Since the inception of the South African film and TV industry, performer contracts were never ope
All about Acting
Part of SAGA's mission is to uphold the excellence and harness the passion of the performance industry. Whether you're interested in acting tips, casting guidelines and etiquette, advice on how to manage your finances or a guiding hand while reading your contract, we plan have something for everyone.
If you have useful advice or a perspective on acting and actors, why not tell us about it for consideration in our blog! Your insightful opinions will increase your profile in the industry. We will make sure you get all the credit. Views expressed on this blog are the responsibility of the individual correspondents and do not reflect the official position of SAGA, unless otherwise specified.
If you have useful advice or a perspective on acting and actors, why not tell us about it for consideration in our blog! Your insightful opinions will increase your profile in the industry. We will make sure you get all the credit. Views expressed on this blog are the responsibility of the individual correspondents and do not reflect the official position of SAGA, unless otherwise specified.
The notion of Financial Planning has many of us freelancers burying our heads in the sand. And for good reason; our income is erratic at best and our job security is nonexistent. As independent contractors we enjoy none of those safety-nets afforded the regular nine-to-fivers: pension fund; paid leave, including sick-leave; unemployment insurance; medical aid and access to workman’s compensation and, for those fortunate enough in these tough economic times, an annual bonus. No, we’re independent contractors, we’re free agents.
The Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers Protection Amendment Bill are drafted so that actors will never again be forced to sign away all their rights in exchange for a meagre daily performance fee. Never again will actors be mocked and told to ‘either take it or leave it’. The Bills stand for industry transformation and they have alrea
Being ‘between jobs’ has long been a euphemism for ‘unemployment’ but, is a freelance actor ever in fact ‘employed’? In South Africa, at any rate, even when an actor is working, he or she is not employed, but rather ‘contracted’. You see, actors are considered to be ‘Independent Contractors’: in other words, to be ‘self employed’. Aye, there’s the rub.
The South African Guild of Actors hosted a series of conferences in Johannesburg and Cape Town aimed at strengthening actors’ rights to decent working conditions and fair compensation.
“Has anyone had a call from the Taxman to say you owe him money?” An awkward murmur rumbles through the gathering, but no-one’s putting up their hand.
“Not?” Still, there are no volunteers.
SAGA has received a number of requests from our members seeking clarity on our Guild’s position on recent SABC policy changes and our relationship with CCIFSA, which has publicly stated its support for SABC COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
When the long-running soap-opera ‘Generations’ went off air, the 16 actors at the centre of the storm filed papers with the CCMA, challenging their dismissal. The first question the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration had to answer is whether or not it has jurisdiction at all in the matter: are the actors ‘employees’ as defined in the labour legislation, or are they in fact common law ‘independent contractors’.
The South African Guild of Actors is in the process of negotiating with various stakeholders on contractual matters, particularly those governing the further commercial exploitation of the work of performers in the broadcast media. And do you know what? We are being heard.
