SAG background may not be cancelled without full pay if the cancellation is within the control of the producer, i.e., scene rewritten and background not needed, scene re-scheduled to a later day, etc.

Producer may cancel any call for any of the following reasons beyond its control:

1. Illness in principal cast
2. Fire, flood or other catastrophe
3. Governmental regulations or order issued due to a national emergency

Cancellation fee is 1/2-check.

If cancelled before 6PM the day previous to the work call, there is no cancellation fee.

(San Francisco and Hawaii Zones – there is no cancellation fee if cancelled before 11PM the day previous to the work call.)

Yes.

When in groups of five or more:

• they are required to utter in unison exclamatory words or phrases, as distinguished from a line of dialogue, or
• they are required to speak in unison traditional or commonplace dialogue which the ordinary person might be presumed to know – for example, The Pledge of Allegiance to The Flag, The Lord’s Prayer, or, for youngsters, The Boy Scout Oath or Motto.

Groups of 15 or more extras photographed as a group and speaking lines in unison shall not be reclassified to the acting category in any event unless required to memorize the lines prior to reporting at the place of work.

Inconsistencies have arisen in connection with the manner in which salary adjustments and allowances for background actors are sometimes handled.

Salary adjustments (e.g., wet, snow, smoke work, body make-up, hair goods, hazard pay) are to be added to the background performer’s base salary and are therefore included in the calculation of overtime pay and premium pay.

Allowances (e.g., for wardrobe, automobile, pets, personal accessories) which are payable to a background performer, are not added to the base salary for the purpose of overtime pay and premium pay.

Groups of more than 16-background actors performing as non-professional singers will be considered general background and paid at the $126. rate.; Reading from cue cards or monitors while singing is allowed, but the Production Company must not bring in the background a day or more early to rehearse. Background are to be photographed as a group. No harmonizing is allowed under these rates and conditions. Casting may not inquire as to the singing ability or training of the background actors.

Groups from 5 through 16 background atmosphere performing as non-professional singers will be considered Special Ability background and paid at the $136. rate. Reading from cue cards or monitors while singing is allowed but the Production Company must not bring in the extras a day or more early to rehearse. Background are to be photographed as a group. No harmonizing is allowed under these rates and conditions. Casting may not inquire as to the singing ability or training of the background actors.

SAG:
The Producer may furnish to a background actor a non-deductible meal appropriate to the time of day of fifteen (15) minutes in duration with-in two (2) hours of the background actors call time, during which the back-ground actor will be freed of all activity, provided that such non-deductible meal is given for the purpose of synchronizing the background actors meal time with the crew meal time. If the background actor is given a non-deductible meal, a notation indicating the start and finish time of that meal shall be made on the production report. The first deductible meal period shall commence within six (6) hours of the end of such non-deductible meal.