#4 in a Series The Eastern Breeze News and Information from the Eastern Region by Martin Levenstein The Eastern Region version of the Motion Picture Editors Guild Annual Meeting was held on October 27th at St. Mary's Church, just down the street from the Guild office on W. 46th St. The primary purpose of the meeting was to nominate candidates to fill terms on the National Board of Directors that will be expiring at the end of this year. Nominations were held for all open seats on a national basis, but of particular importance to Eastern Region members are the Eastern Region category seats held by Director Peter C. Frank and Alternate A. Maddy Shirazi. Both had been elected to one-year terms pursuant to the merger agreement. These seats are now being contested for three-year terms. Not all Board seats are open for election each year, as terms expire and Directors are elected for three-year terms, a rotating roster of Directors will insure experienced continuity in the elected legislative body governing the Guild. Please...read the campaign literature, talk to fellow members about the election, and VOTE! After nominations were closed, Eastern Region Assistant Executive Director, Lorraine Seidel gave a report which included information about the Basic Agreement and Post Production contract negotiations in Los Angeles and special events and seminars being planned for future Eastern Region meetings. Questions were entertained from the floor. Keeping with the tradition of former Local 771, Local 700 plans to continue to hold quarterly meetings. The first, on December 9th, provided a rich agenda, including a new members reception, and end-of-year opportunity to discuss union business and reflect on our merger's first anniversary. The highlight of the meeting was a fireside chat with three-time Academy Award-winning editors Larry Silk and Tom Haneke, who discussed the world of documentaries. The next quarterly meeting will be held in March, details to be announced. "Affordable professional education geared towards member needs is one of our major goals." As I've written previously, affordable professional education geared towards member needs is one of our major goals. The Eastern Region office staff and elected Directors and Alternates have been working on many proposals and ideas over the last several months. We are very excited to report two developments: Future Media Concepts, an Avid authorized and certified training center on E. 47th St., has agreed to give deep tuition discounts to Guild members who take their training courses. Courses are given for Media Composer and Pro Tools which cover everything from a basic introduction to advanced editing, graphics, effects, troubleshooting, mixing and sound design techniques. These courses, with discounts (up to 40%, depending on the course), are available to all Guild members, regardless of residence address. Eastern Region members, after successfully completing a course, are further eligible to reimbursement of up to $550 per course from monies in the Local 771 Help Fund and Video Tape Training Fund, which under the merger agreement were reserved for this purpose. For example, both Introduction to Media Composer 101, a 3.5 day course, and Introduction to Pro Tools Editing, a 3 day course, are discounted to $700 each. With a $550 reimbursement, an Eastern Region member would only pay $150 for either one. Information about the courses can be obtained on the MPEG website (www.editorsguild.com), through Future Media Concepts, or from Sandy at the Guild New York office (212-302-0700.) If you think you are eligible to be reimbursed for a course, the first thing to do is contact Business Rep. Norman Gay. He will confirm your eligibility and certify that the course can be reimbursed. In addition to the FMC opportunity, the Guild is developing Avid Film Composer training for Assistant Editors. The classes are being developed and organized by Guild member Emily Paine, and will be open to all Guild members in good standing. Classes will be held at an outside facility, and will be taught by persons who are experienced Avid assistants on theatrical and television projects. Previously, Emily had run a similar course in conjunction with a New York State Department of Labor dislocated worker program which had funds allocated for worker retraining. It was difficult to schedule and did not serve all interested members due to the state's requirement that participants be long-term unemployed (minimum 15 weeks.) There was also a lengthy selection process that took from four to six weeks. Now Emily has arranged instructor funds from a different program, which will cover us for three sessions of the class. Students must pay for the facility and equipment. A five day class with five students will cost each student $400. For Eastern Region members, this cost will be reimbursed from the Help and Video Tape Training Fund (s) up to the full $400 for qualifying members. As Academy Award balloting comes closer, Guild members reap the benefit of being admitted to movie theaters for free with a guest to see films in competition. At the bottom of the newspaper ad will be written: "members of the following organizations who have a valid membership card admitted free with a guest." Look for MPEG as one of the organizations. Read the ad carefully - it may be only for that theater and only for specific performances. Bring your membership card with you to the theater. If you don't have a MPEG, Local 700 membership card, contact Sandy at the Guild office. If you experience any difficulty at the theater, please let Sandy know. It's always possible that a ticket seller or theater manager didn't get the message and needs to be brought up to speed. For added protection, bring the newspaper ad with you when you go. And most of all, ENJOY this privileged benefit as a Local 700 member! Remember, the Guild has a Work Availability List by category which is given to producers when they contact the Guild looking to fill a position. Whenever you are unemployed and looking for work, call the office and get yourself placed on the list. You will automatically be on the list for 90 days.   Please feel free to call the Eastern Region Guild office at (212) 302-0700 with any questions or concerns. We also encourage members to attend our regional Board meetings, generally held the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to bring an issue before the Board, please call the Guild office to be placed on the meeting agenda; otherwise, check with the office to confirm the date, time and location.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 6 - November/December 1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700