The case began around last year, the fall of 2011. The main issue discussed was that there were unpaid interns who had to do rigorous jobs when working for the film "Black Swan". Nevertheless, Fox Searchlight Pictures placed the blame on "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky for the two unpaid interns. Since then, there were no further inquires and no more interns came out to say anything about the issue... until now. Two more plaintiffs (one corporate intern and the other a production intern) have recently confessed that at Fox they were "hired to work there were not paid, even though they were required to fill out I-9 forms, sign confidentiality agreements and were deemed 'employees' covered under workers' compensation laws."
Likewise, I found it quite interesting because it was about internships. As many readers may know, internships play a vital role in many careers, not just the film industry. Usually, to start off a career on the right path, one needs to get a job. However, most jobs require experience. This is where internships kick in. Internships are there to help you achieve your goals and test out working in your field and provide an educational experience. Overall, what got me into reading this article was that internships act as the stepping stone to your dreams. With it comes the firm belief that if you work hard enough, you just might be part of the few people that make it into the industry of your choice. After reading this article, I thought that since Fox decided to pay their interns in 2010, they should stick with it. After all, Fox decided to pay their interns in 2010 while other internships do not provide minimum wage at all. If Fox chose to pay their interns $8 an hour, they should keep their word.
Now, a belief that is held by a multitude of people (and hopefully not just me) is that internships are essential. Therefore the particular lawsuit does not impact me as just a student, it affects me as a future filmmaker as well. For instance, as a student, getting an internship doesn't seem quite that exciting anymore. Mixed with the excitement is anxiousness. If I get an internship, will it turn out like that? would be the question I would constantly ask myself. The article shows me that I should be wary of some internships. As a future filmmaker, the news only makes me wonder if this is the business I should get into. What other sketchy things hide behind Fox's doors? As a consumer, the article does not do much but make me think of Fox as the bad guy...although, only for a short amount of time until something new comes along.
All in all, not all the questions were answered in the article. These questions may not be answered at all. Such as why did those two interns barely come out now rather than a year ago? Because of this, the question remains, are there people in this for personal gain?
The entertainment industry is business. And as we all know so well, business is business.
When I was reading this, I was first thinking "Aren't interns originally unpaid?" But like you said, Fox had decided to pay their interns before, so they should stick to that because if not, it wouldn't be fair to the interns that wont get paid.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that there are so many people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get a "foot in the door" of the film industry. This has been the secret that is known but kept quiet. The sad thing is that there are probably many, many companies, big and small, who keep treating their interns as slave labor and it's called "earning their dues." Many execs and others feel, "I had to do it, so why not everyone." It's an ugly business but one that seems to have forgotten about common decency.
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