International Insider: Pact Vs Bectu; Netflix India; Boutonnat Controversy; Euro Heatwave
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here. We’ve got all the news and analysis you need as we end another week in which temperatures hit record highs and relations between the UK’s biggest TV union and trade body hit dispiriting lows.
Pact Vs Bectu
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Verbal warfare: Rumbling along in the UK TV drama sector has been a dispute that broke into all out verbal warfare this week over the Bectu/Pact TV drama agreement. The union Bectu is seeking updated terms to the agreement in areas such as working conditions, hours and wellbeing but trade body Pact believes Bectu’s terms are unrealistic, and has set out its own terms that Bectu members are balloting on as we speak. Crew members have been advised by the union to reject these terms and the whole situation has become extremely messy. In a set of ever-ramped-up statements issued to the press, Bectu said Pact’s terms did not address the “long hours and wellbeing crisis our members are facing” while Pact claimed Bectu’s proposals risk “the whole of scripted TV being damaged,” and there will be no agreement if the trade body’s compromise isn’t accepted. In an unprecedented move that may shift the debate, a group of heavily influential indies including Banijay, Bad Wolf and Normal People producer Element Pictures sent a letter to all crew yesterday afternoon urging them to accept Pact’s terms. The impact of this move may tip the the ballot, which still has nine days to go, and this one looks set to run. Deadline first revealed the rift back in March.
State of play: The dispute is reflective of the wider debate taking place in the TV production world at the moment between improving people’s working conditions, work/life balance and wellbeing while sustaining a thriving sector that is currently home to hundreds of movies and series being shot one-after-the-other. The UK’s drama tax credit means that deep-pocketed streamers are shifting productions over here in droves (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series two is next) and concerned stakeholders are painstakingly trying to ensure that working conditions progress at the same speed as the sector hits virtually full capacity. On the same day the ballot started, Pinewood Studios unveiled a near-$1B expansion plan that will add 20 purpose-built sound stages driven by the “shortage of studio space in the UK.” TV production is very much ramping up in the UK, not down…
Fighting for survival: Bectu and Pact’s disagreement concerns TV but in the indie film world, as we know, the state of play is different. A BFI report this week found the UK sector is in a fight for its survival amid the streamer-fuelled production boom discussed above. While the UK TV production sector has ballooned in size over the last five years to reach record spending levels of $6.7B in 2021, the benefits of this increased activity have not trickled down to the independent film sector, said the report conducted by Alma Economics, which set out recommendations including an increase in indie film tax relief and a rise in the financial contribution of large streaming services to UK independent films. Check out Mel’s write-up here.
Netflix’s Indian Disruptor
Leading the charge: With Netflix bosses breathing a (mini) sigh of relief about this week’s better-than-expected financials, Diana spoke to one of the influential people leading the charge to improve the streamer’s subs base outside the U.S., Netflix India Vice President of Content Monika Shergill. Presiding over a territory with population 1.4 billion is no mean feat and Shergill told Diana her team is prioritizing subs growth at a time when the slate is pushing beyond Hindi and English language content. India has 22 official languages and more than 800 TV channels, with multiple film industries, but Shergill, who was previously EVP and head of content at Viacom18’s digital platform Voot, said India is a market ripe for even more local stories that can resonate globally. With U.S. subscriber numbers heading in the wrong direction over two consecutive quarters, she is one of a set of increasingly important Netflix content execs attempting to clear a path to growth. Dive deeper.
Bollywood recovery: All eyes on the Indian Box Office today with the launch of the Ranbir Kapoor-starring Shamshera following an underwhelming first half of the year for Bollywood. Our Asia expert Liz Shackleton’s fantastic analysis took a look at what’s to come and how the Indian movie landscape is shifting. Bollywood producers point the finger at changing consumer habits during the pandemic, according to Liz, a story familiar in other territories, which have also seen a shift towards big event movies at the expense of smaller films as the rise of streaming has encouraged audiences to consume more content at home. Notably, while Bollywood slows down, films from the plethora of South Indian industries made in other languages have been breaking box office records. Full analysis here. Well worth a read.
Boutonnat Controversy
Second term for CNC Head: Dominique Boutonnat, who hit the headlines earlier this year following sexual assault allegations by a godson, has been reappointed for a second, three-year term as head of France’s powerful National Film Centre (CNC). Although not unexpected, the move has prompted fierce criticism from parts of the local film industry but for different reasons. Directors’ guild La Société des Réalisateurs has led the pushback saying his more mainstream, free market economy, multi-platform approach is disastrous for independent French cinema. Boutonnat, who has denied the sexual assault charges against him, remains under the judicial investigation. Gender Equality group Le Collectif 50/50 has been lobbying for him to be suspended while it is ongoing, saying that regardless of the outcome, he should not be in the role while the case is open. French Culture Minister Abdul Malak is reported to have lobbied for Boutonnat to remain in his post saying in a recent interview that he “was under investigation but had not been condemned.” There are clearly various forces at play and we’ll bring you more when we have it.
Euro Heatwave
Do I have to go to work?: Europeans, and especially Brits, were struggling with the heat this week. As temperatures soared above 100 F for the first time ever in many parts of the UK, phones at broadcasting union Bectu were ringing off the hook, with officials bombarded with queries from concerned members who weren’t even sure if they should be turning up to work, I understand. Meanwhile, major studios including BBC Studios and ITV Studios sent out guidance in areas such as hydration, air conditioning and reshooting scenes. It was chaos, although thankfully has calmed down somewhat in the past three days. In Continental Europe, a set of dangerous wildfires swept through parts of Spain and France, although producers remained calm about the heatwave more generally. “Quite frankly, after Covid and everything else that has happened, [the heatwave] is the least of our worries,” Emily in Paris Production Manager Raphaël Benoliel told Melanie. The sweltering weather also reinvigorated the environmentalist/climate denier debate, with those on the denial side chastising those (sensible) people on the other side. If you’ve seen Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up, check out this eery interview on UK’s GB News that mirrors the now-infamous Cate Blanchett/Jennifer Lawrence exchange.
Tim Burton feted
“Diving into a wonderland”: Beloved U.S. filmmaker Tim Burton will be feted with France’s prestigious Lumière Award in October, it was revealed Wednesday. The Nightmare Before Christmas and Sweeney Todd creator will of course bring a fresh feel to the 14th fest, which will offer a “dive into the Wonderland – somewhere between Americana and its legends, Victorian England, futuristic megalopolises and neighbourhoods of suburbia,” according to the organizers. The fest runs October 15-23 and will also feature a musical tribute to Clint Eastwood.
The Essentials
🌶️ Hot one: Netflix unveiled Copenhagen Cowboy from Drive auteur Nicolas Winding Refn.
🌶️ Another one: Industry exec David P. Davis’ fledgling 5 Act Productions made its first big content foray by optioning Claire Mackintosh thriller The Last Party.
🌶️ More: Jesse had news of The Doll Factory, Paramount+’s latest big budget international scripted order from Marcella producer Buccaneer.
🖼️Cast: Big names including Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Luke Evans boarded Netflix’s Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, with Evans set to play Dickens’ grouchy lead.
🏪 Setting up shop: Former Warner Bros Australia TV Boss Shaun Murphy cut the ribbon on Big Owl Pictures, with backing from billionaire California businessman Steve Luczo.
🧑💼 New job: Jane Millichip, Sky veteran, has taken up the BAFTA CEO mantle, one of the most prestigious jobs in the British screen industries
🖊️ Signed up: UK agency Denton Brierley poached Vivenne Clore Talent Agent Katy Wale.
🤝🏼 Pact: Canadian multi-hyphenate Lilly Singh struck deals with Blink49 Studios and Bell Media for shows focusing on underrepresented communities.
📺 One to watch: Cult British singer James Blunt is to feature in a doc billed as Spinal Tap meets Alan Partridge. Can’t argue with that.
🎥 Trailer: Nearly there on Amazon’s latest All or Nothing football series featuring Arsenal and narrated by Oscar nominee and Gooners superfan Daniel Kaluuya. Grab your popcorn for the trail.
Melanie Goodfellow contributed to this week’s International Insider
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