Monthly Archives: November 2021

Stephen Follows research site

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Paul Evans

For anyone who hasn’t already found this at some point, via Google, Stephen Follows runs a fine website full of industry research that answers many questions that you have, and a few you didn’t know you have. Here are some … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Gender representation, High End TV data, Low budget features, Skills & capacity | Tagged | Leave a comment

Working terms in Swedish productions

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Paul Evans

It’s always worth looking at how other countries do work hours in the film and TV industry, and it is a commonplace view that the Swedish drama sector manages a high quality of production on working hours that also give … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Employment Law and Rights, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, Productivity, SVoD, Tax incentives, Trades Unions, TV Drama Agreement, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

BARB to monitor SVoD viewing figures

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Paul Evans

The rapid rise of Streaming Video on Demand (SVoD)  – with 18.8m UK homes (66%) having at least one SVoD account – has been a particularly rough disruption for traditional linear TV broadcasters for two obvious reasons. The first is … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, SVoD, TV Advertising | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Relph Report (2002) on low budget films

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Paul Evans

In 2022, our Copyright Committee will be looking at issues relating to ‘residuals’ – giving workers ‘points’ in films that they work on. Just going through the archives, I’ve found The Relph Report from 2002 [pdf] that talked about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Copyright & Intellectual Property, Economics, Low budget features, Low pay | Leave a comment

BECTU and APA ‘Diversity Action Plan’

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Paul Evans

Working with the Advertising Producers Association (APA) Bectu has published a Diversity Action Plan [pdf]. With the support of over 100 production companies, the signatories have committed to implement a step-by-step guide to address under-representation, including participation in the Induction … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Diversity of representation, Equality, Race equality | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Respect Charter for Supporting Artists

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

In my relatively new roles as Freelance Research Officer, going through the archives, I keep being reminded of things that the union has done in the past that are worth remembering and revisiting. For example, there are lots of branch … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, FAA Agreement, Trades Unions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“… the self-employed remain something of an inconvenient afterthought”

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

There’s a useful post here from Paul Johnson of the Institute of Fiscal Studies highlighting a number of factors that leads to the conclusion that our ecoomy and employment / tax / benefits framework has been designed around an economy … Continue reading →

Posted in CJRS & SEISS, Coronavirus, Economics, Employment Law and Rights, Employment status, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gig economy workers, Management, Personal Service Companies, Productivity, Welfare and benefits | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bectu – Six demands to challenge bullying and harrassment

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

At the end of last week, Bectu published a list of six demands intended to challenge bullying and harassment in the UK TV and film industry. The demands were drafted as part of an ‘#unseenonscreen‘ campaign led by Bectu’s Unscripted … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Equality, Trades Unions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

MPs to debate enabling visa and permit-free working for musicians in the EU

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Paul Evans

Following an online petition – “Seek Europe-wide Visa-free work permit for Touring professionals and Artists” – that received 286,797 signatures, MPs will hold a general debate on enabling visa / permit-free working for musicians in the EU on Thursday 18 … Continue reading →

Posted in EU & Brexit, Theatre and Live Events data | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Shepperton expansion confirmed – with deeper Netflix ties

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Paul Evans

Further to the previous post about Shepperton Studios here a few months ago, it looks like the support from Spelthorne Council has borne fruit: The Pinewood Group has now announced its decision to further expand Shepperton. This will expand the capacity … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, High End TV data, Skills & capacity, UK studios | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HSE ‘Working Minds’ campaign launch

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

The UK Health and Safety Executive has launched a campaign website called ‘Working Minds‘ designed to provoke “….a culture change across Britain’s workplaces where recognising and responding to the signs of stress becomes as routine as managing workplace safety.” “Work-related … Continue reading →

Posted in Health & Safety, Wellbeing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fire and Rehire – ACAS put down a few pointers

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

In 2020, a few VFX facilities threatened to ‘fire and rehire‘ to force members to accept lower terms. It’s a big issue in the wider trades union movement too. It’s an unpopular practice, and the government recently scuppered a bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment Contracts, Employment Law and Rights | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why ‘the freelance deal’ is a big deal – and not just for the workers concerned.

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

There’s a long read on this site about the ‘contingent production army’ that manages large parts of the entertainment industry. Thinking about this issue, and processing it has allowed me to get a clearer idea of what our grievances are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Disability equality, Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Employment status, Equality, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Gig economy workers, Health & Safety, IR35, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, National Insurance Contributions (NICs), Occupational Health, Personal Service Companies, Productivity, Race equality, Tax, Theatre and Live Events data | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mark Milsome Foundation on the Rust incident

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Mark Milsome Foundation, which was founded following the death of Mark Milsome (a British cinematographer who was killed whilst filming a car stunt in Ghana 18th November 2017) has issued a statement (by email – I can’t find it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

You need a 7.1% pay-rise to stand still.

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

In the light of today’s news about cost-of-living increases… With tax rises in April and inflation set to hit 5% someone on average earnings will need a wage rise of over 7% to keep their living standards constant https://t.co/UpkxBM1Iku — … Continue reading →

Posted in Inflation, Pay & inflation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How can unions choose which tech tools will work for them?

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

A useful report for the TUC’s digital lab from Sam Jeffers (of The Shop) – a roundup of tech tools that unions can use for…. Recruitment (Finding workers and getting first contact with them) Engagement (Building members’ connection to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Organising Skills, Recruitment and organising, Trades Unions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Makeup Department Memes

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

The latest glorious Instagram account to give an insight into production livelihoods is Makeup Department Memes.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by ✨Makeup Dept Memes ✨ (@makeupdeptmemes)

Posted in Organising Skills | Tagged | Leave a comment

3rd December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

Thursday 3 December is the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). Introduced in 1992, the IDPD aims to promote the rights and well-being of disabled people across society. In what has been one of the most challenging years … Continue reading →

Posted in Disability equality, Equality | Tagged , | Leave a comment

BEIS consultation on flexible working

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

The BEIS is currently consulting on flexible working – “Making Flexible Working the Default” – here [pdf]. “This consultation includes a set of proposals which are built around the principle that working arrangements are best decided through a constructive, open-minded … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment Contracts, Gender equality, Gender representation, Health & Safety, Long hours, Productivity, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cost of living price rises – it’s all bad news

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

There’s lots of bad news around for anyone who isn’t enjoying significant wage rises at the moment. ONS figures are reporting that the consumer prices index (CPI) measure of annual inflation rose to 4.2% in October, up from 3.1% in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Inflation, Low pay, Minimum wage rates, Pay & inflation, Wages and Pay-rates | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Natasha’s Law – UK Food Labelling Resource

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

You will probably have noticed the fact that there has been a change in legislation relating to the responsibilities caterers face on food labelling, specifically relating to allergies. The new food labelling legislation in the UK such as the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Illness and disability, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Universal Credit and self-employed earnings

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

The minimum income floor was reintroduced from August 2021, having been suspended soon after the start of the lockdown in April 2020. Broadly, the Work Allowance and taper rate are the same as for employed people. However, a ‘Minimum Income … Continue reading →

Posted in Low pay, Minimum wage rates, Wages and Pay-rates, Welfare and benefits | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Carnet costs

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

Following on from the recent post about Cabotage, another new word, and another post-Brexit delight that people will have to adjust to is the need for a Carnet. For a UK tradesperson, a Carnet is a document that facilitates the … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment and kit, EU & Brexit | Tagged | 1 Comment

New ‘Living Wage’ published

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Living Wage Foundation has published their new ‘Living Wage’ rates – up from £9.50 to £9.90 across the UK (40p increase), and from £10.85 up to £11.05 in London (20p increase). The Living Wage rates are the only rates … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing costs, Inflation, Low pay, Minimum wage rates, Pay & inflation, Wages and Pay-rates | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

ITV and SVoD revenues

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

The picture for ITV is a bundle of contradictions. On the one hand, their ad revenues, the FT are reporting [£] that they are rising dramatically and have done well throughout the pandemic. Share prices are climbing accordingly. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, SVoD, TV Advertising | Tagged | Leave a comment

What is the future for streaming TV?

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

There’s a lot of soul-searching going on in the pages of the FT about the future for streaming TV. Both Netflix and Disney Plus are reporting slowdowns in growth. It’s a bit of an odd one – both have grown … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, SVoD | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Being an employee v being a freelancer

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Paul Evans

A bit of fun here…. I had a few conversations with members about IR35 and the whole ’employee v self-employment’ question. I wrote a few things down and then thought this was a useful way of outlining the discussion between … Continue reading →

Posted in Freelance working, Freelancer rights, IR35, Personal Service Companies, Tax | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Innovations in branch communications – using online tools to build branch engagement

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Paul Evans

I had a good conversation earlier today with Toby Nutter – Comms Officer for Post Production and Facilities (PP&F) branch which is part of Bectu’s London Production Division. PP&F has an impressive track record in engaging with members, and we … Continue reading →

Posted in Organising Skills, Recruitment and organising, Trades Unions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bray Studios expansion agreed

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

Bray Studios – the home of Hammer Horror films – is the latest of the UK’s historic film studios to announce an expansion. Plainly, this growing capacity is good news all round for Bectu members, though there will be mixed … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, High End TV data, Skills & capacity, UK studios | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reducing the carbon footprint of UK theatre

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

The LPD Member Forum had a good presentation from the Sustainability Working Group and I’ve already posted something here about film and TV industry initiatives on sustainability. The Theatre Trust also publish a Theatre Green Book – the second edition … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment & Sustainability, Theatre and Live Events data | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rust – Armoury in the spotlight

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

I’ve avoided posting things that speculate about the incident that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” because waiting for the outcome of official inquiries is usually the right thing to do in circumstances … Continue reading →

Posted in Long hours, Safe working practices, Wellbeing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

CoViD costs hit productions

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Paul Evans

Broadcast is reporting [£] that CoViD protocols are hitting production costs – and that production costs themselves are also rising. It’s a claim that probably needs some further examination, but it is said that… “the average CoViD-related costs on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data | Tagged , | Leave a comment

IATSE ballot begins on Friday

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Paul Evans

The IATSE website is reporting that the Contract Ratification Vote will begin Nov. 12, with results expected on the 15th of November. The deal is outlined here. A 49-page memorandum of agreement (MOA) has been circulated. It summarizes in greater … Continue reading →

Posted in Long hours, Trades Unions, Work-life balance | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Workplace Menopause Policies are slowly catching on

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Paul Evans

It seems that a number of employers are following Channel4’s lead of having a menopause policy. The Employee Benefits website is reporting that 33% of employers are considering introducing a menopause policy. The Menopause in the Workplace website has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Gender equality | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Diversity and equal opportunities in TV and radio – Ofcom reporting

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Paul Evans

Ofcom recently published their five-year review on diversity and equal opportunities in TV and Radio [pdf]. It’s an interesting one because a few things are gradually coming together now. So, for example, on disability, they now are able to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Disability equality, Diversity of representation, Equality, Gender equality, Gender representation, Race equality, Wealth inequality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment