Strike Update

B

brianluce

Carbonite Member
"There are a lot of rumors and questions floating around, and we’d like to address them.

HAVE NEGOTIATIONS BROKEN DOWN? No.

DID OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE ASK FOR A BREAK? No.

THEN WHY THE FOUR DAY BREAK? On Thursday, the studios and networks gave us some of their proposals, and said they needed more time to fashion the rest. Therefore talks were scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

THE COMPANIES SAY THEY ARE OFFERING US IS A $130 MILLION INCREASE. THE GUILD CALLS IT A ROLLBACK. WHY THE DISPARITY? The companies have still not explained how they arrived at their $130 million figure, but we can certainly explain how this is a rollback.

OKAY. SO HOW IS THEIR MADE-FOR-INTERNET PROPOSAL A ROLLBACK? Currently, the writer of a 30-minute prime-time TV show makes almost $21,000. The conglomerates are proposing that if that writer wrote the same show for the Internet, his or her initial compensation would be $2,600. That’s a rollback of 88%.

SO WHAT’S THEIR OFFER ON INTERNET RERUNS? Currently, the writer of a half-hour television episode makes about $11,600 when his or her episode is first re-run on TV. The companies are proposing that if that same episode is rerun instead on the Internet, they will pay the whopping total of $139 for unlimited reruns for one year--and nothing at all if it only streams for six weeks. About a third of all TV series are now being rerun only on the Internet. This amounts to an immediate 98.8% rollback. And it gets worse. If they decide to call a show “promotional,” they don’t have to pay us anything. It’s a “freepeat.”

WOW. AND WHAT ABOUT FEATURES? Are you sitting down? The companies want to be able to stream any and all feature films in their entirety, supported by advertising dollars, and pay the writers nothing. Zip.
Nada. Bupkus. A 100% rollback.

GIVEN ALL THIS, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE COMPANIES COME UP WITH THE 130 MILLION DOLLAR FIGURE? Our question exactly. It’s definitely not a three-year number. As near as we can figure, their proposal might net us that total around the year 2107.

YOU HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING NEW ABOUT DOWNLOADS. Neither have they. We are hoping that they will address this essential issue by Tuesday. Stay tuned.

In solidarity,

Nick Kazan
Howard A. Rodman
Phil Robinson
Tom Schulman
(for the Board of Directors)"
 
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Brianluce, if that's a quote/statement from somewhere, please put it in quotes
like this
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to indicate that it's not your original text. If possible, also cite the source too. Thanks :)

- Mikko
 
Yawn.

I'm a writer, but I remain in solidarity with those non-writers hurt by the strike.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/435329/wga_strike_what_its_all_about_and_why.html


Let's talk about something interesting. Any updates on Ellen Ds confrontations?

The US filmmaking industry is going to wake up someday and find all their thunder is gone, and the best films will be coming out of Bollywood and Europe.

If you look closely, you'll see the exodus has already begun. Kinda like the throngs of Americans heading across borders to get humanly-priced medicines.

There is not a more powerful vehicle for exchanging ideas than film, and not a better snapshot of any given cullture at any given time. Don't piss it away over ridiculous squabling that benefits the few.

History is chock-full of such small-minded actions. Think bigger than your paycheck. You'll be glad you did.

www.thegoloaffair.wordpress.com
www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com

"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."

Hypatia of Alexandria
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It's about fairness and putting food on the table.

Bollywood? Ellen D? Humanely priced medicine? Whatever man.
 
brianluce said:
It's about fairness and putting food on the table.
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Fairness includes everybody getting to put food on their tables, not just the writers. When the writers strike, a whole lot of peripheral people don't get to do just that. Let me guess, caterers and cleaning crews don't matter.

Anyways, yes Bollywood. They are and will continue to make great inroads into the film industry. Their influence is already being felt (Moulin Rouge).

Read my friend. A lot of the young and aspiring filmmakers on this board just might find themselves affected for better or for worse by that fact. Hollywood WILL go through changes just like the auto industry did (caught sleeping), and investors will be far more wary to support hum-drum Hollywood thinkers when there is much more exciting (and cheaper) possibilities coming from elsewhere (Poland, Canada, Romania, China, India, etc...). I see it as a plus, offering more depth and more cultural flavor in film.

As in any industry it behooves you to know what the competition is doing. Ignoring it as inconsequential kids play leads to dishwashing jobs.

European film, Chinese film, and Latin American film offer refreshing variety to the over-commercialized US film industry. Fewer and fewer really great films are coming out of the big machine (no, bigger explosions and bigger body counts don't constitute good film). It is the little guys, the Indies, that are telling better stories for the most part, just with-out all the glitz.

My money is on the Indies all over the world.

a

www.guerro.wordpress.com
www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com

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alex
 
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Most of that foreign stuff is crap. No one pays to see it . Look at the market. It doesn't lie.

That's all irrelevant anyhow, the issue is fairness. Plain and simple. With your way of thinking no profession should strike because the pain trickles down to others. You have no argument Alex.
 
Zak Forsman said:
well, as long as you have an open mind about it. :laugh:
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A tad indelicate but most of what Hollywood does isn't much better. I just believe this is all market driven. The best of Bollywood and China usually ends up in Hollywood. Follow the money.
 
Pans? LMS? Babel?

The problem with movie lies in the fact of the mundane cycle. All movies are a cheap shot and thats why people do not go to the theaters to watch it. They download it cause its cheap gratification that fufills a tiny bit. We need more and bigger represented through the smaller, a lot of people want this.

Hollywood thinks the general tween/teen audience which is the backbone want modern day explosions , potty humour and general 1d characters.No you tell us we want that , change the mentality of the audience and you get a new breed.Won't do it because its proven true.

But if you get the new bold the sassy the fun. The foreign then , there is your market here you wont find it in my town I have to go an additional half an hour. Make it more public so more people will appreciate it.Stop assuming all people are idiots and there are people out there who like a good story. Don't wait till word of mouth make foriegn movies classic. Exploit them when you have a chance then people will watch it. Look at all the recent Classics on IMDB 250 that are foreign. City of God, Downfall , Pans Labryinth etc.. You have to encourage them , people dont want to watch it cause you give us one set guideline of movies to watch. So a CGI fest , remake of an Asian PG-13 crapfest, One dimensional Cloned rom com exhibited a billion times is what we are going to get. So please show us something worthwhile which will make us go , I want to see this in theatres.Remember quality over quantity.
 
brianluce said:
Most of that foreign stuff is crap. No one pays to see it . Look at the market. It doesn't lie.

That's all irrelevant anyhow, the issue is fairness. Plain and simple. With your way of thinking no profession should strike because the pain trickles down to others. You have no argument Alex.
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Actually I have a good argument. And a moral one.

First ...

It appears you judge everything by the market. The market doesn't lie, you're right (sorta), but it does give us a pretty clear snapshot of of any given society / culture, and the current American market is in danger of trading story for cash cows targeted toward unsophisticated pubescent viewers. Shlock instead of art. Hey, it's your funeral!

It's a trend in many US industries, not just film. Profits over product.

Don't feel so bad. Many writers and industry pros are just in this for the money, and quality be damned. You have lots of company.

A lot of foreign film is crap, but so is a lot of US film. Just pure junk. Sadly people do pay to see it and only encourage more.

It's not that people won't pay to see foreign film, it's more that they are lazy thinkers, and prefer not to challenge their minds beyond fart jokes and boobs.

Self-inflicted ignorance. The almighty dollar wins again!

And no, Titanic was NOT a great movie. Hell, it wasn't even a good movie, unless like BL here, you judge it solely on box office performance. Any other objective and critical analysis and it falls apart.

That's the difference we're talking about.

Second ....

How you can dismiss the 'pain trickles down' as unimportant is beyond me. We're not talking about widgets here, we're talking about human beings in un-glorified positions that support the more visible players in the industry.

I for one feel indebted to every toilet cleaner, burger flipper, floor cleaner, and set painter that is there to support the biz.

They have families and obligations the same as any actor, writer, or producer. I'm not against striking. What I am against is the tactics that only take into account a small circle of professionals, and leave the rest fending for scraps.

That is wrong.

In all honesty the arrogance of this industry sickens me.


alex

www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com
www.guerro.wordpress.com

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It's show BUSINESS not show charity. The challenge is to make something compelling within a commercial framework. You can do all the high minded stuff you want, but you'll go broke and no one will ever see your work.

People loved TITANIC. Dismissing it is perilous because you're dismissing audiences and what they like.

Also, I've never met a writer who was "In it for the money". I've never even met one who was in it for the glamor. Writers are usually pretty smart, at least smart enough to know that they probably won't find either. Writers do have a right to fair compensation though, and that's what the strike is all about.
 
Whoa...

I think almost everyone here is way out of line.

First, the thing you don't seem to be understanding is the profit margins regarding works online specifically. That is what writers are upset about really. How would you like it if one of your films was put online and you didn't get anything from it. But others did.

This goes to show you that writers are the baseline for production. Without us, there is nothing. Ahh, but this can be said about everything else. But think about it. We can't function on set without the numerous amount of people who help set out to make the project work. A production would be hell without the aid of PAs. And yeah, we have shitty jobs as PAs. Running coffee, making copies, all of the low end work. But without that, people in higher positions would have more to worry about, it would take longer (more money spent), etc. etc.

But without a writer, there is no script to break down. Nothing to shoot, nothing to really do. Aside from reality TV where it is essentially non-scripted.

Yes, does the strike screw over a lot of people? Yes. I know a lot of people in LA who have to cross the lines in order to complete their college internships, which end early once shooting is wrapped. But should the writers get what they deserve for their work? Absolutely. Writing is no walk in the park as I am sure everyone knows. But when directors, producers, everyone 'above the line' gets paid quite a bit, why shouldn't the writers get the chunk they deserve.

I am a writer too, in the Guild? No. However, I can't write now either. Well, I can write, but I can't send scripts anywhere. Because of the potential to be blacklisted.

Complain all you want, but the writers deserve to get paid.

And to comment on your argument about foreign film and outsourcing.

It is simple...it is cheaper?

Why do productions go to Canada a lot? Well, I will tell you. Productions shot in Canada get tax breaks, like in the US, HOWEVER....they get it back in the form of a check. US productions? They get incentives, which need to be sold to see the money. Canada also WAS cheaper, but since the dollar went down...Canada also has the crew people and the equipment.

Now, foreign films. Many foreign films are simply designed for export. Most of Chinese cinema is made for export, for film fests and so on. As are many other countries. Are these new cinemas great? Yes, they do make amazing film...though really, it is for export, not for their personal domestic box offices.

-Matt
 
All great points, Matt.

Maybe I should clarify one thing. I agree all writers should get a fair deal for their efforts. It is the writer that creates the blueprint for which all others follow, yet writers are really treated as marginal players.

HOWEVER!!!!!, and this is the point BL seems to not understand, is that the tactics used to bring that fair deal to the writers hurts other people in the industry. THEREFORE, I don't support the strike. The writers yes, but not the stike, and I could really care less if I get blacklisted for saying so.

I guess some folks just don't see the moral vacancy of snatching bread out of a hungry man's hand.

And now this ...

''People loved TITANIC. Dismissing it is perilous because you're dismissing audiences and what they like. BL''


If I'm reading this right, you are saying it's better to go along with what the masses like, than to risk original thinking.

Lets sum all this up with this tidbit.

Rembrandt died a penniless man. History remembers him, however, but it certainly doesn't remember the upper crust critics that put him there. All forgotten like a fart in the wind, as they should be. I choose moral convitions over stampeding to box office euphoria no matter the damage done.

enough said.

alex


www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com
www.guerro.wordpress.com


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I don't think you will get blacklisted for stating you don't support the strike.

We just can't put anything through the hollywood system.

Well, take a look at Broadway. A lot of people were screwed there. Everything stopped during a critical time. Hundreds of millions lost. People went to NYC from all over the world to see shows, and nothing. Grinch was screwed until the court system was involved. Actors, makeup people, lighting techs....all out of work for those two weeks. And it was terrible when the lights were out in the city.

And yes, writers are treated as marginal players, we are not above the line by any means. However, it is maybe something that needs to be looked at.

However: I do think that the days of the unions are becoming numbered. Since strikes kill the system, I do agree. I am only saying that the writers deserve more than they are getting. Is it in their power to strike? Yes. Coal strikes, transportation strikes, they happen all the time. So you can't simply bash the writers for striking without bashing everyone else who has ever struck (past tense of strike?).

-Matt
 
It remains as true as ever, that the fund calculations for all of the IA unions, will be based upon the writers' eventual deal. So the people whom alex feels the writers should suck it up and support, stand to benefit in the end and over a longer term, from a successful strike action, by the writers.

I rely upon the writers writing to practice my profession, and they don't owe me anything.
 
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