Actors' union seeks to enforce rates overseas

America's most influential actor's union, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), has
launched a crackdown that threatens members with expulsion if they accept
work on non-union offshore films aimed at the domestic market. The new
Global Rule One policy aims to protect the rights of actors when
Hollywood studios film in foreign countries, where
rates can be considerably lower than in the States. Canada,
Mexico and Europe are seen as some of the prickliest thorns in SAG's side.

Global Rule One places the onus on producers to extend SAG contracts to
actors regardless of where they are filming, arguing that local contracts
provide inadequate remuneration. "While travel is a part of doing business
in a global economy, SAG members rightly expect all the protections of our
union contracts to follow us when we work out of the country," SAG president
Melissa Gilbert said. "It starts today, no traveling without an SAG contract
anywhere in the world."

While yesterday's launch of the policy was supported by the American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Directors Guild of America
and the Writers Guild of America, it got a frosty reception from the
studios. Last month the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers
urged SAG to drop the policy and is looking to hold talks with the union.

SAG claims 60 feature films released in America last year were shot on
foreign soil without union contracts, including The Lord of the Rings and
The Mummy Returns.

Meanwhile Screen Daily reports that a prominent Australian politician has
asked SAG to confirm that Australian SAG members will be able to work on
Australian productions without getting SAG rates. In a letter to SAG
president Melissa Gilbert, New South Wales leader Bob Carr said the union's
rates were higher than many independent Australian producers could afford
and compliance would "devastate" local film production. A number of
Australian stars such as Guy Pearce and Toni Collette have supported
homegrown films by accepting lower rates.