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Ali 
"Those aren't pillows."
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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 Posted - 11/14/2007 : 15:09:53
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Are we strikebreakers?
Shouldn't we be out in solidarity? 
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 11/14/2007 : 15:11:01
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| In America I don't htink people really get it until lots of scripted shows go off the air - right now its only the Talk Shows, but soon dramas and sit-coms are going to run out of episodes - hopefully they resolve this I know a similiar issue happened durign the last SAG strike (my wife is a member) regarding digital media, etc. |
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Downtown 
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 11/14/2007 : 21:24:18
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I can't say I'm thrilled about it but even though I come from a family that's been white collar for generations, I was taught to stand by the unions so I'm on their side. Besides, this will give me a chance to catch up on the hours of programming I have saved up on my DVR. I can't watch new episodes until I've finally seen the old ones!
I actually still remember the last Writers' Guild strike, in 1988...Star Trek TNG ended up using two rejected scripts from the aborted Star Trek Phase II project in the 70s, and then resorted to a clip show in their second season! |
Edited by - Downtown on 11/14/2007 21:27:33 |
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demonic 
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 11/15/2007 : 04:25:15
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The Simpsons did a similar thing I recall. That may have even been at the end of their first season, possibly the second.
And I think the writers are absolutely entitled to what they've asked for and I'd support them all the way. Artists, apart from the bankable famous ones, always get a raw deal in the entertainment industry compared to the producers and executives whose creative input is limited solely to how much money they can put up (and then take back with plentiful interest). I generalise, of course, but I'll always side with the creatives.
I have no doubt the money men will eventually back down, and soon, when confronted with dross on their schedules and free falling ratings. We're talking about 1/3 of a cent per dollar here - they should have asked for more! |
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Wheelz 
"FWFR%u2019ing like it%u2019s 1999"
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Posted - 11/15/2007 : 22:50:56
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I have a friend who is an aspiring screenwriter. He has yet to have anything produced, but he has won several screenplay contests and has about three projects currently under development contracts. One script in particular lately has been really looking as if it might actually get made.
Then came the strike. Though my friend is not a member of any union, he has made the decision to suspend all negotiations for the duration. This move is both principled -- he agrees with the writers' stance -- and practical -- if he were to get his first big break by acting as a scab, it might not bode well for his future reputation in the biz.
What saddens me is that my friend's fledgling career could conceivably get derailed before it begins because of this. I'm sure there are many others in the same boat.
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Edited by - Wheelz on 11/15/2007 22:53:13 |
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TitanPa
"Here four more"
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Posted - 11/16/2007 : 21:23:07
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| IT also saddens me that some of the newest shows that have premiered this year might get the axe cause of Not enough Fan base following the exit off the air and then coming back. One of my favorite shows now might be one of the ill fated. 'Journeyman'. Along with 'Bionic Woman' and a bunch of others. |
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MguyXXVI
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 11/16/2007 : 22:05:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Are we strikebreakers?
Only if we think our writing is creative enough to sell.
Anyone?  |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 11/17/2007 : 02:14:03
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"She was so stupid, she slept with the writer."
An iconic punch line, but still:
The writers only have power when they wield it together.
The last time they got screwed was when the producers told them off-net manufacture was costing them so much, their pittance was generous. Once bitten...
[However, the '88 strike brought forth noxious fumes from hell and began the series of events that visited upon us the era of reality shows, so make your own judgment. Were I a Guild writer, I would be hoisting a placard, but it would be shaking in the air.] |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 11/26/2007 : 16:30:35
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At great risk of potentially asking a stupid question here...
If the strike is by the WGA, what is there stopping film and TV producers from shipping their writing requirements out to other countries where the writers *aren't* striking?
Also, is it really true this will mean an increase in reality TV shows? As unlikely as it might seem, I still see writing credits for these too |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 11/26/2007 : 19:43:45
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This is not as outsource-friendly as you might think. Particularly for television shows - the show creators are often on the writing team and while they would make more money if there weren't th estrike they want to support their writers too. Also writing staffs tend not to have full scale turnover, otherwise the tone and style of the shows would change too much. You sometimes see special episodes of serial television programs being written by a celebrity guest writer - Tarantino for example penned episodes of ER and Alias and these episodes had to be stand alone - they could not accurately further the story line without a lot of input from the head writers.
Think about Lost - the producers/writers have a master plan for this season and the whole series in mind, and every episode has to get them closer to that end point - they aren't likely going to tell the scabs what the secrets are.
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 11/26/2007 : 23:52:42
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quote:
Originally posted by 8enj clews
At great risk of potentially asking a stupid question here...
If the strike is by the WGA, what is there stopping film and TV producers from shipping their writing requirements out to other countries where the writers *aren't* striking?
Also, is it really true this will mean an increase in reality TV shows? As unlikely as it might seem, I still see writing credits for these too
What Turrell said, but also, you want *good* writers. If these guys can't work it out soon, late-night talk shows like Leno and Letterman may come back without writers -- in the Internet age, they might even ask for jokes from the vast unwashed [as the NY Times is currently doing for its late-nite-comic "Laugh Lines" column] -- and just do the spontaneous unscripted interviews with people who are dying to plug their movies.
But, we may be discovering just now, who cares? ENCHANTED, for example, did all its biz without much talk show help, which makes its #1 T'giving haul even more impressive...and makes you wonder just how important a chat show booking actually is for a hugely-promoted Disney flick!
But for scripted stuff, you need writers that the showrunners trust to understand the show. Heck, you even need that on soap operas! [And the showrunners are often writers themselves; they've come back to work in their production/editing capacity, but not as writers.]
For example, my favorite TV show, LOST, will be absolutely bereft without its writers. Outsource the writing, and the show just drifts away. Remember: the outsourcers would not be writers: they'd be SUITS! |
Edited by - randall on 11/26/2007 23:55:09 |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 11/27/2007 : 01:02:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Randall
quote:
Originally posted by 8enj clews
At great risk of potentially asking a stupid question here...
If the strike is by the WGA, what is there stopping film and TV producers from shipping their writing requirements out to other countries where the writers *aren't* striking?
Also, is it really true this will mean an increase in reality TV shows? As unlikely as it might seem, I still see writing credits for these too
What Turrell said, but also, you want *good* writers. If these guys can't work it out soon, late-night talk shows like Leno and Letterman may come back without writers -- in the Internet age, they might even ask for jokes from the vast unwashed [as the NY Times is currently doing for its late-nite-comic "Laugh Lines" column] -- and just do the spontaneous unscripted interviews with people who are dying to plug their movies.
I'm sure I'm reading this wrong, but I'd like to stress there are good writers outside of the US 
There's plenty of topical shows all around the world which require a very fast turnaround on jokes, so the talent is out there, and I think if there's one country that everyone follows the politics of outside of their own, it would be the US.
quote:
But for scripted stuff, you need writers that the showrunners trust to understand the show. Heck, you even need that on soap operas! [And the showrunners are often writers themselves; they've come back to work in their production/editing capacity, but not as writers.]
I'm not entirely convinced of this- I've seen programmes take on new creative teams who are clearly fans of the earlier series and who in some ways actually improve the programme with fresh new ideas. Surely no popular TV programme goes through it's 7 or 8 seasons with exactly the same creative team?
(I also wonder if the average audience member (perhaps not us die-hards, but certainly the regular, attention-span-deficient viewer) would notice any real difference with new writers- just as long as the same actors are playing the same characters)
quote:
For example, my favorite TV show, LOST, will be absolutely bereft without its writers. Outsource the writing, and the show just drifts away. Remember: the outsourcers would not be writers: they'd be SUITS!
I think if any show could deal with new writers, Lost would be it. Sure you have the ongoing antics on the island, but you have all the backstories which almost exist in their own realities- surely an ideal medium for guest writers to work on? Also, as I understand it, the 'master plan' has been established long ago- it's now a case of filling in the blanks in much the same way a series creator would say what (s)he was after, but then leave other writers to flesh it out.
But... to get back to my main thought. What about films? Original films (i.e. non-sequels) that we have no preconceived ideas about. Could these not be worked on by writers from overseas, especially given the number of drafts most films go through anyway?
P.S. Re: not telling scabs about the master plan. I'm guessing a no-disclosure contract would cover this. |
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TitanPa
"Here four more"
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Posted - 11/27/2007 : 04:47:57
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| I sure hope LOST has been filming and they are just waiting til Feb to air the episodes. While other shows will be in re-runs. Lost will get lots of attention. ANd here I thought waiting to air the shows was a bad thing. |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 11/27/2007 : 06:02:21
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Well, the biggest problem with the writer's strike here is getting Jon Stewart's Global Edition in RERUNS! Nothing sadder than making fun of news that isn't news anymore.
(If anyone needs my help in writing something for their shows, I'd be willing to lend a line or two.)
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Ali
"Those aren't pillows."
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Posted - 11/27/2007 : 07:54:48
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The studios greenlighted a heap of otherwise doubtful projects, such as the Justice League movie, ahead of the strike to make sure they had tentpole releases for the next year and a half. The writers strike is unlikely to have as major an affect on cinema as it will on television (unless, of course, the strike goes on for longer than six to eight months).
And while it's true that hiring different writers for episodic shows such as CSI is a possibility, there is a simple reason why it won't happen: the Hollywood guilds are incredibly closely-knit groups. Hiring non-WGA writers to work on a show would backfire in a number of ways. Firstly, to use the old adage, the new writers will never have lunch in that town again. Secondly, many actors and directors, who have their own strikes coming up within the next year, will most likely refuse to work. Finally, it's just too costly an endeavour. This isn't outsourcing a call-centre to Mumbai over three years - we are talking about recruiting, within the span of a fortnight, a new set of non-Union writers from the US and the world over to work on a lightning-quick turnaround. Besides, you have to realise, almost all of the very best English-speaking writers in the world are WGA members.
As for Lost, the situation can turn out to be dire. They managed to complete 8 episodes before the strike. However, if the strike lasts for over three months, there is a chance Bad Robot won't be able to finish the remaining eight, in which case, the word round the campfire is that ABC might refrain from showing the 8 episodes already in the can, and, instead, opt to run them together with next season's sixteen episodes in a batch of twenty-four starting in February 2009.
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Edited by - Ali on 11/27/2007 07:56:32 |
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Writers Strike
