Re: Writers Guild of America Strike
Posted by MoiraMacTaggert on 2008/1/1 8:39:17
Okay, responding to Chillyplasma first, because it almost sounded like an allegation, so I want to clear the air.
First statement was a joke. And stated as a joke. And seguayed as "moving away from the joke." It's good that you do volunteer work, and so do I. However, expecting someone to agree not to be paid within their professional career is asinine. It's one thing to volunteer to step in and do something, and another to begin in good faith and be told 'you're not getting paid.'
Since it came up later on, and considering your question, I'll point at the Battlestar Galactica Webisodes (this story is specifically "The Resistance" webisodes from S2). Ron Moore wrote, directed, edited the webisodes and then recieved a phone call. Not going to pay him, not going to put credits on them. He said "Okay, hold on, we're going to negotiate this."
They walked into his studio and TOOK the webisodes from him, instead. Their intellectual property, and their utter contempt for the writers.
Ron Moore, like Joss Whedon, is one of the most outspoken members of the WGA. And yes, it is affecting Battlestar Galactica. It's American Television that's shot in Canada, but it's still American Television.
Now, to Kevin Smith, since you only again looked at the tongue-in-cheek portion, but didn't comment on the creative process involving way too many people to blame the writers in every instance of Hollywood Crap. Want a writer apologizing? Lets go to one of those out on Strike.
Tim Kring, writer for Heroes, apologizing about the pacing of Season 2. Look it up.
What I'm objecting to here is villainizing the writers, or calling them lazy, etc. Of blaming everything gone wrong in Hollywood on them, and dismissing it.
"Why do you care?" I've been asked. I'm not a member of the WGA. I'm an artist, and a writer, but not in the Hollywood scene and never will be. No, I'm a fan just like everyone else who watches any shows. But I'm a fan that can do something to help, so I am and have been. And they're thankful, helpful, and personable--they've stated their case clearly to me, and I grew up believing in people getting a fair deal. It's naieve, but it's something I'm willing to work towards.
Winterhawk: The networks are forcing Leno, Stewart and Colbert back into the studio without their writers. Stewart and Colbert are members of the WGA, whose writers are still out on strike. Leno's been a supporter of the WGA and has been featured in the "Speechless without Writers" internet campaign, and will also be returning without writers.
Letterman, meanwhile, has made the first deal with the WGA and will be returning the same day WITH his writers, because his production company is seperate from the big networks and he chose to negotiate on his own (since he's been paying apx $360,000 a week to salary and insure his team of writers and affected staff it's really not surprising--he was on-air in the 1988 strike and put on a very tongue-in-cheek anti-network variety show until they gave him back his writers).
Stewart and Colbert, meanwhile, everyone's interested to see how their shows will go. According to WGA guidelines, they can't perform any section normally entirely scripted and written by the Writers ("The Word" or Stewart's jokes) and they can't perform as a scripted character (and since Colbert does his entire show 'in character'). . .
They were essentially told "You have backgrounds in improv. Get back on the air."
First statement was a joke. And stated as a joke. And seguayed as "moving away from the joke." It's good that you do volunteer work, and so do I. However, expecting someone to agree not to be paid within their professional career is asinine. It's one thing to volunteer to step in and do something, and another to begin in good faith and be told 'you're not getting paid.'
Since it came up later on, and considering your question, I'll point at the Battlestar Galactica Webisodes (this story is specifically "The Resistance" webisodes from S2). Ron Moore wrote, directed, edited the webisodes and then recieved a phone call. Not going to pay him, not going to put credits on them. He said "Okay, hold on, we're going to negotiate this."
They walked into his studio and TOOK the webisodes from him, instead. Their intellectual property, and their utter contempt for the writers.
Ron Moore, like Joss Whedon, is one of the most outspoken members of the WGA. And yes, it is affecting Battlestar Galactica. It's American Television that's shot in Canada, but it's still American Television.
Now, to Kevin Smith, since you only again looked at the tongue-in-cheek portion, but didn't comment on the creative process involving way too many people to blame the writers in every instance of Hollywood Crap. Want a writer apologizing? Lets go to one of those out on Strike.
Tim Kring, writer for Heroes, apologizing about the pacing of Season 2. Look it up.
What I'm objecting to here is villainizing the writers, or calling them lazy, etc. Of blaming everything gone wrong in Hollywood on them, and dismissing it.
"Why do you care?" I've been asked. I'm not a member of the WGA. I'm an artist, and a writer, but not in the Hollywood scene and never will be. No, I'm a fan just like everyone else who watches any shows. But I'm a fan that can do something to help, so I am and have been. And they're thankful, helpful, and personable--they've stated their case clearly to me, and I grew up believing in people getting a fair deal. It's naieve, but it's something I'm willing to work towards.
Winterhawk: The networks are forcing Leno, Stewart and Colbert back into the studio without their writers. Stewart and Colbert are members of the WGA, whose writers are still out on strike. Leno's been a supporter of the WGA and has been featured in the "Speechless without Writers" internet campaign, and will also be returning without writers.
Letterman, meanwhile, has made the first deal with the WGA and will be returning the same day WITH his writers, because his production company is seperate from the big networks and he chose to negotiate on his own (since he's been paying apx $360,000 a week to salary and insure his team of writers and affected staff it's really not surprising--he was on-air in the 1988 strike and put on a very tongue-in-cheek anti-network variety show until they gave him back his writers).
Stewart and Colbert, meanwhile, everyone's interested to see how their shows will go. According to WGA guidelines, they can't perform any section normally entirely scripted and written by the Writers ("The Word" or Stewart's jokes) and they can't perform as a scripted character (and since Colbert does his entire show 'in character'). . .
They were essentially told "You have backgrounds in improv. Get back on the air."
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