SCREEN ACTORS GUILD REACHES MOBISODE AGREEMENT -- Actors2Go!

OKAY WE ARE NOW SET FOR ACTORS-2-GO! -- recently Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced it reached a landmark agreement with Touchstone Television (a unit of the ABC Television Network) covering “mobisodes” for the television series Lost. (Blogger note -- this agreement seems to treat mobisodes or 'webisodes) as separate filming/acting from the general LOST production schedule. The question this blogger Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, emerging entertainment consultant has is "WHAT IF THEY JUST EDIT THE TV EPISODES FOR THE MOBISODES OR WEBISODES" and "WHAT IF THEY JUST USE OUT-TAKES FROM THE GENERAL FILMING?"

According to an LA TIMES REPORT: "This unique agreement represents a crucial first step into a new frontier of production and content distribution," Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg said. HERE ARE THE TERMS:

The new contract provides for an escalating minimum wage that begins at $425 for an eight-hour day as of April 1, 2006 and moves to $450 as of April 1, 2007.

Actors will be paid the minimum per day or per mobisode—whichever is greater.

Use on cell phones after 13 weeks triggers the following residual formula: An actor receives a $75 advance payment, which is creditable against a residual of 3.6% of the license fee for such use. If the mobisode is distributed via the Internet, the actor again receives a $75 advance and the same residual of 3.6% of the distributor’s share is payable if the viewer pays to access the mobisode; a 6% residual is payable if the Internet use is ad-supported. Use on ABC.com with neither of these revenue sources does not trigger a residual.

*Residuals for DVD use and broadcast of the mobisodes are based on the Guild’s television agreement.

What's next? See today's LA TIMES story where SAG is calling for proposals for a study on next gen digital payments:

Actors unions, advertisers seek study on pay

The Writers Guild of America, West, also announced a similar agreement with Touchstone and ABC today