The Writers strike. Argle bargle, or fooforaw?

pO157.

Posted to Business on Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 07:14:38 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Writers represented by the Writers Guild of America went on strike last night, after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers hit a deadline.

Writers then walked off the job across the nation.
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Tags: edited by Port1080, written by pO157, labor, strike, Writers Guild of America, walkout, movie, business (all tags)

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1	Coming soon, to Fox! Dvandom. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 08:58:20 AM EST 5.00 (funny)

32 aspiring non-union scriptwriters compete to win the right to finish off the scripts for this season's shows, on "Who Wants To Be A Scab?"

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2 1	Re: Coming soon, to Fox! pO157. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 09:12:52 AM EST none

That is both funny and probably true. Script writing (at least to me) appears to be one of those fields that everybody wants to do. You always hear about studios being awash in unsolicited scripts and storylines. What is to stop the studio from unilaterally going in and hiring all new people? I know next to nothing about that business so perhaps this is not a feasible idea, but it seems like job with less technical know-how required to bring in new workers (unlike aircraft mechanics, if they went on a longer term strike I would imagine the major carriers would be in trouble).

3 2	Re: Coming soon, to Fox! port1080. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 01:06:23 PM EST none

Yeah, some shows could use new writers anyway...one of the stories I read about this quoted a writer for one of the Law & Order who was bitching that without residuals she wouldn't have enough money to take time off and take care of her kids. This woman probably isn't the poster child the union wants to be throwing out there...she's writing for a formulaic detective series that recycles plots year after year (seriously, at this point those shows could start with the scripts from their first season, change the names and sets and just re-film them, and nobody would notice), and she's bitching because she wants to be able to take time off work to spend with her kids! How many people, even people working traditional union jobs, can even dream of that? I don't know if the writers have a point or not, but part of me thinks that they might be one of the few unions that makes me want to get behind management...

4 2	Re: Coming soon, to Fox! thefadd. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 01:34:56 PM EST none

Because all those people (amazingly enough) actually suck more than the ones in the union. Sure there are one or two who might break through but most aspiring writers in town are cowed by the guild into believing that if they write during the strike, they'll "never work in this town again." You'll get one or two, maybe but not enough to break anything.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

6 4	Experts predict a 180 from my previous analysis pO157. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 03:13:57 PM EST none

Ironically, MSNBC's analysis suggests these jobs are much more high skilled than you'd expect and cannot be replaced. Apparently some studios had prepared for this and made the writers pen emergency stockpiled scripts to get them through for a few days. But it may not be that simple, the last strike in '88 cost $500M and some are expecting this to go for months. Amy Poehler was quoted in one of the writeups saying this is going to go long-term and SNL is already off the air. Hell, Newsweek already has a survival guide penned for everybody during these trying times.

Maybe we should all just go Read A Book. BET already has that cartoon done, don't need any writers to ad to it. They could sell the rights to NBC and release it for showing as a "The More You Know" in between re-runs of Quincy and Matlock during those prime time slots.

7	The No Scab Zone. MayorBob. Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 05:45:41 PM EST 4.00 (informative)

For those who might be interested, blog reports to keep up to speed about what's happening on the picket line. Just wondering, are there any producers' blogs or are they just limiting their activities to counting the money in their offshore accounts?

Illegitimi non carborundum.

9 7	Re: The No Scab Zone. thefadd. Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 06:09:31 PM EST 5.00 (interesting)

I think it's pretty ridiculous that writers want a cut of digital downloads. There isn't any money in digital downloads. No one in Hollywood has even figured out how to monetize it. If I were the writers, I'd want to be sure digital downloads were as far away from any agreement cut today as possible. The mistake they made in '88 was agreeing to something before the market was established. Now they think they're being all smart by doing what...agreeing to something else before the market is established? They are making a major mistake if they think they're re-fighting the DVD Wars of '88 today.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

11 9	Re: The No Scab Zone. Shy Elf. Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 08:43:01 PM EST none

As I understood it, they were asking for a fraction of the revenue from them, so that even if they get what they want they still get paid nothing until the studios figure out how to make money from them.

11

Re: The No Scab Zone.

thefadd.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 09:03:12 PM EST

4.00 (interesting)

Yes but what fraction and how is that fraction determined? There are layers upon layers of places along the income chain that they could take. Do you get $.02 for each discrete download. Do you get 2.5% of adjusted gross? Do you allow residual buyouts? Do you discriminate between a promotional exhibition, an advertising supported exhibition and a charge per download model? Are cable VOD downloads a more profitable use than ad supported web distribution? Studios (who make the shows) and Networks (who broadcast them) haven't even figured out amongst themselves who owns the right to broadcast television shows on the internet. The guild blew DVDs by establishing their share before understanding the market. No one understands the alt media market so this is absolutely the same mistake as '88.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

13 9	Re: The No Scab Zone. keta. Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 06:10:16 PM EST none

The on line ad sales surprised me.

Americans now spend nearly 27 hours a month online, up 8% from just two years ago, according to comScore Media Metrix. And advertising dollars are following: Internet ads registered a 17.7% increase in the first half of 2007, to $5.5 billion, while the broadcast networks saw ad spending slip 3.6%, to $11.8 billion, during the same period, according to TNS Media Intelligence, a division of Taylor Nelson Sofres that tracks ad spending.

The trend seems pretty obvious.

10 7	Re: The No Scab Zone. thefadd. Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 06:28:54 PM EST 4.00 (informative)

I actually find the next entry down about the LA City Council doing its best to bring the sides together even more interesting.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

8 7	Re: The No Scab Zone. thefadd. Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 05:51:01 PM EST none

I heard someone got their foot run over while picketing in front of Paramount.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

5	Predictions thefadd. Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 02:12:51 PM EST none

The way I see it is that there are specific deadlines that the sides are incentivized to hit and if things aren't settled around those time periods, then they won't be settled. What I hear is that the writer's guild has stockpiled cash and is prepared to go until the end of next summer. Thanksgiving is in two weeks and I don't see anything being settled by then because the studios and networks feel prepared. Nothing happens between Thanksgiving and January anyway, so strike is pretty much on until then. If the two sides don't get it together to save January pilot season, I think the producers would likely give something enough for the writers to come back in the March, April, May area.

The question I'd have on the producer's side is who's driving the train--the film side or the television side.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

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pO157.

Posted to Business on Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 07:14:38 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Coming soon, to Fox!

Dvandom.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 08:58:20 AM EST

5.00 (funny)

1

Re: Coming soon, to Fox!

pO157.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 09:12:52 AM EST

2

Re: Coming soon, to Fox!

port1080.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 01:06:23 PM EST

2

Re: Coming soon, to Fox!

thefadd.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 01:34:56 PM EST

4

Experts predict a 180 from my previous analysis

pO157.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 03:13:57 PM EST

The No Scab Zone.

MayorBob.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 05:45:41 PM EST

4.00 (informative)

7

Re: The No Scab Zone.

thefadd.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 06:09:31 PM EST

5.00 (interesting)

9

Re: The No Scab Zone.

Shy Elf.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 08:43:01 PM EST

11

Re: The No Scab Zone.

thefadd.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 09:03:12 PM EST

4.00 (interesting)

9

Re: The No Scab Zone.

keta.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 06:10:16 PM EST

7

Re: The No Scab Zone.

thefadd.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 06:28:54 PM EST

4.00 (informative)

7

Re: The No Scab Zone.

thefadd.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 05:51:01 PM EST

Predictions

thefadd.

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 02:12:51 PM EST