Meanwhile, I have a fellow Captain in WA who has a flooded house, trees down and no flood insurance (why would she, she’s not in a flood-zone!)… and no income thanks to the strike.
Sara’s penned the story (not the screenplay – different credit) of a blockbuster, she’s been a consulting producer and writer for primetime… she’s a fantastic writer, but she’s not one of those multi-gazillionaires the studios would like to make you believe we all are. None of the funds can really help, since they’re set up for emergency housing and health care and right now, they’re struggling to keep up with everyone the studios have tossed out on their asses.
We’re setting up a fund to help out writers like her – and she’s waiting for FEMA’s help – but for God’s sake… when you thnk of Cervaise’s statement above… what gives?!
Elenfair thank you for the first coherent explanation of the strike I have read. I was like ** Fish Nya**; hey this is interfering with my weekly viewing habits, why are the writers trying to screw me over? However, now that you have explained both how little you, as writers, are asking, and how much you are being asked to do “for free” that I know someone is going to charge me to watch, I support you. I hope it is over soon and you win big.
Should I stop buying shows from iTunes until the strike is over, or will already finished shows not be covered by whatever the settlement is?
I support you 100%. I had one of your kind in the family (Arthur Dales) and I’ve tried my hand at screenwriting myself (oh man did that movie suck), so I know how tough your job is. And of course, your life is even more stressful now. I wish I were in LA so I could help you with the strike!
Stay strong–you’ll get yours.
(I do have to ask, though: how is Boston Legal putting out new episodes? That’s been bugging me. Do some shows just have scripts written out way in advance?)
That’s an awesome idea. If it turns out to be practical, wouldn’t that be a writer’s dream–getting to run the show without meddling!
I have a related question: considering how bad Leno’s show was before, how badly will it stink up the small screen now that he’s writing his own material? Sheesh–if he writes like he delivers, comedy as we know it might well be on its deathbed.
In answer to questions: Regarding iTunes and other Downloads-for-Money. At this point, those that are available now probably will not be grandfathered into any payments for us. We do encourage people to boycott, or buy DVDs… in the end, 4cents is better than nothing, right? Or, heck, TiVo the buggers. Don’t give the Moguls your money directly other than through your eyeballs. Um… yeah.
Regarding what you CAN do, no matter where you are – visit United Hollywood’s website. There’s a surprising amount of stuff fans CAN do to help. There are lots of letter-writing campaigns on the go. In the end, it’s your eyeballs that the moguls are after, because the advertising money depends on those cute little irises and retinas of yours. Fans, in the end, hold a lot more power than they know. Another important thing to note: there are rallies being organized in major (and not so major!) cities around the US. Writers are just about everywhere, and we’re getting organized. Keep an ear to the ground. Show up at rallies, show your support. We’re grateful for each and every person that shows up. Heck, here in Minneapolis, we had a dude from the Railroad Workers’ Union who saw us on the 6 o’clock news and he came out in the freezin’ 0F weather with a “Railroad Workers Support the WGA!” sign for a while. Bless his heart. We also had a couple of fans who came out and lent us a hand (cookies and hot chocolate in tow!)… so hey. Ya never know. Plus, you never know who you’ll meet!
Regarding “NEW EPISODES”: We were getting ready for this strike back last APRIL. That’s how far ahead we KNEW this was coming. Because of this, we actually cut our summer hiatus short. A lot of shows actually went back to production early this summer. Rather than go back to shoot work in July (or in some cases late August), we went right back to work in May, or earlier. We worked long hours. Some “ensemble cast” shows wrote and shot in tandem (which means shooting two episodes side by side) to double up the speed at which we could do stuff. Showrunners and writers were hoping to have about 10-12 episodes, which is about a half-season, in the can by the time our contracts were up. This was both insane AND strategic on our parts. In some ways, it was a way to protect fledgling shows and our collective asses (canceling – look at what happened to ‘24’). It also was to get us through November sweeps.
The Networks also know that December is a slow month, so they often opt to air reruns, saving some new episodes for January/February. The nasty ones for that? FOX. With Football season, they try to stretch out what they’ve got. They have 3 episodes of Bones left over, if I mistake not… and they’re trying to make it last til March if they must. Twits.
Elenfair, I’m a member in good standing of IATSE 600 ( The Camera Guild ) and NABET 16 ( the house local at ABC ). I used to be in IBEW 1212, which is a local covering t.v. technicians at a variety of venues including C.B.S. /Viacom and United Nations T.V.
Your guild has been unfairly painted ( as usual ! ) by Production. I’ve been a cinematographer for 28 years and a Steadicam Operator for 20 years. For 17 years I’ve also taught many workshops to new and seasoned camera ops.
My workshops always start the same way. I point to all the pricey gear and then pick up a sheet of paper and remind everyone in the room of why we are all there. It isn’t for the cool gear with the pricey accessories and the black anodized metal and the swag and the Velcro and the logos.
It is because someone or a few someones sat in a room and started to say, " hey, what if … " and wrote down their ideas. It is because we are all beholden to the script. You can read a script and be breathless. You can shoot a great or mediocre movie with that script, but a fantastic writing job stands alone.
The people who decry the demands of the Writer’s Guild should try writing a script. Or pitching a treatment. Or doing a ghost job. Or eating silent bitter crow while Matt Damon and Ben Affleck snatch some Oscar gold for something another ( and incredibly famous ) screenwriter created.
There is nothing more humbling, in my seasoned opinion, than staring at a white screen or blank sheet of paper.
I didn’t know Letterman was paying his writers out of his own pocket or that Leno crossed the picket line. Very interesting to hear. I think I’ve heard that Jon Stewart is helping his writers out, but I’d be curious to know who else has had a dramatic reaction (in either direction) to the strike.
And can I just say that one of the highlights of my last couple months has been reading the picket signs you guys put up? The next time someone in the entertainment industry goes on strike, you should help them out with snarky one-liners. As much as I want the media to cave, there’s a little part of me that wants to be able to read your picket signs forever.
Oh, and given that I’m likely to wind up a member of United Scenic Artists, best of luck! You write the snarky signs, I’ll paint 'em up all pretty.
