CHANGE SOUGHT IN FILMING ZONE.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Former state Sen. Phil Wyman is seeking to increase film business in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley by eliminating a union policy that actors and other workers on films here be paid for meals and hotel rooms. Film productions outside the so-called ``studio zone,'' a 30-mile radius around Hollywood, are required through their collective bargaining agreements The contractual agreement between an employer and a Labor Union that governs wages, hours, and working conditions for employees and which can be enforced against both the employer and the union for failure to comply with its terms. to pay crews a per diem per diem adj. or n. Latin for "per day," it is short for payment of daily expenses and/or fees of an employee or an agent. allowance and provide first-class lodgings LODGINGS. Habitation in another's house, in which the owner dwells; the occupier being termed a lodger. and three meals a day. While there is considerable film activity in the region, most of it has been relatively quick location filming, Wyman said. Expanding the zone to include the Antelope Valley would encourage companies to do more business locally, he said. ``We ought to have a piece of the action,'' Wyman said Tuesday. Wyman, speaking before the Antelope Valley Regional Partnership, asked the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale to support the effort. The partnership, a committee composed of officials from the two cities and private industry, agreed to set up a committee to examine the issue. ``We need to do some research on what is needed,'' said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, one of the partnership members. Screen Actors Guild guild Association of craftsmen or merchants formed for mutual aid and for the advancement of their professional interests. Guilds flourished in Europe between the 11th and 16th century and were of two types: merchant guilds, including all the merchants of a particular town representatives could not be reached for comment Tuesday. By generating interest in the issue and possibly even state legislative inquiries, the studios and unions could be prompted to re-examine re·ex·am·ine also re-ex·am·ine tr.v. re·ex·am·ined, re·ex·am·in·ing, re·ex·am·ines 1. To examine again or anew; review. 2. Law To question (a witness) again after cross-examination. the zone, Wyman said. Wyman suggested that the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale and other communities that would benefit from the zone expansion form a coalition to lobby for the change. The partnership, a committee created to coordinate the Antelope antelope, name applied to a large number of hoofed, ruminant mammals of the cattle family (Bovidae), which also includes the sheep and goats. The North American pronghorn is sometimes called an antelope, but belongs to a separate, related family (Antilocapridae). Valley's economic development efforts, has set its sights on the film industry as one of the industries the region needs to attract. Movie, video, commercial and television production companies spend $2.5 million to $2.9 million a month in the Antelope Valley, mostly for hotels, food, building supplies and location rentals, said Antelope Valley film liaison Jeff McNeil. Wyman said the 30-mile zone was created in 1938 and has been a standard clause in contracts between the studios and its various unions. Because of the additional expense of filming outside of the zone, film companies are opting to leave the state altogether. Wyman released a letter dated Monday from California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Secretary of State Bill Jones supporting the concept. ``It would seem reasonable and economically sound for the zone's current configuration to be enlarged in order to offer more opportunities for the development of an adequate number of film locations within the region of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, so as to compete with the out-of-state locations that are now being utilized by the motion picture industry.'' Appearing with Wyman before the partnership was Paul Koslo, a Lake Hughes resident and an actor with 130 movie and TV credits. ``You'll never get the big money unless you expand the zone,'' Koslo said. |
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