Strike Update

[DocBedford]

As a screenwriter first, and a newly educated techie, I'll put my two cents in.

Nobody has a job until there's a screenplay to build a deal upon. Ask any producer worth his salt in Hollywood: no script, no deal. The only exceptions are if there's a well known screenwriter pitching a logline.

I speak from both sides of the fence: it's a whole lot easier to shoot a pretty picture than write a good scene. Stringing 100+ scenes together to make a coherent, let alone good (not to mention great) script is damnably hard.

Granted, stringing together great shots one after the other is no mean feat either; but face it, the writers have been getting the shaft for years.

Why is there a "Film by" credit for the director? Speaking from both sides of the fence...got me. The ONLY time there should be a "Film by" credit is if the director was also the writer. Period. The rest is stolen glory...and stolen money.

Techies get the shaft in Hollywood too, but not as bad as the writers. Any time anyone challenges the studios all the unions should step in line and support them.

 

[Sad Max]

The ONLY time there should be a "Film by" credit is if the director was also the writer.

And the editor.

And the production designer.

And the honey wagon driver.

And the focus puller.

And the craft-service coordinator.

And the lead carpenter.

And...you get the idea.

Any time anyone challenges the studios all the unions should step in line and support them.

Won't happen. The IA guilds and unions would come out to support the writers and directors and actors, but the respect is basically absent, for things to go the other way.

 

[brianluce]

Why is there a "Film by" credit for the director?

.

There are reasons for this, I just can't remember them right now. I used to think it was director ego. It isn't.

 

[Sad Max]

I used to think it was director ego. It isn't.

It's contractual obligation that's inspired by director ego.

 

[karapetkov]

Coming soon!:


"Das Torrent: Future Distribution Paradise"

[A colossal and (r)evolutionary article by Karl Torrent Marx (a.k.a. as "Karap")]


- Are you tired of the old home distribution system?

- Are you angry at big companies, who try every possible trick to get your cash?

- Are you frustrated when it is impossible to find\purchase a rare song or movie?

- Are you a struggling independent artist, trying to make a living out of his work?


And at the same time:


- Do you feel ashamed of downloading illegal mp3-s\movies?

- Do you feel bad about the losses this causes on the entertainment industry [even though it's evil] ?

- Do you feel that piracy is wrong in the end, but the current state of affairs is also wrong?

- Do you wanna make it right and do you want everyone to be happy?


There could be an answer to all that and believe me - this won't be another piracy-defending, pseudo-rebel and pseudo-communist article.


On the contrary...


Imagine... an Internet-based system for distribution of music and movies, which:


- Enables the entertainment industries to make more money on home distribution than ever before... on a (possibly) global scale.

- Allows for the regular customer to actually pay less for legal downloads of music and films.

- Reduces piracy to 0 and something more - removes the very need and temptation for downloading pirated content.

- Enables the possibility for unlimited and legal! downloads of every song, album, short or feature film you could possibly want?

- Creates possibilities for independent artists that they never had before?


Impossible, right?


Utopia?!...


Maybe.


But maybe not?


If you're still interested - read the new colossal and (r)evolutionary article:


"Das Torrent: Future Distribution Paradise"

by Karl Torrent Marx (a.k.a. as "Karap").


Coming soon!


In a new thread near you...


Merry Christmas.

 

[alex whitmer]

Reduces piracy to 0 and something more - removes the very need and temptation for downloading pirated content.

Are you are talking about human beings, or some yet undiscovered species?

Need and temptation have less to do with motivation than meets the eye. More often theft is percieved as a responsibility to take what is not yours. It's a deep-rooted psyche thingy that perpetuates the us against them approach to all things human, not to mention the self-gloating over proving to one's self and one's peers (pressure) you can do it.

RICH KID #1
'Look! I stole something'!

RICH KID #2
Cool!

Or ...

UNEDUACATED DICKHEAD #1
I figure we can download all these for free, repackage them into desirable and suspiciously cheap on-line offers, and then sell them to on-line tightwads. I mean not because we need to ...

UNEDUCATED DICKHEAD #2
... or even like we're all that tempted ...

UNEDUCATED DICKHEAD #1
... Let me finish! I was gonna say just because we can, and it's our responsibility to stick it to the man.

UNEDUACTED DICKHEAD #2
Cool!

Some people rob banks cuz they're hungry (and too dumb to seek out other options), some people rob banks because of opportunity (there's your temptation), and still others rob banks just for the thrill of it (Break Point).

Make sure you cover this third strain of morally-flexible movie watchers in your soon-to-be-released colossal article.

Alex

www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com

www.guerro.wordpress.com



.

 

[karapetkov]

While I'm working on my totally brilliant article, I re-read our little [but very interesting] thread.

I did. It doesn't impress me as more than a nice idea that will never be adopted.

About profit sharing - it's not my idea. I'm just retelling something that I agree with.

I know that you're probably much more experienced in your job than I'm in mine [I'm only four, after all ], but I know enough of exploitation and the sometimes sick professional relations in this business [and many others].

I understand your realism but if people do nothing about a problem, things will not get better. Usually I just quit the job, which hasn't proved to be very productive, but anyway .

A lot of things that are reality now were considered impossible in the past.

Flying in the air was considered sci-fi 150-200 years ago. Nowadays, a lot of evolved monkeys are roaming up there, but sometimes they're throwing very nasty things on the ground.

The idea of women voting was considered almost an offense before the 20th century.

What we call "democracy" today, existed only on paper before the revolutions in England, Netherlands, France and the US.

So, we have to keep trying and "do the evolution".

Yes, this sounds philosophical but it's also very real, I think.

--------

Alex:

... About the pirates and human nature - I understand your point. The "reduce to 0" statement is a bit unrealistic. I'll address these things in the brilliant article.

--------

Sya.

 

[Sad Max]

About profit sharing - it's not my idea. I'm just retelling something that I agree with.

Okay. I'm not attacking the idea because I think it's yours; as much as I like the idea, it's just not something that's going to happen.

I know that you're probably much more experienced in your job than I'm in mine [I'm only four, after all], but I know enough of exploitation and the sometimes sick professional relations in this business [and many others].

It's less about specific experience in my various professions, than it is about what you learn while participating in the process.

I don't know about sick professional relations or exploitation, but as with most any business things are arranged for the benefit and to the advantage of those doing the arranging. It's just the specifics and traditions that are kind of singular...

I understand your realism but if people do nothing about a problem, things will not get better. Usually I just quit the job, which hasn't proved to be very productive, but anyway.

I'm all for doing things to address problems. Which is why I support the strike 100%.

A lot of things that are reality now were considered impossible in the past.

Alas, my getting a hot date with Milla Jovovich doesn't appear to be one of them.

Flying in the air was considered sci-fi 150-200 years ago.

First flight of a manned air vehicle was in 1783. I'm sorry; I had to mention that.

Nowadays, a lot of evolved monkeys are roaming up there, but sometimes they're throwing very nasty things on the ground.

The monkeys look evolved, to you...?

The idea of women voting was considered almost an offense before the 20th century.

There's parts where people don't much care for the notion, today.

we have to keep trying and "do the evolution".

Sure. Matters can always stand improvement.

 

[karapetkov]

Okay. I'm not attacking the idea because I think it's yours; as much as I like the idea, it's just not something that's going to happen.

It's sad because it would be fair to have this, at least as an option. Producers would have less preliminary payments to make and if the movie makes it big, they could be nothing but happy. Of course, they'd have to give a bigger piece of the pie to other departments, which is obviously the main problem.

I don't know about sick professional relations or exploitation, but as with most any business things are arranged for the benefit and to the advantage of those doing the arranging.

I believe it's the same, I'm just using strong words, cause these problems make me... angry. :kali:

I'm all for doing things to address problems. Which is why I support the strike 100%.

:thumbsup:

If some change happens in the US it would definitely affect things here too.

Alas, my getting a hot date with Milla Jovovich doesn't appear to be one of them.

Don't give up.

First flight of a manned air vehicle was in 1783. I'm sorry; I had to mention that.

Forgot those damn balloons. Shame on me.

The monkeys look evolved, to you...?

We define ourselves as such. But an objective point of view doesn't seem to exist or I don't know what it is.

There's parts where people don't much care for the notion, today.

Actually the paradox is that they have the right to care for whatever they like but it's wrong at the same time. A strange world...

Sure. Matters can always stand improvement.

:thumbsup:.

 

[karapetkov]

Coming soon!:


"Das Torrent: Future Distribution Paradise"

[A colossal and (r)evolutionary article by Karl Torrent Marx (a.k.a. as "Karap")]

25 pages... how am I gonna post that? rogar-Shock(DBG):

 

[Mattykins]

Just a quick note on the piracy deal. Most people crack programs because it presents a challenge for them. It is just something to do. And there are a lot of people who are excellent at it. The STW community will never die unfortunately. My first business went down because of shared videos online. My sales dropped from 30 DVDs per event to less than 5...and people all over the US were getting hands on my material. Cool - in the way that a kid in Texas sent me an email and said I made a rockin' DVD, but not so cool because I couldn't afford to travel to the events anymore. And thus I had to fold.

It sucks, but it's life...

 

[karapetkov]

There could be a solution.

 

[karapetkov]

Alea iacta est...

 

[Iceviking]

Ita vero

 

[Blaine]

DGA/Studios Reach Contract Deal

DGA/Studios Reach Contract Deal

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel...

 

[Zak Forsman]

that's how i've been told it worked last time, in the late eighties -- you know, the strike that gave us star trek 5? the WGA initiated the strike and the dga created the momentum toward ending it. let's hope so because, uh, i can't find work.

 

[mrWr0ng]

It's a lot less than the WGA was asking for, but it's a lot more than the AMPTP was offering. I bet they'll take it to go back to work - after all, if it's good enough for the directors...

 

[Mattykins]

Well here's hoping to my friends with the WGA.

Zak, I'm out of work too as are a lot of others.

It is a lot less than WGA wanted, but it is progress. Lets hope SAG gets something good too.

 

[karapetkov]

And the editor.

And the production designer.

And the honey wagon driver.

And the focus puller.

And the craft-service coordinator.

And the lead carpenter.

And...you get the idea.



Won't happen. The IA guilds and unions would come out to support the writers and directors and actors, but the respect is basically absent, for things to go the other way.

You're right and absolutely every person in the crew is important, simply because if only one tiny link in the chain doesn't work, the whole process is sabotaged. Things simply don't happen.

But I think that not absolutely everybody should have claims for authorship.

Only the people that make creative decisions, the decision makers.

Writer, producer, director, actors [they also make\should make decisions about their character], DP, Production Designer, Editor, Composer, Sound Designer, Costume, makeup, CGI artists, etc.

I mean, every person who takes responsibility\makes creative decisions for the vision and sounding of a product has the right of shared authorship and profit.

But not absolutely everyone. I mean the drivers, catering, etc. are important, cause if they don't work well, nothing happens. But they don't make creative decisions and cannot have claims for authorship.

In my country, authorship is held by writer, director and DP. it's interesting that producers here don't have authorship. Actually there aren't many real producers here, but that's off-topic. Things will be changing...


My 2c.

 

[Sad Max]

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel...

From a third-party perspective, this looks mighty insulting, to writers as a group.

What can't possibly be arranged for them, what's just totally unreasonable when they ask for it, seems easy-squeezy-here-you-go, when it's directors who are the ones to come asking...

I'm going to NYC for a little while for a vacation. I hope the WGA doesn't give so much as a millimeter, until they get exactly what they want.