Touchstone Pictures' "The Help" scored the top win of the evening on Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Award telecast, which was an "Outstanding Performance by a Cast." But do most people know what the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is? This awards show is the one that insists on the organization being represented in the name, whereas the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards make reference to their organization through telecast and are widely branded and fed to the public under a nickname — "Oscars," for instance. But SAG is so much more than an awards show. It revolutionized the way the entertainment industry functions.
SAG is an actor's union that rallies behind actors whose membership bears them with a "SAG Card," which brings many benefits but, most significantly, health care coverage. The union has been around since 1933.
The concept behind SAG was to stop actors from being exploited and mistreated by major motion picture studios, such as MGM and 20th Century Fox. At that time, actors were trapped in complicated contracts which bound them to any film production that the studio needed them for, often forcing actors to appear in a dozen or more films a year, working from dawn into the early morning of the next day. Actors were supplied with uppers and downers — amphetamines and barbiturates — to wake up ready to work, to curb their appetite and to help them sleep at the end of their grueling workday.
The basic requirements for the SAG card include having received credit as an actor in any capacity ranging from a commercial to a motion picture, and any status ranging from background performer to a full-blown movie star.
Just like any insurance company, there are monthly payments as well as special membership fees that the Screen Actors Guild requires. Another benefit of being a member of this union is that it ensures "residual" payments. With these types of payments, members are paid in an installment-like basis for any re-airings of work they have done, be it a commercial, a TV show or a movie. These payments are essential for some actors who may only have a few commercials to their credit.
One important restriction of membership is something known as "Global Rule One." This rule states that no actor is allowed to perform for any producer or production company that does not have an agreement in place with SAG. This came into public concern in 2007, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike.
The Writers Guild is essentially like SAG, but for those who have received writing credit. The strike put a hold on new material on television. It trickled down to all productions and for months no material was being made. It actually interrupted the television season, as the strike occurred two or three months into production, depending on the project. Shows were forced to show reruns of their current season after they ran out of episodes to air.
But strikes are what unions are supposed to do when faced with such circumstances. They are meant to fight for the rights of those they represent. Similar to the Writers Guild, SAG protects the rights of actors, and ensures such things as a fair wages and a safe and secure work environment.
Without SAG, actors could be exploited for their talents, and then thrown away when they are "used up," left desolate and broke at times. The awards are marketed as "actors celebrating actors, celebrating acting." Receiving this award is considered a great honor for actors, as they are being awarded by their peers.
