The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has notified its members that if they are approached about working on a project that is made primarily for the Internet or mobile phones or other new media, they will need a special agreement by the DGA tailored for that project.
Members who are asked to work on one of these projects – even when working for an established signatory company – must discuss it with the Guild before performing services in a DGA job category.
The studios and networks recently advised the DGA that they do not consider any projects produced for new media – including Internet and mobile phones – to be covered by the standard DGA Agreements. This will require the DGA to negotiate special agreements for all new media projects, even webisodes or mobisodes made by a signatory company in conjunction with other DGA-covered work (e.g., an existing television series).
For most new media projects, the Guild's approach will be maximum flexibility. Recognizing that these projects typically require limited budgets and are being released in new and uncertain markets, the DGA will make every effort to create agreements to encourage employment of Guild members.
The absence of a special agreement could deprive members of the protection of a DGA Agreement and Guild benefits, and may put them in violation of the DGA Constitution and By-laws. There may be some employers who will refuse to reach an agreement with the Guild to cover a member's services. In these instances, the member may be advised to withhold his or her services.
For further information on these issues, contact:
National Office
- Warren Adler (310) 289-2003 or
- Bryan Unger (310) 289-5330
New York Office
- Russ Hollander (212) 581-0370
