As you might have heard, the talks between Hollywood Writers and Studios should resume tomorrow after a hasty adjournment for the weekend. And things are not looking good. The WGA has been talking to the studios since July, with studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The talks broke down on Friday and no new meetings are scheduled until Tuesday at least.
As is usual with the creative type, each side is blaming the other for a lack of progress that could doom the rest of us to the blood-curdling prospect of yet more re-runs, after we already endured the Networks' perennial cop-out of warmed-over mediocrity once.
The existing Writers' contract expires on October 31. [Halloween – feel the irony,] and the Studios' collective response to the risks of looming indolence has been to accelerate filming of shows and movies, and build up a backlog of scripts in case the strike becomes reality. The last strike in 1988 lasted five months and cost the studios almost half-a-billion dollars! So it's pretty safe to guess none of them are too thrilled at the prospect of a re-run of that!
The biggest problems so far are the Studios' desire to delay paying residuals for TV or movie projects until the Producers recover their costs. And the Guild is asking for payments on profits made from DVD sales to be doubled, and for union pay and benefits to go to Writers working in 'Reality' and basic cable shows. As if that wasn't enough fun, there's the brave new frontier of online streams and portable devices, and who gets paid what for product on those formats.
The Studios are claiming they need 'time to determine which models of digital distribution are likely to be profitable.' Which is clearly untrue – If there's one trait that is certainly not required to be a Producer, it's fealty. If something isn't turning a buck, they'd drop it in a blink. Time is not the problem - Avarice is.
The MPA's reps claim that those negotiating for the Writers are determined to strike. In response, the Writer's reps point out that their clients are the core of the whole Entertainment process, and that even the brain-rotting cash-cow known as 'Reality TV' couldn't exist without them...so they should get a decent share of the pie.
And you have to admit they have a point; When your very industry is grounded on a widespread public appetite for the predetermined actions of its stars, and your own creative attributes are so inadequate you're unable to even produce Reality shows - rightly regarded as the most nauseating incarnation of the televisual experience in recorded history - without a flock of writers to predetermine its course, pleading poverty and playing for time is facile and insulting.
And let's not ignore the lessons of history; Studios are trying to hold onto the residuals until every show or movie turns a profit. Examples of the jaw-dropping scale of self-serving BS this desire represents are legion, but one would be 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' Made for just under $5m, it's grossed over $820m in box office and DVD sales. And the figure is still climbing. Yet the Studio still says it has yet to break even??
The lesson for the bosses is clear: Unless you harbor a maladjusted desire for the wistful days of the silent era, Writers need to be paid. Fairly. If you don't pay, they don't work; If they don't work, you do re-runs; No-one's going to sit through all those nice, profitable commercials in shows they've already seen. And when the profits inevitably fall, it won't be the Writers who get the axe.
You hired the talent, and you can't move without them. So pay the bill, or clear your desk.
As is usual with the creative type, each side is blaming the other for a lack of progress that could doom the rest of us to the blood-curdling prospect of yet more re-runs, after we already endured the Networks' perennial cop-out of warmed-over mediocrity once.
The existing Writers' contract expires on October 31. [Halloween – feel the irony,] and the Studios' collective response to the risks of looming indolence has been to accelerate filming of shows and movies, and build up a backlog of scripts in case the strike becomes reality. The last strike in 1988 lasted five months and cost the studios almost half-a-billion dollars! So it's pretty safe to guess none of them are too thrilled at the prospect of a re-run of that!
The biggest problems so far are the Studios' desire to delay paying residuals for TV or movie projects until the Producers recover their costs. And the Guild is asking for payments on profits made from DVD sales to be doubled, and for union pay and benefits to go to Writers working in 'Reality' and basic cable shows. As if that wasn't enough fun, there's the brave new frontier of online streams and portable devices, and who gets paid what for product on those formats.
The Studios are claiming they need 'time to determine which models of digital distribution are likely to be profitable.' Which is clearly untrue – If there's one trait that is certainly not required to be a Producer, it's fealty. If something isn't turning a buck, they'd drop it in a blink. Time is not the problem - Avarice is.
The MPA's reps claim that those negotiating for the Writers are determined to strike. In response, the Writer's reps point out that their clients are the core of the whole Entertainment process, and that even the brain-rotting cash-cow known as 'Reality TV' couldn't exist without them...so they should get a decent share of the pie.
And you have to admit they have a point; When your very industry is grounded on a widespread public appetite for the predetermined actions of its stars, and your own creative attributes are so inadequate you're unable to even produce Reality shows - rightly regarded as the most nauseating incarnation of the televisual experience in recorded history - without a flock of writers to predetermine its course, pleading poverty and playing for time is facile and insulting.
And let's not ignore the lessons of history; Studios are trying to hold onto the residuals until every show or movie turns a profit. Examples of the jaw-dropping scale of self-serving BS this desire represents are legion, but one would be 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' Made for just under $5m, it's grossed over $820m in box office and DVD sales. And the figure is still climbing. Yet the Studio still says it has yet to break even??
The lesson for the bosses is clear: Unless you harbor a maladjusted desire for the wistful days of the silent era, Writers need to be paid. Fairly. If you don't pay, they don't work; If they don't work, you do re-runs; No-one's going to sit through all those nice, profitable commercials in shows they've already seen. And when the profits inevitably fall, it won't be the Writers who get the axe.
You hired the talent, and you can't move without them. So pay the bill, or clear your desk.
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