WRITERS STRIKE AT 12:01 AM MONDAY; Zero Chance Of An 11th Hour Settlement

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/hollywood-writers-strike-starts-monday/

The Writers Guild Of America's 12,000 membership will begin picketing at the major movie studios and television networks later in the day Monday. They were told that all writing covered under WGA agreements must cease when the strike starts. No last-minute talks to avert the crippling walkout are yet scheduled for this weekend after negotiations collapsed Wednesday night.

It ain't a fucking CHARITY. The purpose of their jobs is to grind out product for the tee vee market. That product is delivered to ME, a customer, in the hopes that I will look at it and buy the things flashed on the screen in continuous, annoying interruptions of the weak plots and foolish constructs.

The market will end up bearing what the market will bear. Either one side or the other will prevail.

But my friends who are soap opera fans will get cranky if this shit isn't resolved soon, and that is unpleasant, so yes, it IS all about me.

you don't think the writers have a right to petition for a decent wage? And if rebuffed they don't have a right to refuse to work?

No wonder the comprehension difficulty of Tee Vee shows is so dumbed down in the past few decades....the spoken word is as much of a challenge as the written one, apparently.

good gracious isnt that evident?

Grrrrr.... It's like the writer's equivilent of shipping the jobs to China.

That's about all I really care about. Well, that, Heroes, and whatever looks good as I'm channel flipping. :)

I so rarely see anyone mention the existence of this show and it is one of my absolutely favorites! WOOT!!!

My timing in life has always been awful. I'd just graduated from film school and gotten my first real agent when the strike happened. Because I was still wet behind the ears, some producers felt I might be a potential scab, but of course I didn't want to begin my career as a traitor. But those were tough times. They would call and ask for material, and I had to say no, even though I was not yet in the Guild, because I knew that even to violate Guild rules as an aspiring writer would destroy my career forever. And then on the other hand, you piss off a lot of producers and developers, who are your meal ticket.

My heart goes out to the writers, especially the ones that are not very successful or just barely making ends meet. It's really dog eat dog in the screenwriting business.

"They would call and ask for material, and I had to say no" -- kudos to you for standing your ground. Not an easy thing to do when there doesn't seem to be any immediate benefit, and nobody's thanking you. I admire your principles.

Luckily I had a good job at that time as an assistant at a documentary film company, and also working on a feature as an assistant.

The real reason I posted this is because I think some folks think writers in Hollywood all make huge amounts of money, but it's not true for the majority, just the very top percentile.

I fully support the WGA.

But this damned strike is REALLY gonna hit our local economy hard. When the entertainment industry grinds to a halt, so does everything else.

:mad:

I can't feel a whole lot of empathy, sorry.

Union, YES. Always.

because the writers aren't happy with their already adequate income. Small business people like me will be the first to suffer. We ALWAYS are.

Oh, and BTW: I hope you have to go hungry or cold some day, too. Thanks for the kind thoughts.

to struggle to make a living wage.

The vast majority live hand to mouth like most of us do. Average screenwriter income may look good because there are a few who can demand and get a million for their work. But mean income for screenwrtiters is considerably more dismal, just as it is for actors.

This affects screenwriters as well, even famous directors who write their own screenplays and are in the WGA.

The strike will only cause a slight ripple in the film industry.

For television, the late night talk shows (including Daily Show, Colbert, Letterman, etc.) will instantly go into reruns, since that stuff is usually written same-day. Scripted TV shows should last until the end of the year before they run out.

Let me start with this disclaimer. I worked for the DGA in the legal department during the last negotiations and was friends with one of the top SAG attorneys at the same time, so I have a little bit of insight into the PREVIOUS goings on, but have tried not to keep up with the current struggle, less I get dragged back in but...


My understanding is that the entire fight stems from DVD Revenues and Internet streaming revenues (the former was an ugly point in the last round, as the WGA kinda got screwed).

From the bit I have been reading, it seems to me that both sides are being a bit pig headed. The producers/studios HAVE TO start giving revenue to the talent based on these sales. HOWEVER, it is really unreasonable for the writers to asked for a fixed cost on these sales (which is what I have read they are asking for... please correct me if I am wrong... I don't want to call anyone I know b/c I will wind up doing work I don't want to do). A fixed cost, ESPECIALLY in internet steaming is difficult to give, because the revenue steam isn't fixed yet. Producers/Studios have no idea how much this medium will be worth or how they are even going to generate revenue from it (commercials, pay per view, etc). Even in DVD's it is difficult, b/c popular shows will sell for more than less popular ones. You can get a whole season of some shows for 19.99, while similar number of episodes from a different show will go for $69.99. Should the studios pay the identical residual for both of those properties???

I ultimately side with the writers on this one, because the studios don't seem to want to give at all... but I wish the WGA would come up with some more creative alternatives.