The Hobbit in Danger Due to Labor Squabbles

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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The Hobbit in Danger Due to Labor Squabbles



A boycott by Australian labor unions is the latest obstacle in getting Jackson's The Hobbit to the silver screen.

An Australian actors union, the MEAA or the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, has called for a boycott by all New Zealand actors on The Hobbit unless they are allowed to negotiate for a collective contract. If the actors refuse to work on the project, amounting to a strike, then the whole project could come to screeching halt. Peter Jackson issued a statement claiming that the MEAA's demands are illegal under New Zealand law and the whole fiasco is a bid for "money and power." Jackson goes on to say that the wranglings of the MEAA may result in the production being cancelled or moving to Eastern Europe.

"Behind the claims of exploiting actors who are cast in the 'non-Union' Hobbit production, and claims that various high-profile stars will refuse to take part in the films, there are clear agendas at work," Jackson said. "As usual with these agendas, they are based on money and power."

The Kiwi director has brought big-budget films to New Zealand such as the LOTR series and King Kong and has always tried to do right by his crew and his actors. Jackson outlines that even though his films have always been independent of the Hollywood Screen Actors Guild (SAG), they "have always respected SAG conditions and residuals."

Beyond that, Jackson was happy to report that local actors will continue to be treated favorably. "For The Hobbit, Warner Brothers have agreed to create a separate pot of profit participation, which will be divided up amongst non-SAG actors who are cast in the film. This was not done because of any pressure from Guilds or Unions - it was actually Warners doing the decent thing, and New Zealand and Australian actors will be the principle beneficiaries."

In Jackson's mind, the whole kerfuffle is a grab by the Australian actors guild to gain members and snatch at some of the big American dollars that Jackson is bringing to the country. It's a complex story, but basically a small New Zealand organization called NZ Actors Equity merged with the larger Australian MEAA. Jackson says that only 10 percent of New Zealand's actors are members of NZ Actors Equity but they voted to be funded by their larger Australian neighbors. So the call for a boycott only comes from a very small number of New Zealand's actors and endangers the work for thousands of New Zealanders over the next four years. But that doesn't even matter, because MEAA's demands can't even be met legally.

"NZ law prohibits engaging in collective bargaining with any labour organisation representing performers who are independent contractors, as film actors clearly are," Jackson said. "The NZ Commerce Act claims it would be unlawful to engage with an Australian Union on these matters." Jackson went on:

My personal opinion is that this is a grab for power. It does not represent a problem that needs a solution. There will always be differing opinions when it comes down to work and conditions, but I have always attempted to treat my actors and crew with fairness and respect.

I can't see beyond the ugly spectre of an Australian bully-boy, using what he perceives as his weak Kiwi cousins to gain a foothold in this country's film industry. They want greater membership, since they get to increase their bank balance.

Seriously, if the Hobbit goes east (Eastern Europe in fact) - look forward to a long dry big budget movie drought in this country.

Peter Jackson's quest to produce The Hobbit has been about as beleaguered as Bilbo Baggins' voyage to the Lonely Mountain. The story started off great with Ian McKellen signing on to reprise his role as Gandalf the Grey, as well as Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis returning as Elrond and Gollum respectively. But then there was financial troubles at Hollywood production company MGM, and a dispute with the Tolkien estate over rights. A director, Guillermo Del Toro, was found but then he backed out this May, citing scheduling problems. Jackson himself was to take the reins, but the film still is waiting to be "greenlit" by MGM.

Hopefully, the latest controversy with New Zealand's actors unions is like the Battle of Five Armies and, like Bilbo Baggins himself, The Hobbit will survive to finally get made.

Source: TheOneRing.net [http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/09/26/38803-peter-jackson-takes-the-gloves-off/]

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Scde2

Has gone too far in a few places
Mar 25, 2010
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So what the MEAA is doing isn't even legal? According to Jackson.

Will this film ever be made?
 

Keava

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Mar 1, 2010
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I'll probably get my head bitten off by angry, raging mob with pitchforks and torches, but i gotta say - good.

The LOTR movie already ruined the book for me to the point i can only respect it for the fact it brought back the old mythos and pagan believes back to life. When i want to watch pretty sceneries i can switch to Discovery or something without having it interrupted by all the gimmicks.

Leave Hobbit alone, let it rest in peace as a great, fun and enjoyable lightweight little book i can return to one day.
 

Outcast107

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Mar 20, 2009
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Keava said:
I'll probably get my head bitten off by angry, raging mob with pitchforks and torches, but i gotta say - good.

The LOTR movie already ruined the book for me to the point i can only respect it for the fact it brought back the old mythos and pagan believes back to life. When i want to watch pretty sceneries i can switch to Discovery or something without having it interrupted by all the gimmicks.

Leave Hobbit alone, let it rest in peace as a great, fun and enjoyable lightweight little book i can return to one day.
*Sigh* God LOTR was a great movie. Just because you didn't enjoy it, because it didn't follow the book 100% big fucking deal. its a lot better then most books to movies anyways.
 

Bassman_2

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Feb 9, 2009
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Teiraa said:
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST FINISH THE MOVIE ALREADY AND STOP BITCHING

i swear im getting tired of all these delays, it should have been done like 2-3 years ago, those actors arnt getting any younger!!
How odd it would be to see the characters in a story appear older in their prequel!
 

Hithlain

Keeper of Ying
Nov 25, 2008
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At least finish the movie before Ian McKellen kicks it. There will never, ever, ever be a better Gandalf then him.
 

Macgyvercas

Spice & Wolf Restored!
Feb 19, 2009
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This had better make it to the silver screen.

Also, does anyone know if they got Ian Holm as Bilbo?
 

Keava

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Mar 1, 2010
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Outcast107 said:
*Sigh* God LOTR was a great movie. Just because you didn't enjoy it, because it didn't follow the book 100% big fucking deal. its a lot better then most books to movies anyways.
Following the book had nothing to do with it. The movie felt empty and completely average, pretty visuals don't make a good movie, and pretty visuals was pretty much all that LOTR had to offer me.

When reading book you at least have your imagination of the scenery, of characters and events but movie makes it obsolete, you get it handed over on a silver, shiny platter. The plot was already known if you read the book so can't really count it as a plus for the movie. No amazing acting, no innovation, no interesting twist or interpretation, the shots were decent at most since they based mostly on technical craftsmanship rather than creativity and it seemed like most of the character development happened off screen.
 

Outcast107

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Mar 20, 2009
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Keava said:
Outcast107 said:
*Sigh* God LOTR was a great movie. Just because you didn't enjoy it, because it didn't follow the book 100% big fucking deal. its a lot better then most books to movies anyways.
Following the book had nothing to do with it. The movie felt empty and completely average, pretty visuals don't make a good movie, and pretty visuals was pretty much all that LOTR had to offer me.

When reading book you at least have your imagination of the scenery, of characters and events but movie makes it obsolete, you get it handed over on a silver, shiny platter. The plot was already known if you read the book so can't really count it as a plus for the movie. No amazing acting, no innovation, no interesting twist or interpretation, the shots were decent at most since they based mostly on technical craftsmanship rather than creativity and it seemed like most of the character development happened off screen.
Sorry for over reacting. Just I get tired of hearing that same thing about some movies that actually follow the book as close as they could.
 

Unrulyhandbag

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Oct 21, 2009
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A quick read of the NZ commerce act 1986 makes it look like Jackson has the legal high ground, if legalese is anything like normal English.
If read as such it seems that collective bargaining by a third party for a group of individuals comes under price fixing of services and is about as serious as offences in the act get.

So I expect this'll all blow over in no time. That or lawyers aimed at finding loopholes get involved.
 

Therumancer

Citation Needed
Nov 28, 2007
9,909
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Generally speaking I'm a big supporters of unions. The first thing that comes to mind here is that we have not heard the side of the story of the unions involved in this, and are pretty much only hearing the side of the employers which is almost always going to be peachy from their perspective. When a corperation is "doing good things" in a situation like this, it's oftentimes a sign that they are scared of the union and are trying to convince people that they really don't need it, and then when the threat is gone they gradually return to however they were operating before.

As far as New Zealand law goes, I tend to feel that things like that are irrelevent. I'm against any law that prohibits collective bargaining, as laws like that are usually funded/pushed through by the companies doing the employing.

How this will end is unknown, simply put people don't have the guts they used to. Back in the old days you might remember you had massive clashes between employees and companies, which even erupted into battles with the police (trying to enforce anti-union laws) and mercenaries going at it with labourers in the streets, and employers trying to pull out of regions only to be run down and attacked due to them closing their factories or whatever to make a "point".

It's an interesting balancing act, because business owners should indeed have some rights, however I feel it's the employees who need the most protection and every benefit they can get. Right now I think a lot of the stuff we see going on right now with company lay offs to inceease profit and the like come from a lack of guts on the part of employees When it comes to unions most of them operate too much within the law (or become corrupt themselves, being bought by the people they intend to regulate), and people spend too much time worrying about the legality of making unions or engaging in collective bargaining.

I see the big problem being that people are too afraid of the law to really take action, which means that collective bargaining has lost it's teeth. Unions are by and large accepted based on threat of force as much as threat of strike. The police can arrest a few agitators, but if you have thousands of people rioting constantly that's something else entirely. Especially if unlike most looting mobs it's semi-coordinated, and armed (anti-riot tactics are far less effective when the people on the receiving end are ready for them).

Of course this is getting off the subject and more into the area of employment ethics and regulation itself. The bottom line is that my gut reaction is to support the union here, Peter Jackson might be a respectable face, but businesses usually have one, and the Hollywood Fat Cats further up the ladder behind him are just like any other group of fat cats.
 

Karathos

New member
May 10, 2009
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Let it happen, let it happen, let it happen. :(

Lord of the Rings tops both my "Best books" and "Best movies" lists. If Peter Jackson can bring even an OUNCE of that magic into The Hobbit, it's going to be number four on the movie bit at least. (Never finished The Hobbit, but I just might...)
 

oliveira8

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Feb 2, 2009
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Keava said:
Outcast107 said:
*Sigh* God LOTR was a great movie. Just because you didn't enjoy it, because it didn't follow the book 100% big fucking deal. its a lot better then most books to movies anyways.
Following the book had nothing to do with it. The movie felt empty and completely average, pretty visuals don't make a good movie, and pretty visuals was pretty much all that LOTR had to offer me.

When reading book you at least have your imagination of the scenery, of characters and events but movie makes it obsolete, you get it handed over on a silver, shiny platter. The plot was already known if you read the book so can't really count it as a plus for the movie. No amazing acting, no innovation, no interesting twist or interpretation, the shots were decent at most since they based mostly on technical craftsmanship rather than creativity and it seemed like most of the character development happened off screen.
No innovation? The visuals and the fact that the movies were created, was the innovation. The level of production values were deemed impossible at the time. Nobody thought that it was possible to a project a trilogy of movies and be successful. At the time it was unheard of. Not even Star Wars was built like that.

Star Wars was one movie, and if it did really really really well, there could be another movie. It did well and there was more Star Wars.(On release there was no Episode 4, there was only A NEW HOPE) LotR was filmed as 3 movies from the get go. 15 years ago a project like this, would not even be a possibility.

LotR changed the movie industry. Good or bad? Well that's arguable, but it did.Not enough innovation for you? Unless you talking about something else, if so, sorry for wasting your time. ^^

I do dislike the movies too. Except the first one and Gollum in the other two. Yes it's because of the changes they did. Most of them made no sense, and ignored most established character development, in the books, and even the in the damn movies! I could live fine with the first one, now the second one is stupid. "Sam go away" urg!