So about this screenwriter’s strike in Hollywood and New York City… wait a minute should I be writing this? Does it mean that I have crossed the picket line? I am not a Scab. That’s right I am not getting paid to write this, so I can proceed.
The media primarily the LA Times and Variety magazine have been covering this new development in Hollywood quite logistically with facts and figures on what lead up to this new crisis and what might come next.
With all of the articles in Variety, I was able to get a clear view of why, the Writer’s Guild of America, West and East called for this strike in Hollywood and in New York City. Basically the scribes who write for the talk shows, cable shows and select movie production teams are not getting what they deserve as far as revenue is concerned off of the sold DVDs and other accoutrements.
“Scribes currently receive less than a nickel for each disc sold but studios and nets contend that DVD revenues are critical for film and TV projects to break even amid sharply rising costs.”
The Los Angeles Times coverage of the strike aimed at the number of screenwriters who were protesting and from what television shows and studios. I liked this angle along with the statistics because it gives the reader more of a visual on what medium is actually being affected here.
“In an often spirited display of protest playing out on both sides of the country, more than 1,000 screenwriters -- representing "Lost," "The Young and the Restless," "Chinatown" and everything in between -- hoisted picket signs and chanted labor songs as a long-feared show business strike became a potentially crippling reality Monday.”
I thought that it was interesting the fact that the Writer’s Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were in a meeting all day on Monday November 5, trying to iron out a compromise before the strike but, they did not prevail. This was covered in both publications.
“Less than 12 hours after negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers collapsed in a West Hollywood hotel meeting room Sunday night, WGA members launched boisterous demonstrations against the major movie and TV studios in Los Angeles and New York, with several top performers visiting the front lines to lend support.”
According to the facts represented in both publications the last strike held by the Writer’s Guild in 1988
lasted for 22 weeks and cost the industry an estimated $500 million in
loss. What I also like about the LA Times version of covering this
story is that since they are based out of Southern California near
major studios they were able to catch a human aspect along with the
facts and figures. My favorite of these was the clear written picture
of Jay Leno out serving those on strike coffee and doughnuts.
“The suddenly out-of-work Leno handed out doughnuts to writers picketing NBC's Burbank studio.” I don't know what we're going to do. I don't know how long it is going to last," Leno said as he distributed boxes of Krispy Kremes. "I've been working with these people for 20 years. Without them I'm not funny. I'm a dead man."
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