Labor Woes Force a Wrap for Film

Last month, on a wind-swept movie ranch, production began on “Flat Dog,” a low budget horror flick about kids on spring break mistakenly stealing a crocodile’s eggs and then getting chased by the ornery reptile.

But in the end it was producer Frank DeMartini, a former lawyer with little production experience, who was sent running, essentially chased out of town by an ornery crew.

After an ugly weeklong labor dispute, DeMartini decided Friday to leave the Sable Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley in the middle of shooting his film.

A strike had paralyzed “Flat Dog” production and tensions between striking and working crew members had grown to the point where Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were called several times.

DeMartini said there were death threats, cars getting scratched with keys and so much ill will that it was impossible to continue filming.

“It was getting so scary I thought somebody was going to get hurt,” he said.

The trouble began Tuesday when about 35 crew members decided to walk off the job because they were not being paid benefits. Officials from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents a majority of the crew members, said it was unacceptable for a producer not to pay some benefits.

“We won’t give up on that,” said Joe Aredas, an IATSE official. “We work with many low-budget productions” that pay benefits.

DeMartini, who estimated his film’s budget at $1.5 million, said he was paying his 70-person crew weekly wages of $550 to $1,750, depending on the job. He said he had no idea the crew wanted benefits until Tuesday morning when he drove into the ranch, situated north of the Antelope Valley Freeway, and saw a line of picketers wrapped around the set. It was the third week of shooting, with two more to go.

DeMartini’s first action was to fire the striking workers and continue filming with anyone who crossed the picket line. Then he hired new grips, gaffers and electricians from a company in Utah.

But ill will continued to brew. On Wednesday afternoon, several deputies responded to control the crowds of union supporters who had gathered at the ranch to picket, Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Gump said.

Thursday night, deputies were called to a nearby Travelodge motel where strikers were allegedly harassing the replacements from Utah. Early Friday, someone broke into the camera trailer on the set and ruined several magazines of film, DeMartini said.

“It was getting pretty nasty,” said Derek Hunt, a production manager at Sable Ranch.

So Friday afternoon DeMartini threw in the towel and stopped filming. He said the strike was depressing his remaining crew members.

So what’s going to happen to the uncompleted “Flat Dog?”

“We’re going to Canada,” DeMartini said. “I hate to say it, but I tried to make a movie in L.A. and now I guess we’re going to be like all those other people who make a movie in Toronto or Vancouver.”