News & Articles

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is taking a big step towards helping the Covid-19 vaccination rollout by offering to help build or convert vaccination sites across the country. In a letter sent to Joe Biden and signed by IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb, the organization offers the White House COVID Response Team and FEMA its assistance, noting IATSE members have worked for years with federal agencies in arenas and convention centers to help disaster response teams.

On Jan. 15, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe into streaming with WandaVision, a nine-part TV series that marks the studio’s first original for its parent company’s prioritized Disney+ service. With five more shows and four movies slated for release in 2021, the goal is for Marvel to always have something new for MCU fans, enticing audiences to join Disney+’s 86 million global subscribers and keep them paying monthly.

From falling in love and fighting a war to plunging into the depths of addiction and robbing a bank, the Apple TV+ drama “Cherry” puts Tom Holland’s titular character through an emotional wringer. The film is split into six different chapters, and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel says it was his task to create six unique looks for each section — the challenge was making sure they all worked together to form a cohesive whole.

Flipping a project – any project – is no easy feat. Feelings get heated, work stoppages are threatened and sometimes executed. Jobs and industry reputations are placed at risk.

As entertainment venues including Broadway theaters, dance centers, arenas and concert halls lie empty across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, IATSE, the union that represents the workers behind-the-scenes at those venues tweeted earlier this week, “Turn live venues into COVID vaccination sites and use union labor to set it up.”

A tale of two cinematographers--one whose feature is currently in the Oscar conversation across varied categories, the other already a two-time Academy Award winner with professional achievements that also include a number of lifetime achievement honors.

The new union at Alphabet, the parent company of Google, launched publicly last week with around 225 workers. Now, according to union leaders, its ranks are north of 700, and growing.

Given that on-set safety has been such an unimpeachable priority during the pandemic, one would think the film and television industry would be pushing hard to obtain access to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. But that hasn't quite happened. Rather, a mix of political wariness and confidence in the status quo has compelled industry leaders to, at least for the moment, exercise restraint when it comes to lobbying for the vaccine.

As the surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelms L.A. hospitals, producers, film workers and their unions are still grappling with how and when to get back to work after a holiday pause.

Women’s Cinema is a new series by Y.M.Cinema Magazine with the goal of encouraging women to pursue after filmmaking career and to provide a stage for women in the content creation industry, regardless of their role on set. In the first part, we interviewed 1st AC Amanda Wojtaszek which has worked on films like “The Incredible Hulk”, “Workin’ Moms”, “Anne with an E”, “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”, “Suicide Squad” and many more.

Marjo Bernay, the trailblazing labor leader and feminist activist who once led three Los Angeles-based IATSE locals and served on the board of another, died Sunday of heart disease. She was 79.