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Okay, so this meeting of the SAFEE committee was a pretty slow news day.
But one thing on the national scale is the diversification of the Movie industry. 38 states offer tax rebates to movie houses for filming with Michigan topping the ranks at a whopping 40%. Because of this influx, the MI FSOs came to Cali to ask how to deal with films. So, what we can expect to see is more movie business outside California, with people who aren't as familiar with handling fire performers.
So, here's a quick run-down of how it should work.
1) You WILL need insurance. If anyone is looking for codes of conduct, point out that you are required to follow the NAFAA standards as a minimum set of safety standards in order to be covered by either of the main US liability insurers.
2) Find the Assistant Director (or "AD"). they're the one in charge of everything that doesn't get on film: safety, manpower coordination, unions, etc, etc. They're the Alfred to the Batman-director in a film. Typically they'll be the person you'll answer to directly.
3) If the production doesn't have at least one AD (first AD, second AD and third are typical), get concerned. Find a Fire Marshal fast, make sure they're cool with you doing everything you're hired to do.
If you run into one that is completely clueless, It might help to give them the internal materials the SoCal state fire marshal's office is currently endorsing. First is a permit application written by a local fire safety org here in SoCal, the AFA. Next is a checklist that they'll use to make sure all the bases are covered. Both documents can be found in the library, right under the flame heat trials:
www.nafaa.org/msds.html
And a final word of caution. Remember, deal honestly with these people. If you're not comfortable doing something, say so. When you have your meetings with the FM, tell them everything. Don't be afraid to mention the particular hazards in your routine (and what you've done to insure safety). Even the most clueless of FMs have still undergone a bit of training. If they sense that you're painting everything as rosy they might start laying on extra restrictions to appease their discomfort.
-=-=-=-
Those performers in California can expect Industry business to primarily fall in the one facet of entertainment that CA has retained: reality shows.
These have their own problems. Most of them aren't backed by the major distributors, they're often sold to the networks 'in the can', having been self-funded by smaller production houses.
Smaller houses are much more likely to take financial shortcuts and expect more than you're contracted. Whenever possible, try to get your specific show and compensation on paper.
Keep in mind that, ultimately, it's YOUR responsibility to secure permits, not the movie house. If you're comfortable renegading, that's fine, but whoever is in charge of the shoot should be aware of the legalities of open flame performance. Often there will be no ADs on set (or at all), so you may need to talk to the director, stunt coordinator, or producer directly.
-=-=-=-
Finally, the question was raised about licensing performers in California. When asked, I suggested the Nevada method of handling this issue seemed the most equitable. Performers are not 'licensed' but are required to register for a small annual fee (about $30). Then, local fire departments may require registrations or not as they see fit. If the performers screw up, it's reported to the state level, so that patterns of behaviour can be established. Problem performers may have restriction put on them or registration rights removed.
I also postulated that any moves to licensing would meet with fairly strong resistance (roughly 30-40% of the standing community). He responded that a single request for licensing would hardly be able to make anything happen. But if our community were to make a push, the Nevada registration process would be strongly considered as a first choice.
-=-=-
Well, that's it for this quarter...
Keep it safe, keep it hot, throw it down 'till their jaws drop.
Tedward, Webmaster NAFAA
Join our discussion list:
discussion-subscribe@nafaa.org
But one thing on the national scale is the diversification of the Movie industry. 38 states offer tax rebates to movie houses for filming with Michigan topping the ranks at a whopping 40%. Because of this influx, the MI FSOs came to Cali to ask how to deal with films. So, what we can expect to see is more movie business outside California, with people who aren't as familiar with handling fire performers.
So, here's a quick run-down of how it should work.
1) You WILL need insurance. If anyone is looking for codes of conduct, point out that you are required to follow the NAFAA standards as a minimum set of safety standards in order to be covered by either of the main US liability insurers.
2) Find the Assistant Director (or "AD"). they're the one in charge of everything that doesn't get on film: safety, manpower coordination, unions, etc, etc. They're the Alfred to the Batman-director in a film. Typically they'll be the person you'll answer to directly.
3) If the production doesn't have at least one AD (first AD, second AD and third are typical), get concerned. Find a Fire Marshal fast, make sure they're cool with you doing everything you're hired to do.
If you run into one that is completely clueless, It might help to give them the internal materials the SoCal state fire marshal's office is currently endorsing. First is a permit application written by a local fire safety org here in SoCal, the AFA. Next is a checklist that they'll use to make sure all the bases are covered. Both documents can be found in the library, right under the flame heat trials:
www.nafaa.org/msds.html
And a final word of caution. Remember, deal honestly with these people. If you're not comfortable doing something, say so. When you have your meetings with the FM, tell them everything. Don't be afraid to mention the particular hazards in your routine (and what you've done to insure safety). Even the most clueless of FMs have still undergone a bit of training. If they sense that you're painting everything as rosy they might start laying on extra restrictions to appease their discomfort.
-=-=-=-
Those performers in California can expect Industry business to primarily fall in the one facet of entertainment that CA has retained: reality shows.
These have their own problems. Most of them aren't backed by the major distributors, they're often sold to the networks 'in the can', having been self-funded by smaller production houses.
Smaller houses are much more likely to take financial shortcuts and expect more than you're contracted. Whenever possible, try to get your specific show and compensation on paper.
Keep in mind that, ultimately, it's YOUR responsibility to secure permits, not the movie house. If you're comfortable renegading, that's fine, but whoever is in charge of the shoot should be aware of the legalities of open flame performance. Often there will be no ADs on set (or at all), so you may need to talk to the director, stunt coordinator, or producer directly.
-=-=-=-
Finally, the question was raised about licensing performers in California. When asked, I suggested the Nevada method of handling this issue seemed the most equitable. Performers are not 'licensed' but are required to register for a small annual fee (about $30). Then, local fire departments may require registrations or not as they see fit. If the performers screw up, it's reported to the state level, so that patterns of behaviour can be established. Problem performers may have restriction put on them or registration rights removed.
I also postulated that any moves to licensing would meet with fairly strong resistance (roughly 30-40% of the standing community). He responded that a single request for licensing would hardly be able to make anything happen. But if our community were to make a push, the Nevada registration process would be strongly considered as a first choice.
-=-=-
Well, that's it for this quarter...
Keep it safe, keep it hot, throw it down 'till their jaws drop.
Tedward, Webmaster NAFAA
Join our discussion list:
discussion-subscribe@nafaa.org
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