Directors build global links

Film and TV directors on English language productions have begun regular meetings.

Seven directors' organisations from around the world, including BECTU, have met in Los Angeles to discuss closer cooperation on issues facing their members.

At the meeting in November, hosted by the Directors' Guild of America (DGA), representatives from English-speaking countries discussed the working conditions and professional concerns of their members.

BECTU and the Directors' Guild of Great Britain (DGGB) reported on their recent success in the UK, when they persuaded broadcasters to pay directors for their "secondary" rights.

Under a groundbreaking agreement with British TV channels, money is now paid to directors through the Directors' and Producers' Rights Society (DPRS) as a reward for the re-transmission of programmes they have directed.

"It was great to find that our actions have inspired colleagues in Australia, Ireland, and elsewhere", said BECTU's Martin Spence.

"At the same time we learnt a lot from the experience of friends in the USA and Canada...this meeting was just a start".

Organisations represented at the Los Angeles event were:

• Australian Screen Directors' Association (ASDA)
• Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union UK (BECTU)
• Directors' Guild of America (DGA)
• Directors' Guild of Canada (DGC)
• Directors' Guild of Great Britain (DGGB)
• Screen Directors' Guild of Ireland
• Screen Producers' and Directors' Association of New Zealand (SPADA)

The seven organisations are due to meet again in London in May 2002, at an event hosted jointly by BECTU and the DGGB.