Mike Browne’s Blog

92.5% of guild vote in favor of strike’s end

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON, DAVE MCNARY

“The strike is over,” Patric Verrone said, dispassionately but with the hint of a smile. “Our membership has voted. Writers can go back to work.”

The WGA West prexy announced the news, something the town had taken as a fait accompli, shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Some 92.5% of the 3,775 ballots cast were in favor of ending the 100-day strike, with 3,492 members voting yes and 283 die-hards ready to tilt at the windmill of continuing the work stoppage that began Nov. 5.

The vote on lifting the strike concluded a mere three days after the WGA cinched its contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. The strike vote was held over a 48-hour frame, with members able to vote in person at the WGA Theater and at Gotham’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, or via fax.
[more at variety.com]

Finally! I’m getting bored. This may be blasphemy but one can only play so much Call of Duty 4.

Powered by ScribeFire.

I hope so. I’m so tired of being unemployed.

Local TV/film production hopes tax credit will turn around slow times

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The local film and TV industry has taken a beating from the on-going writers’ strike, but the provincial government has provided some light at the end of the tunnel. BC is boosting tax credits for the entertainment industry that provides thousands of jobs, ranging from actors to truck drivers.

With some productions slipping out of town to take advantage of better tax breaks in Ontario and Quebec, BC has matched their tax credit increases, boosting the basic tax credit to 25% (up 7 %) and the incentive tax credit to 35% (up 5 %).

Glenn Bottomley at the talent agency, Local Colour, says it gives him hope business will get back to normal once all the entertainment industry’s labour problems are solved. He says the writers’ strike has really hurt the talent business. “We’re in the neighbourhood of being down 30 to 50 percent of where we would be at this time of year normally.”

The Motion Picture Production Industry of BC salutes the tax credit improvements.

Thanks to the WGA strike we didn’t get to see the usual TV broadcast for the Golden Globes this year. Hopefully we’ll get to see an Oscar show. I do love it so even if I am often disappointed at the Academy’s choices. This year has been a particularly excellent year for the kind of movies I enjoy; the more artsy and story driven ‘independent’ films.

Although I did enjoy Transformers this year, I’m not typically a fan of blockbusters. Although they’re aesthetically pleasing and full of huge stars and even bigger effects they often leave one feeling unfulfilled.

This year things are looking a little different. Take the nominations for Best Picture for example:

As someone who loves a great story I need a little soul in my films. There’s no Titanic in the lot this year. Thank goodness.

The only one here I have yet to see is Michael Clayton, but the others are definitely at the top of my own list. I can’t wait to swear at the TV again on Oscar night! Yay!

Here’s a video broadcast the nominations from January 22, 2008:

The rest of the nominations for the 80th Academy Awards are listed after the jump:

[continue reading…]

First… A Twisted Sister Xmas video:

We’re still celebrating even though some not so nice guys stole $1000 from our bank account yesterday. I hope they used the money to get some nice things for their kids or their grandmas. Merry Xmas bad guys.

This unappetizingly named cookbook was published and made it into circulation. Yuck.

I’m in. Finally.

The Directors Guild of Canada, B.C. District Council has provisionally accepted me for membership in the category of Production Assistant. I’ve met all of the mandatory requirements and am now eligible to work in BC in any (that means any) DGC category incuding TAD (Traniee Assistant Director) and TAL (Location Trainee).

What a relief.

Next step is being ratified nationally. I’m sure that won’t be until the new year. After that I’ll be eligible for the health and welfare benefits as well. I’m already able to sign up for the RSP through Fidelity.

Thanks DGCBC. 🙂

Learning to trust something so intangible is difficult for an instant gratification junkie and perfectionist like myself. I want the story to pour out of me correctly the first time, but it appears that’s not how my brain works. I’d become frustrated that my story wasn’t working the way I’d like it to so I went away from it for a time. I began to think, ‘Oh no. I can’t do this. I’m a failure as a writer…’ on and on. I became depressed and actually thought I had given up completely when I had some ideas regarding the story.

Perhaps it’s because I don’t understand this whole process that I get caught up in the negativity. I’m not sure. That or the fact that I’m prone to negativity and depression.

Learning more about what works for others can help me find out what works for me too. Like this article I found googling creative process this morning:

Take a Step Back – When you’ve been brainstorming for a while you need to take a step back and let things settle in your mind. Sleep is excellent for this. While you dream, your subconscious will go through information it has assembled, sorting and chewing it over. When you wake up the next morning you might just have figured things out. [a list apart]

Some of my best ideas have come to me in the shower. All I have to do is begin to think about a creative problem in the shower and solutions seem to pop up almost immediately. It’s hard to spend your entire life in the shower, I’m pruny enough without having to live under a stream of relaxing hot water. That and the fact that writing in the shower is extremely difficult. Water paper make for mush let alone the issues I might have taking this laptop in there with me. The thoughts of an astronomically high utilities bill isn’t attractive either.

What else works?

• Exercise – Walking is best for me right now. I’m sure running might help too. That will come in time.
• Environment change – Going to a place I don’t usually go to. I’ve found cemeteries very peaceful and inspirational places.
• Writing – I know it’s sort of a weird thing to say that writing helps me to write but the act of writing anything at all (yes, even blogging) tends to get the right side of my noodle working. It doesn’t have to be relevant what I am working on story-wise and ideas come.
• Meditation – Just sitting and clearing the cobwebs helps tons.

I pray my creative breaks are shorter, happier and more productive from now on.