In an effort to preserve the employment of career television directors, the Directors Guild of America has secured provisions in new contracts that restrict actors from working on television series and other episodic directors.
The provisions are aimed at addressing a 40% decline in production employment over the past four years, leaving many of the union’s 19,500 members unemployed.
The DGA reached a tentative agreement with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance on Tuesday. The terms, announced Friday, include new provisions on increased health fund contributions and balances and artificial intelligence, among other provisions aimed at protecting members’ jobs.
According to a summary provided by the union, the agreement “is intended to free up valuable episode directing slots for career directors by limiting the number of episodes that directors with no directing experience and who are already employed in other roles on scripted series can direct.”
A case in point is The Pit star Noah Wyle, who directed an episode in season two, although Wyle has directed other shows before. This provision is intended to support career directors, while allowing those who are serious about building a career as a manager to keep their jobs.
DGA has also focused on ensuring its members are allowed to work on U.S. productions that are released overseas. Under the agreement, studios and unions will task a committee with reviewing the application of the DGA contract outside of North America.
The union has focused its efforts on lobbying for federal tax incentives to help bring back manufactured goods from overseas. Under the agreement, both studios agreed that their own top executives, as well as the Motion Picture Association, would participate in their lobbying efforts.
The contract also includes updated clauses regarding AI, including a provision that all footage generated by AI remains under the control of the director. The agreement also includes provisions mandating notification of AI training and transparency around AI use, very similar to the terms won by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. The deal also includes a new employer-funded program to help directors build AI skills.
The studios agreed to pay higher contributions to health insurance to keep pace with medical inflation and to increase the cap on wages eligible for contributions.
The agreement also requires the DGA to reduce benefits in certain respects, such as charging monthly premiums. Complete changes to your health plan will be made later by your plan administrator. Earlier this year, the WGA similarly agreed to a significant increase in fees to members in return for a significant increase in employer contributions.
The four-year contract still requires approval by members.
