Attention ALL SB'83 extras,
The production would like to apologize for the delay of payment for services rendered in the filming of SB '83. Rest assured it is a delay and not, as some rumors have surfaced, an issue of non-payment. Accounting issues and clarifications have been addressed and will be completed very soon. All of your records are on file and either have been payed or are in line for immediate payment.
The state film office, as well as the production, is well aware of all issues in regard to this. Any concerns should be addressed in writing to this email address, springbreak1983@gmail.com, and more info will be given. Email is best for information as we have all available hands working on resolving your outstanding payments. Again, please contact us and not the state offices. All questions/comments/concerns will be answered as received.
Once again we apologize for the delay, we hope to have all issues resolved in the very near future.
Thank you,
Production Staff
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Saturday, December 01, 2007
This really happened: a story from set (censored by IMDb)
We were bussed in from Texas because this production needed "hot and attractive" spring breakers.
Though our original rate was $200/day, it changed before we departed for Hammond, LA to $150/day. We were told that this was because extras already working on the film were getting the $150 rate and they wanted to keep everyone at the same rate to avoid conflict. Understandable. Not really, but maybe. Until we were told that our $150/day rate was confidential and not to disclose our pay with any of the extras from Louisiana as we were making well over their daily rate.
Our original pay got docked $50 to keep us on the "same rate" that never really existed. Go figure.
Starting our second day of filming, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that the entire wardrobe department had gone on strike because they hadn't been paid yet. I found out the same thing from some of the men at craft services and even some of the principal actors- no one had been paid for their work.
During a meeting where we were introduced to the producer Joy Czerwonky and some other guy who we were told was "Mars' right-hand man, an all-around guy who does everything" (on another occasion, he was a "producer"), our group was basically told that we were "lucky" to be able to work on a production of this magnitude and that people in Los Angeles would kill of an opportunity like the one we had in front of us--to work on a REAL HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION!!! Golly gosh! I could barely contain my excitement when it dawned on me that lil' ol' me was gonna be in one of them big-time movin' pictures they have up at the cinema! Ok, not really. I, along with many others on this delightful trip, have worked on many productions- with bigger names, bigger production companies, bigger networks. "Professionals", if you will. This was merely a drop in the bucket. It promised to pay well (If we ever see our money).
I'm pretty sure that these two clowns were used to dealing with people who had never even seen a professional camera before. By the way we were being talked to and their overall demeanor, it's as if they thought we didn't know any better. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less about their disorderly production.
Sorry for the rant. Back to the meeting. Kind of.
You see, we were supposed to film the "best part of the movie, it's going to be classic!" our last day on set. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight. Not our fault. Not our fault that they set up all the picnic tables for the scene, brought us out there, then decided they were going to film something else--taking us out, moving all of the tables out, then resuming filming. Only to do the whole thing over again, right before the sun went down. Amid all of the standing around we did that day, watching and waiting for them to get their deal together, one of the Assistant Directors found it in his heart to tell us to "JUST SHUT UP! If you don't be quiet, then it's going to start getting personal." Personal? Was he going to grab the director's alleged "loaded gun" (don't get me started) on set and go postal? Was he going to call us out individually? Unfortunately, nothing got personal. He was just feeding us a load of bull. Wow, they're really good at that.
Someone, somewhere down the line of this REAL HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION obviously never heard "time is money". Somebody--actually, just a whole lot of nobodies--didn't know what they were doing.
After checking out at the tent that night, we were approached by one of the Assistant Directors asking if we were all going to stay to shoot the scene they'd missed- first thing tomorrow morning.
Unfortunately, that was not part of our agreement:
Travel to Louisiana: 1 day, paid
Work on set: 2 days, paid
Travel back: 1 day, paid
Explaining this to the Assistant Director, he instantly became very hostile and started to yell. He began accusing us of "just trying to get paid for a bus ride back home" and insisted that we stay and work that "one scene" tomorrow. Further explaining to him that almost all of us had to be on a different set back in Texas the early morning after estimated Texas-arrival, he literally said, "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!? PSHHH. You get on that set and you go to sleep anyway."
He obviously didn't know the true nature of what we do for the show we work for.
Okay NOW--back to our meeting with producer Joy Czerwonky and what's-his-face.
A lot of the groups voiced questions and concerns were met with short, rude replies from Czerwonky: "No. Next Question." It was easy to see she didn't care much about what we had to say. But the real cherry on top of that Sundae-of-a-meeting was her throwing something along the lines of "if you haven't made it by the age of 23 in the industry, you don't have a chance."
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, wise words coming from the producer of a bunch a movies no one has ever heard of. High five.
Wrapping up our meeting, those who absolutely HAD to depart were put on a list and production was going to find them some form of transpo back to Texas the next day. Those who opted to stay and film the scene the next day were promised, "we will get all of your scenes first, get it all out of the way so that you can be on your way back to Texas" and that if our travel time to Texas carried over into the next day, we would be paid for an extra day of work.
They let us know that they really appreciated us staying to do this for them. In fact, they appreciated it so much that we sat around watching scenes without us in it being filmed for the better part of that day. (I stayed, not because I wanted to. Long story.)
You know what the best part is? We didn't even get to that "classic scene! Best part of the movie!", until a later time than they'd attempted the day before. So, with some bad overhead lighting outside, they shot the scene.
I understand that things on set change all the time, and things don't always go as planned- but I believe we were just straightup lied to.
This is definitely just the tip of the ice burg, and no one can truly understand that unless they were on set.
Though our original rate was $200/day, it changed before we departed for Hammond, LA to $150/day. We were told that this was because extras already working on the film were getting the $150 rate and they wanted to keep everyone at the same rate to avoid conflict. Understandable. Not really, but maybe. Until we were told that our $150/day rate was confidential and not to disclose our pay with any of the extras from Louisiana as we were making well over their daily rate.
Our original pay got docked $50 to keep us on the "same rate" that never really existed. Go figure.
Starting our second day of filming, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that the entire wardrobe department had gone on strike because they hadn't been paid yet. I found out the same thing from some of the men at craft services and even some of the principal actors- no one had been paid for their work.
During a meeting where we were introduced to the producer Joy Czerwonky and some other guy who we were told was "Mars' right-hand man, an all-around guy who does everything" (on another occasion, he was a "producer"), our group was basically told that we were "lucky" to be able to work on a production of this magnitude and that people in Los Angeles would kill of an opportunity like the one we had in front of us--to work on a REAL HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION!!! Golly gosh! I could barely contain my excitement when it dawned on me that lil' ol' me was gonna be in one of them big-time movin' pictures they have up at the cinema! Ok, not really. I, along with many others on this delightful trip, have worked on many productions- with bigger names, bigger production companies, bigger networks. "Professionals", if you will. This was merely a drop in the bucket. It promised to pay well (If we ever see our money).
I'm pretty sure that these two clowns were used to dealing with people who had never even seen a professional camera before. By the way we were being talked to and their overall demeanor, it's as if they thought we didn't know any better. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less about their disorderly production.
Sorry for the rant. Back to the meeting. Kind of.
You see, we were supposed to film the "best part of the movie, it's going to be classic!" our last day on set. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight. Not our fault. Not our fault that they set up all the picnic tables for the scene, brought us out there, then decided they were going to film something else--taking us out, moving all of the tables out, then resuming filming. Only to do the whole thing over again, right before the sun went down. Amid all of the standing around we did that day, watching and waiting for them to get their deal together, one of the Assistant Directors found it in his heart to tell us to "JUST SHUT UP! If you don't be quiet, then it's going to start getting personal." Personal? Was he going to grab the director's alleged "loaded gun" (don't get me started) on set and go postal? Was he going to call us out individually? Unfortunately, nothing got personal. He was just feeding us a load of bull. Wow, they're really good at that.
Someone, somewhere down the line of this REAL HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION obviously never heard "time is money". Somebody--actually, just a whole lot of nobodies--didn't know what they were doing.
After checking out at the tent that night, we were approached by one of the Assistant Directors asking if we were all going to stay to shoot the scene they'd missed- first thing tomorrow morning.
Unfortunately, that was not part of our agreement:
Travel to Louisiana: 1 day, paid
Work on set: 2 days, paid
Travel back: 1 day, paid
Explaining this to the Assistant Director, he instantly became very hostile and started to yell. He began accusing us of "just trying to get paid for a bus ride back home" and insisted that we stay and work that "one scene" tomorrow. Further explaining to him that almost all of us had to be on a different set back in Texas the early morning after estimated Texas-arrival, he literally said, "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!? PSHHH. You get on that set and you go to sleep anyway."
He obviously didn't know the true nature of what we do for the show we work for.
Okay NOW--back to our meeting with producer Joy Czerwonky and what's-his-face.
A lot of the groups voiced questions and concerns were met with short, rude replies from Czerwonky: "No. Next Question." It was easy to see she didn't care much about what we had to say. But the real cherry on top of that Sundae-of-a-meeting was her throwing something along the lines of "if you haven't made it by the age of 23 in the industry, you don't have a chance."
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, wise words coming from the producer of a bunch a movies no one has ever heard of. High five.
Wrapping up our meeting, those who absolutely HAD to depart were put on a list and production was going to find them some form of transpo back to Texas the next day. Those who opted to stay and film the scene the next day were promised, "we will get all of your scenes first, get it all out of the way so that you can be on your way back to Texas" and that if our travel time to Texas carried over into the next day, we would be paid for an extra day of work.
They let us know that they really appreciated us staying to do this for them. In fact, they appreciated it so much that we sat around watching scenes without us in it being filmed for the better part of that day. (I stayed, not because I wanted to. Long story.)
You know what the best part is? We didn't even get to that "classic scene! Best part of the movie!", until a later time than they'd attempted the day before. So, with some bad overhead lighting outside, they shot the scene.
I understand that things on set change all the time, and things don't always go as planned- but I believe we were just straightup lied to.
This is definitely just the tip of the ice burg, and no one can truly understand that unless they were on set.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Email dated Nov. 25, 2007
Here is the information that will help you with all paperwork and payroll issues. Please pass this information along to others that worked on this production.
Thanks,
Mae Jason
Attachment:
ATTENTION: CREW, TALENT, EXTRAS, EMPLOYEES, VENDORS, CONTRACTORS
If you are not paid by the Springbreak 83 or any Production this is what you do?
Anyone with complaints and issues about any production, especially productions that fail to pay their crew, employees or vendors, or any abuse of employees such as lack of water, bathroom time and facilities, violation of child labor, security, etc. should put their concerns in writing and e-mail them to led-entertainment@la.gov
Attention: Chris Stelly and Patrick Mulhearn
Put RE: 1. Name of Film Company
2. What Type of Complaint
3. and Date and Dates (dates worked not paid) of Incident
and/or
Write:
Louisiana Dept. of Economic Development
Louisiana Economic Development-Louisiana Film Office
Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5239
P.O. Box 94185
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9185
It is best to email. Email is faster. Best not to call. WRITE.
You also write to the Production Company.
If they operate in Louisiana you can look up their Address in the Corporate Division of the Secretary of State Office, if they are registered to work in Louisiana.
For Springbreak 83
Write or email:
Joy Czerwonky, Producer
Big Sky Motion Pictures
650 North Bronson Ave. Ste B-128
Los Angeles, California 90004
Telephone 323-871-4466
Fax number 323-871-4467
with carbon copy also to LA Film Office.
***
Texans:
...and contact:
Texas Film Commission
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/film/about/contact
.htm
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13246
Austin, TX 78711
Phone: (512) 463-9200
Fax: (512) 463-4114
Email: film@governor.state.tx.us
and/or Texas Motion Picture Alliance
http://www.txmpa.org/main/
***
Also, we will also have Patrick Mulhearn of LA Film Office to attend the December 4th Baton Rouge meetup meeting.
Thanks,
Mae Jason
Attachment:
ATTENTION: CREW, TALENT, EXTRAS, EMPLOYEES, VENDORS, CONTRACTORS
If you are not paid by the Springbreak 83 or any Production this is what you do?
Anyone with complaints and issues about any production, especially productions that fail to pay their crew, employees or vendors, or any abuse of employees such as lack of water, bathroom time and facilities, violation of child labor, security, etc. should put their concerns in writing and e-mail them to led-entertainment@la.gov
Attention: Chris Stelly and Patrick Mulhearn
Put RE: 1. Name of Film Company
2. What Type of Complaint
3. and Date and Dates (dates worked not paid) of Incident
and/or
Write:
Louisiana Dept. of Economic Development
Louisiana Economic Development-Louisiana Film Office
Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5239
P.O. Box 94185
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9185
It is best to email. Email is faster. Best not to call. WRITE.
You also write to the Production Company.
If they operate in Louisiana you can look up their Address in the Corporate Division of the Secretary of State Office, if they are registered to work in Louisiana.
For Springbreak 83
Write or email:
Joy Czerwonky, Producer
Big Sky Motion Pictures
650 North Bronson Ave. Ste B-128
Los Angeles, California 90004
Telephone 323-871-4466
Fax number 323-871-4467
with carbon copy also to LA Film Office.
***
Texans:
...and contact:
Texas Film Commission
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/film/about/contact
.htm
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13246
Austin, TX 78711
Phone: (512) 463-9200
Fax: (512) 463-4114
Email: film@governor.state.tx.us
and/or Texas Motion Picture Alliance
http://www.txmpa.org/main/
***
Also, we will also have Patrick Mulhearn of LA Film Office to attend the December 4th Baton Rouge meetup meeting.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Newspaper article from the Hammond Star
Union Shuts Down Movie (by journalist, Brennen David):
The Screen Actors Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees shut down filming of “Spring Break '83” Friday evening.
Mike McHugh, IATSE business agent, said Big Sky Motion Pictures committed a breach of contract when it discovered the movie barely had a week's worth of payroll in its account. IATSE requires two weeks' worth of payroll to be in deposit.
The union learned of the breach of contract after several complaints from crew members and extras not being paid. When SAG shut down filming Friday evening, “we followed suit and did the same,” McHugh said.
“We told the crew we couldn't guarantee any payment past Thursday,” McHugh said.
Springfield resident Treyson Thedy said he has not been paid for 19 days of work. The young extra said he has worked in several films and television shows before and has always been paid within two weeks. As of Monday, Thedy has been waiting a month for his first week's payment of work.
The Screen Actors Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees shut down filming of “Spring Break '83” Friday evening.
Mike McHugh, IATSE business agent, said Big Sky Motion Pictures committed a breach of contract when it discovered the movie barely had a week's worth of payroll in its account. IATSE requires two weeks' worth of payroll to be in deposit.
The union learned of the breach of contract after several complaints from crew members and extras not being paid. When SAG shut down filming Friday evening, “we followed suit and did the same,” McHugh said.
“We told the crew we couldn't guarantee any payment past Thursday,” McHugh said.
Springfield resident Treyson Thedy said he has not been paid for 19 days of work. The young extra said he has worked in several films and television shows before and has always been paid within two weeks. As of Monday, Thedy has been waiting a month for his first week's payment of work.
“I call all the time and always get a different story,” Thedy said. “They said it's something to do with their accountant, but it's always a different story.”
Thedy said his two brothers and several friends have not been paid either.
Archie Trahan, production assistant, said he has not been paid one penny for two weeks of work. He said he should have known something was wrong when the film refused to give him a copy of his time sheet.
He thinks somewhere around 700 people are waiting for payment.
His fiancee, Sherry Richard, also worked two weeks as a production assistant, but has only received one week of pay.
“People work because they need money, not because it's fun to work on a movie set,” Richard said.
The movie was scheduled to finish filming Monday but was shut down in the process. The movie has been filming in the Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes area for several weeks, employing locals as extras and crew members.
Big Sky Motion Pictures could not be reached for comment.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A letter to the head of the Lousiana SAG office
November 18, 2007
Ms. Shaw,
Hello. I am unsure what your exact jurisdiction is, but I am writing to see if your office has heard anything negative about the film project "Spring Break '83". I am a Texas based actor (SAGe) who did some extra work on their set and some concerns were raised by some of the others that things there may not be operating as they should. Several regular Louisiana extras told me that they had been working since the middle of October and had yet to be paid. My acquaintance was a wardrobe assistant and her entire department quit during the first week of November because they had not paid. From my own experience on set, I saw that the production was not run in an orderly fashion and I witnessed other extras being treated very poorly by members of the production.
Most of the extras and featured extras are not SAG or SAGe and therefore may not be aware of possible avenues in which to voice their concerns. At the suggestion of a friend, I am writing the Louisiana SAG office to see if these concerns were ever voiced or even if this situation merits further investigation.
I know you're a busy woman and I thank you so much for your time. Be blessed.
Sincerely,
(name withheld)
Ms. Shaw,
Hello. I am unsure what your exact jurisdiction is, but I am writing to see if your office has heard anything negative about the film project "Spring Break '83". I am a Texas based actor (SAGe) who did some extra work on their set and some concerns were raised by some of the others that things there may not be operating as they should. Several regular Louisiana extras told me that they had been working since the middle of October and had yet to be paid. My acquaintance was a wardrobe assistant and her entire department quit during the first week of November because they had not paid. From my own experience on set, I saw that the production was not run in an orderly fashion and I witnessed other extras being treated very poorly by members of the production.
Most of the extras and featured extras are not SAG or SAGe and therefore may not be aware of possible avenues in which to voice their concerns. At the suggestion of a friend, I am writing the Louisiana SAG office to see if these concerns were ever voiced or even if this situation merits further investigation.
I know you're a busy woman and I thank you so much for your time. Be blessed.
Sincerely,
(name withheld)
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