Provost Pictures, a local group of film makers and actors have a project in pre-production, titled The Beast of Bottomless Lake. It would seem that the beast they must slay first is the bureaucracy of their very own union, UBCP, who say they can't make the film.

UBCP is dedicated to protecting the rights of professional performers to fair remuneration and the fundamental respect for their craft and artistry.

I found the following information courtesy of Darran Barefoot:

UBCP - our own union, we are both members - has decided to not grant us a deferral for our project.

I am writing to muster as much support as we can. There is no specific goal in terms of numbers, we simply want to get as many names as possible. Union and non-union members alike.

So please: Send your name and at least one of the following pieces of information for verification/validation; address, phone-number, email to provostpictures [at] telus.net

I didn't know what a deferral involves, as I'm not "in The Industry". I did a bit of digging, and a deferral is an IOU for wages; promising payment if the project ever makes money on the back end, or if there is money from projects derived from it. It's performing on spec; hoping to make money, but knowing that it's entirely possible that you're donating your time.

It would appear that in the case of The Beast..., everyone involved is ready and willing to volunteer their time in order to make this low budget masterpiece about BC's own mythical lake monster Ogopogo. They were set to begin filming in September, with everything in place, but without a deferral of wages, it's not going to get made unless everyone involved is willing (and able) to leave the union.

You might recall Provost Pictures being in the news last year when they sold Executive Producer credits on eBay, along with some other sponsorship opportunities.

UBCP - The Union of BC Performers
Provost Pictures

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