Originally Posted By Rontheman And the soaps have supposedly had some writers go "fi-core" (resign from the union essentially) to keep writing.
Originally Posted By DlandJB You don't remember where you were on Friday?>>> Heck - I can't even remember where I was this morning. Some of us are more Dory than others.
Originally Posted By DlandJB When I was a wee lass, the dock workers would strike in wind, rain, hail, and whatever else the horrid weathers of San Pedro could scrounge up>>> Uphill in the snow, both ways.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA There's been some small breaks in the stalemate between striking writers and the AMPTP. Looks like a resolution may be close... Anyone know more?
Originally Posted By cstephens The games that the leadership of the WGA are playing tick me off to no end. I figured rather than being screamed at for how I viewed them, I'd just stay quiet. /cs
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 after reading 226 posts, I know I am about to get bashed for saying this but..... Good for the Networks to stand by their guns against the Writer's Guild, who are in essence striking themselves out of a job. Even when they return, the landscape of network television is slowly changing, with reality TV, game shows, and other unscripted programs becoming increasingly popular. The WGA is out of line and they are basically screwing thousands of people in Hollywood out of a job, from the stage hand all the way to the lighting crew and sound guys. Can you imagine if as a Network Administrator, I asked for a 1% residual on all the data that goes through my network because after all I designed it. Or the guy at Star Bucks wanting a 1% residual of all coffee sold because he brewed it. Greed is killing the writers, and it's not from the top, it is from the WGA.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Can you imagine if as a Network Administrator, I asked for a 1% residual on all the data that goes through my network because after all I designed it. Or the guy at Star Bucks wanting a 1% residual of all coffee sold because he brewed it.<< Lots of top network administrators get stock options. How different is that from a residual?
Originally Posted By peeaanuut <<The games that the leadership of the WGA are playing tick me off to no end. I figured rather than being screamed at for how I viewed them, I'd just stay quiet. >> Ditto.
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror >>>Can you imagine if as a Network Administrator, I asked for a 1% residual on all the data that goes through my network because after all I designed it. Or the guy at Star Bucks wanting a 1% residual of all coffee sold because he brewed it.<<< Apples and oranges. Neither the brewers or baristas or anyone else at Starbucks employs CREATED the coffee bean. God did. God is happy to stay out of their balance books. Writers CREATE the ideas and notions and stories and scripts that in turn, provide a platform for everyone else to have a job. You may recall that though Disney technically owned "THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS" because of their peculiar (it is one of a kind in Hollywood) employee intellectual property clause, they didn't try to mount a production of the project without its CREATOR, Tim Burton. They used that as a means to exploit his name and forge an association with him. There is value in great ideas. Not all writers have great ideas, but they create entire worlds that can be exploited for enormous amounts of money. When DVD goes away, then the only residuals left will be from 1) broadcasts of movies and TV shows, and 2) from paid/advertiser-paid internet downloads and webcasts. The WGA, initially, was seeking to secure a residual formula, as several forecasts are projecting something like $20 billion in internet download revenue for studios by 2011. That's 3 years from now. The sum total that the contract for Writers would bring, in residuals, represents such a tiny fraction of that, it's hardly unreasonable to thinking people. Especially given that the writers creating that material make those broadcasts and beloved series possible in the first place. It's just silly to argue that it's about mere greed on the WGA's part. It's about greed all right, and there's healthy greed - what keeps your business sense alive enough to keep your rent paid, and there's unhealthy, insatiable greed, which is what networks and studios, who have untold billions to stave off the effects of any strike, exercise with gusto. >>>Greed is killing the writers, and it's not from the top, it is from the WGA.<<< No, that's not accurate at all. The Writers are simply seeking, more or less, a continuation of their current agreement with the equivalent of a cost-of-living adjustment, and an "insurance clause" that MAINTAINS residuals as technology forces our changeover from DVDs to solely streaming/downloaded content. The Writers only want what actors and directors are getting, and in fact, the actors and directors don't have anywhere near as much to do with CREATING that content, as the writers. So if anyone deserves residuals, it's us. I will give you THIS, however, and it's not been widely reported. I know negotiators on both sides - for the WGA and for the AMPTP. The Producers, before the last round of talks broke down in December, DID come through with a good, decent (though not terrific) offer on internet residuals, right after the WGA took demands for jurisdiction over Animation and Reality Programming off the table. The WGA negotiators were pleased with the internet proposal. It was reasonable and they went home for the evening, they came back the next day, moved PAST the internet issue, and, now having gotten such a major milestone, said "Okay, let's talk about animation and reality again." In essence, the negotiators/leadership for the WGA played (forgive my lack of PC here) indian-giver - which is VERY bad form in any contract negotiation. They had taken this off the table, and they put it back on again once they'd gotten the big carrot. The WGA DID get greedy, not the rank and file, which has never been informed of this development, but the leadership, which has indeed fumbled the ball on this whole affair. What's at stake IS very important. How it's been handled has been very disrespectful of WGA members, and sadly, we've not been given truthful communication about the development of these negotiations. With the DGA contract, there is huge pressure to adopt similar terms. From where I'm standing, looks like the strike will likely be over within two weeks.
Originally Posted By cstephens BlueOhanaTerror wrote: > I will give you THIS, however, and it's not been widely reported. I know negotiators on both sides - for the WGA and for the AMPTP. > The Producers, before the last round of talks broke down in December, DID come through with a good, decent (though not terrific) offer on internet residuals, right after the WGA took demands for jurisdiction over Animation and Reality Programming off the table. The WGA negotiators were pleased with the internet proposal. It was reasonable and they went home for the evening, they came back the next day, moved PAST the internet issue, and, now having gotten such a major milestone, said "Okay, let's talk about animation and reality again." Actually, it has been reported enough that I read that quite some time ago. That's partly why I'm so irritated at the WGA leaders. There was a big thing in the news earlier this week that they were agreeing to take animation and reality off the table. My reaction was, oh, really, they're willing to take off the table something they'd already previously taken off the table and then unilaterally put back on again? How magnanimous of them for such a big "give". You don't hear a lot of the WGA people talking about that though. /cs
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan "Tell you what. Let's take reality off the table." Only in Hollywood! ; )
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <With the DGA contract, there is huge pressure to adopt similar terms. From where I'm standing, looks like the strike will likely be over within two weeks.> I hope you're right.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Actually can we ask that the writers of certain shows remain on strike forever, like the writers for "How i met your mother"
Originally Posted By cstephens If you don't like a particular show, you do have the option of just not watching it. /cs
Originally Posted By DAR I recently watched a dvd for a proposed half hour sitcom. Watching it made me realize just how difficult it probably is to write a good tv show or movie. Because this thing was beyond atrocious. It made According to Jim feel fresh.
Originally Posted By cstephens Jim in Merced CA wrote: > ^^^maybe you could get a part-time job as a comedy writer. You mean *I* can't get a part-time job as a comedy writer? /cs
