Hawaii 2012:07

The Official E-Newsletter of the SAG-AFTRA Hawaii Local

July 2012

CONSERVATORY REPORT
Scott Rogers, Chair

The Conservatory (like most of our committees) has taken a back seat to the merger campaign — BUT we are back! I taught a class for the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory in San Francisco, as well as classes in Portland and Seattle, and I must say, our local actors are every bit as good as theirs. In fact, I see more speaking roles being cast here than in most regions on the mainland. I had a great response to the classes, and I plan to teach a class here in June.

Also, returning to the island in July to teach her popular Meisner-based workshop is Iris Klein. We hope to have at least two more classes to announce soon, which is important because we will have (at least) two series shooting here this summer. Now is the time to train if you want to work!

WOMEN'S COMMITTEE REPORT
Pam Larson, Chair

I would like to report that I have been working with our local women’s committee on a proposed Ladies Day Event for our Local. Former SAG approved funding for the event. However, since we’ve merged, we are in a holding pattern. Once the national committees are established, we will submit our proposal to the national Women’s Committee.

Our mission is to bring awareness, education and action to empowering women in media, with an emphasis on mature women, mentoring and being role models for young females entering the business.

Stay tuned …

NONVERBAL POWER
By Lynne Halevi

Do you realize that people form an impression of you in about the first 10 to 30 seconds? To check this out, think about how you judge a TV show when you are just surfing for a program to watch. How long do you look before you click to the next channel? Research tells us that it takes you perhaps less than 10 seconds to make a judgment call.

So what impression do people form about you in the first 10 to 30 seconds? Do you give your power away before you say a word? Think about the 7-percent/93-percent rule. The 7 percent represents the words we use, but research tells us that 93 percent of our message comes from our nonverbal communication. These include the following:

- General appearance
- Posture
- Eye contact
- Clarity of tone (too harsh, too soft, too nasal)
- Vocal pitch
- Loudness/softness of delivery
- Ums and uhs
- Type of handshake
- Hand gestures
- Facial gestures (inappropriate sneers, frowns, giggles)
- Speed of delivery
- Ya’ knows

Some important things to think about at your next audition.

Co-Presidents’ Reports

Rolf Burton, Co-President

Aloha SAG-AFTRA Hawaii. 2012 is the year two great unions, SAG and AFTRA, merged to create one powerful voice. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help in the merger process. Our national union has made organizing work a priority. That means turning non-union work in Hawaii into union work. We all know that working on a SAG-AFTRA job guarantees a level of safety and fair wages that does not exist with non-union work. Quality work should result in better pay and safety on set. Any student film, low-budget movie or commercial can easily become SAG-AFTRA by going online to the SAG-AFTRA Production Center. Almost all of the paperwork can be done online. Any new or student director will be using SAG-AFTRA members at some point if they ever want to succeed. Oftentimes, projects start off non-union but during the auditioning process become union once the talent pool is evaluated. It's up to us, the performers, to encourage new directors to take advantage of these online resources. National Executive Director David White’s goal is to make it easy for directors and producers to work with SAG-AFTRA. One of our new mottos is, “Easy to work with, hard to fight.”

As co-presidents of the SAG-AFTRA Hawaii Local, Glenn Cannon and I are working together with our local board and national union to create the best working environment for Hawaii. It's important for us — that’s you — to educate yourselves so we can educate others. Call your union if you have a question. Find out for yourself what is truth and what is fiction on set. Look out for your union brothers and sisters on set. We have to help each other and support those who succeed from Hawaii’s Local. It's important for Hawaii members of SAG-AFTRA to put themselves in the best position to get a job. Take a class, attend SAG-AFTRA conservatory workshops, and work on your own to be your best when mainland companies come to town. Find a monologue or scene and work on it in your spare time. Performing is like running a marathon. You have to practice every day so that when you get that one audition every few months, you are ready to go. Try running a marathon without months of training.

Local actors have been getting great roles in recent productions. Let’s show the mainland that we deserve the big parts. Go Hawaii! Go SAG-AFTRA!

Glenn Cannon, Co-President

With the new SAG-AFTRA union in place, everyone should be pleased to be a part of one of the largest and most powerful entertainment unions in the country. I know I am, and since I've been a member of the original AFTRA since 1955 and SAG since 1957 (joined both when I was living and working as an actor in NYC), it feels very good indeed to see this hope and dream finally become a reality. The strength we now have to negotiate and set standards for actors, newspeople, announcers and all the other folks that come under this new performing umbrella will produce more work for all and far better work standards and salaries than previously.

We should begin to see that develop during the next rounds of negotiations with film and TV producers, networks, etc. This is not to say that there may not be some glitches on the road to a smooth-working set of structures. We all have to be patient as the new union works through its structural pains in establishing clear and definitive processes to deal with every exigency that occurs, some of them probably more annoying than others. Not to worry. The individuals that head up the national union in L.A. and NYC know what they are doing, as do those of us in Locals charged with doing the same for individual membership locations throughout the United States. Here in Hawaii, we are now a larger board, with Rolf Burton and me as co-presidents. We are all striving for the same goal: to make SAG-AFTRA the most effective union in our area of the country, and to work closely with L.A. and N.Y. in doing so.

We're rolling, folks, and it is gonna be just fine!

National Board Member Report

Scott Rogers

Our historic first National Board meeting took place in Los Angeles on May 19 and 20, and I, for one, thought it was very encouraging. The amount of work it takes to combine two large unions, each with its own culture and way of doing things, is astounding, and our national officers and staff are clearly up to the task. As we look forward to the first 100 days, and then to the completion of our first year as a merged union, we begin to understand that merger is a process and not a single act. From staffing issues to committees, from rules to contracts to organizing, the merger has begun! There will be bumps in the road as we go forward, but if this first board meeting was any indication, the National Board is committed, leaving our egos at the door and working together for the good of the membership. We had vigorous debates about several proposals, but we completed our agenda. All sides were respectful and positive regardless of whether they won or lost. Therefore, we ALL won! You can see the proposals that were passed and business conducted on the SAG and AFTRA websites (which should be combined into the SAG-AFTRA website in the next six to eight weeks!).

Members and staff after the merger announcement

Welcome SAG-AFTRA Hawaii

By Becky Maltby

Merger. That word can now be filed away. Somehow it felt inevitable this time as the vote grew closer, ballots were readied, debates sprang up on social networks and phone banks went to work. In Hawaii, we were cautiously optimistic, and on March 30, 2012, both local SAG and AFTRA boards, along with our phone volunteers, were invited to the union office to watch the results streaming live on the Internet. Whatever the outcome, we would experience it together, in solidarity. Most of us forgot our laptops, but thanks to Scott Rogers and Brenda Ching, we were covered. Coffee brewed, and we munched on fruit, muffins and other goodies as we listened to that sleepy elevator music from both computers while the folks in L.A. got it together. The mood was good. But when the results were finally announced — SAG 82 percent; AFTRA 86 percent in favor of merger — our cheers alerted the musicians and neighbors down the hall that it was time for a photo op. It was a great way to start the day, and a delightful beginning to our new joint venture.

Members and staff after the merger announcement

Partnering with the University of Hawaii Academy of Creative Media

By David Farmer

In early March of this year, I had the honor and pleasure of participating in professor Joel Moffett’s ACM screenwriting class as a Screen Actors Guild actor for table readings.

I come from a theater/film/fine arts/law education and experience background. I also was taught in my early years at UH and Mid-Pacific Institute soon after first arriving here from NYC in 1966. After my years studying at Carnegie Tech and with Sandy Meisner and working at La Mama E.T.C. and other venues, I became drawn to teaching studio art and art history, for it seemed to offer a wonderful vehicle to truly educate by doing. Joel fulfills that calling in ways to which I could only aspire, but never achieved.

As a result of my teaching experiences in the 1970s, I appreciate the unique challenges of working with local students, challenges that Joel meets and totally disarms. Joel’s awesome talents and huge appetite and aptitude for teaching are already well known. His insight into the elements of a successful screenplay is incredible, and he imparts it in an extremely individualized way to his students, whom he obviously knows well and for whom he genuinely and deeply cares. He is that rare film person who understands what an actor needs to make the actor’s craft in film truly succeed — what is the behavior, what does the character want, what are the obstacles? He imparts these tools organically and effectively, both one-on-one and to the larger class simultaneously.

He is also that rare teacher who instructs and EDUCATES by bringing forth and eliciting the thinking and creativity of his students. His praise for student work is generous and sincere; his criticism is clear, insightful and never demeaning. He demands much of his students, but obviously no more than he demands of himself. His energy and enthusiasm fill the room and ignite within his students eyes.

My energy and enthusiasm for my craft were reignited as well, and I wholeheartedly recommend that my fellow SAG-AFTRA member actors also participate in this project that gives far more than it takes in time and energy. It’s yet another way to keep one’s craft sharply honed and ready for action.

UH Table Reads Program an Excellent Opportunity

By Dennis Chun

Interesting characters to play, exciting new scripts, and a chance to work on your acting techniques while surrounded by the most creative energy — in short, an actor’s dream: This is the SAG-AFTRA table reads with the University of Hawaii Academy of Creative Media. Having had the privilege of participating in two table reads, I strongly urge all SAG-AFTRA actors to consider taking advantage of this program the next time it is offered.

In each session, an actor is given up to five scripts and characters to read. After the read, the actor is given the chance to comment before the discussion is turned over to the students.

The chance to work with the passion of professor Joel Moffett and his extremely talented students is most inspirational and should not be missed. To see the creative process from the writer’s viewpoint only adds to the actor’s ability to create. It is these young writers who in the future will write the stories and roles for us to work.

My deepest appreciation goes to Brenda Ching, professor Moffett and the students of the ACM for providing this opportunity to their fellow artists. Hopefully, this program will continue to grow and provide us all more opportunities to grow and develop our talents.

Battleship in Hawaii

The long-awaited release of the movie Battleship was met with great enthusiasm overseas. Prior to the USA premiere, many of the Hawaii-based “old salts” and other principals who appeared in the movie were invited to a special preview at the Ward Center Theatre. Shown waiting in line are:

Mickey Graue

Mickey Graue, who was upgraded from background to principal playing the kid at bat at the baseball game.

Don Dailey, Sandy Keating, Marty Kogan, Lynne Halevi and Colby Haines.

SAG-AFTRA Merger Vote Announcement

Several Hawaii SAG and AFTRA board members, along with the Get Out the Vote phone bank volunteers, gathered in the Musicians board room to await the live announcement of merger voting results.

Members and staff after the merger announcement

SAG-AFTRA Office Sign

Brenda Ching, executive director of the SAG-AFTRA Hawaii Local, was prepared for the positive results of the merger vote with the appropriate signage for the office door. Thanks, Brenda, for being the consummate professional, always a step ahead.

SAG-AFTRA Local Hawaii Board of Directors

Rolf Burton, Co-President
Glenn Cannon, Co-President
Lynne Halevi, Co-Vice President
Scott Rogers, Co-Vice President
David Farmer, Co Secretary-Treasurer
Kevin Lye, Co-Treasurer
Jean Simon, Co-Secretary
Zulma Aguiar
Regina Bailey
Dennis Chun
Katherine Cleveland
Sally Ewing Davis
Colby Haines
David Isei
Pamela Larson
Marc Alan McClellan
Rebecca Maltby
John Nordlum
Richard Rodrigues
Lisa Romano
Charles Uyehara
Local Executive Directors:
Brenda Ching
Bill Thomas

Office:
949 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 105
Honolulu, HI 96814
Ph: 808-596-0388
Fax: 808-593-2636 / 800-305-8146