Dear members:
As we go to press, legislation to combat 'runaway' production has been introduced to Congress. The DGA has been at the forefront of the fight on this issue and our Political Action Committee (PAC) has been meeting with important lawmakers to gather support for legislative change and to encourage increased film production in the U.S.
Runaway production is an issue that crosses party and state lines and is a classic example of how each of us can help. We've all worked somewhere on location and built relationships in the area. Governors, Senators, Congressmen and other elected officials often just need one phone call to remind them of the economic impact on their state when films "runaway." Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) told us last week in a meeting with more than 40 directors, that Massachusetts lost more than $120 million in revenue last year. When a similar group of directors met with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) last March, he mentioned his dismay at the fact that the film Chicago had been shot in Toronto and committed to joining the DGA and supporting legislation to fight runaway production. We are grateful for the support of these two very different political leaders and the many other legislators who have joined our fight.
But the impact of runaway isn't entirely economic. Like you, I've benefited enormously by being able to use the natural beauty of America — the Appalachians, Badlands, Rocky Mountains, and the man-made wonders of Manhattan, Chicago and other downtowns — to add scale and luster to my stories. I also learned early that one of the greatest assets of any region is its human geography. Getting the faces and voices of the individuals who live in a place can give a freshness and energy to the most familiar of stories. But if we constantly have to fabricate the diversity and spirit of America somewhere else, then the quality of the films we make risk losing their authenticity.
While we keep our fingers crossed that the runaway production legislation goes through and helps to level the playing field, the DGA has been actively working on your behalf on a number of other fronts. The newly appointed Diversity Task Force is working with staff to address the appalling statistics of the hiring of minorities and women in television. Progress has been made in our organizing efforts to bring more reality television work into the Guild. On the commercial front, the DGA is actively exploring ways to give commercial directors greater creative input in their product. In international affairs, the DGA, in collaboration with seven other world directors' organizations, created the International Association of English Speaking Directors' Organizations to promote and protect issues of mutual interest and assert the creative and economic rights of directors in a world of increasingly consolidated multinational corporations.
Like the fight against runaway production, nothing can be solved overnight. However, through the hard work and dedication of the Guild staff and active involvement of members, we stand a chance of making some significant changes over the long haul. And with luck on our side, your next film may stand a greater chance of shooting in a location that you choose — because you want to be there and not because of what it costs.
Michael Apted
DGA President
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