In The News

The Writers Guild of America has commenced high-stakes negotiations with studios over a contract set to expire on May 1 — which could lead to the first strike in nearly 15 years, a prospect that would cause massive disruption to television and film projects across the industry. The guild is seeking higher compensation for writers, a boost in contributions to pension and health funds, and better workplace standards. Most notably, the guild wants to factor in the streaming economy into compensation packages for its members.

The current Writers Guild of America (WGA) contract with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) expires on May 1. Negotiations to renew are slated to start on March 20. Any work stoppage would shut down film and TV production until an agreement is reached. The biggest negotiating issue will be the residual fees as viewing shifts from linear television and toward streaming video. Residuals pay screenwriters for any reruns of episodes or movies that air primarily on broadcast TV. The residual fees screenwriters receive for programs and movies streamed are negligible in comparison.

Eric Saindon, who is currently living in New Zealand, was a member of a four-man team that won an Oscar in the visual effects category for their work on “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Saindon, 53,  is a senior effects supervisor. The film is directed and produced by James Cameron.

Sunday’s nomination was the third for Saindon, who grew up in Gorham and was also nominated for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” in 2014 and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” in 2013. Sunday’s Oscar win was his first.

The producers of Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films alike are on the lookout for the most cost-efficient locations. Recent examples include several of the year’s Oscar nominees, from “Aftersun,” which shot in Turkey; “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” which went to Budapest; to “Elvis,” in Australia.

The professionals who discover where a movie is shot are some of the first people to be hired on a production — and a film’s success rests on their keen eyes.

This year, the Academy Awards will honor outstanding achievement in film for the 95th year. Directors, actors, production designers, editors, costume designers, writers, composers and more will be celebrated for their artistic vision, yet one of the greatest visionary roles in film — that of location scouts — will once again go unrecognized. A film’s locations are among the most essential creative building blocks of film, and the scouts who find them are artists deserving of recognition by the Academy.