP of Fox
Entertainment Group, Local 47 Counsel, WGA-West President, Regional Director
of Los Angeles NLRB, and the Los Angeles music contractors accused below.
It was obviously made available to us so that, considering the political
control of our Local, this couldn’t be swept under a rug or hidden
from the membership.
Here is the letter in it’s entirety:
To:
John Acosta
Vice President, Local 47-AFM
March 28th, 2009
Dear Mr. Acosta,
I am writing you to give you details about misconduct involving at least
2 contractors on an AFM session.
Details are as follows:
I had a session scheduled for a 10am single (10am-1pm) on Tuesday,
March 24, 2009. Harry Gregson-Williams was the composer, the movie
was WOLVERINE and the studio was FOX.
On Monday, March 23, around 4pm, I was contacted by Arlyn’s Answering
Service (aka Dateline) about availability for 2pm-5pm.
As you know, you cannot change or cancel a motion picture session with
under 96 hours notice (without being paid).
Later on the 2 pm session was confirmed and the morning session cancelled.
When asked about payment for the morning session, the answering service
referred all questions to Sandy DeCrescent and Peter Rotter, the contractors
for the session.
We all found out later we will not be paid for the morning session, a clear
violation of the CBA between the studios and the musicians [Union].
I want to see charges brought against Ms. DeCrescent and Mr. Rotter for
deliberately trying to scam the musicians at the request of the producer and
sanctions brought against FOX as well for allowing it to happen. This, in
addition to the monies owed for both the morning and afternoon sessions.
I have to remain anonymous due to possible retaliation from the contractors
involved. Dateline has the list of players for both the morning and afternoon
sessions; they record their conversations with the musicians and all of that
can be obtained via subpoena.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Newsletters | No Comments »
April 1st, 2009 The Committee
I. LEGENDARY COMPOSER MAURICE JARRE PASSES
II. OUR PART TIME OFFICERS
III. AUSTRALIA SCORES ANOTHER NUMBER ONE FILM
IV. COMMENTS
V. CONCERTS
Remember that you can always read new and past
COMMITTEE mailings at www.responsible47.com,
and even search previous mailings by word or phrase.
======================
I. LEGENDARY COMPOSER MAURICE JARRE PASSES
This Obituary for legendary composer Maurice Jarre comes
from the SCL (Society of Composers and Lyricists).
MAURICE JARRE 1924 - 2009
by Charles Bernstein
It is with great sadness that the SCL community mourns the
loss of our dear friend, SCL Advisory Board member and legendary
film composer, Maurice Jarre. With such amazing film scores
as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and PASSAGE TO
INDIA (all three Oscar winners), Maurice stands as one of the
most beloved and deeply gifted composers of film music.
Before any of his scores brought him to worldwide attention,
I remember being enamored by a sparse, evocative score for
the French film, SUNDAYS AND CYBELE. The score received
an Oscar nomination for the little-known French composer.
Within a few short years, he had become a household name
among lovers of film music.
One of the measures of Maurice Jarre’s enduring greatness is the
fact that all of us can still remember and hum so many of his
indelible themes decades after they were written. In my conversations
with Maurice over the years (including an interview for THE SCORE),
he was always wise, witty and very generous in appraising the
people he worked for and with. His list of director collaborators
is certainly impressive, including David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, John
Huston, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zefirelli, Volker Schlondorff, Peter
Weir, Arthur Hiller, and Michael Apted, to name only a few. He
seemed to get along with everyone, which is rare in the film business.
In a recent interview Maurice noted, “I don’t think I can say that I ever
worked with a bad director. There were never any real problems; there
were discussions … a bit of diplomacy here and there.” This is borne
out by a conversation I just had with the wonderful director, Michael
Apted, who reminded me how Maurice was “never remotely grand,
always self effacing considering how lofty his place was in the world
of film scoring.” Maurice ended up giving Apted two completely
different scores for GORILLAS IN THE MIST, one version was sparse
and minimalist–combining the composer’s research recordings in
tribal Africa with the director’s creative vision; and then, the conscientious
composer supplied a final score with enhanced orchestral treatment
just to make the studio happy as well. I guess that’s what Maurice
meant by “a bit \of diplomacy.”
I also recall Maurice’s ease and generosity of spirit toward his fellow
composers, including his appreciation for craftsmen like Leon Arnaud,
the quiet Frenchman who orchestrated so many of his celebrated
scores. More recently, his warmth and support of colleagues was
evident in a final interview for CNN, in which he shared his enthusiasm
for the work of a very gifted younger Frenchman and Oscar nominee,
Alexandre Desplat. Maurice told Alexandre that he hoped he would
win an Oscar. The reason, he explained, was not because awards are
important, but because it would have “sentimental value for you,
because I respect your work.” That is great praise coming from
someone with so many Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Grammy,
and countless Lifetime Achievement Awards, culminating in last month’s
honoring at the Berlin Film Festival. Yesterday, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy spoke for music lovers everywhere when he lauded Maurice as
a great composer who produced majestic and full-bodied works.
Maurice Jarre was a passionate devotee of the cinema, a man of the theater,
a scholar of ethnomusicology, an explorer and pioneer of new and electronic
music (along with his old friend Pierre Boulez and extending to his son, the
talented Jean-Michelle Jarre), a lover of life and of his family and of his wife
Fong of the past 25 years.
We will certainly miss his smile, his wit, those sparkling blue eyes, and the
joy of his company. Thank God we will always have that immortal melodic
part of him that remains close to us, playing on in our minds, and in our
hearts.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Newsletters | No Comments »