One of the best perks of being a member of SAG-AFTRA union (besides protecting you when working on the set) is getting all the For Your Consideration (FYC) Screeners and voting for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® – or by their more common name the 2021 SAG Awards.
To get the FYC screeners, you must be current (paid up) on your SAG-AFTRA dues by Monday, January 4, 2021.
Typical Timeline for FYC Screeners
The nominees are announced on February 4, 20201. I will immediately post a Grid with names of all the nominees. The Distributors and Producers of each nominee then decide if/how they will grant access and tell SAG Awards office what they decide. SAG Awards posts on the FYC portion of website how that nominee is coming (Streaming, DVD, etc.). It takes a while for the Distributor to make that happen, so be patient. I will update the Grid once or twice with how we are getting access. Best advice is to keep checking the FYC portion of the SAG Awards website. See details below.
To help you remember the important SAG Awards dates, I have written this short article. I also posted a countdown timer on the sidebar of this website.
The SAG Awards are rising in popularity and prestige every year. What distinguishes them chiefly from all the other Awards shows is the SAG Awards are voted on by ALL actors in the Actor union (SAG-AFTRA) on only Acting-related categories. Compare that to the Oscars, where everyone in the Academy votes on every category. This means eg: Costume Designers vote on Sound Design. Not really sure how Costume Designers can intelligently discuss/vote on Sound Design, but you get the idea.
When writing about Awards shows, I find it awkward how to refer to movies made during the previous year. Eg, if I said this post is about 2018 SAG Awards, does that mean for movies made during 2017 and honored in 2018? Or for movies made during 2018? Whatever – semantics. Ultimately, I decided to follow the lead of the Oscars.
Log into your SAG-AFTRA Account
Now would be an excellent time to log into your account on the SAG-AFTRA website. Click on the My Info tab and make sure they have your current physical mailing address. This is where they will snail mail your physical DVDs to.
Then click on the Residuals Portal and make sure you have paid your dues. If you haven’t, you can pay your dues online. Remember you must be paid up/current by January 4, 2021 or you won’t get access to any of the FYC screeners.
Every year the industry is going more and more to STREAMING where you log onto a website and watch the movie ONLINE vs snail mailing a physical DVD. This is much cheaper for the Producers AND better for the environment – and we ALL care about the environment, yes?!? The SAG Awards are often praised for their Green/Environmental efforts.
2021 SAG Awards Nominees announced
The the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® nominees will be announced on February 4, 2021 at 11am ET/ 8am PT. You can watch the Live Stream on Instagram.
2021 Awards Dates Changes
In general, ALL the various Awards shows (Oscars, Grammys, etc) are being presented later than usual due to the virus.
Here is a good article on ALL the various Awards calendars.
FYC section of the SAG Awards website
A few days after the Nominees are announced, SAG-AFTRA will email you a PIN to get access to the For Your Consideration (FYC) section of the website. I will post a quick walk-thru of how to register/sign up thru the SAG Awards website (totally separate organization from SAG-AFTRA union website). It is VERY confusing – and I even have a degree in MultiMedia!
Keep going back to the FYC page on the SAG Awards website. They update it frequently. Mr SAG Awards has no control over what nominees are shown and how. All of that is up to the Producers and Distributors.
iTunes and/or Apple TV
It is important to go thru iTunes or Apple TV app whenever possible, since the movie is added to your Library. This means you have access to watch this movie again – forever! I have movies in my library all the way back to SAG Awards 2013. There is no guarantee how long the Producers will continue this practice, so take advantage of it as long as you can.
2021 SAG Awards FYC Screener Grid
Once the nominees are announced, I will create and post a Grid to help you make sure you see all the nominated movies/TV shows before voting ends on March 30, 2021. I find it incredibly hard to see them all in such a short amount of time and to balance with work, holidays/parties, life, etc. These are 1 pg each and meant to be printed out and written on.
The first version of the 2021 SAG Awards Grid will be just the title of the nominee because the Producers won’t have had time to line up access. I will update it periodically when the Producers decide if/how they are going to give us access (physical DVD, online/digital, coupon, etc). As an example, below is the first version of last year’s grid.
Download (2021-SAG-Awards-FYC-Screener-Grid-updated.pdf)
Be sure to come back and read my reviews of all the 2021 SAG Awards nominees. As a sample, you can view my reviews from 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.
These reviews take a lot of time to write. This is on top of working, holidays parties, sleeping – in all my spare time. 😉
Be patient and kind to the SAG Awards Office
The SAG-AFTRA Awards people do a TREMENDOUS amount of work coordinating the process of giving you access to the nominees. And this is during December when most people are taking time off for the holidays. So be patient and kind with them!
Broadcast
Watch the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® on Sunday, April 4, 2021 simulcast at 8pm (ET)/5pm (PT) on TNT and TBS. They also have apps you can download onto your computer/tablet/cellphone and watch for free. Click on those icons on the above link.
