LOS ANGELES

There were mixed messages from the Los Angeles production community through the first two weeks of June. Some houses report that it is the low-point of the year as they bid against high profile directors for mediocre boards. Meanwhile, business is booming for A-list directors, one of whom is enjoying a well-deserved vacation after booking through the summer.

SAG/ACTRA officials have been tracking location shoots through city permits, and every exec prod in town has a story of losing non-union talent to the lure of membership or the threat of...well...threats. Rumors of card-carrying members following non-union talent to work and home are rampant.

This has not dampened the spirits of commercial producers who continue to purchase multiple permits in Los Angeles County while scheduling shoots in Arizona, Texas, Vancouver, Europe and South America. These locales, far from the screams of "Pay-per-Play," are the sites for dot-com, athlete-driven, telecommunications and automotive boards.

In between takes, the NBA Finals diverted attention, that is until advertisers see their latest work (most notably a Nike spot shot in Hollywood and reportedly "shut down" by picketers) during the break. Strike tactics spill from producers lips along with draft beer. "We're thinking of getting a permit to shoot outside of SAG HQ," says one exec prod, "to see how many people show up."

Another mentions a covert operation designed to put strikers to work. "We're filming all the actors striking, cutting the footage down into :30s and running them on network television for an Internet start-up company -- scabs.com!"

Someone's mother once said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Go Lakers!

MIAMI

Miami's role as a production hub for both Latin America and the US Hispanic market, coupled with Florida's status as a right-to-work state have buffered production companies from some of the SAG strike impact. While English-language spots still comprise a substantial portion of jobs, Spanish-language spots for soft drinks, tobacco, fast food, retail, dot-coms and financial institutions in the US and in Venezuela, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador and other Latin American countries are vital to the local production community. Several producers indicated things have slowed slightly from the beginning of the year, most likely due to both the SAG strike and seasonal demand for warm weather.

ATLANTA

Atlanta production companies are handling the SAG strike rather nicely; strike or no strike, it seems to be a busy summer. In order to sidestep the SAG ordeal, producers are using stock-footage, graphics and non-union talent for their spots. Overall, the work is not ideal but definitely happening. "I'm just thrilled that there's still board flow," says one exec producer. "I was afraid with the strike that people would just shut down, so I am very comfortable with the rhythm right now."

The board flow is a varied crop, ranging from lottery commercials to high-end corporate projects. In addition to regional spots, producers are reporting an array of board flow from outside of Atlanta, with one executive producer naming Canada, New York, Chicago and San Francisco as his sources.