WGA Writers' Strike
POSTED BY: Raycheetah
UPDATED: Thursday, February 28, 2008 16:10
VIEWED: 18272
PAGE 4 of 10
while i support the strike 100%
i can't help but notice the only people affected in the recent hack attack here were - the writers...
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It's pretty sad & pathetic that mega-million dollar "talents" like Leno & Lettreman NEED writers for a 5 minute monologue & show of celebrity interviews. Don't they have any talent on their own? You need writers to interview people? They can't write funny stuff on their own for a 2 minute opening?....hell, FF Fans do it every day. Hollywood is chock-full of airheads and charlatans.
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Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Does anybody know the gist of the issues at stake?
I'd heard it was just for more money. However, other comments, including from Joss, indicated it was more, something like a change in formula or structure of pay, between up-front and residual.
Anybody know?
The way I understand it, today they get pennies off DVD sales and nothing at all off internet distribution.
Since DVD distribution is already a huge part of TV and movie revenues, and growing, and internet distribution is going to go up massively in the future, that's a pretty unfair state of affairs.
In a lot of other strikes I've felt that unions were being pretty unrealistic in their demands; in this case I think that the current situation is ridiculous and it's insane that the studios haven't fixed it without a strike being needed.
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Quote:
It's pretty sad & pathetic that mega-million dollar "talents" like Leno & Letterman NEED writers for a 5 minute monologue & show of celebrity interviews. Don't they have any talent on their own?
Some portion of it is also not wanting to cross the picket lines. SAG has its own contract negotiations coming up in June, and they want the same benefits WGA gets, too. Not sure if Jay, Dave, etc are SAG members, but they probably want to at least support their friends and soworkers in WGA. And hey, they're getting paid for their time off, too!
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Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Does anybody know the gist of the issues at stake?
I'd heard it was just for more money. However, other comments, including from Joss, indicated it was more, something like a change in formula or structure of pay, between up-front and residual.
Anybody know?
Are they trying to give up more up-front pay to get more residual/royalty/right/profit-based pay?
Or do they just want same up=front pay plus more after-pay?
Way I understand it, in broad strokes, is that the mass media industry has changed a lot in the past few years (DVD rentals and sales, internet-only content, existing content appearing on the internet, etc) and the current contract with the WGA does not take any of that into consideration.
The counterargument is basically that this is such a new paradigm--and STILL evolving--that it's impossible to put a fair value on it.
Which is ludicrous. It's basically the studios saying "We're not sure yet how much more you should be making, so until we can figure it out, we're just gonna keep everything."
For those who are interested, you can find a copy of the contract statement here:
http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=2539
www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."
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This from Dollverse:
Quote:
FROM THE FRONT LINES!
Written by Joss (on Whedonesque.com)
Tuesday, 06 November 2007
Sick as a dog but proud as a noble and much healthier dog, I made my way to the picket lines outside of Fox studios today. I’m really glad I did. In addition to carrying the banner, it was a chance to talk with other writers, get more perspectives and more information about what’s happening, and to see a surprising number of old friends. David Fury and Mere Smith were there, as well as many non-mutant enemies that I know. We were all caught in that giddy first burst of solidarity and fear. Nobody thinks this is going to be easy. But everybody there knows that, as things stand, it has to be.
A particularly gratifying and unexpected sight was that of Aly and Alexis, along with Cobie Smulders, marching shoulder to shoulder with the HIMYM scribes. Aly and Alexis even brought boxes of candy bars to hand out to the flagging marchers (actually, I was the only one who appeared to be flagging – even the pregnant writer outlasted me). Mere told me young Boreanaz had also been there earlier that day. I was really touched, but my actor-friends were very matter-of-fact about the whole thing. They understand that the issues at hand affect the future of the entire creative community here, and that the writers, by virtue of being first, will set a precedent that affects all the guilds. That is why we writers have to be firm, intractable and absolute in our dedication to getting a fair deal. And that’s all we’re talking about: a fair deal. For us, and for generations of artists to come.
Sounds pretty damn pompous, no? “Generations to come…”? Yeesh. But it’s true. Our culture, our government, our corporate structures have all gotten pretty used to taking care of ourselves at the expense of our children and their children. Part of this is simple greed, part is immediate practicality trumping long-view perspective, and part is perfectly understandable fear. It’s easier to take what you’e given, not protest, not make a fuss. A lot of people will suffer grievously if this strike isn’t quickly resolved, and the men and women who voted for it know that. But like so many things – our eco-system being the most obvious – if we don’t make it work now, what’s to come will be much worse.
Let me be clear on one point: I know I have it easy. I’ve done well, and I’m grateful that I can weather a long winter. Compared to what the studios have made off me my share is tiny and cute, but I’m in no position to complain. But take that differential, apply it to someone who’s just getting by when they deserve better. Now take it and… well, just take it, ‘cause when it comes to the internet and the emerging media there’s nothing there for the artists. There’s no precedent; these media didn’t exist the last time a contract was negotiated. We’re not just talking about an unfair deal, we’re talking about no deal at all. Four cents from the sale of a DVD (the standing WGA deal) sounds exactly as paltry as it is, but in a decade DVD may have gone the way of the eight-track. We have to protect the rights of the people who tell the stories, however they’re told. I’m never gonna be as articulate as Shawn or Brian (both of whom have been linked here, I believe), but I am just as committed. And a lot phlegmier.
I don’t think of the studio heads as a bunch of grinning tycoons sitting in a smoke-filled club and drumming their fingers like Montgomery Burns. I know some of those guys. I think they’re worried about the future as much as anyone. But they are beholden to their corporations, and that inevitably causes entrenchment and shortsightedness. They can’t afford that. This is an era of change, and for the giant conglomo-tainment empires, it will either be the Renaissance or the Ice Age. Because we will not stand down. Writers can be replaced, as we are constantly reminded. But so can companies. Power is on the move, and though in this town it’s been hoarded by very few, there are other companies with newer ideas about how to make money off oNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
It's pretty sad & pathetic that mega-million dollar "talents" like Leno & Lettreman NEED writers for a 5 minute monologue & show of celebrity interviews. Don't they have any talent on their own? You need writers to interview people? They can't write funny stuff on their own for a 2 minute opening?....hell, FF Fans do it every day. Hollywood is chock-full of airheads and charlatans.
Hey, don't disss these folks. As KC5F says, they're supporting their fellow creative types. I'm sure these guys COULD go on, but that would basically be viewed as siding with the opposition.
As for them needing writers... gorram skippy they do! To be consistently funny for a large audience is probably one of the toughest jobs in entertainment. Sure, we can throw stuff around here and amuse ourselves, but writing PROFESSIONALLY is both a science and an artform that requires rewrites, edits, revisions, and, in a case like a late night talk show or something like SNL, a lot of tossing around of ideas.
Consider that a standup comedian will often spend weeks or even MONTHS refining a one hour routine to perfect it. Someone like Leno or Letterman is putting out more than twice that a week.
www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."
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I see the studio heads as bein' akin to Patience:
"I have a rule. I never let go of money I don't have to."
Which is why they're runnin' things, and, the writers are still in their dinky, little jobs, sniffing for scraps.
That needs to change.
As Mal told Patience,
"I do the job. And then I get paid."
Wish I was close enough to drop the picketers by some pizzas and candy bars.
-Raycheetah ='[.]'=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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Found Joss's name on this. (Sorry, I know it's huge...)
"We may experience some slight turbulence, and then... explode."
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Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Does anybody know the gist of the issues at stake?
I'd heard it was just for more money. However, other comments, including from Joss, indicated it was more, something like a change in formula or structure of pay, between up-front and residual.
Anybody know?
Are they trying to give up more up-front pay to get more residual/royalty/right/profit-based pay?
Or do they just want same up=front pay plus more after-pay?
Here is a video posted on youtube from the WGA explaining it all very nicely.
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