Sargent-Disc is proud to be an ally in the fight against the stigma of mental health. Last week we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week – the campaign that aims to raise awareness, challenge stigmas and foster a better understanding of mental health issues.
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Sargent-Disc celebrated International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8th March. A day, globally dedicated to recognising the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The team marked the occasion with several internal events including an inspiring ‘In conversation with Theresa Wise, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Royal Television Society (RTS).
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The new Pact/Bectu TV Drama Agreement came into effect on 1st January 2023 following a period of discussion sparked from Bectu submitting a request to review the previous agreement in May 2021. The original agreement dating back to 2017 lasted 5 years, whilst the new one has a term of 3 years and will provide some stability for the industry during a time of economic changes.
The agreement sets out terms and conditions and best working practices for those working in TV drama; aimed at improving work/life balance and altering the harmful long hours culture.
With the introduction of the new agreement, UK scripted TV producers need to know the new terms and conditions. The table below indicates the key comparisons between the 2017 agreement, and the new 2023 document.
2023 Agreement | 2017 Agreement | |
|---|---|---|
Working day type | Introduced additional contracted hrs for select department to replace existing Prep and wrap time concept.
Shooting Day • SWD = 10 hrs + 1 hrs unpaid break • CWD = 9 hrs + no formal break • SCWD = 9:30 hrs + 00:30 hrs break Shooting Day – Select Department • SWD = 10 hrs + 1 hr unpaid break + 1 add cont. hr • CWD = 9 hrss + no formal break + 1 add cont. hr • SCWD = 9:30 + 00:30 hrs break + 1 add cont. hr Non-shooting crew • SWD = 10 hrs + 1 hrs unpaid beak CrewStart Feature: Checkbox feature has been introduced in the time report to manage the additional contracted hour feature which will add 1 hour of extra pay for required crew members. | Working day types with option to choose prep and wrap time. |
Overtime & Penalty | • Introduced overtime & enhanced overtime by eliminating existing Camera and non-camera overtime. • Overtime to calculate at 1.5 T of hourly rate • Enhanced overtime to calculate at 2T of hourly rate • Revised min overtime rate to 35 and maximum overtime rate to 70 • Overtime & penalty calculation to follow 15 min increment • Introduced condition to calc. overtime rate beyond maximum cap of 70 if hourly rate is more than 70. | Camera & non-camera overtime calculated separately with Min 35 and max capping of 45. Overtime multiplier at 1.5 T. Overtime & penalties following 30min and hourly increment logic. |
6th Day & 7th day rate | • Shooting day to be paid at 1.5T of daily rate • Non-shooting day Less than 6 hrs = 1T of daily rate More than 6 hrs = 1.5 of daily rate • 6th day on bank holiday = 2T of daily rate • 7th day rate = 2 T of daily rate • Overtime on 6th & 7th day to calc at 15 min increment | 6th Day rate = 1T of daily rate 7th Day rate = 2T of daily rate |
Night work | • Night work cut off revised to 23:00 instead 00:00 earlier • Night work calculated at 15 min increment • Night work paid at 1T over existing pay rate | Night work considered from midnight 00:00 onwards
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CrewStart, Sargent-Disc’s onboarding platform, uses Pact/Bectu compatible timesheets. See the screenshot above where new ‘Working day type’ and Additional contracted hour’ fields are visible.
Contact the team at sales@sargent-disc.com for more information on how CrewStart can streamline your production’s onboarding processes.
Sargent-Disc’s sister company, Media Services, is hosting a webinar on the 23rd March to bring you an hour of insights into the world of U.S. production payroll.
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This year’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) Graduation ceremony took place on Friday 3rd March at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, after four days of screenings and industry networking events at the BFI Southbank.
Dr. Laurence Sargent, Director of Sargent-Disc, attended the ceremony as a proud sponsor of three NFTS students (two Production Management Diploma students and one Production Accounting student [John Sargent Scholarship]). These scholarships serve as a key element of Sargent-Disc’s work to recognise the efforts of the NFTS and its students in achieving excellence.
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The Sargent-Disc team were delighted to be a part of another spectacular celebration of talent at the 2023 Broadcast Awards earlier this week (8 February).
Always a highlight of the UK television awards calendar, this year’s ceremony took place in front of a packed audience at The JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, hosted by comedian Sue Perkins.
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CrewStart™, part of Sargent-Disc’s Digital Production Office®, is designed to help your team automate the processing of contracts, start forms, daily rate vouchers and timesheets.
In the latest release, our patented approval and signature process has become even faster.
Over 250 people (industry experts, newcomers, students, educators and skills bodies) came together at The Savoy Hotel on Tuesday 24th January for the first Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) Talent Showcase. As a member of the PGGB Board, Sargent-Disc Director, Lara Sargent, attended the evening with Director Laurence Sargent to watch the presentation of the inaugural Earl of Wessex Award.
The award was presented in person by His Royal Highness Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex and the PGGB’s Royal Patron to 6ft From the Spotlight. The award recognised the Film and TV industry charity’s work to shed light on and improve mental health and wellbeing in the UK production workplace.
The Earl of Wessex Award was launched last year to identify those who have created “a successful way of inspiring local talent or skills, widening access or being more inclusive” within the UK film and TV industry. The other finalists for the 2023 award were Fully Focused, MAMA Youth and Resource Productions.
The event, hosted by presenter Ayo Akinwolere, commenced with a panel discussion involving the PGGB Careers Pathways Panel – Production Finance Manager Chika Ansiobi; Production Manager and PGGB Spotlight on New Talent Award winner Fay Mohamed; Head of Film Barking & Dagenham Lisa Dee; Producer and Co-Founder of HaZ Film Paula Crickard; Executive Producer Roopesh Parekh and Alliots LLP Media Accountant Samuel Ampah.
The panellists shared insights into their own beginnings and the challenges they have faced throughout their careers to date. Advice echoed across the panel was the importance of self-belief, perseverance and to speak to everyone you can as all it takes is one person to make a difference.
The evening ended with a drinks reception, allowing attendees the opportunity to network with fellow members of the industry.
Photo Credits: Ben Meadows for the Production Guild of Great Britain
Members of the Sargent-Disc and Cast & Crew teams were delighted to be in Belfast last week to meet the members of the Production Guild of Great Britain’s (PGGB) Northern Ireland (NI) committee, Northern Ireland Screen and others working in the vibrant NI production industry.
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We are delighted to announce that Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company, is now a Corporate Member of WFTV (Women in Film and TV), the UK’s leading membership organisation for women working in media.
Sargent-Disc has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with WFTV, having sponsored a number of its special events, including most notably the annual WFTV Brunch held at Festival de Cannes. We have also supported the annual WFTV Awards which celebrate the achievements of women within the screen industries and delivered a series of production finance workshops to share our specialist expertise with WFTV’s members.
As a Corporate Member, Sargent-Disc’s female team will now be able to attend WFTV receptions at annual events such as the Sheffield DocFest, the BFI London Film Festival, the hugely popular WFTV Summer and Christmas Parties along with regular member networking events. They will also have access to industry seminars, panel discussions, workshops and can apply for special programmes including the WFTV Mentoring Scheme – designed for women wanting to take a significant next step in their careers.
Lara Sargent, Co-Head International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Director says: “At Sargent-Disc we appreciate and have long supported the work that WFTV does to encourage and empower women in the film and TV industry. We strongly value the many skilled women of Sargent-Disc‘s workforce, who make up 64% of our team. Becoming a WFTV Corporate Member allows us to offer a fantastic benefit to our female team members whilst also providing ongoing support for WFTV’s work.”
Katie Bailiff, CEO at Women in Film and Television says: “Women in Film and Television are delighted to welcome Sargent-Disc as corporate members of the organisation. We have been actively broadening our reach to include more women working in the industry’s business and finance sectors so are looking forward to engaging with their team at our future events, on our mentoring schemes and through our bursaries.“
“I’m passionate about women striving to succeed and having confidence to move into senior roles. I love what WFTV stands for because in order for anyone to be successful in life, supporting one another is key! I Iook forward to using this membership to build new relationships with other members, and of course to represent the women of Sargent-Disc.”
Kirstie White, Operations Manager
“Having grown up in a [Sikh] culture where women have not always been on the same level as men, I believe everything is achievable with the right motivation and support. My mother was the one who taught me that, no matter my culture, race or religion, I was to follow my inner self, to be the best I could be and to make the most of life. This membership will give me the opportunity to access support, open my mind-set further, learn more about the industry and be part of an organisation that I know will make a difference in my working life and the future of my daughter.” Pav Sohal, Supervisory Payroll Administrator
“A key aspect of the membership that appeals to me is the mentorship opportunities. To build a long and successful career, I personally believe it is important to have mentors and stakeholders both internally and externally. I have been fortunate enough to have a number of strong female mentors in the past and I feel this has been instrumental to both my career development and confidence.” Alicia Lane, Customer Success Manager
“I see this as an opportunity to raise the visibility of women working in areas that are not always celebrated, such as payroll, accounting, post-production and HR. In many ways we are a hidden workforce. WFTV provides opportunities to learn and develop new skills, establish mentorship relationships, and to grow towards goals that meaningfully will contribute to the business.” Jolanta Pawlowska, Senior Payroll Technician
Find out more about WFTV and the work they do here.
